1930 Model A traditional Hot Rod

Ford Model A 1930 Description

I bought this car in '01 as a stock, unrestored sedan in very good, well maintained shape. I finished it in late '06 and started driving it the first of '07. All the work and parts noted were either new or rebuilt at that time. The car now has approximately 8500 miles, plus or minus. The speedometer is the original unit. It works but makes noise so I shortened the cable to disable it. I drive with a GPS to track mileage and kept a log book to document maintenance and distances traveled. The car has seen very little use over the last several years and is now surplus to my Hot rod needs.

The engine is a '41 99T with the original number stamped on the intake deck. This is a pre 59 series 239/95 hp block found in trucks and Mercury cars and is easily identified by the raised intake deck. It was rebuilt in a local trucking company machine shop in March of '68 and sat till I got it in '03. It's bored .020 with standard mains and 0.10 rods. It's stock right down to the Ford script ignition points and condenser on the factory authorized rebuilt distributor. Carb is a later '46/'48 model 59 Holley 94 with a an internal float bowl vent. Generator has been converted to 12V.

Transmission was built with an NOS case using as many new internals as could found, including a NOS cluster gear, bearings, syncros, etc.

Rear end is a late '40s with new 3:54 ring and pinion, bearings and seals.

Brakes are also new riveted linings and new wheel bearings and are '46/'48 self centering type.

Wheels are original Ford solids. 16x5 rear and 16X4 front.

Coker Firestones are new with only a few hundred miles on them.

7:00X16 rear and 5:00/5:25X16 front. They're true and balanced and the car runs down the road very well.

The car sits on the original frame with the original number stamped in the factory location under the drivers side cowl (it IS visible with the floor boards removed).

Grille and shell are original '32 and the radiator is a Walker. The engine runs around 165 to 170. One of very few concessions to modern times is an electric fan but it rarely comes on. It’s wired to come on automatically at 190 degrees but I also added a manual on/off switch using the ’36 Ford ignition/column lock that I grafted onto the model A column drop.

The other major modern convenience is a Flaming River steering box and cross steering front end. The axle is a Super Bell 4” drop with pivoting perches attached to a Posies super slide spring, tube shocks and split wishbones. The steering wheel is a Bob Drake '36 banjo.

Headlights are stock model A mounted on a homemade stand with Halogen bulbs and internal turn signals.

Wiring is all cloth covered material and utilizes a Ford light switch.

The body on this car was very nice needing minimal body work. Paint is Nason 2K urethane single stage, color sanded and polished to level of gloss in the pictures. There is no clearcoat on this car, because it's completely unnecessary with a non metallic color.
All glass and rubber were new at the time I built the car. The body has been moved back about 1.5" and the radiator moved forward about1.5 to accommodate engine mounting without any firewall modifications. The rear cross member has been changed to reflect relocating the body and to use a '40 style rear spring. The hood has been lengthened accordingly.

Upholstery is red vinyl on the stock, original seat frames with gray cloth on the headliner and side panels above the belt line.Top is stock restoration type material over the newly installed wood framework. The rest of the wood in the body is original.

The car drives easy and smooth but it's not a speedball. It will run faster but It's most comfortable around 60-65. Think of it as if it were a early to late '40s stocker because that's pretty much what it is.