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One of the sweetest designs Edsel Ford put together for his
Dad, the '29 Roadster is a favourite amongst Rodders. This
one subscribes to the resto-rod influence, with most of
the stock accessories in place.
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When he started on the Roadster project in
January '98, Graham knew a thing or two about these Hot Rod thingies
so the car was completed in a bit over a year, which says a lot
about his enthusiasm. The project began
with a set of Halibrands and tyres, to which was added a stock
configuration Model A chassis, and a Magnum 4" dropped I-beam front
axle and stainless steel four-bar suspension. The early Ford stub
axles use Falcon rotors and Holden calipers, and a '78 Holden
steering box, and a panhard bar is mounted between the chassis and
the dropped axle.
When the chassis was mostly
complete, it was sent off to
Deuce Customs, and
when they returned the chassis, the new body fitted the chassis
perfectly. Graham then fitted a Rootleib bonnet (hood). He used a
new repro '28 grille shell over a Desert Cooler radiator, and a
stock headlamp crossbar supports a pair of reproduction '28
headlamps. The top was hand fabricated from steel tubing and
aluminium sheet.
The motor is the trusty 302
Windsor, fitted with an Edelbrock Torker manifold and 600 cfm
Holley. A ProComp electronic distributor, Mickey Thompson valve
covers and HPC coated Castle Auto Electrics block hugger headers
complete the other improvements to the engine. Graham's son is a
stainless steel sheet metal fabricator, so he put together a
great deal of mirror finished stainless steel bright work: the
firewall, engine mount covers, 50 litre fuel tank, front and rear
four-bars and an under-floor panel that fits betwixt body and frame.
The exhaust is also polished
stainless steel, after the block huggers, and they flow down past
the manual box - a single rail 4-speed that has given great service.
A 10" heavy duty clutch is hydraulically operated from a pedal box
that is mounted into the frame rails. The clutch master cylinder and
slave cylinder are also from the same '74 Falcon as the box and
clutch, so there are no issue there. The brake component of that
pedal box is the popular Gemini boosted Falcon master cylinder.
Driveline Specialities shortened
and balanced a suitable tail shaft, and a Centura diff was
installed, giving the rear track just the right width, and the same
bolt pattern as the front. There is an issue with the wheel studs -
Centura are 7/16" and Ford are ½" but that's nothing that can't be
fixed. The stainless 4-bar setup is a triangulated design on the
rear, eliminating the need for a panhard bar. Aldan coil-over shock
absorbers are used here, and the 15x9½" Halibrand Sprints that
started the project are mounted out the back, with Yokahama radials.
The Halibrands (15x6" up front) use the dimpled knock-offs to
complete the old timey Hot Rod reference.
The light tan vinyl and brown
carpet interior, which in this case includes the rumble seat, was
ably installed by another Brisbane Rodding icon, John Davies of
Bayside Trimmers. Another Rodder, Steve Woodward of Independent
Retro Castings supplied the polished aluminium diff cover.
This car looks less like a
fiberglass car than most - Graham used stock front and rear bumpers
and irons, stock headlamp and tail lamps, bonnet catches, fuel
filler cap, a motometer sitting up on the radiator, and stock door
hinges. Most of the repro parts used were supplied by Hot Rod
Hardware, in fact they also supplied the valance panels, running
boards and the 'board brackets.
Superformance supplied some of the trinketry, including the
indicators.
The Roadster's body is painted in
a 2-pack rendition of Graham's favourite colour - Calypso Green. He
added some flames a while back, and they are the product of the
legendary Bay Area painter, Art Himsl. Ok, Art didn't fly over from
San Francisco and paint them himself, but the stick-on artwork sure
looks the part.
The other projects that Graham is
into are a '34 3 window coupe that comprises a Deuce Customs body
and a Darryl Kuhnemann built chassis.
The motor is the supercharged 302 Windsor in the
pictures, so this thing will be a serious performer, more on that
project later. The other is a '29 Woody - a converted ute that will
be completed when the coupe is done. Graham bought the Woody as an
almost-complete roller; it already has a 351 and C4, and a Commodore
diff, so is well on the way to adding to the Scriven Hot Rod
heritage. ◄
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Graham asked us to mention that he is
single, so if you are a single female over 40, then please
call him. He already has a Woody. |
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Accreditation: The Editor,
and information and material supplied by the owner.
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