Metalflake Green Mordoor Machine

Four doors are everywhere. Check the classifieds, Craigslist, Auto Trader, #rodswapper, this, that and the other. See them at local car shows; see them out on the streets. They’re useful—utilitarian—and usually affordable. And, in some cases, they can look damn good.

It’s been said time and time again that the ’60s were actually two different decades. Last week we took a look at the “Silver Sapphire,” one of the wildest early Ford show rods ever built (and a bona fide product of the early-’60s). Practically every panel was reworked, and the end result was a classic “love it” or “hate it” scenario. That’s radical customizing for you. Today, we’re going to flip the coin and focus on a machine that’s a poster child for mid- to late-’60s style.

Gary Henderson’s ’33 Ford is right in so many ways. The Walnut Creek, California-based Fordor is stock bodied through and through, and the biggest sheetmetal “modification” was the removal of the hood and rear-mounted spare tire. Cowl lamps? Yes. Bumpers? Yes. Horns? You bet. No chop. No channel. Fenders all around. But! It’s not a Resto Rod. Not by a long shot, thanks to the American mags, rolled and pleated interior and a warmed over, six-carbed 389cid Pontiac backed by a ’58 Chev trans. It’s hard to beat a sextuplet of chromed frogmouth scoops complete with red detailing.

Oh, and then there’s that unmistakable green Metalflake paintjob. Sprayed by master painter Mickey Himsl, it features some tone-on-tone fogging and looks resplendent in the Nor Cal sun. Rumor has it that Mickey treated the sedan to more than 70 coats. Note the rear striping, which is reminiscent of Von Dutch’s infamous “Harvey Shaken by Cross Breeding.”

Top-notch craftsmanship and an impeccable eye for detail made Henderson’s sedan a showstopper wherever it went. During the Oakland Roadster Show’s heyday, he displayed the car under the name “Miss Carriage.” This sedan is one that sticks with you and, in this case, I’m glad it’s a Fordor. Pile in the friends and hit the road? Sounds like a plan to me.

—Joey Ukrop

 Photos by Steve Scott, Hot Rod Magazine, March 1967