If you were to describe a car as
“looking like a rotten banana" then you might not be inclined to purchase
it, let alone make it into a hot rod. But Bill Kilkeary can see things
differently. And though he did use the banana analogy to graphically and
accurately describe his latest acquisition (a pale yellow '40 with brown and
paisley velour interior), he was able to look beyond what was in front of him
and visualize what it could be.
A few years ago, Bill was trying to
purchase an L79 Chevy II, but the seller died unexpectedly. His estate included
100 or so cars, and Bill was able to purchase the Chevy II, a Camaro body, as
well as a '40 Ford. Built as a street rod in the '70s with a factory frame, original
axle, and an 8-inch rear, what drew Bill to the '40 was it was exceptionally
rust free and, considering where he lives (in Eighty Four, Pennsylvania), that was
a rare and highly prized attribute.
Bill
Kilkeary’s 1940 Ford - A Deluxe Coupe
At 66 years old, Bill is no stranger to
fixing up cars, as he opened Kilkeary's Auto Body in 1981 after working as a
welder and moonlighting as a body man for years before that. The repair shop is
manufacturer-certified for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and others, and Bill would bring
his sons, Tim and Keith, to work with him, instructing them in the "right
way" to do bodywork and paint.
But staying busy with their shop meant they
didn't have time to do the necessary work to get the '40 on the road, so they
took it to another business in Pittsburgh. That experience turned out poorly,
and Bill began thinking it would be best to just sell the project as-is, but
Tim had another idea. He hired a couple of workers, bought all the right
equipment needed, and opened Customs by Kilkeary, a shop devoted to
high-quality fabrication and rod building.
The first project was the '40, and it
started from the ground up. A frame from Total Cost Involved Engineering was
ordered, as was a Currie 9-inch posi rear (3.70:1). The front suspension was dialed
in with a Mustang II setup with lowered spindles with adjustable coilover
shocks, while the rear used modified leaf springs and 2.5-inch lowering blocks.
A front and rear antiroll bar from Total Cost Involved Engineering went in, as
did a power rack-and-pinion. Each corner received Wilwood four-piston calipers
and disc brakes (13-inch in the front, 12-inch in the rear) as well as Schott
F10 wheels (18x8 and 20x8.5) shod in Pirelli P Zero hides (245/35ZR18 and
255/40ZR20).
The centersection of the frame was also
altered to accommodate the engine, which had to be moved back to clear the Ron
Davis radiator/shroud cooling system (that uses a Lincoln Mark VI15-inch
electric fan), but also for the T56 six-speed manual transmission. Kilkeary's
also modified a stock '93 Camaro slave cylinder to fit the Total Cost Involved
Engineering chassis and the stock Camaro bell housing. They installed a '93 LT1
engine set up with a 10:1 compression ratio and a COMP Cams camshaft. Ported
and polished heads from Arizona Speed and Marine were equipped with Manley
stainless steel valves, COMP Cams guideplates and springs, as well as 1.6:1
roller rockers.
Kilkeary
builds ’em to drive 'em and, to accomplish that, a '93 LT1 is found under-hood.
Trick Flow 30-pound injectors work with the OEM computer to deliver the juice
to the small-block, and a six-speed manual transmission selects the gears.
More
of SS Hydro coatings’ wood graining was applied to the dash in the '40, which
also houses one-off gauges from Classic Instruments and a Clarion-based stereo
system with JL Audio speakers and amplifier.
No
chop needed: the '40 Ford already has perfect lines. All of the exterior metal
parts are '40 factory pieces (except for the shortened bumper brackets). Keith
Kilkeary covered the car with Glasurit 90 line of waterborne paints.
A Lingenfelter ported and polished intake
manifold works with the Trick Flow 30-pound injectors that have been tuned to
the OEM computer. E.J. Talik (from Kilkeary's) fabricated the air cleaner and
also created the engine's exhaust system, which starts as a 2.5-inch dual
system that flows into a 3-inch single with Flowmaster 40-series mufflers.
Though void of rust in the body and
fenders, Kilkeary's decided to replace the floor and firewall, plus custom fabricate
inner fender panels, an underhood panel, and a new trans tunnel. The inner rear
fender area was modified to accept the big 20-inch wheels, but you hardly
notice the additional width. After Kilkeary's created a new underdash piece,
bodywork was completed and a painstaking attention to door gaps and other
details was addressed by Kevin Jobe who blocked the car out before Keith
Kilkeary sprayed the parts with Glasurit 90 Line waterborne paint.
With the gloss applied, many of the
exterior parts (grille, trunk handle, side trim) that had been finished in
brushed nickel were refitted to the car, including the bumpers, which were
brought in tight to body with the help of custom brackets. Inside the car
Kilkeary's had SS Hydrocoatings (Monongahela, Pennsylvania) apply their unique
woodgraining applique to the door tops and dash. From there, one-off gauges
from Classic Instruments were installed (linked electronically with a wiring
kit from Painless Wiring) as was a 6.2-inch touch-screen stereo head unit from Clarion,
which mounts in the custom underdash panel. Other stereo gear includes a JL
Audio amplifier and speakers, all wired by Steve Barrett, who also was
instrumental in the final assembly on the car. Finishing off the dash is a
Billet Specialties steering wheel that was bolted to an ididit tilt column.
After Kilkeary's EJ Talik fabbed the panels
used in the trunk area and interior, Kevin at Smith's Custom Seats in
Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, covered them before stitching up the power bucket
seats from an Infiniti with a leather and Alcantera suede combination.
As it happens with some projects, this one
snowballed and ended up being a substantial investment for the Kilkeary clan,
but it also turned out to be a perfect advertisement for the level of expertise
they can bring to a project. Tim and his dad spend a lot of time at Goodguys
shows and swap meets, and they have eight other cars they say rival Bill's '40.
Nonetheless, when the '40 drove into last year's NSRA Nationals in Louisville,
it rolled out with a STREET RODDER Top 100 award as well as a Builder's
Choice award. The photographs taken for the magazine article were done in the
first few hours of its reborn life, but Tim assures us either he or his dad
will be burning down the tires on this one very soon, as the time to drive it
has arrived!
There
is a lot of nickel and brushed finishes found both inside and out with Bill’s
coupe. Schott F1018- and 20-inch rollers are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero rubber,
and the woodgrain found inside on the door panels and dash is a water transfer
applique from SS Hydro coatings.
LED
lighting is used throughout the car, and the Truck-Lite headlights are
high-output LED units, though they draw little amperage to operate.
Bill
Kilkeary's '40 was built to be driven, and it sounds as good as it looks at
speed.
