As with many of the world’s great ideas, Voodoo Doll began with a sketch on a napkin over dinner. The meal was shared by Chuck and Kim Vranas, one of hot rodding’s most active couples, and their good friend, who was the editor of Street Rodder magazine, Eric Geisert. It continued with the acquisition of a genuine 1927 Ford touring body (ex-clown car) and a 425-horsepower 1964 Buick Super Wildcat Nailhead V-8, which was a Christmas gift from Chuck to Kim, as it was, after all, her favorite engine.

The body was mounted on a pair of Deuce Factory ’32 frame rails, with a stock 1932 106-inch wheelbase. The rails were boxed, pinched in the front, and equipped with a Model A front crossmember. The front axle was dropped, drilled, and filled with split and drilled wishbones and 1940 Ford spindles, as a foundation for 1940 Ford four-wheel drum brakes, and it was retrofitted with 90-pin aluminum drums. A POSIES leaf spring with curved edges and a pair of Houdaille shocks were also fitted, along with a 1937 Lincoln rear end with 1935 Ford split wishbones and a custom Panhard bar. All of this rides on Gennie steel wheels with 1940 Ford DeLuxe covers, which have been wrapped in Coker blackwall bias-ply tires.

The engine was built up to 437 cubic inches of raw power by Reid’s Automotive, and it has been dressed with dual Edelbrock 500 CFM carburetors, a Joe Hunt distributor, and custom one-off lakes-style headers. It is mated to a Muncie M20 four-speed transmission with a custom shift handle, and it rests within a steel body that has a custom firewall to accommodate for the various “hot” engine components, which are hiding behind a Deuce grille shell from Brookville Roadsters that has a polished stainless steel insert and a Hallock windshield. Kim spent the most time searching for the correct paint color: Root Beer Metallic, a Sherwin Williams/Planet Color shade, which was pinstriped by Larry Hook.

Prior to its acquisition for the Andrews Collection, Voodoo Doll was shown, by invitation, by Kim Vranas at the Grand National Roadster Show, where she was the second woman in 60 years to contend for the famous America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award. It has appeared in numerous publications, including Custom Car (November 2010, feature article), Hot Rod (May 2009), Rod & Custom (June 2009), Street Rodder (August 2009, cover article), and Rolls & Pleats (Issue 31), and it was also featured in the Bruce Meyer Hot Rod Gallery of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

This is one of the most creative, exciting, and, yes, beautiful modern hot rods, and it is sure to be a centerpiece in any collection of modern customizing art.