Tom Devlin’s 1933 Ford Three-Window Coupe

Tom Devlin couldn’t help but become a car guy. Growing up the youngest of four boys in Wichita, Kansas, in the ’50s and early ’60s, he went from fascinated observation to willful participation as his brothers wrenched on their rides and headed out to drag Douglas Avenue on the weekends. (Draggin’ Douglas was a Wichita tradition for 40-some years—despite what its name suggests, the draggin’ was what they referred to cruising the avenue,

though it was the spot where all the hot cars went looking to do a little more than sittin’ still and lookin’ pretty.) As Tom grew older, his automotive addiction became more diverse and the car guy became a car collector—a trait he’s proud to have passed onto his children as well.

Instead of having his son tone down his usual style of build, Tom got him to redirect that creative energy into incorporating a multitude of minor details that aren’t as radically obvious yet make the car stand out from the rest. The most difficult part of the process for Tim, apparently, was constantly having to explain why all the little details took so long to his overly impatient father

. Nevertheless, the father and son project not only got completed with no major family feuding as a result, but Tim was able to deliver it early and surprise his dad just in time to debut it at a local car show in Kansas.

As for the coupe itself, it was pretty rough to begin with, and thus the exterior sheetmetal has been massaged and/or reworked from its gentlemanly chopped top down to its rockers, thanks to the shop’s lead fabricator, Kevin Carr. Justin Titus covered all that work up with BASF’s R-M Diamont Toyota Gray base-clear,

which Tim offset just right with plenty of brightwork courtesy of Jon Wright (Custom Chrome Plating) as well as a set of Wheelsmith artilleries with Firestone bias-ply rubber from Coker Tire. Supporting the rejuvenated exterior is a stock perimeter ‘rail chassis updated with a Super Bell dropped axle and Posies reverse-eyed spring with a split wishbone up front and Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop’s Holeshot radius rods with a Posies Model A spring out back.

The Ford 59AB with that ominous S.Co.T. repop supercharger and custom-made air intake assembly on top was built and assembled by Jerry Livingstone at United Engines. It links up to an early Ford three-speed with a Hot Rod Works quick-change rear. And on the inside, Tim enlisted Downey’s Auto Upholstery to handle the coupe’s olive-colored distressed leather interior with gray square-weave carpet; gauges are one-off custom from Classic Instruments inset in a one-off custom insert by Greening Auto Company (both designed by Tavis Highlander).