Jon R. Ford's 1959 Rambler

A photo of Jon's 1937 Ford convertible as it appeared in 1959. The Rambler can be seen in the background of the photo. Photo courtesy of Jon R. Ford.

A close up of the Rambler. Jon's Rambler was dressed up with an Oldsmobile grille and 1959 Cadillac taillights. He lowered it by removing the springs completely so it sat on the A-arms. "Completely safe, I thought!" Jon told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2014. Photo courtesy of Jon R. Ford.

Jon's Rambler was called the Equalizer, and it ran a 6 cylinder engine with two two-barrel carburetors, a Honduras Maroon paint, and pizza pan hubcaps. Jon called up Ed Iskenderian and asked him to grind the camshaft. "He did it for $17.00 and still remembers it to this day as it was the only Rambler he ever did." Photo courtesy of Jon R. Ford.

1959 Cadillac lenses were expensive to buy, so Jon cut the fins off a new Cadillac in the car lot to get the taillights. He recalled his grandfather keep taking the car back to the dealer complaining about the ride, "he also did not understand pinstriping. It is a four-door are you kidding me you need pinstriping." Photo courtesy of Jon R. Ford.

1959 Rambler owned by Jon R. Ford of La Porte, Indiana. The Rambler was originally owned by Jon's grandpa, Taylor Ray, the mayor of La Porte.

Jon dressed the Rambler up with an Oldsmobile grille and 1959 Cadillac taillights. "I cut the fins off a new Cadillac in the car lot," Jon told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2014, adding that lenses were expensive to buy. Jon then lowered it by removing the springs completely so it sat on the A-arms. "Completely safe, I thought!" It was called the Equalizer, and it ran a 6 cylinder engine with two two-barrel carburetors, a Honduras Maroon paint, and pizza pan hubcaps. "If I remember right, Plymouth?" Jon called up Ed Iskenderian and asked him to grind the camshaft. "He did it for $17.00 and still remembers it to this day as it was the only Rambler he ever did."

Jon ran the Rambler at the US 30 drag strip in Gary, Indiana. "They knew it well, as I ran what was called little eliminator. At the 1963 AHRA Nationals they ran big eliminator against the winner of little eliminators, my Nash. "Color Me Gone" was big eliminator, it was a flag start and they gave me 18 car lengths, he still colored me gone at the end."

Jon recalled his grandfather keep taking the car back to the dealer complaining about the ride, "he also did not understand pinstriping. It is a four-door are you kidding me you need pinstriping." According to Jon, his grandpa could never understand why when they were at a restaurant someone was pinstriping the trunk. Later on, Taylor bought a 61 bubble top and gave the Rambler to Jon. Eventually, Olds tri-power found its way into the Rambler.