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 Rather than un-skin a Shoebox...  Rather than un-skin a Shoebox woodie, Peratt and the crew at Pinkee's Rod Shop created Knotwood from the standard '49 Tudor, shown here. Bobby Walden (Walden's Speed Shop) wheeled a new skin, while Pinkee's completely eliminated the trunk area, hand-fabricating everything from the rear quarters up. |
 You can't beat the combination...  You can't beat the combination of a Ford in a Ford--but a Boss 429 hemi in a Ford? That's the ultimate motivation for any Shoebox Ford. Georgia's Engine Systems built the 510-horse beast, while Pinkee's prettied it up just enough to adapt to its new surroundings (note the handformed paneling). The Blue Oval-emblazoned air cleaner is a custom-made item, hiding a Demon 750 carb on a Ford manifold. The ignition, tucked discretely below the cowl, is electronic MSD. |
 The interior, originally designed...  The interior, originally designed by Rodney Hutcherson, was laid out by Larry McDaniel... |
 ...who used brown leather...  ...who used brown leather over Glide Engineering seats and custom-made panels by Pinkee's... |
 ...The dash is from a '56...  ...The dash is from a '56 Ford... |
 ...with a custom insert housing...  ...with a custom insert housing Auto Meter instrumentation... |
 ...and a sleek center console...  ...and a sleek center console that's home to a CD/DVD system, Pinkee's was able to execute some of their timber expertise with the headliner... |
 ...which is comprised of 19...  ...which is comprised of 19 slats of basswood (reminiscent of '30s-40s woodie wagons). |
This is one of those situations where you just have to say, "Where do I begin?" One look at Eric Peratt's latest creation for Jim Fynes, and I think most of you will agree. For starters, we all know (or at least should know) that Ford did not produce any "non-wood" station wagons until 1952--their Squire model wagons are what we traditionally refer to as "woodies." That alone gives one just enough fuel for thought to imagine how Eric came about with this naked version. Did he "un-skin" a woodie and refashion the rear sheetmetal to its current state? Or did he take a standard Tudor sedan and hand-fabricate a new rear roof and tail section? Well, so as not to keep everyone guessing, Peratt performed the latter--and not only that, but he started with a '49 model (notice the current front clip?).
But before we get into the "how," let's start off with "why" Peratt built this particular project. Frankton, Colorado, resident Jim Fynes got the bug to build--or in this case, have built--a phantom woodie, and contacted Eric's place (Pinkee's Rod Shop in nearby Loveland), which is known for having cutting-edge wood-rods among other things. Unfortunately, it turned out that the shop was already building the exact same car Jim spoke of for Bones Noteboom, but Peratt had other ideas in mind, and both he and Fynes were on the same page with the wagon theme. It turned out that Eric had always wanted to build a wood-less '49-51 Ford wagon (hence the "Knotwood" moniker), but never had the time or the money to do so. After getting some renderings drawn up by Todd Jones in Des Moines, Iowa, the two were in total agreement, and the project was officially underway.
Eric located the '49 Ford sedan at SO-CAL Speed Shop in Colorado Springs, and then ordered framerails from Art Morrison. The only other big decision to agree on was the drivetrain. Being a general manager for a Ford dealership at the time, it was only natural that Jim leaned toward the Blue Oval camp--a Boss 429 hemi to be exact. Behind that, an enthusiastic C6 automatic would continue with the motivational duties, and a Halibrand Champ quick-change would bring up the rear. Suffice it to say, not your typical lineup, nor your most economical, either! So, with all the major components lined up, it was time for Peratt to plot his course of attack.
First off, in order to get the proportions correct, the body mounts were moved back 3 inches and the quarter-panels shortened the same amount so that the rear wheels would center in the fender openings. To get an idea of how the new roof profile would be, they took the skin off a '55 two-door wagon, but soon found out that it didn't have the proper shape and would be the "easy" way out; the rear hatch, gate, hinges, and latch points were all that was used. In the end, Bobby Walden ended up making an all-new roof skin, while Pinkee's fabricated the rear side window surrounds. With the "wagon" part taken care of, focus was turned on the front sheetmetal group. First, the fenders and hood were stretched 4 inches to get rid of the stubby profile. Then, the hood was pie-cut considerably, the nose raked back, and the traditional grille cutout filled. To further hint toward later Shoebox styling, '51 Ford bumpers were obtained, then narrowed and smoothed out. The grille reflects the same era, though required more effort to complete. The bullets were carved from solid chunks of billet, while the center bars were fashioned from sheet aluminum. Other unique touches include one-piece curved glass front and rear (cut from a '91 Ford pickup), chrome-plated brass side trim, and custom-made gas filler caps (one per side for symmetry) by J&B Microfinish in Pontiac, Illinois. When all was said and done, the final body shell was painted by Mark Warrick at Soncy Road Body Shop in Amarillo, Texas, using a special two-stage DuPont paint, while the brightwork was sent to Steve's Auto Restorations in Portland, Oregon.
Beneath Knotwood's artistic exterior, the Art Morrison chassis features a four-link rear and tubular independent front suspension, Air Ride components, Wilwood disc brakes, Flaming River rack-and-pinion, and custom-made B. Coddington 18- and 20-inch wheels. The '69 Boss 429, fresh back from Engine Systems in Atlanta, Georgia, and now displacing 510 ci, was equipped with a Demon 750 carb topped by a custom air cleaner, MSD electronic ignition (with hidden plug wires), and Pinkee's-built headers. The sheetmetal bay ncapsulating the Ford V-8 is nothing like you've seen before, with sleek inner fender panels and a smooth radiator shroud--all painted pearl silver to match a majority of the engine components. The C6 was built by Phoenix Transmissions, and it's linked to the 3.50-geared Halibrand quickie via an Inland Empire Drive Line 'shaft.
Finally, the two-year project came to a close with the interior. Pinkee's retrofitted the inside with a '56 Ford dash, a custom center console, hand-fabricated door and side panels, and, of course, a woodie-inspired headliner created from basswood slats. Larry McDaniel in Broomfield, Colorado, finished off the Rodney Hutcherson-designed interior using an appropriate choice of brown leather hides and matching wool carpet. Other inner amenities include Auto Meter gauges in a custom aluminum housing, Vintage Air climate controls, CD/DVD system, seats from Glide Engineering, and a Budnik wheel atop a Brookville tilt column.
As if Jim Fynes' stamp of approval weren't enough, once Knotwood reached completion, Peratt and his crew at Pinkee's were given another pat on the back at this year's Goodguys Heartland Nationals. At the nationals the wagon not only picked up a Custom Rodder Top 10, but the prestigious title of Custom Rod of the Year as well! Knot bad...knot bad at all!
 From the sculptured rear cargo...  From the sculptured rear cargo area to the CNC'd bullet grille with sheet aluminum bars to the intricate rear hatch entry (a small Allen wrench is used to activate solenoid)... |  ...Fynes' wagon is pure Pinkee's...  ...Fynes' wagon is pure Pinkee's magic... |  ...The wheels are 18- and...  ...The wheels are 18- and 20-inch Coddington carvings... |
 ...the bumpers reworked '51...  ...the bumpers reworked '51 items with the exhaust outlets nicely blended into the rear. |  Eric Geisert was fortunate...  Eric Geisert was fortunate to catch Knotwood on film during its initial chassis buildup phase... |  ...revealing some of the hidden...  ...revealing some of the hidden tricks Pinkee's performed that the average reader might otherwise never know existed... |
 ...The rails came by way of...  ...The rails came by way of Art Morrison; the tubular crossmembers are all Peratt and crew... |  ...Take a close look and you'll...  ...Take a close look and you'll see how slick the steering is, all blended into the framerail; the exhaust has been carefully built to flow within the chassis without major bends; and then you've got the airsprung Halibrand quick-change with Wilwood discs and a 3.50 ring-and-pinion. One-hundred-percent cool. |  |