Tom Pagano
Rancho Cordova, California
'27 Model T
Roadster Pickup
Drivetrain
Bruce "Wrench" Pleaston and the owner rebuilt the '56 Hemi that came with the pile of parts that became this roadster using stock 9.25:1 pistons and a PAW cam with stock heads. The original dual-quad intake and dual 500-cfm Edelbrock carbs feed the 354ci engine, and Sanderson headers carry the exhaust note right below Tom's ears. A Hot Heads adapter hooks the Hemi to a Turbo 400, modified by Xtreme Performance. The Ford 9-inch rearend runs 3.00:1 gears.
Chassis
The Model A 'rails that carried the car way back when were replaced by a 2x4-inch tube frame from the Model T Shop in Sacramento. The T is suspended on All American springs and shocks in the back, with suicide-perched leaves and custom-made reverse-mount radius rods in front at the drilled '46 Ford axle and spindles. Brakes are 11-inch discs in front, with 10-inch drums at the rear. The steering column has been replaced with a Wizard Fabrication Steer Clear offset steering coupler, invented by Tom himself.
Wheels & Tires
Wide whites mounted on painted Wheel Vintiques steelies with caps and rings are a perfect match for the red and white roadster. Front 15x5s are mounted with radials from Coker. The 15x7s in the back run Moon cheater slicks.
Body & Paint
Starting with some badly Bondo'd and patch paneled sheetmetal, Tom and Ron Roark handbuilt the entire lower portion of the body. The floor was completely fabricated from a steel tube frame with riveted aluminum. The original plan for satin black was scrapped in favor of something a little more eye-catching. After several changes of mind, Tom decided on bright white with red scallops. Tom's son, Tom Jr., a partner in Tomz Kustoms (with Tom Sr. and Tom Leman), added the pinstriping to the grille shell, firewall, heads, framerails, rear axle, rearend housing, and elsewhere. His talent earned him the Tommy The Greek Memorial Award at the San Francisco Rod, Custom, and Motorcycle Show.
Interior
The cockpit, built by Tom, is about as simple, and traditional, as it gets-Stewart Warner Wings gauges in a custom dash, SO-CAL Sprint Car steering wheel, and Lokar shifter and eight-ball knob. The riveted floors were jazzed up with a little more pinstriping. The custom seats are built from '27 T sedan frames with custom cushions and perforated aluminum backs riveted in place-and flip forward. When Tom debuted the car in Pleasanton last year, the backs hadn't been installed. Tom told everybody they were done anyway. "That drove 'em nuts," he says.