- Joined
- Jan 7, 2015
- Messages
- 8,032
- Reaction score
- 534
- Location
- Western North Carolina
- My Car
- Multiple Mustangs!
I was by my friends shop yesterday and he is down to his last car before closing I think it is a 72 Nova Resto Mod. He, Clay Parham, started doing cars in the 1980's and worked by himself and sometimes with one other. He became well know locally for doing great work. He likes Pontiac GTO's and has a Resto Mod 66 that will turn 158 mph in 1/4 mile that he built everything on it. It is 17 to 1 compression 500 + ci Pontiac engine. One of his Pontiac GTO's won the national show for Pontiac I think either in Michigan or Ohio with a score 0f 98.8 out of 100. The owner of the car did not want a stock battery and had an interstate battery and the car was not painted with lacquer which is no longer available in the color needed were the only deductions. That is pretty good for a frame vehicle as big as they are.
The car in the pics will be his last and it is being done for the head engineer at a local turbo charger plant. I forget what GM engine it is but the drive train / suspension was over $50,000 along. We think the Mustang body fit is bad I was in the shop several times over the build and he had to add 1/2" to the rear edge of the front fenders to correct the gaps. The doors have welded on hinges so not adjustment.
Clay did any brand any model from 1953 Ford to 1968 428 CJ car. Corvettes, Plymouth he did them all. He did a 65 mustang one owner that had over one million miles on it. I have seen him build a 69 Camaro RS SS convertible from the cowl, "A" posts and top frame. Every other piece of the car had to be replaced. A Camaro makes a Mustang look amateur when it comes to rust, lol.
While there a gentleman stopped by wanting to hire him to work in his shop. He does only exotics and over a Million Dollar cars. A car his is selling right now is going for Five Million. He owned one of the 4 specially build Boss 429 mustangs with dry sump oil systems and NASCAR versions of the engine. He was in England when he owned it and still has the dry sump system if someone is looking for it. The car was built of course by Kar Kraft and sent straight to England.
So one of the best car builders in the U.S. is closing up shop and will maybe work for someone else. He is just burnt out trying to make it on his own. Sorry for the not so good pics it was bright sun and used my phone.
David
The car in the pics will be his last and it is being done for the head engineer at a local turbo charger plant. I forget what GM engine it is but the drive train / suspension was over $50,000 along. We think the Mustang body fit is bad I was in the shop several times over the build and he had to add 1/2" to the rear edge of the front fenders to correct the gaps. The doors have welded on hinges so not adjustment.
Clay did any brand any model from 1953 Ford to 1968 428 CJ car. Corvettes, Plymouth he did them all. He did a 65 mustang one owner that had over one million miles on it. I have seen him build a 69 Camaro RS SS convertible from the cowl, "A" posts and top frame. Every other piece of the car had to be replaced. A Camaro makes a Mustang look amateur when it comes to rust, lol.
While there a gentleman stopped by wanting to hire him to work in his shop. He does only exotics and over a Million Dollar cars. A car his is selling right now is going for Five Million. He owned one of the 4 specially build Boss 429 mustangs with dry sump oil systems and NASCAR versions of the engine. He was in England when he owned it and still has the dry sump system if someone is looking for it. The car was built of course by Kar Kraft and sent straight to England.
So one of the best car builders in the U.S. is closing up shop and will maybe work for someone else. He is just burnt out trying to make it on his own. Sorry for the not so good pics it was bright sun and used my phone.
David
