Phantom Street Rods

It's amazing how the time flies! ....Hard to believe that it's been this long since I blogged! Things have been very busy here getting the new car ready for the March 11th Performance World show in Toronto Ontario. This car is quite a change from the original that I showed in Toronto last year. It's been a real pleasure working with Tom Richardson in developing this model. I thought that the original Phantom that I had designed was a looker, but I have to admit that each design change that Tom requested dramatically improved the appearance of the car!! Following Tom's instructions, we started with the '34 Ford chassis, completely redesigned it to handle the 500+hp C5 Corvette driveline, which meant creating pockets in the rear frame rails to mount the redesigned rear upper control arms, a custom designed rear cradle to mount the narrowed (3") Corvette transaxle, completely redesigned crossmember assembly, custom built front crossmember and upper control arm/ coilover shock towers and custom made engine mounts ....
Next, came body modifications....the '34 Ford Phantom body was extensively redesigned with widened rear fenders, restyled rear filler pan, doors lowered in the front to provide a better rake, custom made front fenders, grille shell and running boards.....and it didn't end there!....
To give the car a meaner look, we created a custom designed 2 piece aluminum windshield frame and leaned it back a full 8" from our original Phantom, restyled the retractable hardtop to give it a lower look while increasing visibility, and designed a new cowl panel to mount the windshield on, as well as a new hood...and we're not finished yet!!...
Building the Corvette transaxle into the '34 chassis meant limited room for a fuel tank, so a new tank was designed to mount behind the seats. Made from polished aluminum, the tank holds 18 gallons of fuel while also providing a unique housing for the 10" woofers!
Photos of all this are now posted on our website! We now have the car stripped back down to the bare frame and tomorrow will mark the beginning of the final assault to get ready for the show!...This is going to be a very interesting month at Phantom Street Rods!!!!
Gerry

...LOTS of changes in the works! ...So far, we've restyled the chassis and body structure to accomodate the new C5 Corvette driveline and suspension, and a complete restyling of the front fenders and grill. Also, the front fenders and running boards will have a restyled lower line, changing from an upward sweep to a straight line, wheel to wheel. There'll be pictures added to the website as soon as the final detailing is completed. with all the changes, this is going to be a real beast!....but it's not over yet!! Tom Richardson, whose specs this car is being built to, has come up with some great ideas!...The next change in the works is a 2 piece aluminum framed windshield with a restyled cowl and roof. I'll be adding pictures to the website as soon as they're available...and it's not over yet...wait 'till you see the interior!!!!...complete custom with lots of bright stuff!
Gerry

...The C5 Corvette powered Phantom is coming along nicely with the major body restyling nearing the end. I've started adding pictures to the website, with the first pictures being of the new engine, transaxle and completely redesigned chassis, floorpan and firewall. The chassis was completely restyled to accomodate the new driveline's torque and dimensions, and the rear sections of the frame rails were recessed to house the rear upper control arms, which were shortened and restyled to provide clearance for the retractable hardtop roof. The new floorpan and firewall are designed so that the torquetube cover is removeable for access to the torquetube. The front suspension uses all C5 Corvette components, and was mounted in the frame with a custom designed front crossmember to narrow the suspension. The rear C5 Corvette suspension was narrowed as well to keep the tires under the fenders......more to come....
Gerry

....I'm back!!...WOW....time really does fly when you're having fun!! It's hard to believe that so much time has passed since I posted a blog! I've been getting a lot of requests for photo updates on my latest project, which is nearing the end, and I will start putting construction photos on the website this week. About the new project....the new driveline, which is a performance built, all new Corvette C5, built by Wheel To Wheel Powertrain division in Michigan, is an all aluminum 403c.i. smallblock with a six speed std. trans....it dyno'd at 525 h.p. with 530 ft. lbs. torque! With the arrival of the driveline in August, work began on building the chassis. The car will feature all C5 Corvette driveline and suspension, and the retractable hardtop, along with full power options......style?.....the pictures will tell the story....stay tuned :)
-Gerry

....BEEN A WHILE!...
It's been a very busy month at Phantom Street Rods! I attended the Performance World Car Show on March 5, 6 and 7 and what a great show it was! Many thanks to Gary and Brenda, and congratulations on presenting a great show! The quality of the cars was outstanding, and I felt honoured to be in their company. The '34 Phantom Retractable hardtop prototype got a great response and I really enjoyed the opportunity to show it off. I will be adding pictures taken at the show to the web site, so have a look! Now it's time to get back to work! With an order for a second car received, we're definitely on our way! Stay tuned for updates as this very unique street rod takes shape!

OFF AND RUNNING!
I'm happy to announce that our first order has come in for a custom built Phantom Retractable...and a fine example of a true performer it will be. The buyer has ordered it with a full list of power options, fuel injected LT-1, 6 speed standard driveline and four wheel independant suspension. He has requested a July 1st delivery date...leaving plenty of time to give this hotrod all the attention it deserves!

Car show season will soon be here!
Being in the midst of a cold Miramichi winter, it may feel like the warm weather is a long way off but the spring car show season will be here before you know it, and here at Phantom Street Rods, the Phantom '34 retractable hardtop prototype is getting some detail work done to get ready to tour the car shows. Our first stop this year will be the Performance World show in Toronto, Ontario on March 5, 6 and 7. It promises to be a great show with Dennis Gage and Daryl Starbird in attendance as well as stars from the movie American Graffiti and the yellow deuce coupe driven by "John Milner". This is one of the much anticipated, top Canadian show events, with over 90% of the vehicles on display being shown for the first time, and I'm looking forward to participating. See you there!