Classic 1955 Ford Customline Packs Modern Power and Performance
Timeless, traditional looks conceal a thoroughly modern street rod underneath in one of our favorite SEMA builds of 2019.
Believe it or not, Ford built some seriously cool iron before 1964. This 1955 Ford Customline we spotted at SEMA follows in the tradition of many classic Ford hot rods and customs.
Built by Jerry Dixy of Hollywood Hot Rods, he started by ditching the original Y-block V8 for modern Coyote power. According to Hot Rod, the car was built for Street Rodder Magazine‘s Road Tour, a quarter-century old tradition of building an awesome custom car, and touring around the country for several months along with some of your best buddies.
We can’t think of a better modern powerplant for a street rod than a Coyote V8 — if it’s good enough for a Mustang, it’s certainly good enough for a classic ride like this. For a long-haul cruiser like this, a modern, fuel-injected powerplant that delivers great power and decent fuel economy can’t be beat. That’s especially true when you factory in niceties such as air conditioning and cruise control.
The chassis is similarly modernized, with a CAD-designed custom frame from the Roadster Shop. Up front is a modern interpretation of the classic Mustang II IFS; out back you’ll find a beefy Ford 9″ suspended by a four-link and a Panhard bar.
None of that modern hardware is visible on the surface, however. Everything about the style and stance of this 1955 Ford was influenced by the southern California car culture of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The subtle custom grille, wild two-tone paint, and chrome reverse wheels at each corner evoke a time period when dinosaurs roamed the earth — just a few years before the muscle car era.
Inside, you’ll find the same sort of classic treatment, white white tuck and roll upholstery sharing space with a two-tone green dash and matching carpet. Understated gold trim rounds out the package, matching the exterior pinstriping — as well as the gold pinstriping seen on the tires.
Sometimes, when hot rod builders attempt to combine the old with the new, the result is an anachronistic disaster. That’s not the case here at all. In fact, we’d say that this 1955 Ford Customline is just about perfect.
Photos for The Mustang Source by Derin Richardson
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