Rod & Custom Feature Car
Randy Wiersma
Paducah, Kentucky
1927 Ford Model T
Chassis
After Randy Wiersma decided he didn't want to restore his Model T, his employee Brad Starks spearheaded the project and made all the crafty changes to the now-tasty hot rod. The sturdy foundation Brad started with is a new custom chassis made from 2x3 steel rectangle tubing, which has been stepped in the rear and fitted with custom-molded running board brackets. Burying the nose to the ground is a Mr. Roadster axle with a 6-inch drop flanked by Mr. Roadster spindles spinning GM disc brakes. Steering is handled by the ingenious use of a Dodge Omni rack-and-pinion setup. The rearend is held in place by a combination of Ford wishbones and a Speedway Panhard rod with the bounce controlled by a pair of Carrera coilovers. The entire chassis and all the large components are coated in a rich covering of BMW medium charcoal, with smaller pieces painted Honda Silver for contrast.
Driveline
One of the many elements that originally made Henry Ford's beloved Model T so special was a nearly bulletproof driveline with a four-cylinder engine that could run on and on for years with very little work needed under the hood. Brad Starks decided to stick with the reliable four-cylinder theme and selected a 2.5L banger from an '80 Oldsmobile. Brad dressed up the GM Iron Duke derivative with a pair of Harley-Davidson CV carburetors on a custom intake he built along with a shaved factory valve cover and custom-fabricated air cleaner. Providing the spark is a points distributor from an early Chevy II engine machined to fit the late block accompanied by a custom-built header and exhaust system to route the spent gasses. Final detailing is a complete set of brush-finished button-head hardware from Totally Stainless. Mated up to the Olds mill is a GM 700-R4 automatic/overdrive transmission that was completely smoothed and painted before being fitted with a Lokar shifter. Power from the combo up front is transmitted to a Chevy S-10 Blazer that was equally smoothed like the rest of the chassis components before being give a liberal spray job.
Wheels & Tires
No going out on a limb with anything too modern, a set of spokes from Wheel Vintiques (15x6 and 15x7) with brushed trim accents is wrapped in a set Firestone and Uniroyal blackwall rubber running a 135R15 size in the front and 205/75R15 in the rear.
Body & Paint
Brad Starks walked a very fine line on the exterior by not over-modifying Ford's original 1927 offering, but he slicked it up just the right amount to make you give it a triple-take every time you look at it. Modifications include chopping the windshield 6 inches, filling all extra body holes, making custom pieces to cover the original hood weatherstrip channels, and fabricating a one-piece hood out of 18-gauge steel. All the rest of the original steel body parts were thoroughly massaged to perfection before Brad and co-worker Craig Dickerson sprayed the ultra deep black Standox paint.
Interior
Inside is more of Brad's focus on useful simplicity. The modified original dash is fitted with TPI instruments next to a brass Model T steering wheel mounted on top of a Speedway steering column. Auto Upholstery Shop in Paducah, Kentucky, stitched up the Lollipop Red Ultraleather in a rolls 'n' pleats style that would make Henry himself smile with approval.