By Fredy Ramirez
SEMA is gearing up for the 2019 Battle of the Builders (BOTB) competition, set to take place during the SEMA Show, and the list of competitors keeps growing longer as November approaches. SEMA eNews will highlight several vehicles each week leading up to the Show. This week’s featured builds include: David Jeffery and his ’27 Essex Sedan, Joe Riley’s ’19 Project Outkast, and the ’47 Ford COE Truck by Chris Chapman.
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David Jeffery, ’27 Essex Sedan David Jeffery travels from New Zealand with his ’27 Essex Sedan to enter BOTB. The vehicle’s body has been chopped, channeled and widened. It sits on a custom hydraulic deck with two 18-in. front wheels and four 22-in. rear wheels. The chassis includes four boxed chassis rails. The project is powered by a 454 big-block and controlled by a 700 R4 four-speed. The interior features a transparent driveshaft tunnel. |
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Joe Riley, 19’ Project Outkast After graduating first in his class from Wyotech in 1984, Joe Riley is putting his 35 years of automotive design and fabrication experience to the test in BOTB with his Project Outkast build. The four-wheel-drive’s suspension includes a full-tube extreme chassis and a triangulated four-link with billet links. MRAP axles and King 2.5 coil-over shocks allow for suspension travel during off-roading. An LSX454/L485 engine powers the drivetrain, and a Hero three-speed transmission passes torque to the wheels. |
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Chris Chapman, ’47 Ford COE Truck Chris Chapman’s history with cars starts in his grandpa’s wrecking yard, where he pulled off wheels from vehicles before he even knew how to ride a bike. He enters BOTB with a ’47 COE Truck that will feature a kitchen. He started this project in 2013 and has used gear from Classic instruments, Edelbrock and Vintage Air, to name a few. |