Ted Young
Redding, California
1928 Ford Model A Roadster Pickup
"This was my ride to school in 1954," Ted wrote. The school was Bell High School in Bell, California. The ride was his '28 A roadster pickup, with a '40 Ford V-8 and '39 transmission, a cut-down Deuce grille, a handformed three-piece aluminum hood with coffin latches, and a '40 Standard steering wheel. It also had an Auburn dash and chrome Dago axle.
Ted was 16 in this photo. His passengers, niece Cindy and nephew Donny, were visiting from Texas and had never ridden in a hot rod. "I couldn't keep them out of the car, even though their dad didn't think it was a great idea." Ted sold the car in 1956, because he needed a closed car for dating. "The roadster was no fun for taking a girl to the drive-in-no privacy."
Today, Ted is "still a hot rod kid," with several projects in the works. Even so, he'd love to find his old A. "I wish I had it back so I could finish what I started." Call him at (530) 221-3656 if you have any info.
James Norris
Bridgeport, Ohio
1930 Ford Model A coupe
There are a lot of surprises in this low-budget, owner-built Model A. When James says owner-built, he means that "no pro shops have touched my car!" He did all the bodywork, paint, and interior, built all his own brackets, handled all the welding, and whipped up the wiring system "from absolute scratch."
He built the 2x3 square box tube frame on a homebuilt jig, and fabricated the four-wheel independent torsion bar suspension. The biggest surprise is the 2.8L Chevy V-6 mounted in the rear.
And, when we say low-budget, we're referring to James' out-of-pocket expenses that, at the time he wrote us, hadn't hit $4,000 yet. The all-steel primered five-window is a work in progress, which hasn't prevented it from winning lots of "Best of" trophies.
We cannot return submitted material.
Please include your phone number.
Mail vintage photos of you and your hot rod, along with detailed info, to Yesterday's Young Guns,774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870
Send recent photos of your current ride to Readers' Rods at the same address.
Send digital images (500kb or larger) to timothy.bernsau@sourceinterlink.com