We started with a 4 door sedan, a "Shark Nose Graham". We restyled and re-engineered it with over 200 modifications. Absolutely every part of this car has been modified, remade, or created for this car, except for two pieces: the headlight lens. We hope that you enjoy the car.
Click on these links to look see the creation of the SHARK:
Build Sheet for the SHARK
Modifications include:
- Coupe Top Creation
- Eliminated running boards
- Removed 26” from the roof
- Eliminated the bustle trunk
- Eliminated the rear doors and the C pillar
- Built new rockers
- Built redesigned B pillars with expanded support structure
- Channeled the car 4 inches
- Eliminated original drip rail
- Added a faux drip rail with a newly created reveal
- Frenched modified tail lights into reveal
- Doors
- Eliminated rear doors
- Extended front doors 4 inches in length
- Converted to suicide doors and hinges
- Rebuilt A pillar to accommodate suicide door latches
- Grafted, reshaped, and laid back the doors
- Add to and shaped the lower doors to roll under the rockers
- Added depth to the doors for a flush fit inside for interior work
- Power windows
- Shaved doors and electric popper/lock
- Electrical wiring hidden in the hinge system
- Deck Lid
- Eliminated bustle trunk
- Created a custom deck lid
- One-off hinges
- One-off hinge operated actuator system
- One-off latch-less latching system
- Rear Fenders
- Eliminated fender skirts
- Shortened the lower portion of fenders due to running board elimination
- Scalloped the rear openings
- Added 2” of height above mid fender to accommodate larger wheels and tires
- Boxed in fenders for strength and elimination of inner fender braces
- Welded fenders to body
- Quarter Panels
- One-off panels made for the restyled coupe
- Rear Pan
- One-off fade away rear pan created
- Incorporates open exhaust ports
- Tubs
- Tubs were widened and heightened to accommodate new wheels and tires
- Front Fenders
- Shortened to reflect running board deletion
- Scalloped back of the wheel opening – matches rear fender
- Welded vertical fender seam below the head lights
- Boxed the rear of the fender to for support and appearance
- Re-styled the inner fender to blend with the new engine compartment
- Boxed the face of the fender with an access panel for the headlights
- Frame
- One-off custom made boxed frame – in house
- Suspension System and Differential
- Custom IFS – Power Rack & Pinion
- Power Brakes with 13” silver Drill/Slotted Rotors with 6 Piston Calipers
- Under dash 90 degree Brake Booster and Master Brake Cylinder
- Custom 9” IRS
- Differential - Posi with 3.70 gears
- Drill/Slotted Rotors
- Exhaust
- One-off polished SS system with custom mufflers
- One-off exhaust tips
- Hidden couplers
- Body Mounts
- Sculpted body mounts
- Floors
- Handmade floors for cab and trunk
- Handmade transmission tunnel
- Cowl and Firewall
- Recessed, scalloped, and styled to a peak
- Reinforced cowl sides to accommodate hood mounts
- Ports to accommodate A/C hoses, hidden brake lines, and electrical tunnels in cowl side walls
- Hidden ports in firewall for engine harness and plug wires running from hidden coil packs
- Hidden port for fuel lines
- Radiator and Core Support
- One-off aluminum radiator with electric fan and transmission cooler
- One-off support mounts replicate body mount styling
- Hood Side Panels and Inner Fender Panels
- Creation of a restyled engine bay coordinated with cowl and firewall redesign to create continuous eye travel around the engine bay
- Inner fenders flush with fire wall recession
- Swooping inside ledge along hood sides
- A/C hoses disappear into right hood side
- Hidden brake lines and electrical tunnels hidden in hood sides
- External Hood sides rounded to match bulbous features of the front fenders
- Radiator Overflow mounts and tank added
- Creation of a restyled engine bay coordinated with cowl and firewall redesign to create continuous eye travel around the engine bay
- Front Pan
- Replaced pan 16 vertical slots with 6 mirror imaged double louvers
- Boxed pan for strength and house electronics, horn, and A/C components
- Welded pan to front fenders
- Hood
- Restyled – eliminated original horizontal grille bars
- Pancaked hood
- Re-engineered inner support structure
- Modified original hood mounting system
- One-off prop rod
- Shark Nose Job
- Deleted original grille
- Redesigned one-off aluminum grille and mast head trim
- Reshaped vertical center bar from straight to curve
- Retained original concept with 3 main horizontal bars
- Replaced 9 small horizontal bars with 21 narrower bars
- Deleted original masthead and replaced it with a continuous flow trim piece ending at a point at the cowl
- Head Lights and Bezels – Re-engineered
- Retained original glass
- Modified buckets to accommodate 12V system with hidden directional lights and a modern halogen headlights
- Eliminated original 6 piece headlight bezels with redesigned one piece bezels
- Bezels mirror the bulbous roll of the fenders and the hood sides
- Bezels were frenched into the fenders
- Exterior Trim
- Discarded original trim and redesigned new aluminum trim congruent with the redesigned grille, mast head, and belt line.
- Tail Lights and Third Brake Light
- Original tail lights were retained, but modified
- Reveal added to car to augment the art deco design and to enable the tail lights to be frenched into the reveal
- Inside fascia was shortened and thinned
- Reengineered bulb access by eliminating the screw on the cover plate
- Converted the bulbs to 12 volts
- Original glass retained and polished
- One-off third brake light created to match trim and design of the car
- Lens and base was created using 3D printing
- Original tail lights were retained, but modified
- Wheels and Tires
- One-off 18” wheels – chromed – with Shark logo in center caps
- Alternating spokes
- Bridgestone Potenza tires
- Engine and Transmission
- Dart Aluminum Big Block Chevy 540 – Polished
- Atomic EFI
- Hidden Distributor
- Temperature sending unit relocated to a frost plug
- Chrome valve covers, intake, and oil pan
- Chrome serpentine system
- Polished stainless steel ram headers
- Hidden breather system
- Power Steering pump and overflow tank
- A/C System
- 700 R4 Transmission
- Polished aluminum drive shaft
- Lokar shifter with one-off shifter knob
- Air Cleaner
- One-off air cleaner designed to capture the fenders and hood of the car
- Inside Cab
- Handmade firewall
- Bucket seats
- One-off battery hold down
- One-off Stainless Steel gas tank with built in electronic pump
- Hidden Internals
- Wiring beveled into suicide hinges
- A/C venting through waterfall
- A/C lines disappear into hood side
- Distributor coil pack under dash running through firewall
- Front electrical lines run through cowl and hood sides
- Blue tooth music system under passenger seat; speakers behind interior paneling
- Brake lines through cab and hood side panels
- 12 volt system
- Cell phone system (and fob) access for:
- Remote Start
- Door Open/Close
- Trunk Open/Close
- Windows Open/Close
- GPS Tracking
- Remote battery disconnect
- Blue-tooth hidden music system
- Hidden access to Center Console control panel
- Steering Wheel
- One-off steering wheel with working horn button
- Pre-69 GM column
- Dash and Gauges
- Heavily modified 1937 Lincoln-Zephyr dash and 1938 waterfall
- Eliminated glove boxes
- Eliminated ash trays
- Added one-off steering column bracket
- Waterfall was widened 3/8”
- Waterfall was shortened 3 inches
- Waterfall radio speaker cage converted to A/C vent for both driver and passenger
- 1937 Gauges restyled with tachometer built into the Speedo gauge
- One-off goose neck rearview mirror bracket with a 1940 Packard mirror
- One-off knobs
- One off dash trim
- Heavily modified 1937 Lincoln-Zephyr dash and 1938 waterfall
- Interior - Customized Art Deco Theme
- Custom front leather bucket seats with ‘37 Zephyr tucks
- Deleted back seats
- Custom console
- Actuator driven access to center console control panel
- Hidden access to open/close the actuator
- One-off package tray
- Aluminum , leather covered headliner
- Resized garnish moldings
- One off interior trim
- Under dash closed off
- Rear firewall panel
- Unique door panels reflecting fender styling of the car
- One-off tear drop shifter boot ring
- Hidden music system
- Trunk
- Hidden gas tank port – actuator driven
- One-off hinge driven actuator system for opening and closing the deck lid
- Hidden fuse panels
- Styled aluminum trunk panels covered in leather