SPEEDBOX – KEITH ZEE 1938 FORDSON VAN
By now, Johnny Z’s Hot Rod and Custom Shop needs little introduction; their turnkey creations have graced several issues of Cruzin over the past couple of years. While the latest vehicle to roll through the workshop doors may be their longest build to date, it certainly makes up for all the years of hard work, head scratching, sacrifice and patience while their customer’s cars commanded priority.
Honoured with the prestigious title of Grand Master at the 2019 Meguiar’s MotorEx, this humble ex-baker’s 1938 Fordson van was never intended to take centre stage at Australia’s elite automotive car show, but evolution can be an extraordinary ally.
“All I wanted to do was give it a paint job, put in a V8, add some fats and have some fun,” confesses owner, Keith Zee.
Clearly, something went awry with the plan, and the number one protagonist to the simple request would have to be brother, Jack and his posse of auto artisans at Johnny Z’s.
“It was an evolution of ideas that spanned almost 10 years in between customer cars,” informs Jack Zee. “That made it an enjoyable journey as there was no set time frame or really any budget, as we were doing this for us by ourselves. Whatever idea we wanted to try, we did, and sometimes we redid them three times.”
From the outset, both brothers agreed on the initial plan to take the ugliest vehicle they could find and transform it into a superb swan.
“When we first got the car, we wanted to find something that was f*#king ugly… something that was different,” interjects Keith. “You couldn’t do this with a Monaro or an XY, as you’d kill it. Dropping an LS1 in a Mustang is just not right!
“I’d never seen one before, and it was even uglier than an Anglia van,” adds Jack. “Everybody who saw it kept saying, ‘Why in the hell are you doing this car up? You’re way behind the eight ball, already. Why not start with something that’s nice and do that!’ Exactly… everybody starts with a nice car and what do they do… put on a set of wheels and new paint. Back in the 60s and 70s, people were custom car builders. Guys like George Barris were my idols. That’s what it was about, and to show people what we can do. Keith opened the door for me.”
Rolling the petite Pommy commercial into the workshop for its heart transplant from four to eight cylinders, it quickly became clear that the original chassis was never going to cut the mustard, and Pete Gough at Top Rodz was enlisted to fabricate a new frame to suit.
“It wasn’t like turning an HQ from a six into a V8. The more we got into it, the more we kept saying it was so ugly. I thought, what the f*#k are we going to do with it. Once we started to modify the firewall, it just kept going. There wasn’t any time frame or budget because it was ours, so I just kept going and going on it.”
Built around a small-block Chevy engine and Turbo 700 trans, a pair of fresh frame rails were constructed by Pete to accommodate a one-off independent front end from Rod-Tech, with a McDonald Bros.-fabricated nine-inch residing under the stepped rear. Custom-crafted stainless-steel triangulated four bars now locate the bulletproof diff, while up front, directional duties are handled by rack-and-pinion steering, borrowed from a Mercedes Smart Car.
“Because the van is so small, the Smart Car rack was a perfect fit,” quips Jack.
When a supercharger and 12 inches of rear rubber were included in the rebuild mix, things began to evolve from above-average to extraordinary, and visions for body mods flew thick and fast between brothers.
“Originally a 10 hp four cylinder, we thought we would go a little bigger,” smiles Keith. “A 383 with an 8/71 blower was just a natural progression. We had some great ideas for the car, like extending the doors and transforming them to open in a suicide-style. The rear had barn doors originally. Jack came up with the idea of incorporating a tailgate into the design to freak people out when they saw it open. As we worked on it, everything had to look cool, and it got a little wilder as it went.”
With the chassis dialled in for the drivetrain upgrade, attention to the body became intense and, by the end of the day, tallied over 300 alterations. Some are easy to visualise, while 100s of small improvements go unnoticed to the casual observer. To help aid appreciation for the incredible amount of body augmentation, a second, original Fordson E83 was bought to accompany Speedbox on its journey for visual comparison.
Listing the modifications here would take up the majority of this issue, so let’s summarise some of the big-ticket items. Lengthened full customised flip front, lengthened and raised bonnet sides, raised and recurved front guards, sectioned and narrowed original grille, narrowed FB Holden cowl vent installed upside down to fill the void under the windscreen that now aligns with the side glass, hand formed sun visor, chopped, sectioned and lengthened suicide doors, fabricated dash and all interior components, reformed rear wheel arches, tailgate added to the barn doors and the top has been chopped and filled. There are 65 custom-fabricated pieces that make up the belly pan, along with jeweller-crafted ‘Speedbox’ medallions affixed throughout the entire creation. Phew!
The list is substantial and doesn’t include all the mechanical upgrades, extensive wiring, and the crafted interior, which is predominantly finished in paint with a cameo of leather. The workmanship is astonishing, and both brothers declare that no shortcuts were taken. Interestingly, when the completed van was ready for teardown and paint, it was positioned on the workshop hoist for final inspection. Jack then had another bright idea!
“Everyone was under it and thought how good it looked, but I thought that it looked like everything else. That’s when I decided it needed the belly pans. It took about six weeks for the pans alone,” informs Jack. “It can run without them as it’s all detailed underneath, but I think that this sets it apart from most.”
When the little ex-baker’s van was blown to pieces for paint, Jack and Keith chose a colour they could live with for many years to come. It’s a conscious decision that Jack has made in the past, recommending choosing something you won’t get tired of looking at easily. Using House of Kolor products, he and Keith mixed a green blend that they were both happy with.
“Their paint comes in numbers, and you make your own colour that has no name. We looked at a lot of greens, but this car has a lot of paint, so we needed something earthy. With the pearl, it flips from silver to green. As for a name for it, we just thought: what did it look like? Mary O’Toole looked at it and said, “What a beautiful colour… it looks like crushed avocado.” That was it… Avocado Crush!”
“We never sat down to build Australia’s top car or to win trophies,” adds Jack. “Just to have it looking nice so that we could put in the hot rod show once and be a weekend cruiser. I don’t know how it got to where it did. The more I got into it, the more I said we could do this and do that. It just evolved, and it was absolutely awesome and fun. I’d have an idea in my head and run with it. Cut up a door and channel it… no big deal.”
“Over the past 10 years, we have built a lot of cars with good results. We couldn’t drop everything and just work on the Fordson. People think it’s Jack’s car, but that’s ok… I’m happy to say it’s ours. He’s the main builder with great ideas. Without his understanding and knowledge, it would not have been done. As things progressed with the new chassis, it evolved. When we did things, Jack would say, “That looks great, but what about this?” The dash was made three times. Each time took about seven weeks… I’d say what about this way… I should have shut up,” laughs Keith.
“We saw some cool cars being built with catchy names like X-Boss and Tailspin. One of our friends’ fathers used to deliver bread in one of these vans back in the day. Jack came up with the name ‘Speedbox’. I can’t remember what I came up with, but I’m sure he told me to f*#k off,” Keith grins. “It’s a little box with heaps of grunt, so it was appropriate, and I like it.”
By now, Johnny Z’s Hot Rod and Custom Shop needs little introduction; their turnkey creations have graced several issues of Cruzin over the past couple of years. While the latest vehicle to roll through the workshop doors may be their longest build to date, it certainly makes up for all the years of hard work, head scratching, sacrifice and patience while their customer’s cars commanded priority.
Honoured with the prestigious title of Grand Master at the 2019 Meguiar’s MotorEx, this humble ex-baker’s 1938 Fordson van was never intended to take centre stage at Australia’s elite automotive car show, but evolution can be an extraordinary ally.
“All I wanted to do was give it a paint job, put in a V8, add some fats and have some fun,” confesses owner, Keith Zee.
Clearly, something went awry with the plan, and the number one protagonist to the simple request would have to be brother, Jack and his posse of auto artisans at Johnny Z’s.
“It was an evolution of ideas that spanned almost 10 years in between customer cars,” informs Jack Zee. “That made it an enjoyable journey as there was no set time frame or really any budget, as we were doing this for ourselves by ourselves. Whatever idea we wanted to try, we did, and sometimes we redid them three times.”
From the outset, both brothers agreed on the initial plan to take the ugliest vehicle they could find and transform it into a superb swan.
“When we first got the car, we wanted to find something that was f*#king ugly… something that was different,” interjects Keith. “You couldn’t do this with a Monaro or an XY, as you’d kill it. Dropping an LS1 in a Mustang is just not right!
“I’d never seen one before, and it was even uglier than an Anglia van,” adds Jack. “Everybody who saw it kept saying, ‘Why in the hell are you doing this car up? You’re way behind the eight ball, already. Why not start with something that’s nice and do that!’ Exactly… everybody starts with a nice car and what do they do… put on a set of wheels and new paint. Back in the 60s and 70s, people were custom car builders. Guys like George Barris were my idols. That’s what it was about, and to show people what we can do. Keith opened the door for me.”
Rolling the petite Pommy commercial into the workshop for its heart transplant from four to eight cylinders, it quickly became clear that the original chassis was never going to cut the mustard, and Pete Gough at Top Rodz was enlisted to fabricate a new frame to suit.
“It wasn’t like turning an HQ from a six into a V8. The more we got into it, the more we kept saying it was so ugly. I thought, what the f*#k are we going to do with it. Once we started to modify the firewall, it just kept going. There wasn’t any time frame or budget because it was ours, so I just kept going and going on it.”
Built around a small-block Chevy engine and Turbo 700 trans, a pair of fresh frame rails were constructed by Pete to accommodate a one-off independent front end from Rod-Tech, with a McDonald Bros.-fabricated nine-inch residing under the stepped rear. Custom-crafted stainless-steel triangulated four bars now locate the bulletproof diff, while up front, directional duties are handled by rack-and-pinion steering, borrowed from a Mercedes Smart Car.
“Because the van is so small, the Smart Car rack was a perfect fit,” quips Jack.
When a supercharger and 12 inches of rear rubber were included in the rebuild mix, things began to evolve from above-average to extraordinary, and visions for body mods flew thick and fast between brothers.
“Originally a 10 hp four cylinder, we thought we would go a little bigger,” smiles Keith. “A 383 with an 8/71 blower was just a natural progression. We had some great ideas for the car, like extending the doors and transforming them to open in a suicide-style. The rear had barn doors originally. Jack came up with the idea of incorporating a tailgate into the design to freak people out when they saw it open. As we worked on it, everything had to look cool, and it got a little wilder as it went.”
With the chassis dialled in for the drivetrain upgrade, attention to the body became intense and, by the end of the day, tallied over 300 alterations. Some are easy to visualise, while 100s of small improvements go unnoticed to the casual observer. To help aid appreciation for the incredible amount of body augmentation, a second, original Fordson E83 was bought to accompany Speedbox on its journey for visual comparison.
Listing the modifications here would take up the majority of this issue, so let’s summarise some of the big-ticket items. Lengthened full customised flip front, lengthened and raised bonnet sides, raised and recurved front guards, sectioned and narrowed original grille, narrowed FB Holden cowl vent installed upside down to fill the void under the windscreen that now aligns with the side glass, hand formed sun visor, chopped, sectioned and lengthened suicide doors, fabricated dash and all interior components, reformed rear wheel arches, tailgate added to the barn doors and the top has been chopped and filled. There are 65 custom-fabricated pieces that make up the belly pan, along with jeweller-crafted ‘Speedbox’ medallions affixed throughout the entire creation. Phew!
The list is substantial and doesn’t include all the mechanical upgrades, extensive wiring, and the crafted interior, which is predominantly finished in paint with a cameo of leather. The workmanship is astonishing, and both brothers declare that no shortcuts were taken. Interestingly, when the completed van was ready for teardown and paint, it was positioned on the workshop hoist for final inspection. Jack then had another bright idea!
“Everyone was under it and thought how good it looked, but I thought that it looked like everything else. That’s when I decided it needed the belly pans. It took about six weeks for the pans alone,” informs Jack. “It can run without them as it’s all detailed underneath, but I think that this sets it apart from most.”
When the little ex-baker’s van was blown to pieces for paint, Jack and Keith chose a colour they could live with for many years to come. It’s a conscious decision that Jack has made in the past, recommending choosing something you won’t get tired of looking at easily. Using House of Kolor products, he and Keith mixed a green blend that they were both happy with.
“Their paint comes in numbers, and you make your own colour that has no name. We looked at a lot of greens, but this car has a lot of paint, so we needed something earthy. With the pearl, it flips from silver to green. As for a name for it, we just thought: what did it look like? Mary O’Toole looked at it and said, “What a beautiful colour… it looks like crushed avocado.” That was it… Avocado Crush!”
“We never sat down to build Australia’s top car or to win trophies,” adds Jack. “Just to have it looking nice so that we could put in the hot rod show once and be a weekend cruiser. I don’t know how it got to where it did. The more I got into it, the more I said we could do this and do that. It just evolved, and it was absolutely awesome and fun. I’d have an idea in my head and run with it. Cut up a door and channel it… no big deal.”
“Over the past 10 years, we have built a lot of cars with good results. We couldn’t drop everything and just work on the Fordson. People think it’s Jack’s car, but that’s ok… I’m happy to say it’s ours. He’s the main builder with great ideas. Without his understanding and knowledge, it would not have been done. As things progressed with the new chassis, it evolved. When we did things, Jack would say, “That looks great, but what about this?” The dash was made three times. Each time took about seven weeks… I’d say what about this way… I should have shut up,” laughs Keith.
“We saw some cool cars being built with catchy names like X-Boss and Tailspin. One of our friends’ fathers used to deliver bread in one of these vans back in the day. Jack came up with the name ‘Speedbox’. I can’t remember what I came up with, but I’m sure he told me to f*#k off,” Keith grins. “It’s a little box with heaps of grunt, so it was appropriate, and I like it.”
Meticulously detailed inside, out, and underneath, the Fordson was finished in time to be entered in MotorEx 2018, where it was esteemed as an unveil car alongside its faithful original, which helped the judges immensely. At the end of the show, ‘Speedbox’ hauled home a wealth of awards, including Gold for Paint, Bodywork, Interior and Rear Compartment, Impact and Display, plus Silver awarded for Undercarriage and an invite for the following year.
“It was way better than what we ever expected,” adds Keith.
A trip to Summernats increased the trophy count with Top Custom Vehicle, Top Custom Interior Fabrication and Second for Special Effects Paint, to name but a few. But the return to MotorEx just gone became the pinnacle of awards for the Johnny Z’s crew with Speedbox, who repeated their previous year’s Gold achievements, picked up Silver for Innovation, nailed a place in the Top 6 and was crowned Grand Master for 2019.
“We were pretty stoked to have it unveiled and the awards we got. All we wanted to do was show people what we had done. To get a Top 6, we would be over the moon, and we were. To win Grand Master was a total shock. That’s what a car builder wants. It doesn’t get any better than that!” Jack confesses humbly.
“Chip Foose and West Coast Customs’ Ryan Friedlinghaus really liked it. I’m sure there are a couple of old boys out there that still think that we f*#ked it,” laughs Keith. “I’m hoping in 20 years’ time, people will still talk about it.”
“It was way better than what we ever expected,” adds Keith.
A trip to Summernats increased the trophy count with Top Custom Vehicle, Top Custom Interior Fabrication and Second for Special Effects Paint, to name but a few. But the return to MotorEx just gone became the pinnacle of awards for the Johnny Z’s crew with Speedbox, who repeated their previous year’s Gold achievements, picked up Silver for Innovation, nailed a place in the Top 6 and was crowned Grand Master for 2019.
“We were pretty stoked to have it unveiled and the awards we got. All we wanted to do was show people what we had done. To get a Top 6, we would be over the moon, and we were. To win Grand Master was a total shock. That’s what a car builder wants. It doesn’t get any better than that!” Jack confesses humbly.
“Chip Foose and West Coast Customs’ Ryan Friedlinghaus really liked it. I’m sure there are a couple of old boys out there that still think that we f*#ked it,” laughs Keith. “I’m hoping in 20 years’ time, people will still talk about it.”
