One-Of-A-Kind ’39 Ford for George Lamb
We’ve all known someone who has held onto a prospective project for years, waiting for the right opportunity to get it started. In those situations, there inevitably comes a time to decide to get busy building or get busy selling.
George Lamb finally decided to get busy building this ’39 Ford eight years ago. It’s a car he’s owned for 43 years and was a project in waiting most of that time as he finished other cars. With the help of friend and fabricator Ken Juricic, George finally pulled the Ford out of storage for good with the goal of turning it into a standout street rod. He contacted Larry Williams to create a rendering of a streamlined two-seat roadster and set out to make that illustration a reality.
A tour of Roadster Shop’s then-new facility in Mundelein, Illinois convinced George that one of their chassis would be a great foundation, so he ordered one with a coil-over independent front suspension, stretched wheelbase, narrowed rear rails, and independent rear suspension. It was eventually outfitted with Wilwood disc brakes and one-off wheels from Curtis Speed.
Through the years George had considered a Boss 302 or a supercharged 4.6-liter engine, but when Ford introduced the 5.0-liter Coyote V8, he knew that was it. Not only would it provide great power, it would also allow for a custom rear-facing air intake that pulls from the cowl, which fit with the car’s evolving design. An AOD automatic was fitted behind the engine.
The Ford began life as a cabriolet and already had a chopped windshield when George bought it. The decision to make it a phantom roadster involved extensive metal work, most of which was done in Ken’s modest garage with little more than a sheet metal brake, English wheel, and simple hammers and dollies.
The list of modifications includes custom-built doors that are 6-inches longer and moved back 2-inches, a fabricated aluminum hood that now stretches all the way to the custom windshield, and a hand-made aluminum deck lid. Of course, there has also been extensive reshaping of the fenders and quarter panels, the grille is custom, and the headlights and taillights were machined by EVOD Industries. Final bodywork and the Lamb Shark Blue were done by Adam Krause at The Refinery.
Inside the cockpit, a custom aluminum dash is fitted with a pod of one-off Classic Instruments, while Glide seats wear custom-stitched leather upholstery by Dave Schober. The console and door panels are also custom built.
Finished earlier this year, Lamb has succeeded in crafting the sleek one-of-a-kind ’39 Ford roadster he wanted. The wait might have been long, but the result was certainly worth it.
Photos by John Jackson & Damon Lee
