The Hood

Axle’s ’36 Ford Coupe
By Alan Mayes & Mitzi Valenzuela
   We first spotted this recently completed car in the Suede Palace at the 2008 Grand National Roadster Show. It was fitting that it made its first Southern California show appearance there as Axle and his wife Celeste are the promoters for the Suede Palace portion of the GNRS.
   Axle took me on a little tour of the car, which had a brand-spankin’ new, genuine “Tijuana tuck ‘n’ roll” interior. It’s absolutely perfect for this car and complements the owner-applied poly primer blue suede exterior.
   The ’36 Ford 3-window coupe is one of the best-looking cars to ever come out of Dearborn, so it’s wise to not mess too much with perfection. This car got a louvered hood, courtesy of Eric Vaughn in Pasadena, and a lowered hot rod stance. The suspension job was accomplished through a 4” dropped axle in front and a reshaped rear crossmember. It retains full suspension travel, so Axle and Celeste can rode in comfort and keep their tooth fillings.
   Axle, a member of the Shifter Car Club, said he found the car in 2005, just before Christmas, and spent almost two years building it. He says that like it’s a long time, but we know guys that have been longer than two years deciding on paint!
   The car had been sitting in Whittier, California, since 1962 and had some rust issues in the roof. Even So Cal cars can rust, believe it or not.
   “Because there are so many body curves on the roof, I had Fabian Valdez of Vintage Hammer "English wheel" new pieces, then weld them in to replace all the damaged areas,” Axle explained. “Fabian also assisted in fabricating other pieces not reproduced.”
   See the entire article in CKD #31