The Tubester

The Tubester

Mike Cooper

Mike Cooper spent seven years transforming his 1933 Ford pickup into a one-of-a-kind wild rod known as The Tubester. Chopped, channeled, and scooped, The Tubester took on an identity of its own when Mike created a custom header exhaust system like no other. Twisted tubes spill out of a 355ci Chevy 4 bolt V-8 with a 6-71 Teflon-lined blower, Carter 650-cfm carburetor and custom billet aluminum air intake, to mention only a few of the incredible modifications Mike has made to the engine compartment. Taking a look at the dashboard, truck bed and flooring one can only wonder how Mike managed to harness all that creativity before taking it all out on The Tubester ! Customized to house radiators and engine cooling fans, the truck bed is covered by a ventilated floor of wooden tubes perfectly formed and molded to match the lines of the bed. What a perfect balance to the tangled tubes of the front end.

We congratulate Mike on creating such an inspiring wild rod! To find out more about The Tubester check out back issues of Street Rodder Magazine and the incredible coverage provided on the custom fabrication and construction of this Wild Rod.

And if you are wondering if The Tubester sounds as loud as it looks….the answer is YES!

The Tubester

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Body:

Design and Modifications..............................Chopped 7”
                                                                  Cab extended at cowl
                                                                  Custom air intakes
                                                                  Channeled 6”

Bodywork and Paint ....................................Creative Concepts

Style..........................................................Ford steel closed-cab pickup

Paint type/ color..........................................DuPont Premier Custom Red

Grill............................................................Custom stainless steel by Ron Covell

Interior:

Dashboard/Door Panels ..............................Laminated sycamore, maple, walnut and sugar pine

Wiring .......................................................Brizio’s Rod Shop

Upholstery..................................................Tan leather by Rich Santana, Santana Interior Design

Gauges .....................................................AutoMeter

Chassis:

Frame.......................................................1933 Ford – modified

Steering....................................................Box: TRW rack and pinion

Steering Column........................................Mullins

Front Suspension......................................Heidt’s Superide IFS

Master Cylnder..........................................Tilton dual

Front Brakes.............................................Wilwood disc brakes

Front Wheels............................................American Torq-Thrust D 14x6

Front Tires................................................BF Goodrich T/A, P195/70R14

Rear Suspension.......................................Corvette IRS

Rear Brakes..............................................Corvette disc brakes

Rear Tires.................................................BF Goodrich T/A, P255/70R15.

Rear Wheels.............................................American Torq-Thrust D 15x6

Engine:

Manufacturer............................................. 355 Chevy 4-bolt V-8

Ignition and Wires .....................................MSD

Transmission.............................................Borg-Warner T56

Custom Radiator........................................Ron Davis

Heads.......................................................Edelbrock aluminum

Blower.......................................................Littlefield 671

Manifold.....................................................Littlefield

Custom Exhaust/Headers............................Flowmaster Mufflers