History **Quad headlight 40 Ford custom History??**

Does anyone have any info or history on a red 40 ford coupe, unchopped, quad headlight custom built in Illinois in the 50s?? i believe it was last owned by Phil Becker?? I have reason to believe my great uncle Ray Leathers built this custom with friends Ronnie Gash and Andy Zoph here in Kankakee. Any info would be helpful! Thanks guys!

 

Did it have '58 Corvette tailights?

 

it may have. they were vertical on the fenders. i have current pics of it, but im unable to post pics off my phone. i dont have a computer... it did have corvette front bumpers and the quad headlites look to be corvette as well

 

I think there was a thread on here a while back about that car, but for some reason I associated it with Stuckey Custom Shop. Was it a feature car in Hot Rod Magazine back in the 60's? If so I think it's the same car and the thread was started by the current owner. My memory is a little shaky.

 

im not sure. thats the kind of stuff im lookin for though! might be a lead!

 

thanks!

 

Somehow that name, Ray Leathers, sounds familiar like I may have read it in the magazine article. I've got that issue of Hot Rod around here somewhere.

 

if you could find it, thatd be HUGE!

 

Sorry, I did a search using '40 Ford quad headlights and found the thread I was thinking about. The car was in fact built by Dave Stuckey and featured in the Dec. '63 HRM. It's now apparently in Texas, but it must not be the one you are referring to. It is worth a look though.............Don.

 

can you post the link?

 

I don't know how to post the link, but if you go to the top of this page and click the search button, then type in '40 Ford quad headlights it should get you to the post by Smittystoys.

 

I found it. thats a different 40. the one im looking fors headlights are horizontal, not canted. but thanks for the help!

 

........10/4.........Good luck.

 

thanks again!

 

heres a pic

 

^^^^ that's a cool car. too bad the new owner "Street Rodded" it all up. definitly needs a few changes to make it right

 

here it is at the Goodguys Pleasanton Ca show last August

 

yea! ive been told that originally it had a full custom interior with swivel buckets!

 

somebody has got to have some old pics! does phil becker still own it?!

 

It`s in the January 2012 issue of Goodguys Gazette. It says Phil still owns it. Notice the for sale sign. Might have changed hands by now.

 

yes it was. i saw it in person probably 4 years ago at the Chicago show and he had it for sale then. is phil here on the board??

 

bump for the nite crew

 

He had it for sale at Indy. You might try the phone book. He lives in Dwight, Ill. Shouldn't be too hard to find. A very small town.

 

Phil still owns it. Had it at Indy Gooodguys this year.

 

I am Phil's son he still has the car. It is the car you are talking about. I know it was originally built by Andy Zolf in Kankakee. The car is now in Dwight only about 30 miles from where it was originally built. The car was originally purchased in 1940 in Dwight of all places too. My dad bought in 1982 from Carl Smith, I remember because we drove it home and left my moms brand new Riviera there . She wasn't so happy about that.

It was originally black with cragers on it, we have the Street Rodder it was featured in way back in 72. The head lights are actually 62 Buick, the turn signals are vette as well as the bumpers. The rear taillights are Olds Vista Cruiser and the back window is out of a Nash. The Interior had 4 62 Corvette buckets in it when we got it. I don't remeber any on swivels. It still has the 55 chevy dash as well. All the body work is done in lead and the trunk weighs 230lbs. It had an early independent front end on it, my Dad said it was in Hot Rod's Chassis book way back when and was one the first 40's to have an independent in it. My Dad probably knows much more I can PM you his phone number if you wish.

Thanks!
Todd

 

Very cool that the car survives today.

 

This is really great. I have always liked this 1940 Ford and had a few photos of it on my site. But I had no idea it was really an old survivor.

I hope some old photos of it will show up sooner or later as well. I would love to find out how it looked when it was first built.

Thanks for the info.

 

toads29, thank you so much for the info! id love to get some old pictures of it!

 

Rikster, do you have any old photos of the car?

 

No, unfortunately not... if I had I would have posted them here.
Hopefully somebody will step forward who has some old photos of magazine articles with the car in it.