Built To Beat On in a 1932 Ford Model A Sedan Roadster

Here's a diamond in the rough we stumbled upon in the back grassy area of the Kentucky Exposition Center during the '05 NSRA Street Rod Nationals. In the sea of street rod perfection that is the Nats, hot rods like this are startling by their contrast, and we jumped out of our golf cart to get a closer look and take a few photographs. Somehow the Tudor Deuce looked familiar and sure enough, hot rod graphics and pinstripe artist Joshua Shaw owns it.

There was a time when this all-steel '32 sedan body could've had a shot at some sort of prestigious prize from the Nationals--maybe an award from one of the two-tone-shirted reps or a coveted Rod & Custom Pro's Pick trophy. Back in the '80s and '90s, you see, this was a full-fendered, fully finished street rod, wired with every variety of power accessory, donned with all manner of billet ornamentation, and guarded from harm by the trailer that hauled it all over.

Then came the accident. The front end was smacked up a bit, but the body was spared; however, when the paint was stripped during the rebuild, a shocking amount of Bondo was discovered. Rather than tackle a huge sheetmetal repair job, the owner decided to replace the old steel sedan body with a new fiberglass Vicky one, and sold the body, including firewall and glass, to Joshua.

The rat rod fad hadn't sent factory Model A body prices into the stratosphere yet, so Joshua got the sedan for a good price. It took him four years to build the rest of the car, and his dad, Dan Shaw, helped along the way. Progress might have been speedier if Joshua hadn't been so careful about finding exactly the right old-time speed equipment he wanted, or if he hadn't been going to college 150 miles away from his garage. "I would drive home every weekend all through college and work until late Sunday night, then drive all night and get to my Monday morning class!"

The 3 1/2-inch chop to the top had been completed by Steve Hanaur back in 1972, a few years before Joshua was born. Joshua kept the hinges, handles, cowl vent, and the original top, and painted the body with John Deere Blitz Black. The cream-colored scallops extend down onto the American Stamping framerails, built by Jack Strunk, with new Chassis Engineering crossmembers. The dropped axle frontend is an original '50s-era SO-CAL Speed Shop setup, with Deuce springs and custom shocks added, plus '40 Ford front spindles and brakes. Split wishbones are used in the front and rear.

An original Vertex mag fires up the 0.060-over 327 small-block, topped with a single four-barrel. Joshua shifts the Muncie four-speed with a Hurst shifter. The Ford 9-inch out of a '68 Bronco has 3.73:1 gears and a Posi.

Joshua has been driving the Deuce for a few years now and covered 40,000 miles along the way. It's been everywhere from Bonneville to Louisville. It's gone as fast as 135 mph and as quick as the low 13s. "I built it to beat on," he tells us, "and still manage to break it."