Temecula is known for its wineries and the hot air balloon festival, but twice a year the streets of old town are packed with approximately 500 hot rods of all makes and models. A dizzying array of vibrant paint schemes, chrome and billet overwhelm the senses, but occasionally a car stands out from the masses beckoning a second, third or tenth look. Parked along a side street was just such a machine with its eye piercing orange paint job. It is hard to miss a bright orange ’39 Ford Roadster with more bling than a hip hop artist.  After spending a considerable amount of time drooling over the ’39, a gentleman introduced himself as the owner of the car appropriately named the Orange Smoothie. Doug Bingham of Yuma, Arizona is the proud owner of this ridiculously sweet rod.

House of Kolor Ultra Orange paint nearly blinded the attendees of the spring installment of the Temecula Rod Run.

Bingham’s ’39 Ford was built by Southtown Street Rods in South Coffeyville, Oklahoma; this little Ford embodies the true meaning of hot rod with dazzling paint, careful attention to detail and of course an LS1 engine. Yes, this is yet another classic example of LS engine swap done the right way.  It may pain diehard Blue Oval lovers to see a Corvette engine in ’39 Ford, but it is hard to mess with perfection.

A General Motors Performance Parts LS1 engine was selected to power this ride, despite the lack of a supercharger or ridiculous nitrous oxide system the LS1 has plenty of power for the classic Ford. Bingham has not experimented with performance upgrades to the block, pistons or rods, but he did elect to use a Weiand port matched intake and an EFI system. Spark is handled by a Street Performance ignition system and fuel is dispersed through a GMPP fuel system. With the mild LS1 Bingham is able to run plain old 92-octane pump gas, and with the rate at which fuel prices are increasing this seems like a dream come true.

Finishing off the performance enhancements for all things related to the engine is the exhaust system. A set of Sanderson headers was chosen to transfer the exhaust gasses from the engine to a 2.5” dual exhaust system. A pair of 2.5” in/out Flowmaster mufflers give Bingham’s ride just enough volume to be noticed without scaring old ladies or disturbing the entire neighborhood, while quieting down the rumble of the LS1.

An LS1 swapped into a '39 Ford? It seems as though this LS1 was destined to fill the engine compartment of the "fat fender" Ford.

The combination of a GMPP torque converter and a 4L60E transmission, are used to distribute the power of the LS1 to the rear tires by way of a Ford 9” rear differential. The rear differential features Moser 31-spline axles and a 3:73 ratio ring and pinion set. Extra security is not a bad idea when it comes to selecting a rear end and all of the related components when LS1 is selected for a power plant of what appears to be a light weight ride. Even with the splendid choice of engine and all of the supporting parts, Bingham has not taken the ’39 out to a local autocross course or even the local dragstrip; the Orange Smoothie is cruiser that happens to slay the competition on the show circuit.

In the Award Spotlight

According to the Southtown Street Rods’ website Bingham’s ride was awarded the “Fine Nine” award at the 43^rd annual Darryl Starbird’s Hall of Fame Nation Championship Rod and Custom Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2007. In 2008 Bingham’s Orange Smoothie was invited to take part in Blackie’s Frenso Autorama; in the same year the bright orange Ford was plucked from the crowd to be parked at the Meguiar’s booth at LA Roadster show. During the 2010 Goodguys show in Scottsdale Arizona the ’39 earned the prestigious Builder’s Choice Award.

James Carter of Bitchin' Stitchin' of Tonitown Arkansas completed the custom interior for the Bingham's '39 Ford.

Bingham started his quest for project car with the basic concept of building an amazing “fat fender” car, regardless of the Ford or Chevy nameplate. Word got out about a gentleman in Coffeyville, Oklahoma who had a ’39 Ford project that was virtually a basket case of a car. Upon hearing of the car, Bingham spoke with the owner and made an appointment to check out the old Ford. After some negotiating, Bingham became the owner of a car that was in need a total transformation.

After spending the better part of six months scouring the web and other resources, Bingham narrowed sights on Southtown Street Rods in Coffeyville. Southtown Street Rods was selected after Bingham investigated their pricing and quality of workmanship. According to Bingham the choice of selecting a car builder out of state was based on the quality of work and the financial savings. Bingham stated that the difference in the cost of living in Oklahoma in comparison to other regions was what allowed Southtown to put together quality rods without breaking the customer’s bank. During the four years from initially dropping off the ’39 to Yogi Snider at Southtown to completion, Bingham faithfully flew out every six months or so to check in on the progression of the Orange Smoothie.

The above-mentioned LS1 swap into the Ford was Bingham’s decision.  After performing extensive research, Bingham’s initial concept of LS-powered hot rod became a reality. Based on the availability of parts and the performance capabilities along with the relative ease of transforming a fat fender Ford into Chevy powered street rod it proved the right choice for Bingham. With the powertrain decision made, it was on to paint, body and interior selection. During this process the door handles, trunk latch/handle and hood latch were shaved requiring the addition remote door locks and various popping mechanisms.

The Opposite of Beige

The Orange Smoothie is a color that Bingham claims is a love it or hate it hue appropriately dubbed Ultra Orange by House of Kolor. The graphics were added to already wild color, by Mike “Wet” Willy of Claremore, Oklahoma. After completing the build the Orange Smoothie was selected to be a calendar car for the House of Kolor 2008 edition calendar and was also featured in the ’07 issue of Street Rod Builder. Interior-wise Bingham elected to go for classic tan leather upholstery by James Carter at Bitchin Stichin in Tonitown, Arkansas. Topping off the plush interior of the car is a 500-watt audio and video system that keeps Bingham and his wife Diana entertained while cruising the Smoothie.

Thanks to the 2" drop spindles the Orange Smoothie tucks the tire on the 17" Boyd Coddington billet wheels.

A set of Boyd Coddington wheels was chosen for this GM-powered Ford roadster. In the front the 17” billet wheels are wrapped in Firehawk wide oval 215/45/17 while the 20” rear wheels are covered with 295/40/20” rubber.  Wilwood 14”cross-drilled zinc plated rotors with 4-piston chrome calipers add additional flash to the blinding refection of the highly polished billet rims. According to Bingham the Orange Smoothie sits on a boxed/tube chassis. A Mustang II tubular Air Ride front suspension with 2” drop spindles sets the stance for the front end; the Smoothie definitely tucks tire in the front. Like the front the rear suspension, the rear is handled by a 4-link Air Ride set up. It may sound like a laundry list of components, but the stance on Bingham’s roadster is a thing of beauty.

During the four-year build Doug and his wife Diana have built relationships with the master craftsmen behind the Orange Smoothie and they are grateful for their expertise, knowledge and talents. Bingham wanted to express his gratitude to Yogi Snider of Southtown Street Rods for making his dream of a fat fender LS-powered street rod a reality. The Bingham’s also wanted to express their thanks to James Carter of Bitchin Stitchin for the beautiful custom interior and Mike “Wet” Willy for his artistic skills involved in creating the eye-catching graphics.

Yes Doug, this is an "awesome" street rod.