Starting with a fiberglass DECO Zephyr coupe, Cook had Dave Smith of Arcanum, OH build a sedan delivery roof buck from which Mike Ball of Fabrications Unlimited made a partial roof mold. By glassing the new roof profile onto a DECO coupe body, then cutting away the unwanted coupe roof inside the body, DuPont’s and four other Zephyr sedan delivery bodies were made. It was not the most efficient way to make delivery bodies, but it worked.

Dave Smith initiated construction of the Fat Man chassis delivery for DuPont, but the project was moved to Superior Custom Classics in Hudson, FL to be closer to the customer. The completed rear wheel drive black DuPont delivery pictured herein is a fantastic piece of rolling art that Tom is currently offering for sale for a price in excess of a quarter million dollars. It draws crowds wherever it appears.

When Cook displayed the rolling sedan delivery buck at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals 2001, he presented another revolutionary twist by taping a full sized paper motorcycle image on the exterior side of the body. His concept? Because of the unusual 17-foot length of the vehicle, there is room for a 9-foot long, 39-inch tall chopper motorcycle to fit inside. The bike's front wheel would be an "armrest" between the driver and "shotgun" front seat passenger, who would sit in bucket seats. By using a front wheel drive platform and eliminating the “hump” in the rear floorboard needed to cover a conventional rear wheel drive axle, a motorized ramp could be used to get the bike in and out of the vehicle. The motorcycle could be rolled onto this ramp, strapped in position, and then the ramp and bike would be automatically retracted into the car at the touch of a switch. The rear door then closed automatically using linear actuators.

The sedan delivery is a one-piece fiberglass body with four fenders already bonded in place. Only the linear actuator, power operated, top-hinged rear door, the passenger and driver doors, rear fender skirts, and hood need be bolted on to complete the body. It will be delivered to the customer with the three doors and hood hung and latched.

OPTIONS: A curved custom cut windshield will bond into special aperture designed to accept the glass and will add more structural strength to the body. An optional replacement aftermarket grille is available, or you can use an original 1940 or 1941 Lincoln grille if you wish. Aftermarket headlight buckets and lenses can be fitted in place by the builder. A pair of electrically operated linear actuators to operate the top hinged rear door are another option. The automatic ramp for the motorcycles is not part of the body, but when a production chassis becomes available, it will be a chassis option.

PRICE: Previously listed at $10,900, since moving to our manufacturing facility in Elkhart, IN, the price of the front wheel drive Zephyr Sedan Delivery body has been reduced to $9,900. It is higher than the cost of the coupe, convertible, and fastback bodies because of the additional materials and labor required to bond the inner liner in place.

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE PROTOTYPE: For more than a year DECO RIDES has been having Gary Brown of BROWN’s METAL MODS in Indianapolis build the first prototype front wheel drive, motorcycle-hauling Zephyr delivery. Gary designed and built the chassis. It includes an electrically-powered ramp that Brown designed to hold the motorcycle to automatically move in and out of the back door of the vehicle.

The first prototype front wheel drive DECO RIDES Sedan Delivery being built at Brown's Metal Mods in Indianpolis, IN

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE POWERTRAINS: After reviewing numerous popular American V-8 FWD powertrain platforms including Eldorado-Toronado-Riviera from GM and the 32-valve Lincoln from the 1996-‘98 Lincoln Continental four door, Brown and Cook chose the late 90’s Chevy S-10/Blazer and/or GMC S-15/Jimmy (same thing) as the basis. The concept is to discard the driveshaft to the rear axle as well as the rear axle and use it as a front wheel drive only platform. The V-6 engine is replaced by a small block Chevy V-8 that bolts right up to the Chevy 700R4 automatic transmission. One reason this platform was chosen was that they are plentifully available at low cost in junkyards.

While it is durable, one shortcoming of this powertrain choice is that the transmission and transfer case intrude into the passenger’s compartment, taking up valuable space. The first prototype Harley hauling delivery with a Chevy S-10 transfer case has an 9–foot long moving ramp to hold the cycle. Thanks to the prodding and engineering input of friend Riley Hopkins of Gig Harbor, WA, Cook is looking ahead and investigating the use of a Porsche G-50 transaxle positioned up front so the gear carton is located forward of the front axle for an improved, second generation FWD Zephyr package. This would position either a popular Ford or Chevy small or big block V-8 in the correct location in the engine compartment, using a Kennedy Engineering engine adapter to the G-50 transaxle. The benefit is that this would move the transmission and transfer case from the passenger’s compartment to a location forward of the engine. This would allow a ramp for the motorcycle that is 29 inches longer at 11.5 feet, providing room for a much longer motorcycle. The durable G-50 transaxles are manual five or six speeds, but a Porsche Tiptronic automatic could be substituted. Providing there is sufficient interest in the first prototype (i.e. fiberglass body sales), DECO RIDES will invest the time and money to build a second generation FWD delivery using this powertrain.  

REAR WHEEL DRIVE: For anyone preferring the conventional rear wheel drive cars, with a little rear floorboard surgery, the new FWD body could easily be adapted to fit on a standard Fat Man Fabrications rear wheel drive DECO RIDE Zephyr chassis ($8,225). This includes disc brakes and coil over shocks on all four corners with a 9-inch Ford rear and rack and pinion manual steering. Mounts for your choice of engine and transmission are included.