If you like street rods with flames, then you will
love Mike Small’s flamed 1940 Ford Deluxe coupe.
No doubt onlookers at this year’s Cruisin’
Downriver will be unanimous in their thinking when they see the
Allen Park resident roll by:
That car’s hot!
Besides the flames, Small’s ’40 Ford features a
louvered and steel body and running boards. The car’s front and rear
fenders have been changed to fiberglass reproductions that have
larger wheel openings than original to allow for larger modern tires
and wheels.
The rear of Small’s car has blue dot taillights
with a custom third brake light added for a little additional
safety.
Inside Small’s Ford you will find comfortable
bucket seats that were adopted from a late-model Mustang. Doctor RU
did the fabric and upholstery work on Small’s car. Window cranks,
door handles and other knobs are made of brushed aluminum.
A Lokar shifter was recently added by Small because
not only does it look good, but it makes for easy shifting of
gears.
The sound system features an AM/FM radio with a
cassette player. Engine functions are monitored with a full set of
VDO gauges.
As of yet the car is not equipped with air
conditioning. This isn’t a problem on early morning or late evening
cruises and the tinted windows help some. Nevertheless, that could
change, as Small is seriously considering adding air conditioning
later this year.
Under the car’s louvered hood you will find a
340-cubic inch Mopar power plan. A mild cam was installed for a
little added performance.
"The car came with a 318-cubic inch engine, which
was pretty tired," Small said. "The car was already setup for a
Chrysler drive train, so rather than completely redo the engine and
transmission mounts I put another Chrysler engine and transmission
in it."
Small added an aluminum radiator to the car’s
cooling system to help it keep things cool incase he gets stuck in
heavy traffic.
Exhaust exits the engine via a set of
ceramic-coated headers, which dump into a 2 1/4-inch stainless steel
exhaust pipes.
Small dressed up the engine with chrome and
stainless steel accessories. For some added sparkle the ’40 Ford’s
firewall is made of highly polished stainless steel.
"I use the car for mostly cruising, so I didn’t
want to build the engine up too much. This one runs on regular gas
and can cruise all day with no problems."
A 727 Torqueflight transmission transfers the power
to a Ford nine-inch rear end that is fitted with a 3.55 gear set and
limited slip.
The power is put to the pavement by a set of BF
Goodrich tires, which are mounted on eight-inch Enkei wheels.
As with many street rods, Small’s ’40 Ford’s front
suspension first saw duty on a Mustang II.
Small enjoys driving his classic vehicle, and car
cruises are one of his favorite activities. So there is little doubt
that Small and his flamed ‘40 Ford will be seen cruising up and down
Fort Street at this year’s Cruisin’ Downriver.
Future plans for Small’s rod include improving the
car’s ground clearance by raising its drive train.
"My oil pan is only 2½-inches off the ground,"
Small said. "That is a little to close to the ground for the roads
in Michigan.
"Besides, I like working on the car almost as much
as driving it. And when I am working on the car I stay out of the
refrigerator."
