Harry and Wanda Woodward purchased their '55 T-Bird in May 1996, and Harry freely admits that seeing Chris Dixon's T-Bird heavily influenced his decision to not only purchase the car but to take liberties with the original Ford design. The other determining factor was the sad state of deterioration that the body had slipped into. Oh yeah, on the surface it didn't look too bad, but when Harry started digging around he kept discovering little imperfections. Like part of a 45-gallon drum welded into the firewall, a stovepipe welded into the transmission tunnel, and some sort of serious dent, ding, or advanced oxidation damage invading every panel on the car. Fact is, the body shop he had commissioned to perform the restoration work recommended he forget this car completely, sell what parts of any value were left and start with another vehicle of similar make and vintage. In other words, do anything but spend the obscene amount of cash it would require to put this guy back into restored condition. Well, as you may have guessed, that wasn't quite the advice Harry was looking for, nor the road he chose to take.
In the end, the faults that prevented its restoration suddenly became the reasons it was the perfect base for a really neat mild custom. Harry also knew that if enough contemporary materials were incorporated into the construction process it could be a spectacular driving machine as well. So his final decision was to physically alter the car in ways that he found pleasing to his eye, and to update the running gear so it would easily conform to modern motoring challenges.
Starting at the only logical point of origin, Harry stripped the 'Bird to its bare bones. Then he turned the chassis work over to Snow's Hot Rod Shop, where the rear framerails were moved inward some 8 inches to accommodate a wider wheel/tire combination. An 8.8-inch Mustang rearend was narrowed 8 inches and fitted with a pair of custom made Forrest & Forrest hard axles, the disc brakes were reinstalled, and the whole assembly set into place, pretty much completing the work to the back half. Up front the framerails were whacked off at the firewall and a Fatman stub welded into place. This gave the old 'Bird modern disc brakes, power rack-and-pinion, 2-inch dropped spindles, and plenty of room for a modern V-8. The powerplant chosen for the job was an electronically controlled, injected 302-cid Mustang, backed by a compatible T5 five-speed transmission and fitted with March pulleys, a 110-amp GM alternator, and a polished Sanderson Compressor. Then Ford SVO headers were bolted on, along with plenty of polished aluminum, paint, and chrome-accented dress-up items. When finished, a set of 17x7 and 17x8 Boyds wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich rubber were bolted to the new chassis to make it a roller. Now it was not only a rigid foundation with modern suspension components, but it was also blessed with all the equipment necessary to stop, steer, and accelerate in a manor consistent with the demands it would encounter when subjected to today's roadways.