Funny thing about a hot rod, it's all about the person who owns it. The reasons for building a hot rod are as varied as our fingerprints, yet a hot rod's fingerprint tells us as much about ourselves as it does about the car. It's always exciting to look back and discover why something was done so long ago only to realize that its concept is as fresh today as it was then. This milestone hot rod is the '26 Ford Track T built by Pete Chapouris for...Pete Chapouris! Confused? Then a little genealogy is in order. This story revolves around the actions of Pete Chapouris III (owner/proprietor of the well-known SO-CAL Speed Shop in Pomona, CA), while Pete Chapouris Jr. is, well, his dad.
Many will recognize Pete number three as half of the dynamic duo (the other half being Jim "Jake" Jacobs) that built Pete & Jake's Hot Rod Parts into an industry icon back in the '70s. Pete was exposed to hot rods-and more specifically to track roadsters-as a result of his dad's passion for watching these cars run at the famed Legion Ascot Speedway dirt track in the '30s. These track roadsters were the "kings of the hill," according to Pete's dad, and with that opinion, a love for this style of hot rod was born. This early foundation formed Pete's desire to combine his literal knowledge of hot rods and his father's passion for track roadsters into a project for his dad. With that, their mutual passions were combined into something that was streetable and could be continuously enjoyed.
The car's foundation is based on a custom frame of 2x3-inch tubing Pete built in '76 after he and Jake designed the car. The frame carries a 103-inch wheelbase with a 3-inch step in front and a 6-inch step in back. The rearend is a Ford 8-inch (3.78:1) with an unequal four-bar setup coupled to a pair of Pete & Jake's shocks and Corvair coil springs. The front suspension features an original '34 Ford I-beam dropped by Mor-Drop out of the San Francisco Bay Area along with '40 Ford spindles, a P&J four-bar and shocks, and literally one of the first Super Bell disc brake kits with Type IV VW disc-brake calipers. The Vega steering, innovative for its time, is linked to a P&J column.
The powertrain is based on a '76 Capri 2.8L V-6 (headers by Tom Vandenberg) bolted to a C4 tranny. Pete gathered up the powerplant from Tom Lieb of SCAT Enterprises. Tom purchased six rollover Capri automobiles and parted them out in the mid-'70s. A phone call here and there and Pete had a powertrain.
It wasn't until early '78, after his father experienced some medical problems, that Pete developed a sense of urgency regarding the project. At this point, things really started to happen. (The rolling chassis was missing such items as the hood and bellypan, windshield posts, dash, and dash insert). Pete realized that in order to achieve his goal he would have to bring in friends who possessed expertise in other areas.
Metalman Steve Davis fabricated the hood, bellypan, and gas tank, while Lil' John Buttera "whittled" the windshield posts. Pete Eastwood took a fiberglass Deuce sedan dashboard and crafted it to fit the T roadster, and Eric Vaughn (now of Real Wheels fame) machined the dash insert. Eric was also responsible for building the steel wheels to be wrapped with 145Rx14 Michelin rubber in front and Firestone dirt track tires in back. Another friend of Pete's is W.W. "Scotty" Scotten of Greensboro, North Carolina, who moved to Southern California and hung out at Pete's house while completing the body and paintwork. The A-I fiberglass '26 Ford lowboy roadster was painted in British Racing Green, a DuPont lacquer color. (Legend has it there are two kinds of British Racing Green: Lotus and Jaguar-Lotus, the darker of the two greens and the one used on the roadster). And if you look closely, there is a subtle application of lime-green and silver pinstriping by Dennis Rickleffs.
The interior was another trendsetting aspect of the car for its time. Prior to this point in rodding history, street rods were upholstered in a "full" or thickly padded style. Jim Bailey came from the aircraft industry, however, and was adept at building interiors that were thin in their appearance and application (thereby maximizing available room for occupants). This appearance was gained through "tight" door panels and seatbacks that could be set back under the body panel. He then covered the bench seat with saddle-colored Naugahyde. Other appointments include Dietz headlights, '39 Ford (teardrop) taillights (a gift from Hot Rod's Gray Baskerville), Stewart Warner gauges, and the very first of the billet rearview mirrors designed by Boyd Coddington but manufactured and sold by Pete & Jake's. The grille shell was an original Deuce item cut down and fitted with a handmade insert.
Pete was able to give the car to his dad on Father's Day '78 while they attended the L.A. Roadsters Show at the Great Western Exhibit Center. Pete Jr. drove the car several times a week and, in fact, his Saturday morning drives with Uncle John Chapouris (who wired the roadster) to Pete's house in Arcadia became a ritual. The two hot rod buddies would visit for an hour or so with Pete, then continue their trek from El Monte to Arcadia and on to Temple City, a drive that took three hours and was performed religiously for seven years. In April '85 Pete's father passed away and the car was placed on blocks, not being driven or touched for the next 10 years.
The car has a long and storied magazine past, having appeared on the cover and been featured in Rod Action and Hot Rod in '78. However, it wasn't until '95 that Gray Baskerville and Jake convinced Pete it was time to bring the car out to allow Rod & Custom to do a feature that would eventually run in the July '95 issue. To remove some of the sting associated with the car being last driven in its configuration by Pete's dad, Pete opted to give it a bit of a different look. At that point, it was outfitted with whitewalls and '50 Merc caps, and it remains that way today. The car can be seen from time to time at several of Pete's favorite rodding events from NorCal to Phoenix, but most of the time it resides at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Hot rod or street rod, it all comes down to the interesting mix of a car's mettle and an owner's spirit-and each can certainly tell you a great deal about the other! KC
Jim Bailey stitched the roadster's...
Jim Bailey stitched the roadster's interior with saddle-colored Naugahyde over a bench seat, which was set back under the cockpit lip for added legroom.
Chapouris found the ashtray...
Chapouris found the ashtray on a BOAC 747, and he bought the agate shift knob from a hippie who wandered into the shop.
Pete Eastwood grafted a 'glass...
Pete Eastwood grafted a 'glass '32 dash into the '26 and outfitted the Eric Vaughn aluminum insert with Stewart Warner gauges.
The V-6 powerplant was used...
The V-6 powerplant was used quite a bit in street rods in the late '70s, when this car was built. This one, a 2.8L attached to a C4 transmission, was taken from a low-mile Capri rollover.
It's nice to have talented...
It's nice to have talented friends. Lil' John Buttera whittled the aluminum windshield posts...
...and Boyd Coddington designed...
...and Boyd Coddington designed this billet mirror (the very first one manufactured by Pete & Jake's Hot Rod Parts).
Remember in the early days...
Remember in the early days of street rodding when Pete & Jake's used orange urethane bushings in their four-bar assemblies? This ride still uses some of those early examples. And though you can barely see it, there was a small rise added to the body behind the top of the taillight to make it a bit more vertical/visible-and just another little custom trick.