Ronnie Spessard Went Bowling and Turned a Winning Gamble into One Fine ’54 Ford Customline
Ronnie Spessard’s 1954 Ford Customline is not only a beautiful example of a traditional-style mild custom, but also a good reminder that it can pay to have friendly wagers with your buddies.
“I actually won it bowling,” Ronnie says. He and his friend John P. were in a Sunday night bowling league and decided to make some bets to liven up their competition. There may have been adult beverages involved, too. “The first year, I owed him $22; the second year, I owed him $47; the third year, he owed me $2,271,” Ronnie says with a chuckle.
To settle up, John offered Ronnie the ’54 Ford in his backyard in lieu of cash. Ronnie knew John had only paid $280 for the car five years prior, but he still figured it was a good deal. “I messed with it and got it running, drove it around a few years, and then it wound up in my backyard,” Ronnie says.
This was 40 years ago, and Ronnie says he’d pull the Ford out from time to time, get excited about working on it, and then lose interest and let it sit again. After attending a car show in another friend’s ’52 Ford several years ago, Ron finally got motivated to spend more time on the Customline. His friend’s Ford was really dialed in mechanically, so Ronnie first focused on that portion of the project. He had the front suspension rebuilt and added dropped spindles and cut coil springs, along with disc brakes. Matt Taylor at Taylor Made Customs installed the 9-inch rearend, lowering blocks, and Posies leaf springs out back.
Ronnie also picked up a roller-cam 302c.i. small block from a Mustang and had his friend Ernie Madrid rebuild and install it. It was topped with a polished Edelbrock intake and four-barrel carb, along with aluminum valve covers and a Cadillac air cleaner. A rebuilt C4 automatic transmission backed it up.
Ronnie had developed a mild custom mental picture for his Customline through the years, and he had one person in mind to help bring that vision to reality: Marcos Garcia of Lucky 7 Customs. He had to wait a few years for an opening in the shop and says he was excited when that opportunity finally came.
“He took my ideas and just kind of ran with it,” Ronnie says. “I kind of had the color in mind but needed his help to finalize things.”
Marcos and his team made more custom modifications than you might realize at first glance, which is a testament to the careful thought and subtle approach put into this project. For starters, the front fenders were welded to the body and the grille surround for a seamless appearance, and the hood was shaved and had its corners rounded. The headlights were frenched, and the front bumper was smoothed, which required splicing in sections where it was notched for the original bumper guards. The grille bar is an old Cal Custom aftermarket unit from the ’50s – Ronnie says he’s only ever seen three of them, and he owns two! Look closely and you’ll notice the grille ends were also frenched into the fenders.
Moving rearward, ’54 Mercury trim spears were fitted to the quarter panels, along with fender skirts. The door handles were shaved and replaced with Lincoln door buttons, while ’59 Buick taillight lenses were frenched into the rear quarters. The trunk lid was shaved, the license frenched into the panel below, and the shaved bumper was fitted with shorter station wagon bumper guards.
Ronnie knew he wanted his Customline to be gold, but he wasn’t sure what hue to pair it with. Thankfully, Marcos is a master of color. He laid down a vivid PPG Sunray Gold finish on the body, which is complemented by Harbor Seal Brown with a custom fade on the roof. Subtle pinstriping outlines the side trim and accents other details.
Ronnie got the car rolling on color-matched steel wheels mounted with Diamondback Classic wide whitewalls. Wheel covers from a ’57 Lincoln Premier – chrome plated by Sherm’s Plating, with refinished centers by Lucky 7 – reinforce the period look.
The thoughtful modifications continued inside. Kirk Jennings at Jennings Kustom Restorations refined the dash by removing the speaker cover, adding A/C vents, and modifying the lower dash to house additional A/C vents and Vintage Air controls with ’55 Lincoln knobs. Ronnie managed to locate an ultra-rare 120mph police interceptor speedometer to top the dash, plus a ’60 Thunderbird steering wheel to top the column. Marcos sprayed the dash gold to match the body, while Bay Area stitch master Bob Devine was called on for the upholstery needs. He used brown synthetic leather and patterned cloth to cover the Glide bench seat and an original rear seat that was modified to accommodate Crown Victoria trim and longer hardtop rear armrests.
The finishing touch came atop the Lokar shifter. Ronnie is a U.S. Army veteran who was awarded two Purple Heart decorations while serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He asked Steering Wheel Kris to make him an acrylic shift knob using one of those medals. The result is a perfect finishing touch – and especially appropriate considering the car was our Feature Pick during the Autumn Get-Together, just ahead of Veterans Day.
Ronnie’s Customline was finished in 2023 and promptly took home the first-place award in its class at that year’s Grand National Roadster Show. Ronnie is extremely happy with the way the car turned out and is grateful to Marcos Garcia and his crew for helping see his vision to fruition. He says his girlfriend Kimberly was especially supportive during the build process, as were his friends in the Ground Level car club. Of course, he’s also thankful to his old friend John P., whose fateful wager years ago set Ronnie on the path to creating this mild custom marvel.
“Driving the car makes me feel good,” Ronnie says. “When people ask me the name of the car, I say ‘Therapy.’”
Photos: Damon Lee
