Neil & Pat Braun’s 1937 Buick Coupe
Neil Braun inherited a love of old cars and all things vintage from his father, and his grandfather was a fan of Buicks. Those elements all came together when Neil and his wife Pat collaborated with J.F. Launier at JF Kustoms on this tasty 1937 Buick coupe, a custom project started by Brian Wood, one of J.F.’s mentors, and finished in his honor.
Much of the metalwork was already done on the car when the Brauns took on the project, including the chopped top, shaved hood and deck, and other smoothing. They did provide input on the stainless steel grille, the car’s focal point, which J.F. built from scratch. It’s flanked by E&J headlights. They also helped select the custom blue-gray color sprayed at JF Kustoms.
The body is channeled over a custom frame with an independent front suspension by Dale Gerry, a four-bar rear suspension, and custom-machined wheels by Curtis Speed. Power comes from a 371c.i. Olds Rocket V8 with a custom tri-power setup from Ross Racing Engines and plenty of polished aluminum dress-up pieces. It’s backed by a TH400 transmission.
The cabin is adorned with beautiful brown leather upholstery by River City Kustom, along with Classic Instruments gauges in a modified ’51 Ford dash. A Ford Crestliner wheel tops off the tilt steering column.
“This is the first car we have ever shown,” Neil says, “and the experience with J.F. and his crew has been something we will never forget.”
Photos by Michael Christensen & Steven Bunker
