Cutworm Specialties: Aluminum Dually

Now and then we get a chance to present you a special vehicle.  It was a long time coming for us to be able to get some time with Cutworm Specialties and their projects.  I first spotted the flat head truck  at Formula D  at Road Atlanta in 2012.  It was an older customer vehicle that they had drove down.  What stood out to me the most was the fact that it was driven almost 200 miles to Formula D.  It takes a special team to be able to craft these projects, and to take it out on the road like a regular vehicle.  Through the power of Facebook, I was able to connect with the builders at Cutworm Specialties out of Hayesville, North Carolina.  

Even thought the cars styling is far from what you would expect here.  It has everything we love, and everything we all wish we could do.  Being able to craft anything from scratch is a great feeling.  But being able to put together a fully functional working and reliable vehicle is just a dream for many of us.  

Jeb had been showing me progress pictures of the aluminum dually for awhile and I was just amazed at the time and precision put throughout the build.  I would have expect them to own a whole fleet of these vehicles, but Jeb and Shawn do not own a single one.  Every one that they build is for a customer or gets sold, but they have a few plans to build their own in the future.

The finish date ended up being right before Southrnfresh 3 , and Jeb had made plans to attend an event with the dually in North Georgia the day before SF3.  And would be coming down to hang out with us at SF3.  Seeing the car in pictures in one thing, but in person the car is unreal as you will see in the photos.  When you look at the car you forget that someone does drive this.  It was the first long trip for the Hot Rod, and it was an honor for them to bring it down for us.  Shortly after the photos the dually was delivered (driven) to its owner.

I wanted to use this post as a introduction to Cutworm Specialties to our viewers.  A lot of times I prefer to let the owner speak on their own behalf, it just seems to work better sometimes.     

PHOTOS BY: JON DAVIS – KHRIS H. 

This all started over a desire to have a chop top model A , and not being able to afford to buy the body and parts to build one. In 2001, I saw a picture of one in a magazine and thought I have to have one! So I started searching junkyards and any other resources I had to find a body and parts.

I always seem to come up empty handed or would find something that was far too expensive to buy.  After finishing a friends T bucket build about 10 years later I decided enough was enough, that I was going to build one come hell or high water.  After I built my first car I’m not really sure I even knew what I did, But people sort of went nuts over it.

I built the first car in three months by myself and sold it on that TV show Auction Kings.  The aluminum Dually is the fifth hot rod that I built from scratch, and the first with a aluminum body. It is definitely my nicest work yet!

It wasn’t always hot rods for me obviously, but I don’t think you just decide to start building cars from scratch. It’s something that I think has been brewing my entire life through all the experiences I’ve had with other jobs from when I was in high school to now. Like an accumulation of skills through doing other jobs.

Doing jobs you hate were not so bad.  I was  learning work ethic,desire and drive ! I’m sure that you’ve heard before, that anything worth having isn’t easy,  I believe that’s very true.

For me building cars is not the hard part!  It’s everything else that goes with it the balance of everything else in the business! I have always been artistic my whole life! I feel like I have found my calling you metal forming and fabrication!

Aluminum Dually

Bored out  Lincoln 460 with Kaase P51 aluminum heads

 C6 transmission

.The rear axle (dana 70hd) and wheels are off of a motorhome

Custom air ride in the back

Torsion suspension in the front

PHOTO SET HERE

We will be in touch with Cutworm with their future projects!

PHOTOS OF THE FULL BUILD HERE

Thanks for looking!

Be sure to check out CUTWORM SPECIALTIES website and facebook page.