Swedes with Sawzalls: Chopping a Model A

For whatever reason, I’ve been going hot rod crazy these past few weeks. You know how it is: staying up way too late scheming and planning your next project. Your work area fills with musty magazines and loose-leaf sketches, while your computer’s desktop overflows with folders of cars from around the world. While in this hot rod frenzy, my friend Krister Lindblom shared a video that only got me more excited about these old machines.

Before we get into that, I’d like to introduce Krister, a Swedish hot rodder who runs Pratt’s Speed Department. To put things simply, he’s an enthusiast in every sense of the word. He’s known throughout the Nordic States for his rowdy, flathead-powered “218” Deuce highboy. By the look of things, it’s a riot on the street, sand and everywhere in between. Beyond building some excellent traditional cars, Krister’s down-to-earth attitude is a constant reminder of how fun this hobby of ours can be.

And, luckily for us, today’s post is all about fun. Filmed by Krister’s pal from Slowshop & Custom, the video shows the process of chopping his son Robby’s Model A coupe. After watching the clip, I asked Krister for some details.

“The car was picked up exactly one year ago and we have made it Robby’s,” he says. “He likes the old jalopy style and the last thing so far is the roof chop! The car came from the U.S.A. in the mid-’90s, and has been kind of a hot rod since then! The goal is a flathead V8, right now it’s the souped-up Model A engine with dual carbs. My son is a hardcore traditionalist and likes the old-style stuff. The chop took us a day in total and made the car much better we think! Our friend did the filming and helped out in a great way.”

There’s no doubt that the four-inch chop greatly improves this car’s attitude. Check it out, and maybe it’ll inspire you to go out and start cutting up some vintage tin this Memorial Day weekend.

—Joey Ukrop

 Note: Once the video wound down, I dove into the others on the Slowshop channel. They’re equally as fun, and they come with this warning: “If you like nice clean welds, lots of expensive equipment and a host that master perfect English…this is not for you. But if odd builds and a sense of humour tickles your toes; Welcome!” If that sounds like something you’d like, you can see for yourself here.