As Told by Debbie Anderson

We are a proudly South African family outfit, named  Ragemotorsport, consisting of a brother and sister team, Gary and Debbie Anderson, along with extra help from retired dad Robin.

We started our company way back in 2006 doing custom machining for the Historic Racing guys. Currently we do all the machining of components for the GT40s manufactured in Cape Town by a well-known manufacturer and exporter with branches all over the world.

Apart from that we also manufacture parts like our uniquely designed and patented billet aluminum brake calipers, gearbox adaptors, billet aluminum fuel filters and breathers, custom engraved tappet covers, billet aluminum front and rear uprights, stub axles, and pulleys. These are just a few of the products we manufacture.

In 2014 we were bitten by the rat rod and hot rod bug. Two 1934 Ford steel bodies and an angle grinder set up the base for our pickups’ cabin, which is a full fiberglass piece. The two dead bodies weren’t used in vain as they gave rise to the name of our pickup, “Rage Phoenix—because it was born again through the ashes—or should I rather say “grinder shavings.”

The chassis used was sourced from, well, nothing. There wasn’t one available with the specs needed so we simply designed and created our own. That prompted us to manufacture 99 percent of our vehicle in-house. Why source parts and use donor vehicles when you can make everything yourself? So we made our own drop axle, front and rear suspension.

With the main bits manufactured, it was a matter of building a steel load bin, fitting a motor, a sweet Ford 302 V8 and C4 auto gearbox.

On the exterior are some red steelies in wide and narrows, complete with whitewalls and chrome hubcaps. This color is a great contrast to the light army-green matte finish given to the cab and load bin.

The Rage Phoenix logo stands out on the doors, as does the same logo fashioned into the tailgate by way of a fiberglass insert which was originally pulled from a 50mm thick billet aluminum block with 20 hours worth of machining in it to create our logo.

The roof features a nautical star logo for an extra touch. The Ford V8 has been left exposed and there are many custom parts and trick bits fitted with the Phoenix logos engraved, it really is a mean looking motor.

The custom megaphone pipes end in laser-cut star shape exits. Being exposed gave us the chance to show off our customizing skills, such as a V8 logo laser-cut into the front suspension and chassis mounts. Custom tappet covers, a Holley double pumper, an Edelbrock intake manifold, billet ignition wire holders and an upgraded ignition system are all part of the setup.

Inside the cabin it’s plain and simple, a cream dash fitted with the classic series chrome-bezel Auto Meter gauges. A wooden 3-spoke EMPI steering wheel is in play along with a B&M shifter. The custom made bench seat and door guards have been finished in white and red vinyl.

We must have done something right because by the time we had finished building our dream pickup we had a buyer, an offer we couldn’t refuse and the chance to build another.

This has led our company in a whole new direction. Now that we at Ragemotorsport have fine-tuned the process, we are able to custom-build a complete running Phoenix in three to four months, or for the more adventurous car builders who prefer to do things their own way, a fully comprehensive DIY-style kit.