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1936 Ford Roadster “Barn Find” Goes All Custom, Now Boasts Edelbrock Racing V8

Barn finds are like lottery tickets. Or better said, like a box of chocolates because you never know what you're gonna get. Forrest Gump puns aside, this 1936 Ford Roadster was found in a pretty dire condition in 2015 after 41 years of neglect.
1936 Ford Roadster custom car 50 photos
Photo: Bring a Trailer
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The Garaj Mahal in Maryville, Tennessee decided to restomod the open-top convertible instead of performing a classically-correct restoration, and the build oozes custom inside and out. As you may already know from the headline, the performance shop has swapped the original engine for an Edelbrock Racing V8.

Thanks to 5.7 liters of displacement, electronic fuel injection, Tru-Ram exhaust manifolds, and a Walker radiator with an electric fan, the Performer 380 Pro-Flo XT is much obliged to develop more than the manufacturer’s ratings of 380 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque. The good stuff is channeled by a 700R4 transmission to the Ford rear end, a 9.0-inch axle with a 3.50 limited-slip diff.

An aluminum driveshaft provides both strength and lightness, and as opposed to the bone-stock car, the customrod now features a 16-gallon tank and an all-new fuel pump inside of it. Listed on Bring a Trailer with almost 1,050 miles on the odometer since completion, the steelie Roadster is riding on a Fat Man frame.

Two inches were chopped from the windscreen and the frame for a more aggressive appearance, a black soft top has been added, and the cabin boasts a bench seat wrapped in red leather upholstery. Black carpeting and Classic Instruments gauges sweeten the deal, along with 15-inch artillery wheels in black and chrome.

BaT mentions a total cost “in excess of $200,000” for the restomod, which is utterly insane considering what you can get for that kind of money from the dealership lot in 2020. Offered on behalf of Garaj Mahal, the 1936 model is joined by receipts, records, build photos, as well as a clean Tennessee title for good measure.

Completed ahead of the 2016 SEMA Show where it was exhibited at Meguiar’s booth, the car has also been selected by Rod Authority as a top-five roadster. The following year, it took home the NSRA Top 5 Builders’ Showcase award.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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