Rod & Custom Feature Car
Tracy Turner
Indianapolis, Indiana
1929 Ford Model A Tudor
Chassis
Tracy built a new frame for the sedan using 1-1.2x3-inch 'rails from Total Performance Incorporated, fabricating new motor and transmission mounts to raise the driveline a couple of inches. he also added a center crossmember and stepped the chassis 5 inches in the rear, C-notching the frame above the axle. The Super Bell dropped axle and spindles are suspended on a four-bar setup (Tracy said he'd probably go with more traditional hairpins if he ever redid it) plus a James durant monoleaf spring and Pete & Jake's shocks. Total Performance 36-inch radius rods attach to custom mounts, moving the rear suspension inside the 'rails. The Ford 8-inch rearend hangs on Total Cost Involved All American coilovers. Custom-built Panhard bars were added in the front and rear. The brakes are Ford F-1 drums in front and Mustang drums in the rear.
Drivetrain
The bargain small-block was machined 0.040 over by Marshall engines and assembled at home. Fuel is hardlined to triple Rochester 2g carburetors on an offenhauser intake manifold. Jim Linder at Bubba's hot Rod Shop in Indy rebuilt the old delco distributor, replacing the points with PerTronix electronics and recurving them on one of his vintage distributor machines. A little paint on the Mooneyes solid finned aluminum valve covers dresses us the engine. The lakester-style headers were built by the owner. Muffl ers? No. A $60 Th350 out of the classified ads runs a Jeg's 1,700-rpm-stall converter. A modified Chevy van driveshaft connects to the 8-inch Ford rear with 3.50:1 gears.
Wheels & Tires
The old jalopy racing days come to mind when we look at the Firestone dirt-track bias-plies from Coker. Tracy mounted tall 8.90-16 grooved tread rear tires on 16x7 gennie wheels from wheel Vintiques. In the front, it's ribbed 5.00-15s on 15x5 rims.
Body & Paint
The steel Tudor body, a swap meet souvenir from the Street Rod Nats, was chopped 4 inches, channeled 4 inches, and moved back 4 inches, giving it a low and long hot rod posture, enhanced by the open engine compartment and lowered- but not sectioned-grille shell. denny Jameson at Automotive hammerart in Indy did the chop and molded the visor to the roof, filling the roof with a ribbed top from an '80 olds wagon. Tracy did the channeling and installed the tinted window glass. The sedan went to Indy Speed, Custom & Restoration in Brownsburg, Indiana, for final bodywork and paint. Carey Bewley and his staff prepped the car and shot the PPg primer, a blend of eight parts red and one part black, to create a cool red oxide tone.
Interior
It doesn't get much simpler than what you'll find on the inside of the '29. A '94 Ford Aerostar bench in front and a modified S-10 seat in the back were covered with a tan, white, and black Mexican falsa blanket, expertly hog-ringed by the owner. The lift-latch seatbelts are from Juliano's. The rear seat sits on sliders. A hinged package tray folds easily and slides forward to allow access to the gas tank and battery. The gauge insert in the stock dash was modified to fit a set of Classic Instrument gauges. A tach is tucked under the dash to the left of the Limeworks steering column, and the wheel is a '40 Ford-style part, also from Limeworks. The double-bend shifter is from Lokar and pedals are from Total Performance.
Owner contact info:turner75@comcast.net