Ron Corder Customs : From Poster to Pavement

INTRODUCTION OF EIGHTBALL’33

Today’s the day! Ron Corder Customs is excited to introduce “EIGHTBALL’33” as it hits the pavement and debuts at the Triple Crown of Rodding Car Show in Nashville, TN. With its Ol’ School vibes, this custom built 1933 coupe is rolling out with the following traditional hot rod features:

Hand-built Boxed Frame
Custom Dropped ’41 Ford Independent I Beam
HRW ’41 Ford Quickchange
Custom Designed, Hand-Built, and Channeled All-Steel Body:
–Cowl – from a derelict ’36 Ford Woodie
–Dash – fabricated from a narrowed ’36 Ford Coupe
–Roof – from a ’41 Chevy Truck Cab
–Trunk-lid – fabricated and skinned with ’74 VW Roof
–Quarter Panels – fabricated from
’57 Chevy Roof Skin & ’62 VW Front Fenders
–Doors – fabricated from ’57 Chevy Roof Skin
–Jams – fabricated from 20 gauge sheet metal
–Hood Sides – fabricated from 18 gauge sheet metal and
square tubing, with a corrugated insert
–Grill Shell – fabricated from 20 gauge sheet metal
–Belly Pan – fabricated from 18 gauge sheet metal
‘55 Chevy 265 V-8 with Powerglide
Custom Exhaust
Custom Brake System
Custom Aluminum Grill Insert
2”x16” Hand-built front wheels with
3.25”x16” Coker White-wall Tires
4.00×16” Ford Steelies with
6.00”x16” Coker White-wall Tires
Hand-built Steering System and Steering Wheel
Vintage Guide Headlights with ’37 Ford Tail-lights
Satin Paint Finish
Vintage Air
Classic Instruments Gauges

EXPECTATION

Every hot rod build starts with expectation and this hot rod is no exception. The desire for this car started at the age of 13. While the project has been detoured or postponed for various reasons through the years, the expectations have never wavered. At times, the dream felt like a false expectation, but now the EIGHTBALL’33 has come to life.

INSPIRATION

Dreams start with inspiration and Darrell Mayabb’s artwork on a PPG poster provided plenty. When a copy of this PPG poster was picked up at a local paint supply store in 2010, with Darrell’s drawing of a hot rod, with flames being laid out with masking tape, it gave this project new motivation.

Darrell’s artistic illustration of the small traditional hot rod took a young man’s now matured idea from poster to pavement by making the dream a visual possibility. The poster provided the inspiration needed to convert the passion into a real-life hunk of fabricated steel.

While the poster didn’t start it all, it sure got this hot rod going. Once Darrell’s artwork jumpstarted this project, there was no turning back.

Soon the collecting of rusty parts, pieces, and body panels began. Then, the designing took to paper, followed by multiple cardboard cutouts and rolls of masking tape.

PERSPIRATION

In November of 2022, the hot rod took another leap forward when a friend, named Chris, shared the news of the Triple Crown of Rodding car show scheduled for Friday and Saturday, September 8^th-9^th, 2023. With nine months and lots of determination, the “It’s now or never” commitment was made.

With the help of some kind friends, long weekends, late nights, gallons of sweet tea, and a few Klondike bars, (which are now call “hot rod sandwiches”) this life-long dream is out of the garage. It has been a long, hot summer and car building journey with many twists and turns of wrenches, bottles of welding gas, hours of sanding and painting, and buckets of perspiration.

The costs and time invested, the many mistakes and do-overs, the hours of second-guessing, the busted knuckles, the moments of questioning the decision to start, and the commitment to finishing all came down to this event—the completion and presentation of EIGHTBALL’33.

We can’t say thank you enough to everyone who so willingly offered their hands, tools, experience, expertise, and encouragement to help this hot rod project see the light of day. This talented crew helped to push this dream to the pavement.

SATISFACTION

There’s a deep sense of satisfaction seeing this dream leave the poster and roll into reality. This is the day that most hot rod designers, fabricators and builders work and wait for, and it’s hard to believe it’s finally here. It’s a really cool feeling seeing EIGHTBALL’33 finished, cranked up, and rumbling.