Bruce Leven says he was occasionally accused of not knowing what he wanted to be when he grew up. He also admits that his inability to settle on just one thing extends to his taste in cars, as well. In addition to his interest in hot rods, Bruce's participation in the automotive hobby spans everything from vintage Sprint Cars to sports car racing. He calls himself an ex-pro sports car driver, but says he's always been a hot rodder at heart.
That all-encompassing automotive appetite is evident in this truly awesome roadster, which manages to blend a number of performance automotive styles into one seamless look. Part hot rod, part midget, part early Indy car, part early sports car--that's how Bruce describes the theme (or multiple themes) of his astonishing A. We've seen combinations of styles done on some of our Dream Car illustrations, but it's rare to see the approach look this good on a real-world rod.
Much of the work that went into the roadster was handled by J&L Fabricating in Puyallup, Washington. The shop specializes in race cars and used that expertise to built a custom chrome-moly tube frame as the foundation for Leven's rod. The body is one of Brookville's steel '29 roadster bodies, channeled 5 inches and modified with an aluminum hood and nose, a pair of headrests, and countless other items that put the car in its own distinct category. Even the engine has been given the full treatment. Dave Tatom at Tatom Custom Engines in Mt. Vernon, Washington, is a master of vintage mills and completely blueprinted this flathead for performance in the range of 226 hp.
The roadster didn't get finished until fairly late into last year's car show season, but its impact was felt immediately. At the car's debut appearance at the Goodguys Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, it was awarded a Boyd Coddington Pro's Pick and a Street Rodder Magazine Top 10 choice. It was also selected as one of only a few finalists for the Goodguys Street Rod of the Year competition. That's not a bad pile of prizes for an old sports car racer with an absolutely beautiful hot rod that borrows styles from just about everywhere and appeals to just about everybody.
Bruce Leven
Hobart, Washington
'29 Ford Model A Roadster
Drivetrain: The 284ci full-race flathead, built at Tatom Custom Engines, is packed with Ross pistons connected by polished rods to a stroker crank, with Navarro aluminum heads and triple Stromberg 97s atop a Navarro intake manifold. Exhaust escapes through custom headers built at J&L Fabricating. The Hurst-shifted GM T5 transmission with McLeod clutch was modified by Bill Erickson in Seattle.
Chassis: J&L Fabricating applied its race car chops to the chassis, starting with a custom tube frame. Front components include a Magnum dropped I-beam axle, Durant mono-leaf spring, '37 Ford spindles, and hairpins. Front brakes are So-Cal Buick-style front discs; rear brakes are Ford drums. A custom four-bar was built for the rear, along with a Halibrand quick-change rearend with 3.89:1 gears. Shocks are Carreras.
Wheels & Tires: Leven went for rolling stock that perfectly complements the car's track roadster theme, mounting a pair of 890-16 Firestone grooved dirt track tires from Coker on 16x7 wire wheels from Wheel Vintiques, along with ribbed front Firestones on 15x5 rims.
Body & Paint: The body started from an all-steel Brookville Roadster, channeled 5 inches over the rails at J&L Fabricating and treated (obviously) to many modifications and details. Much of the bodywork was done at Byers Custom in Auburn, Washington. The hood and grille shell were built from aluminum, as was the full bellypan. Headlights are King Bees; '48 Ford taillights look just right in the rear and match the shape of the rearview mirror from Vintique. The PPG blue paint, white scallop, and red pinstriping were applied at Byers.
Interior: The blend of styles is carried over into the interior, as well. The Schroeder steering wheel and Sprint Car-style box are connected by a custom J&L column. J&L also created the pedals and '32-style dash, which features a speedo and quad cluster from Classic Instruments. The custom bench and interior panels were upholstered in English leather by Bill O'Donald of Seattle. The carpeting is gray German weave. Hot Rod Enterprises in Auburn, Washington, wired the car.