We Love Lincoln's Past, Present And Future...,: August 2009

The DECO LINER 1939 Lincoln sedan delivery with a matching Harley Davidson transported inside it took three years to build. Lincoln Zephyrs were never made in a sedan delivery body style, so DECO RIDES created one based on the design of the famed “SCRAPE” Lincoln Zephyr coupe that sold at auction to the Petersen Museum in 1999 for $275,000. Starting with a new DECO RIDES fiberglass Zephyr sedan delivery body, the unique front wheel drive chassis was designed and built by Gary Brown in Indianapolis. BROWN’s METAL MODS did the majority of the construction of the car. The concept of the car and bike was conceived by Terry Cook.
See it work on You Tube. Go to BACK DOOR HOG.

To fit the bike inside, it required the use of a front wheel drive platform to eliminate the rear differential so a minimum height rear floor could be attained to house a 39.5-inch tall motorcycle. Because a low cross member was required for a 9-foot long ramp holding a lowered, custom bike to fit inside, for rear suspension Gary chose a Fat Man Fabrications front suspension setup with Air Ride Technologies air bags. Short tie rods attached to the frame prevent the spindles from steering in the rear. A nine foot long polished aluminum U-channel ramp, powered by an electric motor that turns an equally long threaded screw, moves in and out of the back of the car at the touch of a switch. The bike is rolled onto the ramp, strapped in position, and the ramp is electrically moved into the car.

Brown chose the mid 90’s Chevy S-10/Blazer or GMC Jimmy/S-15 four wheel drive as the basis for the chassis. The rear half of the S-10 frame, the driveshaft and the 4WD rear were eliminated, the rear of the transfer case was sealed off and the V-6 was replaced with a new 350 Chevy small block V-8 crate motor that bolted right up to the rebuilt Chevy 700R4 automatic transmission. Brown fabricated a new rear half of the chassis.

Cook feels this car presents two new concepts to the rodding world. He insists it is not about the bike, it is about the concept of the bike in the car. The second is the decorative exterior metal trim. Actually this is not a new concept as mid-30’s Paris custom coach built cars used ornate metal trim. Terry is an admitted junkie of the work of the late Jacques Saouchik and Guiseppi Figoni, and the Brightwork on this car reflects their 1930’s era art deco designs. Pro panel beater Tommy Caruso of CONTOUR METALSHAPING in Plainfield, NJ hammered the majority of the steel that decorates the exterior of the delivery. Cook and Caruso worked together to lay out the designs in masking tape. It was then transferred to chipboard patterns and then to sheets of 19 gauge .040 cold rolled steel. Tommy hand shaped the contour of each piece. Despite the trim bridging the bottom of the front fender wheel well openings, the tires are able to steer lock to lock. Cost of the exterior trim and chrome plating alone exceeded $35,000.

Another metal man involved in the project was Denny Jamison of AUTOMOTIVE HAMMER ART in Gasoline Alley in Indianapolis. After Juan “Motyme” Rice of Chicago started the ’92 Harley Sportster construction, Cook designed and Denny hand shaped both the streamlined aluminum body for DECO SCOOT as well as the metal trim for the bike and the back door of the delivery. Chrome plating for the trim was done by The FINISHING TOUCH of Chicago. Juan Rice also fabricated the three matching tail light lenses for the car and bike by hand from 2 x 2 x 12 blocks of clear Lucite.

Strader’s Auto Interiors of Greenwood, DE used silver and black naugahyde to do the panels below the beltline. The bucket seats are from a Viper and the front fender of the bike serves as an armrest when the bike is tucked inside the car.

Brown used one pair of linear actuators (electric screw jacks) to raise and lower the hood while a second pair operate the rear door. Brown’s Metal Mods not only engineered and built the entire car and hand a hand in the bike, they also did all the bodywork and paint using RM Carizzma True Violet pearl pearlescent purple The headliner is painted suede Matte Uno Fed-X purple by RM. Because the fiberglass DECO RIDES sedan delivery body comes with a smooth inner fiberglass liner, the upper rear quarter panes and headliner were painted rather than upholstered. One nice design feature of the inner body is the streamlined shape of the inner wheel well humps. Another point of interest is the 1960-’62 Chrysler 300 “goldfish bowl” instrument cluster.

Source: Hotrod Hotline