As a youth, John Hutchinson of Marriottsville, MD, looked forward to attending car shows in the family ’s street rod, or simply helping his father Ron build the next one. His passion for street rods was fueled early while his peers longed after the muscle cars of the era. John liked early ’30s Fords, but one evening while watching television with his family in 1974, his passion ignited for a lifetime pursuit. The object of his desire was the ’34 Ford coupe known as the "California Kid" in the movie of the same name. He watched closely as Michael McCord (Martin Sheen) piloted the chopped top, flamed ’34 three-window nimbly through the desert canyon highways, evading the sadistic small-town sheriff. He vowed to himself that one day he would have a car just as cool.
Over the years, John built several street rods, mostly Model A roadsters, but the coupe for which he longed always eluded him. Finally, John decided he couldn’t wait any more and with the support of his wife Debra, he made the decision to build one.
John began his project with a new ’34 chassis built by the Magnum Axle Company. Its narrow ’32-styled front rail design and pinched front end would provide the right look. He wanted a traditional look for his coupe, and though he was willing to forego steel for fiberglass, John knew his coupe needed all the traditional styling cues to attain his goal. Exposed hinges, outside handles, and an original-style windshield frame made the Gibbon’s body a perfect match to the chassis.
"I’m no machinist," John proclaimed, though a look at the Bridgeport mill and metal lathe inside his home shop would have you believe otherwise. "I just like to build stuff," he said. "I worked places where I could learn the right tools to do the job."
He set about refining the chassis and outfitting it with custom stainless parts. "I like to build them myself, but more importantly I like to build them safe," he concluded.
Putting hot in his hot rod, John chose a GM Performance Parts ZZ4 crate engine. He went on to finish it with an Edelbrock Air Gap intake manifold, Speed Demon 650 carburetor, MSD ignition, and to help keep that vintage look a set of Cal Custom finned aluminum valve covers. Backing up the potent little bowtie mill is a Richmond five-speed transmission, which feeds all the power to a Halibrand quickchange rear axle. Putting the power to the pavement is a set of BFGoodrich 345/55/16 Sport Truck tires mounted to a set of 16x11.5 Team III E-T Fueler wheels. Keeping the vintage wheel flavor in the front are a pair of 15x5 Halibrand Sprints outfitted with 165/70/15 BFGoodrich Radial TAs.
Balancing the time it takes to build a great ride with the time required to raise his sons Dirk and Kyle can be challenging, and after five years, John admitted, "The project was taking longer than I expected." He feared it would languish for years longer before the family could enjoy their investment. Bodywork and paint were next in order, and John pointed out, "I’m no body man." At this crossroads in the project he enlisted the Hot Rod Garage in Denton, MD, to assist in completing the coupe.
John became good friends with owner Ray Bartlett, who agreed to allow John and his father into the shop to assist in final assembly. "Even though I had turned the project over to Ray and his team, I just couldn’t help but be actively involved in seeing the project through to completion," he said. "I’m thankful that Ray indulged my need to build."
With the project nearly complete, the car was turned over to Dean Alexander at the Hot Rod Garage to lay down some rich, black wool carpet and stitch up awesome black ultraleather seats and door panels.
Looking back, John considers finding the time his biggest challenge in completing the coupe. Of course, satisfying his need to build can still be accomplished under the hood of his brother Scott’s ’29 Model A Tudor or helping his dad with his ’24 Track T. Although John’s car may never achieve the notoriety of the "California Kid," we’re confident Martin Sheen would have looked just as cool behind the wheel.
Specifications
1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe
John & Debra Hutchinson, Marriottsville, MD
CHASSIS
Chassis by: Magnum Axle Company
Suspension (front): Five-inch drop tube axle, Magnum spindles, Monoleaf spring (Transverse mounted)
Suspension (rear): Halibrand Champ Quick Change axle, Magnum four-bar, Heidt’s Superide coil-over shocks
Rear Axle, Ratio: 3.65:1
Brakes (front/rear): Wilwood disc Steering: Flaming River Vega box, Mullins column, Drilled Bell wheel
Wheels (front, rear): Halibrand, "Sprint" 15x5, "E-T Fueler" 16x11.5
Tires (front, rear): BFGoodrich Radial TA 165/70/15, BFGoodrich Sport Truck 345/55/16
DRIVETRAIN
Engine Make / Model: GMPP ZZ4
Displacement: 350ci
Induction: Speed Demon 650cfm
Valve Covers: Cal Custom
Headers: Sanderson
Transmission: Richmond five-speed
Shifter: Hurst / Custom linkage
Ignition: MSD / MSD 6AL
Radiator: Brass Works
EXTERIOR
Paint & Body by: Hot Rod Garage, Denton, MD
INTERIOR
Upholstery (materials, color): Ultra-Leather and wool carpet, Black
Upholstery by: Dean Alexander, Hot Rod Garage, Denton, MD
Gauges: Classic Instruments