How many of you would journey 500 miles across country to race a freshly built car whose engine had never even been fired? That’s exactly what California-based James Kamboor did in 1954, and the lack of preparation didn’t seem to slow him down one bit. Kamboor worked in the cafeteria at Harvey Aluminum in Torrance, and was a non-recovering car fanatic. In the spring of ’54 he shelled out 200 bucks for a ’34 Ford three-window coupe with the goal of building it into a speed machine for the Bonneville Nationals. Kamboor understood that he’d need serious help with the build and called on Don Alpensfel (Don’s Speed Shop; Gardena, California) to be his partner. The car was dubbed the Jado Special (JAmes and DOn) and the two men quickly got down to work.
Off came the Henry Ford steel body and the stock frame instantly became a heap of trash; surplus .051-wall Shelby tube was sourced and a new frame began to take shape. Alpensfel convinced his friend to build their coupe with a rear-engine configuration in order to balance Kamboor’s non-diminutive 225-pound husk and improve traction at higher speeds. A chromed ’32 Ford axle was used up front and ’42 Ford axle housings were mated to a Halibrand quick-change center section at the rear. No driveshaft was used in the build; the engine was mated to the rear end using a U-joint.
