Having a professionally built truck makes cruising down the boulevard so much more fun and relaxing. No worrying about if some goof-ball connected the airlines properly, or if the engine was broken in the right way, or heaven forbid, if the body panels aren't perfectly straight. For this, and several other reasons, Don Keller of Graston, West Virginia, recruited Norwood Wooding's Auto Body of Covington, Virginia, to build his '37 Ford Phantom truck. Envisioning full power amenities, a slammed stance, and a nice rumble from a V-8, Don shared his ideas with the Norwood's crew and the rest, as they say, is history.
Starting with a Downs tube chassis that was equipped with front and rear airbags, as well as a Hedit's Mustang II front suspension with 17-inch American Racing Torque Thurst II wheels, the Wooding's team had a great foundation to work with. While at Wooding's, the 3-inch chopped cab also received shaved door handles, a custom aluminum grille, a double-opening hood, and LED '37 Ford taillights in the Pro-Pics bed. Troy Wells of Wooding's applied the PPG Europe Blue pearl to the body and Van Norwich of Covington, added the subtle graphics to the sides and the tailgate.
Inside of those shaved doors lies a gorgeous interior, which was handcrafted by Kevin Hawkins using bone leather throughout, with a Teas seat, Lecara billet wheel, and a custom-fabricated overhead console. Behind the seat, Kicker amps were mounted in the surrounding leather and power the 6-inch bass cannons. The interior also features six Auto Meter gauges, a Panasonic six-disc changer, and Vintage Air air conditioning. A Viper remote controls the door poppers and windows.
Powering the awesome Downs body is a new GM Performance 350ci V-8 equipped with go-fast goodies, including an Edelbrock carb and intake, Hooker headers, electric fans, Powermaster alternator, and a hand-fabricated air cleaner with K&N filters. The Chevy small-block is hooked up to a TH350 auto with a shift kit and sends power to the Currie 8-inch with 3:00 gears. A 16-gallon fuel cell ensures the V-8 is fed and the filler was stealthily flush-mounted into the rear fender.