1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air Roadster - Street Sweeper

Jesse James may have built the original hot rod street sweeper (see Monster Garage, episode "NASCAR Street Sweeper," at dsc.discovery.com) but it has nothing on Ron Larson's blown '57 Chevy Roadster. And even though Jesse's monster street sweeping NASCAR literally cleans the street, Ron's blown Bel Air (aka the Ron Air) cleans house at every car event it shows up to.

Ron has been building trick vehicles for most of his life and most of them have been supercharged. Perhaps his obsession with blown cars has something to do with the fact that he owns a vacuum cleaner sales and service business. In fact, Ron has even built a small turbo charger out of parts from a Kirby vacuum cleaner. It hasn't been installed, but Ron swears it will work on a small engine.

After a stint of building lifted off-road trucks, custom motorcycles and wild drag race machines, Ron came across this Bel Air for $6000 in 1998. The car was nothing at the time, but it was in good condition and any '57 Chevy is a timeless classic. As the car sat around in rough condition, an eye sore to most, Ron couldn't shake the vision of a slammed, topless roadster with a blower intake pushing through the hood.

He also couldn't escape the thought of sweet music pulsing through the open-air cockpit. As much as Ron has an interest in badass machines, he also appreciates a crankin' sound system. In high school Ron would modify his cars, equipping them with the loudest systems he could build. Some things never change.

Chop Top
Going from sedan to roadster can be done in a matter of minutes when equipped with a Sawsall and the will to go for it. Purists may cringe at the thought of cutting the roof off of such a classic, but custom car builders are trying to capture a vision, not preserve heritage. The car is simply a starting point for the builder, a foundation from which to work.

Ron hacked the roof off and then handed the car over to Pro Design Hot Rods in Santa Ana, CA. He actually drove the car there, a two-hour drive from his home in Lancaster, with stock everything sans roof. Pro Design would complete the car, taking Ron's ideas and putting them into motion.

Removing a roof is easy, no doubt. But there's more to it than cutting along the dotted line. The car has to be reinforced to keep it from buckling. Mike, Dave and Brandon at Pro Design reinforced the chassis, finished the job with sheet metal work and chopped the windshield to roadster proportions.

Not just a hot rod shop, Pro Design and its talented crew would bust out just about every aspect of this topless two door. In addition to getting the entire chassis prepped for paint, they also did the entire installation.

Hot Rod Install
We're used to custom rigs being flatbedded from shop to shop, specialist to specialist, to get the job done. Not the case here. This crew built all of the panels, racks and trim and had them finished locally.

The amprack is a prime example of this teamwork. Built in-house to display four Clarion APX401.2 amplifiers, the wave-like rack was built and prepped before it was sent out to local Wet Works. Wet Works also finished the fiberglass pod in the trunk that houses a trio of Clarion multimedia gear, including CD/DVD changer, VCR and monitor. All of the trim was covered in gray Mercedes leather with thanks to Willie at Bill's Upholstery.

Keeping the interior clean and simple in true hot rodder spirit, a minimal amount of gear was used in the cockpit. Two pairs of Clarion SRS1684 component speaker assemblies were used, one in the custom front door panels and the second in the rear quarter panels. Clarion SRW1043 10" woofers were installed behind the rear seat and are visible when the seat is folded down. Willie at Bill's Upholstery covered the panels and trim with gray Mercedes leather. Speaker pods were painted to match the ampracks and interior trim.

A custom, full-length center console that extends from dash to package tray forms the multimedia center with two monitors, one positioned for the co-pilot and another for rear passengers. Clarion's DXZ835MP source unit is mounted front and center of the console, covered by a panel when not in use. The console is painted and trimmed like the rest of the interior. In fact, the console makes up about a quarter of the entire interior.

Getting all of the components connected was done with a shopping list of Scosche interconnect, speaker wire, power cable and distribution accessories. Power distribution blocks are visible from inside the trunk; otherwise all wiring is kept under wraps.

Ron's aired-out Bel Air made its debut at the 2003 Consumer Electronics Show as Clarion's feature vehicle. Since then it has made the rounds of hot rod shows where it sweeps up wins and inspires custom car builders of all types.

So what's left? Let's see Jesse James build a giant vacuum cleaner rig on Monster Garage with Ron co-staring as the vacuum cleaner specialist.

DRIVER PROFILE: Vacuum Theory 101
What do a demo car, supercharger and vacuum cleaner have in common? They're all designed to suck something in. Ron Larson knows about all three. He has been behind show cars, trucks and bikes for all of his adult life. He has a knack for building supercharged engines and he owns a vacuum repair business.

Electronics are also a hobby of Ron's and he believes that any weekend cruiser cannot be properly enjoyed without gracious tunes. As Ron rolls into his forties (not the Colt variety) he has had to accept leaps in technical advancement and embrace them.

When he was working on the '57 he wanted a multimedia system, not just a deck, amp and speakers. The idea of an old-school hot rod/new-school electronics fusion worked for both camps, giving each a dose of something different.

Street rod buffs dig the monitors, bold amplifiers and all of the fabrication involved with it. To them it's another level of customization that they have rarely experienced. It's far more interesting and functional than tuck-n-roll velour or, God forbid, tweed.

On the flip side, car audio tweaks are bound to modern vehicles where the SUV and street import genres dominate. The site of a highly customized '50s-era show car fitted with the latest in technology is a reminder to the young bucks of their roots.

Needless to say, Ron sucks people in with this car at hot rod and car audio shows alike. It seems the vacuum theory has been paying off, while not "sucking" at all.

Clarion finds Bel Air
What's a custom '57 Chevy roadster doing in Clarion's booth at CES? Shouldn't the company have something a bit trendier, like an Escalade or H2? Sure, and look like everybody else? No way.

Clarion has always had an eye for anything different, and the cars it chooses for demos are usually pretty unique. After all, a flamed, chopped '57 Chevy roadster is probably more likely to draw you in than another Navigator with ridiculously sized wheels.

This one wasn't planned, though. By mere coincidence, Albert Vicencio and Ralph Dominguez of Clarion Corporation USA were out making the rounds when they stopped by Pro Design. They had worked together on an earlier project and wanted to see what was cookin'.

Once they saw the '57 "Ron Air" under construction, the Clarion scouts knew this would be the deal. But it wasn't easy to convince the brass at Clarion that this should be its flagship demo rig at the largest consumer electronics show in the US. For one, there was no way Ron would have a grip of gear littering his super clean street rod.

Still, the objective is to get people into your booth, drool on the car and get them interested. Albert and Ralph sold the idea and the rest is history. The car was a huge success, Ron got a proper debut for his new machine and Albert is now up for a promotion. Bonus!

After the show Ron had thought to pull some of the gear out and replace it with mixed brands -- he didn't want it to come off as "Clarion's" demo car. But after giving it more thought he decided he really enjoys it the way it is, and as a serviceman, Ron knows better than anyone, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

TECH BOX
Builder: Ron Larson and Pro Design Hot Rods
Engine: Supercharged 350cid, Ron Larson
Paint: Starbuck's -- Riverside, CA 909-735-6053
Wheels / Tires / Size: Budnik Fontana / Yokohama / 20-inch
Suspension: Heith's a-arm front, air bag front & rear

Ron Larson's "Ron Air" is...        read full caption Ron Larson's "Ron Air" is a topless '57 Chevy Bel Air, as modified by Ron and his Sawsall. After deleting the roof Ron drove the car across Los Angeles to Pro Design Hot Rods to finish the job. Pro Designs prepped the car for paint, built the interior and installed the system. With finishing touches from Doug Starbuck at Wet Works and Willie at Bill's Upholstery, the car took on its final show-sweeping appearance. Twenty-inch Budnik Fontana wheels roll the rig.

While the factory original...        read full caption While the factory original instrument cluster was kept, the mechanical, analog gauges have been replaced with Dakota Digital displays. Virtually all of the vehicle's vital signs are displayed here, including speed and RPM.

Clarion SRS 1684 6.5" component...        read full caption Clarion SRS 1684 6.5" component sets were installed in the front door panels and rear quarter panels. Panels were fabricated at Pro Design Hot Rods before being covered in gray Mercedes leather by Willie at Bill's Upholstery. Speakers are controlled by electronic crossovers built into the Clarion APX401.2 amplifiers.

Simple and clean, Pro Design...        read full caption Simple and clean, Pro Design Hot Rods didn't clutter the interior with electronic gadgets. A Clarion DXZ835MP source unit is installed upwind of the gear shifter, hidden behind a panel when not in use.

Off to the right is a Clarion...        read full caption Off to the right is a Clarion VMA7191 7-inch widescreen display. Pro Design fabricated the console, which extends to the package tray, out of wood and fiberglass. Willie at Bill's Upholstery finished it in gray Mercedes leather while Wet Works did the paint work.

A second Clarion VMA 7191...        read full caption A second Clarion VMA 7191 monitor was placed mid-way in this full-length console to entertain rear passengers.

Ride the wave. Four Clarion...        read full caption Ride the wave. Four Clarion APX401.2 amplifiers were mounted on a wave-like amprack fabricated by the boys at Pro Designs. After it was built and sanded smooth it was passed on to Wet Works for paint.

Same goes for the multimedia...        read full caption Same goes for the multimedia rack also in the trunk, housing Clarion VCZ625 disc changer, VDH910 VCR and VMA7191 widescreen display.

A Clarion MSS430 handles all...        read full caption A Clarion MSS430 handles all of the source switching on the right side of the trunk, accompanied by Scosche power distribution blocks.

SUB WOOFERS--A pair of Clarion...        read full caption SUB WOOFERS--A pair of Clarion SRW1043 10" woofers bring the bump to this topless cruiser. Hidden behind the rear seats, the woofers are installed in .9-cubic-feet-sealed enclosures. The center console extends all the way back to split the woofers, giving the interior a sporty feel. Fold the seats down to expose the woofers and the handy work of this versatile installation team.

As a vacuum cleaner specialist,...        read full caption As a vacuum cleaner specialist, Ron Larson knows suction. He has applied his knowledge to superchargers over the years with the many custom vehicles he has built. This engine is the latest of Ron's handy work, a 350 CID motor with a supercharger pumping in the power.