After moving to California in the 1960s, Boyd Coddington began building hot rods as a side venture while working as a machinist at Disneyland before opening his own hot rod shop in the late 1970s and pioneering the use of billet wheels in the 1980s. Coddington and his shop served as the stars of the TV reality show American Hot Rod on the Discovery and Learning channels between 2004 and Coddington’s passing in early 2008. The “Alumatub” was…
After moving to California in the 1960s, Boyd Coddington began building hot rods as a side venture while working as a machinist at Disneyland before opening his own hot rod shop in the late 1970s and pioneering the use of billet wheels in the 1980s. Coddington and his shop served as the stars of the TV reality show American Hot Rod on the Discovery and Learning channels between 2004 and Coddington’s passing in early 2008. The “Alumatub” was the second project showcased on the program and was the third creation in a series of all-aluminum builds by Coddington, following the 1992 “Alumacoupe” and 2002 “Alumatruck.”
The 106”-wheelbase chassis was custom-fabricated in Coddington’s shop using 3/16th-wall 5052 aluminum formed into rectangular-tube frame rails joined at the front by a solid aluminum oval-drilled crossmember and round-tube center and rear crossmembers. Bare aluminum highboy coachwork was styled by Eric Brockmeyer and hand-formed by Marcel De Lay’s Marcel’s Custom Metal in Corona, California, in the style of a Ford Model A two-door phaeton. Features include rear-hinged doors free of handles, a side-hinged hood, a bare aluminum radiator shell carrying 7” headlights, a low-profile fixed windshield, and a lift-off bare aluminum top.
Coddington-designed five-spoke alloy front wheels measure 15×6” and are mounted on Deuce Factory stainless-steel spindles, while 17×8” rear wheels are secured to aluminum hubs via hexagonal knock-offs. Kuhmo Solus KH16 tires measure P215/65 up front and 255/60 at the rear. Hydraulic disc brakes incorporate 10¾” cross-drilled discs, aluminum calipers, and a Corvette master cylinder. Front suspension comprises a Pete & Jake’s oval-drilled I-beam drop axle, billet bat wings, and stylized aluminum wishbones, while rear suspension utilizes a billet triangulated four-link set-up with Carrera coilover shock absorbers. Custom wheel and gas cap removal tools are included in the sale.
The cockpit houses a single bench seat trimmed by Gabe’s Street Rod & Custom Interiors of Bloomington, California, in silver Naugahyde, with matching upholstery lining the inner surfaces of the top. Additional interior features include riveted bare aluminum door panels, gray wool carpeting, a tunnel-mounted Mooneyes electronic push-button shifter, and aluminum pedals with drilled linkages.
The four-spoke Pete & Jake’s steering wheel is wrapped in silver Naugahyde and sits on a Mullins steering column that directs input to a Mullins Vega-style aluminum steering box. Classic Instruments instrumentation housed in a bare aluminum dash panel includes a 140-mph speedometer and gauges monitoring fuel level and coolant temperature. The six-digit odometer does not work and shows less than one mile. An aluminum-housed LED screen mounted below the dash displays gear selection.
The 350ci Chevrolet small-block V8 features an aluminum block machined by the Schwartz Machine Company, aluminum Vortec cylinder heads, a COMP Cams hydraulic-roller camshaft, billet valve covers, and a Doug Upton’s Universal Machining aluminum oil pan and timing cover. Induction is through a Barry Grant Triple D Six Shooter intake manifold topped with three Demon Six Shooter carburetors and a billet air cleaner. Additional equipment includes Mallory ignition, an oil cooler mounted to the center crossmember, a Meziere remote water pump, a PRC aluminum radiator with a SPAL electric fan, a Mooneyes fuel-pressure gauge, and a 12-gallon aluminum fuel tank. A maintenance service was performed in April 2022.