The Jimmie Vaughan Flathead

So Rex Rods is jam packed at the moment – the Mearns Coupe is in final assembly, the Side-project Coupe is at upholstery, and the 409-34 is still under fabrication. Even so, Keith managed to find some time over the last week to build a gorgeous little flathead Ford for Jimmie Vaughan.

See, Jimmie had this elegant little ’40 coupe mild custom with a sickly flathead. To replace it, he wanted something to compliment the early style of the car, but that also had a detailed hot rod look to it. Keith’s answer started with a French block and some Bronze engine paint from Ford dated 1949 to ’53.

On paper, it’s simple… A 3-5/16″ bore, a 4-1/8″ stroked crank, Ross pistons, 1.5″ Chevy stainless intake and exhaust valves, Isky 400-jr cam, Navarro heads, Navarro intake, etc… But on film, it’s so much more than the list of its parts. I don’t know if my photography really communicates this all that well, but this is a subtle motor that only really screams at you when you study the details.

Just my style…

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