Ron Simmons' 1934 Ford Phantom C-400 Sedan (from Volume 11, Issue 120) As a small boy growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Ron Simmons was introduced to an array of different automobiles. With two older brothers and a father that had a great love of cars, it seemed inevitable for Ron to follow suit. Ron moved from St. Louis to Florida at the end of July in 1985, and considers himself a Floridian, having lived in the Orlando area for 19 years. Ron and his lovely wife Rose now live in St. Cloud, Florida along with their two sons, Luis and Allan. With four daughters, three sons and eleven grandchildren there is a lot of conversation about cars. While talking with friend and fellow street rodder Chuck Bingham, Ron found out about this very unusual and one-off 1934 Ford that started as an idea on Steve Stanford’s drawing board, and was built in California by Roy Brizio, Jim “Bones” Noteboom and Guy Ruchonet, with Sid Chavers’ artistry on the interior. To Ron this was a no-brainer....get this car! So he flew up to Detroit, Michigan, and drove his new “baby” home (1,200 miles). What an enjoyable experience he said it was, getting thumbs up all the way! The 1934 started out as an all steel (not even any Bondo) Ford Vicky, which was transformed into a “C-400” with a removable top....a model never produced by Ford in 1933-34. Attention was given to every detail, as there are so many modifications it takes a discerning and knowledgeable eye to find them all. From the extended and lowered fenders to the beltline fading into the door, everything is done to perfection. The smooth black paint lends an elegant look, contrasted by a set of Boyds wheels and “C-400” graphics applied to the hood sides by Art Himsl. Under the hood you’ll find a highly detailed Street & Performance 350 crate motor, which in turn drives a TH350 automatic and a Currie Enterprises 9-inch rear end fitted with 3.50:1 gears. Disc brakes reside at all four corners, as do air bags to adjust the car’s ride height when necessary. As mentioned before, the interior showcases the work of Sid Chavers, who crafted the very unique Asymmetrical accommodations which were in turn covered in silver-gray leather with a contrasting gray wool carpet. The centerpiece is a console that runs the full length of the cabin, and flows into the dash area where a set of Dakota Digital gauges reside. An Ididit tilt column has a Boyds steering wheel perched on top, and a Vintage Air system and Alpine CD player ensure that time spent cruising is indeed comfortable. This is Ron’s fourth ‘34 Ford, and his favorite. On a neat side note, his brother owns what was Ron’s first ‘34 Ford. Ron told us, “The ‘34 Ford must be my favorite street rod, because it seems as if I am incomplete without one in the garage”. After a year and a half of retirement Ron and Rose are both back in the Real Estate business, but it is important to them to find time to attend street rod and car shows. “This is a great group of people in the street rod crowd. I enjoy mingling among those that have the same love affair with the deep rumble of engine and the fascination of custom automobiles”. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Ron! CN