There is a reason why they call the Detroit Autorama, “America’s Greatest Hot Rod Show”. There’s the Ridler and the incredible Great 8 List, but it takes more than nine rides to earn the title of “America’s Greatest…….”. The Detroit Autorama was full of the industry’s latest and greatest, wall to wall works of rolling automotive artistry. Top of our list of the latest and greatest at the Autorama is Bruce Harvey’s 1940 Ford Coupe. Built at his Pro Comp Customs Shop, Mr Harvey and company knocked it into the stratosphere with this build. It takes some major creative chops to put a spin on a Classic like the ’40 Ford, but that’s exactly what Bruce Harvey has in spades, cre-a-tiv-ity! When he originally saw the Coupe he knew this ride needed to be “ short, fat, long and low”. One look and you’ll see, Bruce’s blueprint for this Classic Coupe was realized and his car creating chops be mighty!
First and foremost friends, that ain’t bare metal you’re lookin’ at. That there Cats and Kittens is countless hours of hand painted custom craftsmanship covering that Coupe. Bruce and his team used a proprietary painting technique with a house blend of sliver, with a satin clear coat to get that texturized to perfection look of metal au naturel. Next in line are the headers screaming all up in your face. It goes with out saying, they are fully functional. Coming straight off the engine, they weave through the fender and end up nestled right in the running boards. Oh and there’s a muffler up in there too. Let’s talk some interesting engineering there! Here’s just a quick breakdown of some more of the custom components on this Coupe. The hood scoop, running boards, trunk, fenders, quarters, center console and seating, all steel and all custom.
From exterior to the interior, the red accents set off the Ford like a firecracker. Bruce tied the rocket red interior to the “bare metal” exterior with an incredibly detailed hand painted pinstripe.
There’s a 347 stroker nestled in that front end, that will put out about 375hp. It’s a light car so that will be just enough for the Coupe to scoot down the road. That “little cruiser motor” is married to a Ford AOD Tranny. The ’40 rides on air with a modified Mustang II front suspension and a Ford 9′ four link in the rear.
If you can’t exactly put your finger on why this Ford looks the same only different, it’s because Bruce artfully removed 13 total inches out of the height of the Coupe. The roof has been chopped 5″ in the front and 4″ in the rear. He took 4″ out of the midsection of the body. The rear fenders were moved up 6″, virtually eliminating the space between the back door and the rear fender. The custom frame is 9 inches thick and was incorporated into the body by lifting the floor 4″. You don’t have to look too closely to see that the tell tale ’40 Coupe “bubble” in the back has been removed. The rear fenders have been moved forward 6 inches, thus shortening the overall length of the Coupe, all the while maintaining the original look and proportions.
According to builder Mr. Harvey, this is just one “cool old car”. This is one Custom Coupe that you’re going to want to spend some time with. Let your peepers roam over this beauty.
Pro Comp Customs has a kicking Builders Showroom. You’re gonna want to check this one out!
If you aren’t familiar with Bruce’s Harvey’s work, check out Pro Comp Customs site. Their site is off the hook with long, low, crazy custom builds.
Check out our FaceBook and Instagram pages, you won’t be disappointed.
Till the next time – Keep on Kruzin!