Steel Is RealSteel is real, and when it's prewar and built on one of Henry's assembly lines, it can be worth real green. In the right hands, it can also approach art. Bruce Rossmeyer of Florida brought the boys of Hot Rods & Hobbies a '36 Ford five-window coupe that had belonged to Blackie Gejeian, of Oakland Roadster Show and Fresno Autorama fame. Steve Stanford did the rendering, then the body was put on a Roadster Shop Chassis and the madness began. The top was chopped, the firewall was moved back, and the floorboard was dropped to make headroom under the lowered lid. The doors went suicide, the wheel openings have been angled back to make them flow, and the rear fenders were lengthened. A custom taillight panel was fabricated, and wisely, they kept the rumble seat, though it too was reshaped and lengthened. There are a ton of other body mods we'll show you when we feature the finished car. Which we will. Thankfully, they didn't stick a small-block Chevy in the car-it'll get a stroked (427ci) Windsor and an AOD automatic.-Randy Lorentzen
Guitar RivWith a planned debut at the Detroit Autorama in March, GoldTop is a Buick Riviera being built by Cruisin' Customs in West Olive, Michigan, for owner/designer Kevin Anderson of Indianapolis, Indiana. The Riv will have a chopped top, airbag suspension, and some custom but quiet metalwork, all aimed at paying homage to the GoldTop Les Paul electric guitar. Wanna see more? Go to www.goldtopriviera.com.-Rob Kinnan
The P-32The name Chip Foose does not instantly bring to mind images of jalopies and traditional hot rods. But influences are influences, and even Chip peeks his head up from his sculptures long enough to smell the winds of style around him. Like most artists, he takes the best of what's going on and makes it his own. So, check out the P-32. With traditional styling cues and many a new twist, it's a Deuce roadster on '32 rails, riding on stock 19-inch wheels out back and incorporating many Foose touches, most of them subtle. The design influence comes not from the rat scene, but rather from a WWII P-51 fighter plane, right down to the prop nose in the grille shell and 12 exhaust ports cut into the hood sides. That's right, 12; Chip's P-32 is running a Lincoln Zephyr flathead V-12. Completion is a ways away. As we go to press, Chip's doing the clay work on the nose/grille shell.-Randy Lorentzen
Smoy ContenderAs a follow up to Buwicked, Ted and Sue Richardson's '62 Buick Special that placed in the Top Five in Goodguys' '03 Street Machine of the Year, RJ Customs (Seattle, Washington) is building this '62 Chevy bubbletop for owner Dennis McLendon with the goal of snagging the SMOY trophy this year. Body mods will be subdued (most of them anyway), and it'll have a double-rail round-tube chassis, but the body will still be removable from the frame. True to the '62's roots, the engine will be a blown 409, and it'll be backed by a Richmond six-speed. RJ Customs owner Rich Thayer says the project is "a no-holds-barred attempt at winning the Street Machine of the Year title." He promises that the finished car will debut at the Columbus, Ohio, Goodguys show on July 7, 2006.-Rob Kinnan