Bill Bauck’s hot rod education comes to fruition

Bill Bauck had a nice ’64 Chevelle SS in his shed when he started looking for a new challenge.

“I think I’ll build me a hot rod,” he remembers thinking. But he admits he wasn’t exactly an expert on the subject.

“I didn’t really know the cars. I probably couldn’t have told a ’32 Ford from a ’34 Ford or a ’37,” he said. “I was looking at pictures on the Internet, and when I saw a ’34 Ford coupe, I said,`That’s what it’s gotta be.’ I sold the Chevelle to finance this project.”

He began scouring the Internet in search of ’34 Ford coupes and even visited several places that build reproduction bodies. He found what he was looking for when he saw the handiwork of Barry McGill, who operates a one-man business known as McGill Manufacturing in Granby, Mo.

“He owns his own molds and there’s a place in Grove, Okla., that lays up the glass for him. Then he builds his own frames and suspensions. I bought this car as a Stage 3 roller,” he said.

“I wanted to build that frame so bad. I love to weld and fabricate. “But he said this chassis will handle up to a thousand horsepower.”

And the price was right and there was actually a build deadline looming in Bauck’s mind: the 2017 Starbird-Devlin charity car show in Wichita.

Bauck had learned to weld growing up on a family farm near Leoti in western Kansas. After moving to Wichita, he learned electronics during a 34-year career with Honeywell before retiring in 2000. So he was well-equipped to take the rolling chassis and unfinished fiberglass body to completion as a street-ready hot rod.

He said he originally envisioned the finished car being more of a driver than a show rod, but that plan didn’t last long, as he began amassing parts and pieces and fabricating systems.

He put in at least 80 hours painstakingly finishing the fiberglass body panels to perfection in preparation for paint.

“I don’t like paying other people to do things I think I can do myself,” he said.

He disassembled the entire body and chassis and repainted the frame in semi-gloss black. He also fabricated bumper and running board brackets, along with seat pedestals, a center console and both an instrument panel insert and glove box.

A set of high-backed 1995 Acura Integra GSR bucket seats were upholstered by Tom Mauntz in gray aircraft-grade leather. Bauck designed the interior theme and Mauntz finished the door panels, headliner and carpeting according to his specifications.

Instrumentation consists of a set of Omega Kustom Kool White gauges. A polished Flaming River tilt steering column is fitted with a wood-rimmed Grant GT wheel.

For power, Bauck had acquired a 290-horsepower 350 cubic inch GM crate motor, adding an Edelbrock intake manifold and carburetor. The engine bolts up to a GM 700R4 automatic equipped with a Gennie Commander Stick shifter. The narrowed 9-inch Ford rear end supplied with the chassis was re-geared with a set of 3:50 limited slip gears and 31-spline Moser axles.

The rear suspension features a 4-link setup with panhard bar and coilover springs; front suspension is McGill-built Mustang II with custom A-arms and Thunderbird rack and pinion steering. Disc brakes consisting of components from Ford, GM and Chrysler are used at all four corners.

Bauck built his own exhaust system using polished stainless steel headers and Patriot Electric Tunable Mufflers.

He took the advice of a friend when selecting a color for his hot rod: don’t paint it a trendy color. After repeatedly getting compliments on his limited edition Ram pickup, the choice was obvious. He had a friend, who prefers to remain anonymous, spray the coupe in Chrysler Dark Ceramic Blue, which subtly changes hues under different lighting conditions. To set it off, he had Nadine Ward apply an understated single red pinstripe along the beltline of the Ford, wrapping all the way back around the lower edge of the deck lid.

To show off the engine, Bauck cut out openings in the hood sides and used removable louvered aluminum panels supplied by Californian Dave Thorburg. They have been powder-coated to match the 17-inch American Racing Wheels. Tires are General Altimax, 225/50R17 at the front and hefty 255/60R17 at the rear.

Opening the deck lid, Bauck remarks, “I like eagles, as you can see.” A mural of a beautiful bald eagle stares out, painted by the pinstriper known as “Juice.” There is also a set of Screaming Eagle exhaust tips to underscore the point.

“I started it on Labor Day weekend in 2014 and finished it just before Christmas in 2016,” Bauck says. “I figure I’ve got about 2,000 hours in it.

“I don’t look back and think I should have done something else. This car is done.”

And he adds that he is looking forward to putting some miles on it.

“We are going to take it to a bunch of local shows when the season starts,” Bauck said.”

This story was originally published March 2, 2017 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Bill Bauck’s hot rod education comes to fruition."