Hot Rod Meets Overlanding: Rodz by Ludwin's 1936 Ford

Some things just naturally go together. Top Fuelers and nitromethane. Rusty bolts and skinned knuckles. Beer and bench racing. But some things just—don’t. In those cases, it takes a person of vision (or perhaps delusion) to combine two almost opposing ideas into a whole new creation.

Jason Ludwin is such a person. He took two concepts—hot rods and off-roading—and combined them to create what’s most likely the world’s first and only 1936 Ford overlander. The idea doesn’t make sense if you think about it, but when you see it the pieces just fall together and you go yeah, that works.

Jason is no stranger to building rods or 4x4s in his one-man shop, Rodz by Ludwin. He started as an off-roader, got into hot rods and rat rods (including a wicked 1936 Chevy pickup powered by a twin-turbo LS) then went back into 4x4s, so the idea to combine them was already percolating in his brain. All it needed was a spark, which arrived in the form of a 1936 Ford Tudor sedan. The barn find was unmolested and in remarkably good shape for a New York resident, so Jason bought it on the spot.

Chassis and Brakes
Jason discovered that the Ford’s chassis dimensions were very close to a four-door Jeep Wrangler TJ. That meant he could adapt suspension components made for the Wrangler to the Ford. Here are the dimensions for comparison:

1936 Ford
112 inch wheelbase, 55.5 inch front/58.25 inch rear track width, 182.8 inches overall length

Jeep Wrangler JK, 4-Door
116 inch wheelbase, 61.9 inch track width, 173.4 inches overall length

Jason elected to use the Ford’s frame. He took it apart, removed the X-member and crossmembers, boxed the rails, and added new crossmembers for the drivetrain—a 5.3L GM LS engine; a Turbo 350 transmission; a NP231 transfer case; and Dana 30 front and Ford 8.8 rear axles.

The suspension is a three-link up front and a triangulated four-link out back with high-travel, nitrogen-filled air shocks, Rock Jock Anti-Rock sway bars, and Trail Gear limit straps. Jason says the suspension provides about 12 inches of travel; ride height is 30.5 inches from the ground to the bottom of the frame.

The ’36 rides on 17 x 9 inch wheels mounted on 35 x 12.50 all-terrain style tires that are comparable to a Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T or a Nitto Ridge Grappler tire. Braking is the job of Power Stop Z36 disc brakes front and rear with 11 inch slotted and cross-drilled rotors and red powdercoated calipers with carbon-ceramic brake pads.

Drivetrain
Jason pulled the 5.3L LS from a 2007 Chevy Silverado. The engine is all stock internally; Jason installed a Summit Racing™ Pro LS Oil Pan Kit and Summit Racing™ Block Hugger Headers designed for LS swaps in pre-1949 vehicles. The icing on the cake is a FiTech Go EFI 3x2 Tri Power EFI system.

The transmission is a Chevy Turbo 350 with a shift kit and a Summit Racing™ Torque Converter. The transmission is connected to an NP 231 transfer case from a Jeep XJ Cherokee. The Dana 30 front axle came off of the same Cherokee; the rear axle is a Ford 8.8 inch from an Explorer. The axles were rebuilt and upgraded with Yukon Gear 3.73 gears.

Body and Paint
For 80-plus years old, the Ford had really good bones. Jason replaced the floorboards with new Direct Sheetmetal steel, repaired the firewall and rockers, and stretched the wheel openings in the fenders to accommodate the 35 inch tires. He built a roof rack and a rear spare tire carrier from 3/4 inch diameter tubing, and adapted Body Armor 4x4 front and rear bumpers for a TJ Wrangler. He even installed a pull-back canvas sunroof to replace the Ford’s factory fabric top.

Jason was going to leave the Ford’s patina-ed black paint as-is, but with the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling everything in 2020, he used the extra time to paint the car Toyota Quicksand as used on the TRD versions of Tacoma and Tundra pickups. Jason added some flattener to slightly alter the color.

Overlanding Gear
Jason prepared the Ford for overlanding duty. He installed a Mile Marker SEC9.5 9,500 pound winch on the front bumper and a Warn VR EVO 8-S 8,000 pound winch on a mount that slides into a Curt receiver hitch out back. Up top is a Body Armor 4x4 Sky Ridge two-person popup tent. Electrical power comes from two 600 amp batteries and a 1,000 watt power inverter with a 20 amp onboard battery maintainer and a solar panel backup.

Other gear includes an LED light bar and auxiliary lights mounted on the roof rack; Bubba Rope Power Stretch rope and GatorJaw soft tow shackles; a Mile Marker recovery kit; and a high-lift jack.

Interior
Jason had the original dashboard and windshield moldings hydrodipped in an oak wood finish and filled it with a Classic Instruments Velocity Series gauge kit. The matching wood steering wheel sits on a Summit Racing™ Floor Mount Steering column. Rosie Rockabilly stitched the bitchin’ plaid covers for the Mazda 6 bucket seats plus a set of matching sunvisors and floor mats. Jason removed the Ford’s rear seat and built a platform to mount the VIAIR onboard air compressor system, battery maintainer and power inverter, and a 20 gallon fuel cell.

Other interior bits include a Vintage Air Slim Line underdash climate control system, a Summit Racing™ Floor Mount Shifter for the Turbo 350 transmission, and a switch panel to control the exterior lighting.

Jason took the ’36 to the 2021 SEMA Show in Las Vegas where it got a warm reception. Even Motor Trend magazine gave it an admiring glance. But it’s a new year, and Jason is taking time off from building stuff to off-road the Ford in the Adirondack mountains, just a short drive away

We get into more detail on the build in the attached slide show, and you can learn more about the overlanding Ford in this Summit Racing podcast, SEMA video, and the Rodz by Ludwin Facebook page.

Suspension and Brakes
Rock Jock Anti-Rock Sway Bars
Trail Gear Rock Assault Limit Straps
Power Stop Z36 Truck and Tow Brake Kit with Calipers, front
Power Stop Z36 Truck and Tow Brake Kit with Calipers, rear

Drivetrain
FiTech GO EFI 3x2 Tri Power EFI System
Summit Racing™ Block Hugger Headers
Summit Racing™ TH-350 Torque Converter
Summit Racing™ Pro LS Oil Pan Kit
Yukon Gear 3.73 Ring and Pinion Gear Set, Dana 30
Yukon Gear 3.73 Ring and Pinion Gear Set, Ford 8.8
G2 Axle and Gear Differential Cover, Ford 8.8
G2 Axle and Gear Differential Cover, Dana 30

Body and Paint
Direct Sheetmetal Front Floorboards
Direct Sheetmetal Rear Floorboards
Body Armor 4x4 Front Bumper
Body Armor 4x4 Rear Bumper
Body Armor 4x4 Fuel Filler Door

Interior
Summit Racing™ Floor Shift Steering Column
Summit Racing™ Floor Mount Shifter
Classic Instruments Velocity Series Gauge Kit
Vintage Air Mini Slim Line Climate Control System

Off-Road Gear
Body Armor 4x4 Sky Ridge Pike Tent
Mile Marker SEC9.5 Winch
Warn VR EVO 8-S Winch
Mile Marker Recovery Kit
Bubba Rope Recovery Rope
Bubba Rope Gator-Jaw Soft Shackle

Other Items
Curt Manufacturing Class V Receiver Hitch
Curt Manufacturing Rebellion XD Receiver Hitch Ball Mount
Ron Francis EXPRESS Wiring Harness