Jon Hall's 1927 Roadster. The body is a stamped steel Shadow Rods XL27.

The initial rendering got Jon to thinking as he wanted the final build to showcase everything Shadow Rods, from the stamped steel ’27 bodies to the stamped ’32 framerails incorporating their own wishbone front and rear suspension. To this, Motor City Flathead, a division of Shadow Rods, was included with their wholly developed all-aluminum Flathead V-8. To this point it was Jon’s wish to finish a project that was begun by longtime friend the late Mark Kirby. To this end both wishes were completed..
The body began life as a stamped steel Shadow Rods XL27. At this point the abundant amount of sheetmetal work was begun. Briefly, the roadster features one custom effort after another: a wedge cut sectioned body, flush fit and lengthened doors, machined doorjambs, track nose and hood (with curved and stamped side louvers), roll pan, stamped taillight and license plate panel, stamped fuel filler panel, a stamped firewall, floors, inner trunk panels, and toeboard. Might say it’s a custom, handmade one-off body-and you would be correct. Next up came the steady and numerous hours of initial and final bodywork, all handled at GAC. The paint is a custom-mix Glasurit 55 Line in a Brilliant Maroon. (We are told some of the benefits of the 55 Line of paints are the very good hiding properties, short flash-off times, and being highly efficient, i.e. cost effective.) Advanced Plating for an amazing effort in prep, polishing, and plating.
The one-off ’27 Ford roadster body rests on a custom Shadow Rods frame and chassis. The beginnings are Shadow Rods stamped ’rails that were cut down 1 inch. Rather than the normal 6-inch-tall ’32 side ’rail it is now 5 inches. From here the centersection, or X-member, is another one-off item, along with the front crossmember, the rear frame section featuring a “kickup” and the factory ’32 wheelbase were then stretched 4 inches. All the frame and chassis work was handled at Shadow Rods.
The front suspension is traditional hot rod with a GAC-machined Super Bell chrome 4-inch drop I-beam axle outfitted with GAC-machined Shadow Rods wishbones. Chrome Super Bell spindles were used along with painted Ridetech tube shocks, a Posies spring, and a custom Panhard rod. Steering chores are controlled by a Borgeson box working through an ididit column. In back everything is intended to enhance the Winters quick-change and axles. Equipped with a final 4.10 gear, there are Ridetech shocks, a Modern Driveline driveshaft, more Shadow Rods custom wishbones, and a custom buggy spring. Braking is by way of Thompson’s Garage ’39 Lincoln drums fully customized at GAC. The master cylinder comes from Pacific Customs Unlimited with Shadow Rods machined pedals.
The interior is based on the Shadow Rods XL27 architecture featuring a stamped steel dashboard that is now furnished with custom Dakota Digital HDX gauges. Making sure the instruments come to life cascades to the American Autowire system that is patiently attached by the hands at GAC. A GAC wheel tops the ididit steering column that is held in place through a hidden mount. A seldom-seen touch to this hot rod’s dash are a pair of Breitling timing devices-a chronometer and a stopwatch (capable of accurately timing down to the fractions of a second. Something you might expect if you were to rally compete with your hot rod.). The Wise Guys bucket seats were modified and then covered in deep brown leather at M&M Upholstery by Kristina Crawford.
I’ve said this a thousand times: the heart and soul of any hot rod is what lies beneath the hood. While no one element of any well-done build should “overpower” the presentation of any other component, the motor should make a statement. There can be little doubt that Jon checked this box with a really big marker! Jon refers to Motor City Flathead’s all-aluminum V-8 as a prototype. It’s serving as a “mule” motor so that somewhere in the future Jon will be able to introduce to the rodding world to a brand-new Flathead. The block you see here is cast from A356 aluminum. (A356 aluminum alloy is made up of approximately 92 percent aluminum and then a series of other metals at lesser percentages. It is said to be lightweight and extremely corrosion-resistant, like stainless steel.) The block and other components used throughout were metal finished by Steadfast MFG, under the watchful eye of Henry Richards. All the cast-aluminum parts underwent a shot peening process to ensure a consistent texture and finish.
While the original Flatheads measured between 221 and 239 ci this new block was redesigned to come in at 327 ci. (One must see the humor in that!) The motor uses Diamond Pistons 8.6:1 slugs, the camshaft is a custom Howards ’shaft, the heads are more A356 aluminum, and a comprehensive use of ARP hardware to hold things together.
Resting between the all-aluminum heads is the one-off EFI. It was designed and built to be reminiscent of the vintage Hilborn mechanical units of the day.

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It is a beauty !!! ❤️🌹