The Goodguys 2024 Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year – Bill Paul’s 1934 Ford Pickup Built by Vintage Fabrication
Bill Paul wanted to pay tribute to an iconic street rod and ended up creating a new classic street rod of his own. His “California Kid Express” 1934 Ford pickup has been named the Goodguys 2024 Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year at the 26th Summit Racing Nationals presented by PPG!
Twelve years in the making before Vintage Fabrication brought it to the finish line, Bill’s chopped pickup ponders the question of what a Pete & Jakes shop truck might have looked like during the company’s early days back in the mid-1970s. The truck borrows many styling cues – including its bright flames – from the iconic “California Kid” ’34 Ford coupe built by Pete Chapouris back in the day and made famous by the TV movie of the same name.
Believe it or not, the project actually began with a derelict four-door sedan body. Jimmy Hervatin performed the initial cab conversion and construction, and then Colton Hardison tackled most of the remaining custom metalwork, including building the hood, running boards, rear fenders, bed, and other parts to bring Bill’s dream into focus. He then handed things off to the team at Vintage Fabrication for additional fab and finishing. Michael McLin at McLin Paintworks was able to visit Pete & Jakes to study the original “California Kid” before laying down the matching flames on the truck. Those vivid licks cover an Axalta Super Jet Black base color on the body, and were outlined by Eric Campbell’s pinstriping.
Pete & Jakes also gets credit for the truck’s chassis, which uses the company’s frame and one of its signature four-bar front suspensions along with a Super Bell 5-inch dropped axle. A triangulated four-bar setup locates the Strange 9-inch rearend out back, while Wilwood disc brakes are found behind the one-off Curtis Speed 15×4- and 18×10-inch wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber.
The truck stays true to the original California Kid in another significant way, too: it has Ford power in the form of a 347c.i. Ford crate engine fed by Borla eight-stack injection, dressed up with C. Cook Enterprises valve covers, and backed by a Lokar-shifted C4 transmission.
The inside of the cab is pure classic street rod, with an original dash modified by Colton Hardison and fitted with Classic Instruments in an engine-turned panel. The custom-machined EVOD steering wheel is a timeless three-spoke design, as is the black rolled-and-pleated leather upholstery stitched in-house at Vintage Fabrication. The upholstery covers a modified ’55 Ford station wagon back seat, complete with custom trim by Seese Machine that mimics original ’55 Ford trim. All plating was done by Advanced Plating.
The 1934 Ford Pickup debuted to much acclaim at the 2024 Grand National Roadster Show, where it competed for the Slonaker Memorial Award alongside the Goodguys 2024 PPG Street Machine of the Year winner, Ed Ganzinotti’s ’68 Dodge Charger. “It is surreal after 12-plus years seeing your dream complete,” Bill says, and we can only imagine that feeling. Congratulations to Bill, his wife Cainya, the team at Vintage Fabrication, and everyone else involved in the creation of this stunning truck, the 2024 Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year!
Photos by John Jackson and Damon Lee
