Mike and Larry Alexander loved Bradley's proposal. Surprisingly, so did Chrysler, which handed over a stripped A100 to be chopped beyond recognition. The Alexanders cropped the stock cab sheetmetal right down to the floorpan. When the roof, the first of the new parts, was tacked in place, it nearly rested right on top of the stock steering column. Bradley had originally intended the front hatch to be a top-hinged one-piece affair, like the tailgate of a modern hatchback or European sport wagon. But the narrow A-pillars just weren't strong enough to support it. The Alexander brothers instead developed a split-door arrangement, with the 1960 Ford window hinged at the top and controlled by an electric motor, and a handbuilt lower panel between the headlights that swung on a center pivot.
Engineering it all to work was every bit as complex as it sounds. In place of the stock steering column, the Alexanders fabricated a horizontal strut that rotated forward from the left body side--to allow the driver to get in and out--and locked into place when you wanted to drive. The steering wheel was a drag-racer-style butterfly item; steering inputs were transmitted via a sprocket and a chain running through the strut to a vertical shaft in the left body side. Fortunately, the standard A100 pedals came through the floor, like those in a Porsche 911, and didn't have to be moved. Hurst engineers developed a special linkage to connect the floor-mounted shifter to the Chrysler three-speed manual transmission.
To make room for occupants, the Alexanders moved the slant-six engine rearward 15 inches. It intruded well into the pickup bed, but as the Deora was never actually going to haul anything, it didn't matter. They also moved the radiator to the pickup bed and placed it ahead of the rear axle. Holes cut into the bottom of the bed allowed electric fans to draw through cooling air. It was a neat idea, but it meant the fuel tank had to be moved from its standard position behind the rear axle to the pickup bed just behind the cab. To hide everything, the bed was covered with a hard tonneau secured by chrome hood-lock pins.
At its first public showing, the Deora caused a sensation, with Chrysler claiming it represented a major advance in modern vehicle styling. Even now, more than 40 years after it was first drawn, the Deora looks modern. Of course, it was designed in an era before crash tests and crumple zones, and that slammed cabin is a tight fit for most people. "The Alexanders were small guys," says Bradley.
Those with a sharp eye for detail and a good memory will recognize a surprising number of Ford parts used on this "official" Chrysler custom. Apart from the 1960 Ford tailgate, the rear window is from a 1960 Ford sedan, and those side vents (for the exhausts) are actually 1964-1/2 Mustang taillight bezels. The ingenious taillights, hidden under the wood veneer panel across the rear and visible only when reflected in the angled chrome strip underneath, are the sequential turn-signal units from a Thunderbird. "Chrysler never seemed to understand we used Ford parts to build this car," says Bradley.