Nostalgia hot rodding doesn’t start and end in the late ’40s to ’50s. A truly wonderful time for hot rods happened in the late ’60s and well into the ’70s with the resto-rod movement. Like any human endeavor, certain elements can become overdone, even trite. Unfortunately, the worst of an era is what most people seem to retain in their memory banks; yes, cowl lights, accessory lenses, tags, horns, foglamps, and the like. But consider those that were tastefully conceived. The Early Times Car Club immediately comes to mind. Their cars always showed an equal amount of restraint and outrageousness. Outrageously restrained? Tasteful for sure, lower than most, man they hit the mark.
The sedan on these pages started its hot rod life in the Early Times club mold and was used like a proper hot rod should be for many years. This brings us to Chris and Nancy Ross. The Ross family bought the Model A about eight years ago. Granted, the fit and finish was not exactly as you see it here. They knew the car needed to be gone through, but knew they wanted to retain the style in which it was built in the first placechrome, a little brass, some accessories, wire wheels, and candy paint.
Chris and Nancy set off to find someone in the Phoenix Valley who could tackle the job of restoring and upgrading this old Forda restored hot rod, an oxymoron if ever there was one! Well, that seems to be the case when reconstructing a reconstructed car. While the general vibe was mandated by the Rosses to fall in line with its original hot rod guise, a whole lot of upgrading was done as well. First and foremost, the general fit and finish of the car exceeds anything possible back in the day. Handmade, coach-built, European cars have a hard time being superior to pretty much any of the hot rods and customs rolling out of the shops today. This little Tudor is no exception, and is where the Way brothers enter the picture. Chris and Nancy were referred to Randy and Mike Way of All Ways Hot Rods by another valley shop. The Ways were given the nod because of their previous valley-based efforts and reputation of skill and almost freaky attention to detail.
Ever notice some of the standout cars from the early ’70s? Sure, they look like ’70s builds, but there are certain aspects that really separate them from the reststance, a perfect blend of paint, chrome and polish, the right size front and rear tires, the placement front to back, in and out of the fenders, and more. In short, a car that looks just right without trying too hard. That, folks, is what we have here. The gang at All WaysMike, Randy, Gregg, and Eddieset about deconstructing the car in preparation of its grand Phoenix-like reincarnation.
An inventory of all the sedan’s bits and pieces was compared to the to-do list. Starting with the bare chassis, a Rod Factory frame was sourced with a 2-inch kickup in the rear to which the Ways added 2 more inches to help with the new much-lowered stance. A chromed, polished, and painted Jaguar rearend with custom trailing arms was used to maintain the ’70s vibe, but was refurbished and assembled with watchmaker accuracy. Also, keeping in touch with the era, a chrome Super Bell tube axle up front is located with a Rod Factory spring and a four-bar. Wilwood and Jag disc brake components are used front and back with an All Ways fabbed e-brake setup. Stainless and chrome 15-inch Dayton wire wheels are a key player in this and ride within Dunlop 195/50 and 235/70 radials. A GM 290-horse crate motor was employed for its conservative power and reliability with a cool Offenhauser 3x2 intake added for the extra nostalgic touch. Power is turned through a Turbo 400 transmission out back to the beautiful Jag IRS.