One Rad Rod: Kindig-It Design’s 1927 Shadow Rod “The Grocery Getter”

When it comes to unique builds, Kindig-It Design has certainly made its mark in the industry over the last decade and a half. When you’re building for a long-time customer who’s looking for something even wilder than his other custom build–like the owner of this roadster–it’s not easy to hit the mark. But, that’s never deterred the Kindig family and they certainly hit that mark and beyond with one of their latest builds – a truly unique 1927 Shadow Rod roadster! Check it out below!

The owner of this gorgeous roadster, Ron Meis, is no stranger to the automotive world with a number of incredible customs in his collection. But when he approached Kindig-It Design about building him a third car, it wasn’t just another custom ride he was after.

Debuted at SEMA 2017 in conjunction with the announcement of Kindig’s new “Modern Classikk” paint line for AkzoNobel, this beautiful ’27 street rod took the Kindig-It crew just one year to complete for long-time customer Ron Meis. Now, that may sound like a reasonable time frame for most big-name build projects, but when you consider that Kindig-It Design typically has at least ten projects going on at any given time, and take into account all the custom details they put into this beauty, a year build-time is one heck of a feat! On top of it, they also had very specific instructions they had to follow– the roadster needed to be built as a “grocery-getter!”

Are you scratching your head yet? Well, let us explain!

Not your typical “grocery-getter,” this amazing 1927 Shadow Rod will certainly turn heads whether it’s on display at a show or on the road on the on the way to the supermarket!

Meis has had two other cars built by Kindig-It Design for his stable: the gorgeous 1959 Buick Invicta dubbed “Blue Suede Shoes” and the incredible 1965 GTO, which was Meis’s original dream car. While both of these cars are absolutely the cream of the crop and have seen their fair share of car shows, road tours and prestigious awards, Meis wanted something a little different the third time around. He wanted a roadster – but not just any roadster. He wanted one that he could easily cruise around town in and literally go get groceries with. The result is this beautiful custom ’27 dubbed “The Grocery Getter.”

Sprayed in Kindig’s custom Modern Classikk paint color “Bubbly,” this one-of-a-kind rod was the perfect platform to debut the new paint line, which Kindig created to not only have a classic feel to it but also give every build sprayed with it an extra level of depth and dimension.

Now don’t let the name or concept fool you! This is no ordinary grocery getter/mom-mobile/Sunday cruiser. It is a one-of-a-kind custom with plenty of horsepower and countless custom Kindig-It touches to make it the envy of any early roadster enthusiast.

To start, the ’27 features a custom Shadow Rod 27XL body from the fine folks at Dynamic Corvettes and Shadow Rods of Saginaw, Michigan. The custom body was then even further customized by Kindig-It Design with a hand-built hood and side panels. Giving the roadster its gorgeous sheen is a custom-mixed Modern Classikk color Kindig named Bubbly. The overall look of the car is further boosted with custom touches like oversized 9-inch Greening Auto Company headlights and custom taillights from the same company.

Done by JS Custom Interiors, the company that shares space in Kindig-It Design’s Salt Lake City, Utah shop and does all of their interior work, The Grocery Getter was treated to the finest Terracota leather upholstery and vintage-style accessories.

Just like the exterior of the roadster, the interior of the rod is completely custom. Done by JS Custom Interiors, the custom-molded seat, center console and door/side panels are wrapped in Terracotta leather from Hydes Leather. Vintage-inspired components like a center-mounted Dakota Digital gauge cluster and the Koch’s ’49 Ford steering wheel add a classic touch to the otherwise modernized interior. Topping it off are creature comforts like cup holders, heat and air conditioning, and a Kicker audio system — all which will come in handy knowing how much Meis likes driving his cars.

LS engines are not new to the street rod scene, but with custom accents and features like this one, the popular engine is another unique touch that makes this ’27 roadster extra special.

While the aesthetics of the roadster are certainly note-worthy, you can’t have a killer grocery-getter without some power to get you to and from the supermarket in quick fashion. So, for the powertrain, Kindig-It Design equipped the street rod with a GM Performance LS3 small block and topped it with a Harrop fuel injection system. Backing the small block is a 4L65e automatic transmission, which funnels the majority of the engine’s 480hp right to the rear wheels via a Currie Enterprises Ford 9-inch rearend. Planting the ’27 to the ground are one-off Billet Specialties wheels designed by Kindig himself and wrapped in 16-inch Coker Excelsior tires in the front and 17s in the rear.

A unique cantilever suspension system isn’t the only custom piece on the roadster’s chassis, but it certainly makes for an attention-grabbing part of the build!

The suspension for the roadster is a full cantilever setup with RideTech coilover shocks on all four corners.

There are countless street rods out there with more and more being completed everyday, so staying on the cutting edge of the industry and bringing about something new is no easy task. Luckily, the guys and gals at Kindig-It Design aren’t afraid of a massive challenge! Meis’s grocery getter is proof of that – and proof that when put to that challenge, Kindig-It Design will hit it out of the park every time!

For more photos of The Grocery Getter, be sure to check out the exclusive Rod Authority photo gallery below!

Photo gallery

VIEW FULL GALLERY >

About the author

Lindsey Fisher

Lindsey is a freelance writer and lover of anything with a rumble. Hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles - she's owned and driven it all. When she's not busy writing about them, she's out in her garage wrenching away. Who doesn't love a tech-savy gal that knows her way around a garage?
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