Photos & Story
Terry Denomme

In 2006 he found a solid car in South Dakota that had original fenders, doors and quarters that showed no sign of any major past repairs. “The frame was done and the bodywork roughed out when I found it,” says Murdock. “But it was basically a body shell set on a frame.” Murdock went to work on the body mods, which included louvering the hood, shaving the door handles and Frenching the headlights and taillights. He also used a 1951 Ford deck lid so the trunk hinges would be concealed and ditched the ’49 Ford gas cap location in favour of a smoother  ’51 Ford gas flap. The ’49 Ford cap was located 4” lower and stuck out from the quarter panel. As you can see from the pics of the Ford, there is another ’54 Chevy out there with a toothless grin, as Murdock’s  ’49 Ford now sports a Chevy grille bar. He also added a few other custom touches popular in the early 1960s, including twin Frenched antennas and a continental kit. The trunk and doors are now opened electronically thanks to the installation of Auto Loc remote kit. Pinstripping was done by Paule at Swords & Stripes. Jeff Holmes of Carp, ON created the "home brew" exterior paint mixing two toners with lots of pearl for the final colour. "I must of been asked at least a thousand times 'what is paint code for the color of your car?'" says Murdock.

The stock seats remain, though now upholstered in tan leather by Pierre Salois, owner of Cover-all Custom Upholstery in Carleton Place, ON. The stock dash also remains and the car still uses the original odometer and fuel gauge but aftermarket Auto Meter gauges monitor oil pressure, water temp, voltage and rpms. The steering column is a 1940 Ford stainless unit with the stock ’49 Ford wheel.

When it came to stance, Murdock stayed with the stock front suspension but added 2” dropped spindles and disc brakes. Out back, a 1957 Ford 9” replaced the stock ’49 Ford unit and one additional leaf spring was added on each side. Stock rear drums remain. Power brakes were added with the addition of a GM master cylinder and booster.  This shoebox rolls on 15” Crown Victoria wheels wrapped with BF Goodrich Silvertowns (P215x70R15) on all four corners.

Beneath the louvered hood breathes a stroker 460 (now 500 ci) you might expect in a street-fighter muscle car but not in a mild custom.  Of course that gives Murdock the element of surprise he likes between stop lights. The motor was built at West Carleton Automotive in Kinburn, ON and features a stroker Eagle crankshaft while SRP Forged pistons and pins and Eagle H-beam rods give the motor 10:1 compression.  Edelbrock RPM Performer heads and RPM Air Gap manifold help the stroker gulp air in copious quantities while a Speed Demon 850cfm carb pours fuel on the fire created with the aid of an MSD coil and MSD Ready to Run distributor.  The 460 was a tight fit, says Murdock, and necessitated a remote oil filter (now mounted  on the inner fender) and that the custom aluminum radiator be moved forward of the stock position. A C6 automatic transfers the power to the 9” that sports 3.00 gear set.

All told horsepower is rated at 525 will 600 ft/lb of torque. “The car can melt the tires,” says Murdock.