Chip Foose Customs

[Music] you know the only thing better than looking at Chip Foose cars is driving them [Music] hi I'm Dennis gage well this week I'm in Grand Forks North Dakota to check out a couple of the slickest show cars you'll ever see these cars are owned by Wes Riedel and they were designed by Chip Foose but a lot of the fabrication was done right in West's toy shop here in Grand Forks by Doug Peterson and his merry band I got to tell you I think these are some of the most gorgeous cars I've ever seen and if I had to bet I'd guess you'll think so too [Music] well Doug what a beautiful day in Grand Forks is it always this way in North Dakota little Calder in the wind sometimes a little bit cocky yeah but what a great day to have a couple great cars out now these are a couple from West Rydell's collection and their Bryant Chip Foose cars right yes but you had quite a hand in building these right yes we did in both cases we started the cars in our shop and here in Grand Forks and finished him with chip and his shop out there so we got a lot of the rough work done here and so Grand Forks North Dakota Huntington Beach California odd connected connection we've got the Grand Master and we got the cool air to fabulous faves of mine but let's talk about the grand master first now I first saw this car I had a show called eyes on design at the GM Tech Center walked by this car and I've stopped cold I just it's just drop-dead gorgeous and this car was a Riddler award winner right it debuted at the 50th annual Riddler and we were fortunate enough to to win in 2002 and was that chips first Riddler win it was yes Wow it's a 35 Chevy master deluxe right yes that was not really the prettiest car she have ever made no we called it the tote appropriately so but man there's been some serious work to make it the Grand Master what all have you done the wheelbase is shortened an inch and 3/4 uh-huh the back of the cars moved forward about 5 inches the cowl was moved back a couple of inches the windshield is laid back well I was going to say this sort of dish is in right on a stock 35 master that would have been a straight line from the cowl to the grille show and we just wanted to keep the shape a little bit slow grille shells been thinned up quite a lot and also leaned back the insert is made of stainless steel and it hints at the design of the of the original Chevy insert headlight buckets the 1939 Chevrolet shortened about three and a half inches with a king B trim ring and lamp assembly yeah I like that and the fenders looked like they've been set out a bit or we actually used the roughly the outside half of the fender and because the grille was moved back and laid back we had to change most of the inside of it too to blend into the grille shell properly again but the back is what I think is probably the most beautiful part of this car it's not all that then a 35 master deluxe but you've really made it work somehow the original car this whole back panel was much more vertical and by leaning it forward created a softer roofline here that it just helps the whole car flow a little better mmm and how about the tail light again 39 Chevrolet chips also known for very clean interiors and I think this is a gorgeous interior and one of the things I like about it is how its it flows all the way from the dash around the side around to the back and completely around yes that's one of chips design themes he doesn't like to ever see a line and it should continue to flow unbelievable what are the seats out of their highly modified they're from late eighties Jeep Grand Cherokee he was keeping with the grand theme the gauges look like 35 so they are they're actually original to the car one of the few things it is it looks like a Shrunk a chef's steering wheel exactly 55 bel-air wheel reduced in diameter about three inches chips known for equally understated engine compartments was what she looked like again just incredibly clean what's hiding under there it's a 96 Corvette LT for transport engine is this fiberglass or this all that's all steel I am this is actually a duct or plenum that wraps around the side of the radiator and brings money inside they just come up and I like the cap there a little access focus Wow now Riddler award winning car you know fabulous show car but chips cars really typically do run this one run this one's great and does does West Drive them at all you got you think what's in mind if we took it out let's go from right how about if I drove absolutely all right close our up let's go [Music] [Music] why what a beautiful car you got the right posture yeah you're getting it download well this baby drives awfully nice we actually built it as if it was going to be a car that he could hop in and drive across country we we haven't we haven't really done that but but it's capable of it I really think it is we went to a good guys car show event about it Charlotte last fall as part of the event get the cars out on the track and make some laps around Lowe's Motor Speedway that was really great with this car yeah yeah bet that was so when you headed out on the track how did she handle it felt great I was I was actually driving I was up in the High Line up where jr. usually running it had to be a kick and this had to be the slickest looking car out there it really doesn't look amazing when it's moving the car isn't really a car I guess until you actually see it moving otherwise it's just a piece of art so you've clearly recreated the entire frame right but what have you done for the suspension it's an independent coil over front the rear suspension is actually an old Lloyd's unit which utilized a Corvette center section and then fellows ethmoids fabricated all the control arms and half shafts so long is it a 700r4 transmission 4l60e so the electronic of course tradition of that same thing what was I thinking I'm just astounded in these seats are out of a Jeep Grand Cherokee but they look so cool and I love that it just goes so great with the rest of the car it really does it just looks like they're floating on a cloud and even the passenger seat hinges forward for access to the backseat just like it did in fact in an original car this was the only body style Chevrolet ever did by the way that that had suicide hidden doors the only year and the only body style that they did also it came this way you guys didn't suicide these doors they were they opened this way they originally really in sight and yes we're fortunate they would get to work with someone like Chip Foose had so much fun building this car full air and other projects that we've done whatever so he's a he's an extremely talented guy yeah even the name of the car we asked chip what are we going to call it and he thought for a moment and he said how about the Grand Master we said great but how did you come up with that and he said well it's a master series Chevrolet you guys are from Grand Forks oh let's call it the Grand Master oh I didn't know that that makes perfect sense I thought it was just such a grand master but its master deluxe from Grand Forks exactly although it be grandmaster is in fact fairly grand isn't it it is but let's talk about this cool cool air another great chip foose West Riedel Doug Peterson collaboration here 54 Chevy Bel Air another not really the prettiest car ever built but you guys have chosen to make this one live again and live beautifully it still looks fairly 54 but not what all what all have you done a lot of subtle changes the 55 headlight eyebrows lengthened defenders the front bumper is from a 56 the hood has been PI cut just to take some of the pudgy nough sout of the nose of the car you know that's what I would call these cars they were kind of just pudgy so you really just put it on diet the boost diet the emblem here is 57 56 yeah I love the color it's kind of a root beer or something it's chips take on copper and cream I love the wheels too and when I first saw those are that those billet and I said no no I see some Allen heads there there must be hubcaps they actually are bill at the Ellen heads hold a small hub cap on in the center but their ability will that's designed to look like the 54 Bel Air hubcap it's not chopped or anything what is it you're right it isn't chopped but we actually decon the roof only changed in about 5/8 of an inch in the middle of the roof but again and that coupled with the with the hood again it's just it's it's deep huh g'd right it really is interiors gorgeous again subtle and copper and cream coming through once again right now is that a 55 - it is I like the symmetry of the 55 - so I thought this just had a much neater feel to it another shrunken searing wheel exactly you just like watch those in hot water the perforated leather you don't see that used a heck of a lot but that is a nice comfort feature it's a nice comfort feature in a kind of a nice design accent as well yeah the side trim which is kind of 54 and again kind of not we had to relocate the side trim because we raised the wheel openings in the car to accommodate the low ride height so the wheels can turn without rubbing and then you've got the one trim piece that just goes front to back clean straight line chip likes long line so it does yeah now how about back here we've got what looks like 54 taillights they are 54 light lenses frenched into sort of a mild custom type housing little extension here and how about the bumper that that's kind of a mix and match to it the corner pieces are modified 55 the center piece of the bumper is from the original 54 it fit the body line the trunk I can't believe you left the trunk alone no we didn't put that on a diet as well now I imagine we've done something wonderful under the hood yes indeed Wow well once again I can't see much but I do see 427 we started with a 6 liter Chevrolet truck block board at about 40,000 sand put a foreign 1/8 inch stroke crank in it so it actually does displace 427 cubic inches pretty wild-looking headers actually we made those right in our own shop no kiddin yep Wow they're actually a try white design and how about the cover this time is that steel again or that's the only composite piece on this car made by Tim Fitzpatrick out in chip shop uh-huh this is neat though this is sort of a hood under the hood exactly it gives it a nice appearance when the hood is open it's also functional in that all the air that comes through the grille opening has to go through the radiator it can't bypass it so we never have any cooling problems with this car Wow so Doug like the Grand Master does this cool air do any road work it does actually Wesson Vivian drove this car about 14,000 miles last summer that would be some road work do you suppose Westwood mind if we took it out and did some road work in it hey let's go from right and again you mind if I no that's all right all right [Music] here we go that fire throw it up doesn't it [Music] boy it's a it's a dream and it does Drive like a real modern car yeah it's actually c5 Corvette front suspension and brakes pullovers all around it's an Art Morrison max G chances we wanted this to be a very comfortable drivable car so we really put a lot of effort into the drivability when we were building it so far it's paid off I can say don't touch that it's like holy cow have you ever had this thing on any sort of a track yeah actually it's it's been around Lowe's Motor Speedway and Kansas Motor Speedway and we haven't drag raced it yet but I think that might happen this summer my goodness we just ordered a set of drag radials for us so you guys are nuts completely nuts [Music] when you get a chance if you take a corner a little faster than you normally would you'll just feel how flat the car stays through the corners it's a it really feels like more like a Corvette than a 54 Bel Air boy you can also feel the strength of that engine doesn't take much throttle to to get a little response - no not at all and she sounds so good what do you have for an exhaust system on actually Wes and I built built the headers there try why long tube headers and we use boiler mufflers ha ha it's got a real nice deep throaty it's not that kind of tinny that you can get some time with Performance Exhaust she's got a very mellow nose to it you know it is kind of funny though because you get into this it's 54 but it's 55 and your mind is set for that error though and this steering wheel I just feel like I'm supposed to be out here or someplace the steering wheel is so little a lot more comfortable Louis and it really is you know the other thing I noticed is that all the controls they like like you say the the steering wheel feels more right it feels more modern but all the controls are right where they should be it's got satellite radio and [Music] our heated seats and all the creature comforts I like the feel boy you guys build nice cars well thank you it doesn't feel like a 54 does it not at all and you're right it actually it really does kind of feel like a Corvette you get in trouble with this guy you're really good so until our next meeting remember honor the timeless classics I'm Dennis gage happy motoring

Channel: MyClassicCarTV

Views: 397,023

Rating: 4.8453426 out of 5

Keywords: My Classic Car, Classic Car, Dennis Gage, Chip Foose, Chip Foose designs, Chip Foose customs, 1935 Chevy Master Deluxe, 1935 Chevy, Chevy Master Deluxe, 1954 Chevy Bel Air, Chevy Bel Air, 1954 Chevy, Foose Cool Air, Foose Grand Master, Chip Foose designed customs, Chip Foose classic cars, Chip Foose Chevy, Chip Foose Chevy Master, Chip Foose Bel Air, Chip Foose 1954, Chip Foose 1935, Foose customs, Foose designs, Driving chip foose, custom chevy bel air

Id: AlEe8JTpHi0

Length: 16min 1sec (961 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 12 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/Flivver_King]

I daily drive my Model T. It’s one thing to see it sitting in a museum, it’s another thing to see it out on the road chugging along. Something about seeing 100 year old machinery still working just fine, it’s the closest thing we have to a time machine.

I get buying cars as an investment but if I was rich and owned a ton of cars I’d treat them like Jay Leno. Cars are meant to be driven, when they break, fix them and keep going. It’s not like old cars are hard to fix, and depending on what it is, parts are easy to come by thanks to the internet. The internet has helped create the second golden age of classic cars, parts are only a click and a few days of postage away for many old classics now.

[u/SOROS_CHEQUE_IN_MAIL]

Every rotary & alfa romeo owner sweating intensely

[u/YunoFtf]

What about a four-way though?

[u/Grandpa_Dan]

Chip Foose: An artist, a craftsman, and a true gentleman...

[u/Saleenfan]

I saw Wes in the cool air back when i lived in grand forks. I was filling up my car at the gas station and he pulled in next to me and was a super nice guy.

[u/[deleted]]

Why do so called “purists” keep putting on these ridiculous rims on classic cars?

[u/narwhal_breeder]

I, I like art too