Network
Getting a hot rod just how you want it can take years of brainstorming in your head, and just as long to build it. Then there are some guys who think something up, build it, and it turns out how they want.
Douglas Funkhouser’s 1931 Ford is linked to central Ohio hot rod and custom car legend Bill Dye, the man who started this dirt track themed ride as just a sketch in his head. Funkhouser has taken the original build that Dye started almost 20 years ago and ascended it to the next level.
The story of Funkhouser, Dye, and their cars is the kind of tale that only Hollywood could dream up, but this is as real as the 1931 hot rod Funkhouser drives today.
Fitment is wide and low on this kustom.
Before The Beast
This Hollywood hot rod story begins with Funkhouser, an attorney who practices law in Columbus, Ohio. Surprisingly, the first ride Funkhouser owned was less than impressive.
“My parents gave me their old 1972 Chevrolet Vega wagon when I was 16, which I promptly burned the clutch out from doing burnouts for my friends,” said Funkhouser. “Needless to say, once my Dad figured that out the car was sold, and I didn’t drive for 9 months.”
After the Vega was sold, Funkhouser had only one choice, which was to buy his own ride. This led to something maybe a bit worse, a 1976 Ford Pinto. “As much as I hated that car, I drove it my last year of high school and for four years at Ohio State and then sold it for $300 to some poor woman who walked to our house to buy it because she needed a car,” he said.
After the Pinto, Funkhouser had a few different rides including an Audi 5000S, Jeep “Golden Eagle” and a couple Toyota pickup trucks.
Funkhouser, a JAG officer in the Army rocks the of Airborne Wings on the front plate as his tribute to those still serving, and his service in an Airborne unit just like his father who was in the legendary 82nd Airborne.
Funkhouser was into British cars for a short time. “My first cool car was a 1970 Triumph TR6, which I bought during my first year in the Army while stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina,” he said.
It now has a nasty small block Ford mill in it and is still on the street today. Dye also owned a 1990 Nissan 300ZX twin turbo, which he sold to make room for the ’31.
“I pumped more money and time into that Nissan 300ZX than I care to count, but I made some great friends and had a blast,” he said.
The dirt track inspired ’31 Ford made its presence known to Funkhouser, but the story behind the man who built the car is just as incredible as the car itself.
“Bill Dye was friends with a few of my older car/motorcycle buddies. He grew up in Grandview with an older friend of mine. I heard stories about this guy on the near east side who built a hot rod every year. Bill was an accomplished fabricator who built spreader trucks and rigs for the asphalt business. He also built chassis for clients, motorcycle frames, and other hot rod stuff,” Funkhouser said.
Funkhouser said every car that Dye was a true craftsman as he did just about everything from designing and building the frame to handling the engine work.
From every angle, this black beauty spells speed and aggression.
Unfortunately, Dye passed away in 2009 and his family began to sell off some of his leftover hot rods and miscellaneous builds he had. One of the more famous cars Dye built that went up for sale was an immaculate big block Willy’s Coupe that DuPont picked as their car of the year in 1996.
Funkhouser had a chance to purchase the Willy’s Coupe, but passed for something else. “I originally looked at a 1965 Cobra kit car with a blown 502 and a Richmond 5 speed,” he said. “I passed on the Cobra to save my life. Dye wrecked the first version of this Cobra shortly after he built it, but I saw the 1931 Ford had much interest in the car.”
All Eyes On The Prize
Nothing crazy with this power plant, just a classic SBC stroker motor.
The seed was planted for Funkhouser to get this truly unique hot rod, but the task would not be as easy as he had hoped. “Bill’s son Brian passed on my offer and didn’t want to sell it at the time,” he said. “I told him that if he ever wanted to sell it, I was a buyer.”
Funkhouser moved on to other projects, but then his phone rang. “About a year or so later, I got the call in September of 2013 that Brian wanted to sell the 1931 so I jumped on it and picked it up,” he said. Instantly, Dye’s amazing build had a new home with Funkhouser.
Funkhouser left the 383-cubic inch stoker engine alone for the most part since he purchased the hot rod. Filling the mill is a cast 400 crank that rotates a set of 5.7-inch rods and flat top pistons.
So much history is tied to this kustom that Funkhouser appreciates so much.
Rounding out the top end is a hydraulic Comp Cams bump stick with Harland Sharp 1.5:1 ratio roller rockers, and a set of Trick Flow heads. Mixing the air and pumping gas is a classic Holley 750-cfm carburetor.
A set of classic set of circle track headers with side pipes expel the exhaust in a way that Funkhouser says “If I could bottle the engine note in 3rd gear at around 5,000 rpm through the exhaust, I could sell a million bottles.” Funkhouser updated the electronics to ensure reliability from the magneto set up to a 6AL MSD box with electronic ignition.
The engine on Funkahouser's ride provides plenty of power, no matter the situation at hand.
When the car was purchased, it had a stout Saginaw four speed transmission behind the 383-cubic inch power plant, but Funkhouser wanted something a bit more street friendly for highway driving. A TKO 600 five speed transmission was sourced and added to the custom driveshaft, and matched with a Ford 9-inch rearend filled with 4.11 gears, Moser axles, and a set of coilovers.
What really sets this car apart is its look, which is a mixture of hot rod, classic dirt track, and awesome all in one package. It starts with the hand-made chassis that Dye created.
“Bill was a chassis builder for other people and it shows with this chassis. The car has a solid front dropped axle with a slick front sway bar, and a Ford 9-inch rearend that is braced by a piece of notched rectangular welded to the top,” said Funkhouser regarding the chassis robust construction.
The perfect package of stance, wheels, look, and enough power to scare about anybody.
The ’31 also has a full NASCAR style side cage and roll bar inside the car to help tie everything together and match the classic dirt track aesthetics. However, Dye wanted the car to have good street manners and easy drivability, so he added a killer power steering system that Funkhouser says was a signature piece on every car he built.
To make the steering even more smooth, a steering damper from Bilstein was added by Funkhouser. “The power steering is very stable and tracks straight even at highway speeds,” he said.
Custom touches on the Ford keep on rolling right to the Arizona sourced body. The fabric top that was originally on the Ford was artfully replaced by Lou’s Body Shop with the top from a Jeep Cherokee.
Closing Out The Tale
Funkhouser knew right off the bat this hot rod was for him. “The first time I drove the car, it scared me just enough that I knew I made the right decision. I like the raw power and lack of compromises with the car,” he said. “It is not an uncomfortable ride, but it keeps you connected to the road. It checks the box for the kit car fix since it is a custom chassis car with side exhaust.”
The interior of the Ford is very spartan and looks pretty much like what you would expect in a car with this type of race car theme
For Funkhouser, things have come a long way from the Chevy Vega and Ford Pinto. Over the years an eclectic mix of cars, bikes, and friends led him to Dye’s legacy and one totally custom 1931 Ford. With just a few touches of his own, Funkhouser took perfection and made it that much better, helping put his own twist on one of the most rowdy rods you will ever see.
