It is no secret that custom, street rod building is an art, and no easy task to start from the ground up. It takes experience and expertise to package the right components to create the right overall presentation once complete. For Cecil Taylor, owner of Hercules Motor Company based in Tampa, Florida, his skillset also comes with the precision of wood working. He would create some of the sharpest Woodie bodies for the 1932, 1934, and 1937 Ford chassis, creating a solid reputation for high quality results for show-winning builds. This fact was recognized by the NSRA (National Street Rod Association) when they choose their Best New Product of the Year award each year, honoring Hercules Motor Car Company five times over the past 40 years! Moreover, the NSRA organization has an annual tradition of giving away a custom car at the esteemed Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky for over 40 years in a row. Each of the vehicle builds comes from a proven custom show car builder, with Cecil Taylor receiving the honor 3 times!
Mr. Taylor's skill at producing these hand-crafted maple wood bodies is truly amazing, and at the level of expertise that seems to be a dying artform these days. He designed a Hercules 2-door version in 1996, and later created an equally sharp 4-door version in 2015. This allows for far easier entry for passengers, not to mention creating a more aesthetically correct Woodie from the period. The lines are incredible, and lack of visible door handles always gets onlookers scratching their heads. How does one get inside you ask? He cleverly hid a pushbutton entry release on the front doors that is invisible to the eye.
We are very proud to offer this custom Hercules built 1933 Ford Woodie 4-door Wagon finished in beautifully applied Black exterior over Saddle Tan Leather interior with Beige square weave carpeting! These bodies are carefully produced by Cecil and his son Greg, with this one completed in approximately 2016 for its original owner in Indiana. It utilizes one of the NSRA honored products created inhouse by Hercules which are the unique all-steel 1933 curved louvered hood sides. This was a one-year only feature on the originals, and a nice touch to see on a modern interpretation today. The front and rear fenders are fiberglass, while the running boards, cowl, 3-piece hood, and windshield surround are all steel.
They teamed up with TCI (Total Cost Involved) to utilize their complete chassis with independent front suspension with chrome tubular control arms, power 4-wheel Wilwood disc brakes with polished calipers & drilled/slotted rotors, chrome 4-link rear suspension, Currie 9" axle with 31-spline axles, adjustable coil-overs shocks at all four corners, and rack & pinion steering up front. Under the hood lies a crate 350ci HO V8 that produces approximately 290 horsepower mated to a TCI-supplied Turbo-Hydramatic 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission. On the ground rest polished Budnik 17"/18" staggered aluminum wheels fitted with 205/45's up front and 255/45's at the rear. The Flaken Ziex tires were installed in 2021.
Inside, you will find a beautiful layout of Classic Instruments gauges with harnesses provided through Ron Francis Wiring. An Ididit tilt steering column provides the driver a modern shifter and gorgeous 4-spoke wood steering wheel. Twin contoured bench seats provide plenty of comfort for all passengers. The overall simplicity of the design compliments the free-spirited feel a Woodie should promote! The tinted drop-windows are easy to operate when the weather allows, and Vintage Air's Space Saver EVO system allows for extra cooling on hot summer days! The hood opens with a Carolina Customs latch system, and a special feature out back is a vacuum-powered Retract-A-Plate by D.F. Metalworks so it can disappear out of sight. Both functions are nice for optimum presentation at car shows. The balance of features is too long to list here so we encourage interested parties to contact us with questions or to schedule a chance to review in person! It is a unique custom, of which very few have been created! Act quickly!
