Harold (Fudd) Fjallman is a hot rod legend in his hometown because he has built both street and track cars since the Skinny Elvis era.
Fudd built his first hot rod back in the late 1950s when he was only 16 and just completed his 13th build: a 1937 Ford Tudor that had been parked many years ago and faced an uncertain future.
Jim Sutherland
MyStarCollectorCar was in the right place at the right time when Fudd’s ’37 Ford showed up in its pre-project state. Fudd laid out his game plan for the Ford and we assumed it would take a very long time for him to complete his build, given the condition of the car and his ambitious game plan.
Fudd told MyStarCollectoeCar that he wanted to have the car back on the road within a few years and was very confident he would achieve his goal. Admittedly, we were a little skeptical because the car required a long list of repairs and alterations to become Fudd’s 13th build, but we vastly underestimated his willingness to throw himself into a project and hit the finish line.
For example, Fudd put in very long hours during the past two years because his project required his undivided attention to become a reality. Most car guys will understand why a build will take longer than initially planned, but Fudd put in a ton of time to ensure it was done within his projected time frame.
A traditional hot rod build is a combination of parts that make it faster and better than factory, including Fudd’s ’37 Ford. He used a 350 Chevy small block and 700R 4-speed automatic transmission donated by a 1990 Corvette.
The 8-inch rear end was harvested from a 1966 Ford Mustang and has 3:50 gears to deliver maximum performance on the road. Fudd also installed an aftermarket Mustang II-style front end to improve the prewar Ford’s handling, along with a front disc/rear drum brake system to help it slow down much faster than factory brakes.
He upgraded his Ford to an electric wiper system, tilt steering wheel, LED headlights, and a major change to his front seat when he replaced the original springs with foam cushion. The improvements were necessary because Fudd loves to put on the miles once he finishes a project.
The car now rides on 15-inch aftermarket steel wheels that sport a stylish combination of dog dish hubcaps and beauty rings to add a touch of bling to the ’37 Ford. The pre-war Ford’s bling factor was further improved when Fudd had the car’s front and rear bumpers re-chromed as an added touch.
Fudd had already rolled up 1500 miles in about 2 months since he reintroduced his ’37 Ford to the road. Even better, his unique hotrodder’s vanity plate (REV IT UP) has been of the back end of all his rides since 1985 and Fudd has racked up “a couple of hundred thousand miles” with the one-off license plate over the years.
Too many car guys are reluctant to drive their hot rods when they finish the project, but we are happy to report that Fudd is not one of them.
His choice to hit the road in his completed hot rod projects helped make Fudd a car guy legend in his hometown over the past 65 years.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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