Rods and Perfromance Magazine

21st Century Tucker Composite body, Northstar driveline, and tubular chassis - even Preston Tucker would have approved. BY ROBERT GROSS November/December 2000 As the current trend of modern-day street rods and custom cars continues to redefine itself with the popularization of unique composite bodies, widespread use of electronic fuel-injected powerplants and tuned suspensions that offer Porsche-like handling, Ida Automotive is at the forefront of innovation with its Tucker 2000 street rod. With timeless body styling, rearmounted driveline, four-wheel independent suspension, and characteristic center-mounted headlight, this Tucker replica is more unique than any other automobile - stock or custom - this side of an original 1948 Tucker Torpedo. On the road, this car commands attention. On the way to our photo location it scored more second looks, thumbs-up, gawks and stares than a Pamela Anderson swimsuit calendar. It looks like a stock Tucker except for billet wheels and low ride height, but the throaty exhaust note tells a different story. Although it retains the innovative characteristics and basic mechanical layout that Preston Tucker incorporated into his cars more than half a century ago, numerous modern amenities were substituted. A resin-infused body, tubular chassis, fuel-injected V-8, automatic transmission, air conditioning, power brakes, and power windows bring this postwar collectible right into the twenty-first century. With Cadillac Northstar V-8 power, acceleration is brisk and smooth. At speed the ride is firm and deliberate thanks to the 20-inch wheels and ultra-sticky Pirelli P-Zero tires. Luckily for those interested in this unique automobile, Bob and Rob Ida of Ida Automotive in Morganville, New Jersey, plan to offer a limited number of Tucker street rods for public consumption. Just as Preston Tucker made only 51 examples in 1948, Ida Automotive plans on matching this low production figure. After the 51st, that's it - no more Tuckers will be built. Whereas the original 1948 version utilizes a steel body, rear-mounted, horizontally opposed six-cylinder, hydraulic drum brakes, worm-and-sector steering, and a steel central perimeter chassis, the Ida-built Tucker has resin-infused composite body panels, Northstar drivetrain, power four-wheel disc brakes, and a very rigid tubular chassis. While these are the car's most obvious features, there is much more to this street machine that makes it truly unique. The idea to replicate the Tucker was sparked in 1995 when Bob's father, Joe Ida - who in the late 1940s poured his savings into a Tucker dealership in Yonkers, New York - asked his shop owning son and grandson if it was possible to develop a prototype custom car based on the Tucker Torpedo. Since the Idas already owned a street rod shop, they had the know ledge and facility to build such an automobile. Now all they needed were several hundred hours of research and development. "Creating a replica of a car as rare as the Tucker is a huge undertaking," Rob tells us. "In the past we've built all kinds of street rods - Fords, Willys, Chevys, etc. - from tame to torrid, but most of them had a large support base of remanufactured body, chrome, and trim parts. With the Tucker we only had basic dimensions and a friend's 1948 Tucker Torpedo from which to take measurements. From there, we conceptualized and created a Tucker with a mechanical platform that would fit nicely in the twenty-first century. Now, five years later we think we have a real winner." Because it was necessary to use a driveline that would retain the Tucker's rearengine/rear-drive arrangement and still fit under the stock body shape, Cadillac's front-wheel-drive Northstar system was the only driveline considered. "Since the Cadillac is naturally a front-wheel-drive setup, the engine and transmission/transaxle, struts, 11-inch disc brakes, and suspension arms - all in their own cradle - are mounted in the rear of the Tucker," Rob explains. "The entire cradle is held in place by six bolts and can be easily dropped down from the chassis." However, access to the engine for regular maintenance is gained through a removable panel behind the rear seat. Because the engine is situated in front of the rear axle, this Tucker is actually a mid-engine design. Other than a custom exhaust system and new computer chip, the engine is completely stock and makes 267 horsepower at the rear wheels, as tested on Ida's chassis dyno. "The rack-and-pinion steering is removed from its stock location, and the rear wheels fixed in position. Inner and outer tie rod ends are retained, so the independent rear suspension has full travel but bumpsteer and binding are eliminated," Rob tells us. "Believe it or not, fitting the driveline was actually the easiest part of building the Tucker." A four-row Chevrolet radiator, which is mounted behind the engine, keeps the 32-valve DOHC engine from overheating. The grilles in the rear quarter panels channel air to the radiator via ducting and a fiberglass airbox. The front suspension is comprised of custom A-arms machined from billet 6061 T6 aluminum, the Cadillac rack­and-pinion steering system (which was removed from the engine cradle), Mustang II spindles, Ford II-inch disc brakes, Chevrolet single-piston calipers, and an electronically controlled Air Ride Technologies airbag system. The center headlight is cable-operated from the steering system and turns with the front wheels just like the original Tucker. With the new driveline layout, the master cylinder and power booster are mounted under the hood (which is now the trunk) in the standard location found on most modern domestic cars. Fifteen-inch pressed steel wheels wrapped with 225/75x15 Dayton tires with a 4-inch whitewall and reproduction Tucker hubcaps are standard. However, 20-inch billet wheels from Billet Specialties that are machined to strongly resemble stock hubcaps and Pirelli 245/35ZR20 tires are optional and were fitted to the Tucker when we photographed it. Because the Tucker was built around the drivetrain, the chassis quickly came together once it was decided to use the Cadillac components. Retaining the 130.0-inch wheelbase, 64-inch front track, 65-inch rear track and 219.0-inch overall length of the 1948 version, the fabricated chassis for the Tucker 2000 is constructed for maximum strength to reduce flex common in cars with such a long wheelbase. The chassis rails are 2- x 4-inch mild steel tubing with a 3/16-inch wall thickness. The six crossmembers, brackets, and suspension components, along with the frame rails, were placed into a chassis fixture to ensure accurate placement and expertly MIG welded together. The entire frame then received a black powdercoated finish. "Using the fixture guarantees that every chassis built, from the first to 51st, is exactly the same," Rob confidently tells us. The body construction, according to Rob, was the most arduous part of the buildup. "Typically, the way we reproduce a composite body panel is to mold it right from an original body panel," Rob explains. "Because of the Tucker's rarity this was impossible and forced us to use a little creativity in finding the exact body measurements. Luckily, the Idas' close friend, Chick DeLorenzo, had an original Tucker and was willing to let them take measurements from it. The shape of the body was developed by plotting the measurements from Chick's car using a Smart Cam Computer-Automated Design system specifically engineered for three-dimensional machining. "The results are so exact that the body panels that we remanufactured for our replica Tucker are interchangeable with an original 1948 Torpedo," Rob confidently states. Thanks to the Smart Cam, a full-size "plug" or model of the body shell was then constructed from wood, sheet metal, fiberglass, and clay, and placed over the rolling chassis. All clearances were checked and adjusted accordingly. "The body fit better over the Northstar V-8 than the 1948 version does over its engine," Rob explains. Next the door­jamb, windshield wiper, door latch, and weather-stripping clearances were inspected. Once the main body shell was finished, inner and outer door panels, hood and trunk plugs were made from wood and fiberglass. The doors were assembled with window tracks and glass, then fastened to the body shell using GM door hinges. Once installed, they were checked for doorjamb tightness, glass fitment and ease of window travel up and down. Held in place using Dodge pickup hood hinges, the hood and trunk, which use 1991 Mustang hood hinges, were then test-fitted in the same manner. After the full-scale model was assembled, the panels received a show-quality paint job and were polished to a gleaming luster. The car was then disassembled in preparation for the molding process. "Because we manufacture the body panels to a Class A spec finish, it is necessary to give the plugs the smoothness of a flawless finish," Rob tells us. Unlike many reproduction body kits that are made from fiberglass, the Tucker body is molded with a high-pressure resin-infusion process. A mold is made from the plugs that comprise the body shell, hood, trunk, doors, fenders, etc. Because the plugs were painted and pol­ished to a showroom finish, the top sec­tions of the fiberglass molds have the same smooth texture. A layer of matting is then laid into the smooth side of the fiber­glass molds. A resin/hardener mixture is then infused between the bladder and mold, completely saturating the matting. The bladder is then fully inflated, forcing out any air and giving the body shell and other panels their shapes. With this process, parts are made with less than one-percent air content and do not require a gelcoat as in the traditional fiberglass process. Prior to the resin infusion process, 1/2-inch-thick balsa wood is used to fortify the firewall, floor, and rear bulkhead, while foamcore is used to strengthen the roof. After the resin-infusion process, these reinforced body sections have a total thickness of 3/4-inch. Even though this is a fully customized car and Ida Automotive is known for its outrageous street machines, the Tucker is intended to remain as stock-appearing as the original-wheels and tires being the two most notable exceptions. This even goes for the paint choices, which are all original Tucker colors: Black, Cobalt Blue, Waltz Blue, Ruby Red, Emerald Green, Vogue Silver, and Cosmopolitan Gold are the only colors available. Whereas the original was sprayed in lacquer, the Tucker 2000 will take advantage of the modern urethane basecoat/clearcoat procedure. This example is painted Cobalt Blue and was sprayed by Karl Meys Auto Body, in Trenton, New Jersey. The smoke­tinted windows were cut by First Class Auto Glass, in Englishtown, New Jersey. All of the exterior trim was made in­house by Bob from solid pieces of aluminum, while the headlight bezels were out-sourced. At press time, the car had resin-infused composite bumpers, but they are soon to be replaced with specially made aluminum parts. While the Tucker's exterior is as close to stock-appearing as painstakingly possible, Rob tells us that much "artistic license" was used for the interior. "The original Tucker had a very unusual and rather stark dashboard and very upright and uncomfortable seats," Rob explains. "Because our car has many modern features such as a Vintage Air climate control system, CD player, heater/defroster and multi-speed windshield wipers added, we changed the dashboard layout to include the necessary controls to accommodate these amenities." The front and rear seats are from Tea's Designs in Rochester, Minnesota. While they aren't based on the Tucker's original mohair seats, they are far more comfort­able, thanks to lumbar support, side bolsters, and multi layers of foam with different densities to offer maximum comfort and to alleviate fatigue on long trips. Seats come covered in tweed, but leather is available as an option. Tea's also supplied the matching material for the door panels. Specialty Power Windows supplied the electric window controls and wind­shield wipers, and EZ Wiring provided the complete wiring harness along with Dolphin analog speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, water and oil temperature, and amp meter instruments. Plush pile carpeting, custom headliner and retractable seat belts finish off the interior. The Idas are currently in the process of machining a new steering wheel that is based on plans Preston Tucker originally intended to use on his cars. Unfortunately, Preston was sidetracked by a massive fraud lawsuit and never had the chance to manufacture the steering wheel. The wheel that was on the car at the time we photographed it was, "just something to put on the car to drive it around," Rob explains. Overall, that's how Ida Automotive built this fine automobile. Since this is a fully customized vehicle made completely from scratch, there were a few questions regarding the Tucker's legality on the street. To start with, it will have to be registered as a street rod to retain its stock look. This Cobalt Blue example is registered in New Jersey. Insuring it is just as easy. In a word, this car is awesome. Not only did I think so, but so did everyone else who saw this hulking blue beauty as Rob and I passed them on the way to our photo location. Outstanding and reliable power, sportscar-like handling and brak­ing, and a very clever body style make this Tucker one of the most distinctive custom cars ever built. The best part is that 50 more of them will actually be for sale. Unfortunately they aren't cheap, but for the $150,000 base price, you get a truly unique customized automobile - one that your neighbor is surely not going to have in his driveway. Source: Ida Automotive, 600 Texas Road, Morganville, N.J. 07751 - 732.591.1245