Keven Zerby’s 1936 Ford Coupe Went from Vintage Racer to Hemi-Powered Street Cruiser
Back in the 1950s, Jim Zerby built a 1936 Ford five-window coupe into an asphalt track racer and had a blast running the tracks around northern Indiana on the weekends. Back then, it was just another old jalopy to cut up and race, which was exactly what happened to countless other old cars. These races and garage time left an indelible mark on Jim’s son Keven, who also grew into a hot rodder as well as an auto repair shop owner for nearly four decades.
Fast forward to the mid-’90s, when Keven saved a 1936 Ford coupe from becoming an actual chicken coop. This car hatched a plan to build a recreation of his Dad’s old race car. This wasn’t just a painted-up recreation to look like an old racecar – it was actually built to race! Keven helped his dad run the car in the Colorado Vintage Oval Racers series along with a few trips to the revived Hot Rod Hill Climb and the Dirt Drags (both based in Colorado). They had a blast together at the races but once his dad stepped away from driving, it was time for the coupe to be transformed into a hot rod to follow Keven’s vision.
When he originally built the car for vintage racing, Keven had the foresight to not cut up the car like his dad would have done 60 years ago. He knew that down the road at some point, he would want to build a hot rod. That was some strong forward thinking on Keven’s part!
The start the street transformation, Keven boxed the frame and added a custom tubular X-member before installing a FatMan Stage III IFS with QA1 coil-overs, disc brakes, and a power steering rack. A Ford 9-inch rear axle was fitted with 4.11 gears and is supported by a triangulated four-bar system out back.
Those gears may sound a little steep for a street car these days, but a TKO 600 five-speed transmission helps drop the rpm to a smooth cruising speed. Besides, the vintage 354c.i. Hemi certainly delivers plenty of power and torque for the coupe. The engine was built for running long and looks the hot rod part with its six-pot intake setup and the vintage Hunt magneto (fitted with an HEI ignition module). An accessory drive from Hot Heads keeps everything turning while a Walker radiator and condenser assembly keep temps low. Keven explained that it took quite a bit of extra work to get that vintage Hemi under the hood, but it was well worth it from our point of view.
As a retired mechanic, Keven can tackle nearly anything mechanical, but when it comes to custom bodywork he prefers the art of delegation and entrusted the team at T.A. Customs in Cañon City, Colorado. The fenders were filled and molded, a custom rolled pan was created in the rear, and a set of custom aluminum nerf bars was built for both the front and rear. Once the bodywork was complete, Keven stepped into the booth and laid down the PPG Envirobase vintage blue paint. A set of 15-inch Vintique steel wheels finished in gloss black with Ford beanie caps provide a classic hot rod look.
The oxblood red interior, stitched by Frank’s Upholstery, provides quite a contrast to the eye yet it just works with the blue exterior. The dash was left stock though upgraded with Classic Instruments’ All American Nickel series gauges. A tilt column provides a comfortable reach to the banjo steering wheel from the Glide seat. There’s a hidden Vintage Air A/C system tucked up under the dash, with custom pedals and a serious shift handle juxtaposed against the stock window cranks and door handles.
Keven has built a number of rods over the years, and with a little more time in his schedule lately he was able to knock out the coupe’s transformation from vintage oval racer to hot rod in about 18 months. When he showed it to his dad for the first time, Jim didn’t believe it was the same car! It took some convincing, but he finally figured it out and enjoyed a cruise in what used to be his race car.
No more hot laps and constant left turns for this old 1936 Ford coupe, now it’s time to get out on the open road and take in the beautiful Colorado scenery.
Photos by John Jackson
