Each of us has a special, longed-after ride that always seems to escape our grasp. There are a few of us, however, that strike it lucky and find ourselves behind the wheel of a dream build. One of those lucky soles is Tommy Flores, whose remarkably cool ‘46 Super Deluxe is a beautiful piece of serendipity.
“This is the car I have wanted since I was 18 years old” says Tommy, who found the fated car tucked away in a quiet Santa Clarita neighborhood. “I got hold of a time capsule – the car had been parked away years ago in a guy’s garage and left untouched. I found the car, discovered an old Bob Drake catalog in the back, and it took off from there.”
A frequent visitor on the hit TV show Full Custom Garage with builder Ian Roussel, Tommy knew this was a car that deserved some famed attention. The ’46 was in great condition and only needed a simple wash to make the paint shine again, but was asking for some rodding consideration. The straight 6 was swapped out for a 302 small block (keeping it all Ford), disc brakes and power steering were added and new front end was sub-framed into place.
Tommy and the crew at Full Custom Garage initially planned to leave the existing trim in place, but the “moment all the guys saw the fresh shine of the Drake bumpers and trim pieces, there was no question on direction – the Bob Drake trim took the car from good looking to absolutely sharp. The Drake touch is exactly what this car needed.”
Adorning Tommy’s car are bumpers (21A-17757-CS), grille moldings (51A-8170/1-K), grille bar trim (6A-8332), emblems (51A-16606) and a varied assortment of other pieces to deliver that ultimate pop. A new Drake Tank (11A-9002) under the rear floor holds the fuel.
“I wouldn’t do anything different – totally happy with it.” Tommy adds. As for the future, I “plan on keeping the car and having the kids hop in the back seat and taking the family out.” Absolutely perfect.
See the full story and build of Tommy’s fat fendered beauty on Full Custom Garage (MavTv and MotorTrend TV). Or find Tommy and his ride directly on Instagram at just_call_me_tommy. Fo ‘sho.
