Rod & Custom Feature CarTim Van PeltBlack Hawk, South Dakota1923 Ford modified
ChassisTim started from the bottom up and designed and built the frame for his modified out of 2x3 steel. He pie-cut it at the firewall and shortened a '26 T rear crossmember to get it low, kicking it up in the rear with V-8-shaped fish plates for strength. The front crossmember has been C-notched to clear the lower radiator hose. The front suspension consists of a '30s-era Dodge double-dip tube axle with bungs welded on for the split '35 Ford wishbones and custom brackets for the Dodge leaf springs, which have been cut in half. An F-1 'box and owner-built Pitman arm handle the steering, and '47 Ford spindles with '40 brakes do their part to stop it. A '39 Ford axle with a Wilson Welding Speed Demon quick-change hangs out in the open in back, with a '26 T spring and '39 Ford 'bones. Mr. Roadster friction shocks handle the bumps at both ends.
DrivetrainThis modified wouldn't have looked right with anything but a Flathead sitting behind the Walker brass radiator, so Tim had Denny Price assemble the '52 8BA with a basically stock short-block and added an Isky Max 1 cam and Offenhauser aluminum heads and intake topped with two 94s. Speedway Motors provided the Tru-Helmet air cleaners, electronic ignition with cloth-covered wires, and header kit (owner-built). A Ford C4 auto trans is shifted with a Gennie Shifter swan-neck handle.
Wheels & TiresIt's hard to beat '35 Ford 16-inch wires on a modified. The fronts are stock, but the rears were widened 2 1/2 inches. Firestone rubber (4.50s and 7.00s) was really the only choice.
Body & PaintThe body started out as the front half of a '26 touring and has now been treated to a filled cowl, smoothed firewall, steel floors and trans tunnel, and a custom lower pan on the back of the body. The Ford script on the back is from a '47 Ford pickup. Gene Jobgen at A&A Restoration in Rapid City, South Dakota, was put in charge of getting the body in shape before Bruce Rall shot it with PPG Red Oxide primer. The headlights are early '28 Ford Model ARs mounted on stands made from a cut-down Model A headlight bar.
InteriorThe interior is about as bare-bones as you're going to find. The owner-built seat sits on a lowered seat riser. The '40 Ford dash was narrowed 7 inches (basically right through the speaker grille) and pie-cut on the ends to fit the T body. The LimeWorks four-spoke wheel sits atop an owner-built column.