Some people just don’t believe 4-doors can be hot rods. Well, feast you eyes on Rae & Elaine Robinson’s 1936 Chevy Sedan and if you’re one of those guys, prepare to be converted.
     This Quesnel, B.C. built “Bustle Back” Chevy stopped me dead in my tracks at this year’s Kamloops Hot Night in the City show. Sitting intimately close to the asphalt, this 4-door looks ready to pounce on you and as you pour over it you just keep getting surprised.
     A car this slick has to start with a clear vision, right? Well, sort of. In 2001, Robinsin went looking for “something different” to build. “I wanted something I could drive to a car show in and not have a chance to park beside another one,” said Robinson, a truck driver by day.
     He deliberately chose a 4-door for the project and looked at a 1937 and 1938 Chevy before he found the ’36 behind a shed in Quesnel. The car had issues, but it was a good start, so he dragged it home and enlisted the help o

f Herb Jensen, a drywaller by trade, but a guy who has a reputation in Quesnel as a master hot rod builder in his“spare” time.
     The car was meant to be built as a “driver” with a 12-month timeline considered reasonable. But soon the time line started to change. “It was project creep,” explains Robinson. “It was ‘since we’ve done this, we might as well do this” kind of thing.”
     Starting with the chassis, the ’36 Chevy frame was retained, but only from the firewall back. Up front a custom clip was built and a Mustang II suspension was hung on it, with tubular A-arms for the Air Ride suspension air bags and a power rack and pinion unit to make it handle. Out back, a S-10 10-bolt hangs off a 4-link set up with Air Ride bags. Originally, the car was going to roll on 15-inch rims all around with bigger tires, but it didn’t achieve the look Robinson wanted, so it now rides on 15-inch Torque Thrusts up front and 17-inch Torque Thrusts out back.  Jensen then worked his magic on the ’36 Chevy’s body, first replacing any wood with metal, then cleaning up the car’s lines. This meant first removing most of the trim, the door handles, the vent windows, closing up the cowl vent and v-butting the windshield. The front fenders and grille shell were made a one piece unit and the custom made stainless steel grille was frenched in. Jensen also fabricated the side panels for the hood. The car is channelled six inches and the headlights are original, but lowered 4 inches. A custom tailpan with aftermarket taillights cleans up the rear view, while a custom gas cap utilizes a Dodge mini-van remote unit. The fenders were bolted directly to the body sans welting for a cleaner look. The ruuning boards didn’t escape, with only the front curved portions remaining and the rest custom built.
     Aftermarket side mirrors complete the look, but Robinson believes it’s the car’s silve hue that actually completes this spectacular package. “The colour was the hardest part,” says Robinson.
     “If it’s wrong, you devalue the car. I never would have chose silver until I saw this colour silver at a Langley Good Times Cruise-In show. It took me eight months to find out what it was.” Robinson says it’s a production car colour but was cagey about which company uses it.  Charlie Cook of Quesnel laid on the silver paint.
     When it came to the interior, it was clear that such a special car needed a special interior, so Robinson took it to Cascade Vans in Calgary. The crew there designed and installed the Arctic white ultra leather, Kodiak grey suede interior. The bucket seats are cut down ’85 Camaro units while the rear seat came from a Dodge mini van. The Camaro also donated its tilt steering column (now topped by a LeCarra Mark 4 Elegante wheel.) Sun visors are 1980s Buick units with lights. A Vintage Air system provides heat, defrosting and cooling power when needed. The stock dash was modified to include three - instead of two - spots for the gauges and the Alpine stereo. Dakota Digital Magnum Shooters in the doors and eliminate unsightly wiring and keep current flowing to the power windows and door locks.
     The car was finished in 2004 and quickly started racking up awards, including a Best Unfinished and Participants Choice trophy in it’s first show in Quesnel. It also took Best GM at Show in this year’s B.C. Classic and Custom show in Abbotsford.
     “It draws a lot of attention wherever it goes. Older people always say ‘wow’ and younger people say ‘sweet.’”
     Robinson wanted to build something different but this car transcends that goal. It’s simply spectacular.