Dan Dowdy has been in the automotive business since 1976, when he began wrenching and bustin' knuckles for a couple of dealerships in their transmission departments. But he knew he didn't want to spend his entire career elbow deep in transmission cases at dealerships.
Dowdy opened his own full-service shop in Boise, Idaho, in 1986, which was transformed into a high-performance and customizing business. At this time, he became a competitor in NHRA and AHRA drag racing piloting a '68 AMC Javelin and setting two World Class records in AHRA. Feeling the need for even more speed, he found himself belting into Neil & Parks NHRA Super Comp dragster.
Dowdy is a complete admirer of both speed and beauty: At the time he was campaigning the dragster on the strip, he was also showing it on the ISCA car show circuit. In 1989, he competed in 35 car shows in the Pacific Division, Midwest, and in western Canada, where he finished Third in the Division and Fifth internationally. In 1990, Dowdy captured the Goldmark, the prestigious Boise Roadster Show's highest award. In other words, his dragster out-scored all the wild custom show cars. Dowdy started a street rod, customizing and painting business in 1991, and since he opened his doors, he has completed numerous street rods and customs for very satisfied customers.
In 1997, Dowdy opened another street rod facility in Dolan Springs, Arizona, where he produces vehicles during the winter months, then relocates to Boise during the summer months. As if he is not busy enough building wild rides, he also restores old gas station gas pumps and accessories. In fact, the Poly Gas pump, Texaco oil tank, and filler can used as props on this month's cover are Dowdy's handiwork.
Dan's buddy Leo Logson told him about a fellow that had some old American iron lying around down in Jerome, Idaho, he was willing to part with. The duo took a cruise to Jerome to take a gander at the guy's rollin' stock. He had 15 heads (vehicles) of worn out carcasses in his herd.
As Dowdy strolled around behind a building, he came across a cluster of shoulder-high brush. To his surprise, peering out from the brush was an alien-looking grille with a pair of empty bullet headlight shells that didn't register with him. After clearing away the overgrowth, he saw the multi-colored pickup's weather-beaten rusted skin and busted-out windshield glass. As Dowdy scanned his discovered treasure with a keen-eye, he knew the remains still possessed a soul. That was all he needed to convince himself that he could resurrect it.
Dowdy has always had two words for those people that doubt his reason and ability when he undertakes involved projects: trust me. Never one to be intimidated, Dowdy had a dream. This was the beginning of an eight-year commitment of love and devotion that resulted in this hand-sculptured masterpiece.
The foundation of any award-winning show vehicle is its frame and suspension. After the cab, bed, front fenders, hood and running boards were removed, the complete drivetrain was carefully removed to be used later on a different vehicle. Dowdy grafted and boxed a '76 Camaro front clip to the 6 feet of original framerails he was using. He fabricated 2-inch narrower front chrome-moly tube A-arms that are used with Air Ride Technologies' four-way airbag suspension system, GM spindles, polished rotors and calipers. Monroe gas-filled shocks are used at all four corners. The front GM disc brakes and rear drum brakes are plumbed to the GM hydro-booster, which is mounted inside the driver-side framerail, underneath the floorboard.
A set of stylish Weld Tarantula polished aluminum wheels (15x7 inches in front and 17x10 inches in back) is wrapped with BFGoodrich Comp T/A P195/60R15 tires in front and P255/60R17 tires in rear. The frame was cut just past the rear axlehousing. Responsible for planting the 900 hp of the Chevy 427ci blown engine to the asphalt is a pair of Art Morrison ladder bars and track locator setup. All of the fuel and brake lines are solid, polished, and stainless, and they are hidden inside the boxed framerails. Dowdy custom-built a 30-gallon fuel tank that is located under the bed. A Mallory electric fuel pump ensures ample fuel flow rate.
The '78 Chevy 427ci block was punched out to 433ci by horsepower guru Mike Herring at Valley Crankshaft in Boise. Dowdy whittled on the rectangular cast-iron cylinder heads, then installed Crane roller rockers, lifters and a stud girdle. To lighten the rotating mass, material was shaved from the rods and forged crank. JE 7:1 pistons with Total Seal rings were pinned to the rods. The radical heartbeat pounds from its Ultra Dyne roller camshaft with a 290-degree duration at 0.050 inches and 0.630 inches of lift. Bolted in the cleavage between the cylinder heads is a massive Induction Engineering 6-71 Blower.
Its setup is 12 percent overdriven. Dual Holley 750-cfm double-pump carburetors supply the air/fuel mixture capped with an Enderle-style polished bug catcher. Bolted to the cylinder head exhaust ports is a pair of block-hugger Hedman headers coated by HPC Coatings that flow into handbuilt 2-1/2-inch O.D. pipes that are also coated by HPC Coatings. A pair of two-chamber Flowmaster muffs with megaphone tips produces the rumblin' thunder.
A Weiand high-flow water pump circulates the cooling solution through the Cave Radiator custom, five-row, staggered-fin industrial radiator with the original Terraplane top tank and trans cooler that was built into the bottom portion of the radiator. A Milodon dragster oil pan with windage trays and baffles contains eight quarts of oil. MSD coil provides spark to the Mallory conventional dual-point distributor. A set of Taylor 8mm plug wires carries the electrical impulses to the spark plugs threaded into each cylinder's combustion chamber. Kermit's Transmissions in Boise reworked the TH 400 transmission, then installed a TCI 3,000-stall converter and a Trans-Go Shift Kit. To fit the beefy rear tires inside the thin fenders, a Ford 9-inch rearend was narrowed, and the nodular case was stuffed with 4.11 posi gears. Stout 32-spline Dutchman axles transfer and redirect the engines rotating mass into forward motion.
This '37 Hudson Terraplane Big Boy's original skin was massaged and fussed. The cab and its doors were stretched 7 inches to achieve a more stylish appearance and needed legroom, and the cab was chopped 3 inches in the front and 4 inches in the rear. The cab's top corners are rounded and, the back top edge is rolled. The cab's beltline originally stopped at the doors, but Dowdy continued it around the back. The '63 Chevy rear window was carefully grafted to the cab. A handheld remote activates all of the Balls electric motor-assisted windows, including the rear window. In 1934, the Hudson Terraplane featured suicide doors from the factory, so Dowdy decided to duplicate the look. His unique, shaved suicide doors have hidden hinges, rolled lower front corners and rounded top corners. Dowdy sculpted hourglass running boards that tuck into the cab, contributing a sleeker, stylish look.
Dowdy handbuilt the bed and shortened it 7 inches. Inner rear tubs were installed in the bed. A front storage box was constructed to house the Air Ride compressor and battery. A box installed on the bed floor covers the rear differential housing when the Air Ride system is dumped. The frenched license plate is flanked by a pair of custom-designed disappearing taillights fitted flush into the bed's smoothed roll pan. An aluminum frame hard tonneau was custom-built and covered in fabric.
The tonneau is hinged on the driver side and opens on the passenger side, since that's where the gas tank filler is located.
The sexy rear teardrop fenders were widened 3 inches to achieve a more flowing appearance. The rear wheel openings were rolled, presenting a much cleaner, radiused edge. The rear fenders were mounted to the wheeltubs using Dzus fasteners. In case of a flat tire, the fender must be removed to gain access to the rear wheel. Up front, the long fender wheel openings have been rolled for a smoother radius that matches the rear fenders. The pair of flush parking lights almost look laminated onto the front fenders.
The original '37 Hudson bullet headlight shells house the crystalline, Tri-bar headlamps. To create a three-piece hood, Dowdy used the original center-hinged hood after he welded its center seam and smoothed it. To expose the Endrle airscoop, a precisely shaped hole was carved out of the hood. A modified Dan Fink hood-release mechanism allows the hood's side panels to be removed. The one-piece top portion also can be individually removed. In addition, the custom-fabricated firewall edges were radiused and smoothed to flow with the rounded body lines. To accommodate enough room for the Chevy big-block 427, the firewall was moved back 4 inches. The floor pan and inner fenders were handmade.
Opening either of the suicide doors exposes the immaculate custom leather interior designed and stitched by Gabe's Upholstery in Bloomington, California. Dowdy used six-way electric bucket seats from a '91 Pontiac Grand Prix -- minus the headrests -- that he had stitched in leather. A plush, leather-covered '91 Pontiac Grand Prix center console divides the two lavish bucket seats. Gabe also designed and formed the double-flamed and Terraplane-sculptured wings on the leather door panels.
A stylish leather-covered speaker box with embossed Terraplane emblem fits snugly behind the seats. The interior of the bed is also covered with leather. When the leather-covered hard tonneau is lifted, another Terraplane emblem sculptured into the underside of the tonneau can be seen. The bed's inner fender panels have sculpted wings embossed. A set of flames are sculpted from the box covering the rearend housing. A front storage box was installed and covered. The hard tonneau topside was padded, then covered with Carson top fabric.
Dakota Digital gauges are installed behind a blacked-out, smoothed dash; the gauges magically appear from within the dash when illuminated. A nine-way remote was installed to activate the doors, door windows, back cab window, and hard tonneau. Interior emergency manual door releases were installed in case of power loss. Ball electric regulators are responsible for raising and lowering the windows.
A Ron Francis wire harness supplies electricity throughout the truck's circuitry. Dowdy controls the acceleration and braking with a set of Lokar gas and brake peddles.
The glovebox is opened to activate the hidden Alpine Stereo head unit, instantly transforming the cab's interior into a concert hall sound chamber. An Alpine six-disc CD changer is stashed underneath the passenger seat. A JL Audio 300 amp powers up the system, which is positioned inside the bed's storage cabinet. Kenwood tweeters and 4-inch speakers are in the doors. A pair of Kenwood 6x9-inch triaxial speakers is neatly built into the cab corners. Ground-pounding bass is delivered through two 8-inch Orion subwoofers in the speaker box behind the seats.
The Terraplane's skin was sprayed by Dowdy using BASF Glasurit Black basecoat, with clearcoat after clearcoat to produce the endless depth. Gary Lint of Mesa, Arizona, is responsible for the wild gothic House of Kolor True Blue with Blue Pearl flames. After the entire truck was painted, Dowdy baked it out in the sizzling-hot Arizona desert sun, getting those endless layers of clear and swarthy finish to shrink as tight as a latex glove.
From the moment Dowdy laid his eyes on the weather-beaten carcass, he knew it still possessed its soul, and he was determined to resurrect it into possibly one of the most beautiful trucks on the planet. It looks like Dan's dream came true.