Features UPDATE! Model A Hot Rod Built in 63

I was in the fifties and to this day I liked the '60s better.

I guess because of my past I may have a little insight on why a car built in the '60s by a teenager may resemble a '50s car. Being a teeny bopper in the late '60s and not being a wealthy teeny bopper I built most of my cars with older guys cast offs. When the kids who's folks had enough money to help them were driving muscle cars and fancy tri five chebbies I was building late '50s early '60s style cars. The older guys would update to the latest and greatest and I would get what they pulled off. Believe it or not that was pretty common.

@Deescott Rad man. Like the old hooptie.

 

Nice Build you really hit the look of the era

 

Had a few people hit me up about the chromer, sorry, Im not in a position to pass the connection on to others. It’s a low key thing, and my friend let me in on it a couple times. I don’t have a name, number or anything like that. Didn’t mean to tease but it also seemed like something people would get a kick out of.

 

Soooo cooool.....

You could get that radio converted to 12V AM/FM/AUX for 300-400 bucks.

Rich

 

What a score, Love the Coupe … more pictures please!

 

time capsule.....

 

Update!! So, I finally talked to the original builder of the car. When Rod Dickinson, from Tucumcari NM was 14, all his friends were into Cushman scooters. He wanted one real bad but dad said no, but bought him a Model A coupe instead! He said it was safer, and although it was clapped out, if he worked hard, by the time he got his license he’d have a car to drive. Rod saved his cash, and him and a friend tore it apart. He found a guy to rebuild the motor, took it to him and in the meantime, found a guy that built custom cars near him.
Thing is, dad said no hot rod! But that’s what Rod wanted, and the guy helping him was a hot rod/custom guy, so without telling pops while they were rebuilding stuff, they would send everything possible to the chromer. His dad also wanted a steel roof, cuz he said it would be safer, so the top was filled with a 60 Mercury hood. Rod really wanted it candy apple red but couldn’t afford it, so red lacquer that was around was used. But to a 15 year old kid in a small town, that was still pretty awesome!
He sent it to Clovis NM for a tuck and roll upholstery, and by that time, the motor was done. The rebuilder installed it, and Rod got to drive it home the day it was done even though he didn’t have his license yet. But on the way home, he heard a noise and what the hell, motor blew a hole clear through the block. Now he suspects the guy didn’t tighten down the internals, but at the time he thought it was his fault! Poor kid. But the Model A guy he had been buying parts off of heard about it, and offered up a rebuilt motor he had, and Rod and his friend installed it themselves.
I forgot to mention that Rods dad wasn’t very happy about the tuck n roll, and all the extra chromed goodies. Basically Rod had a coupe that was all hot rod on top, but complete stocker underneath, which wasn’t so bad once he got his license and first day of school came around!
This all happened around 1962-64. Rod drove it everyday, had a few fender benders, but took good care of the coupe til he saved up and got a 56 Chevy. In 69 he joined the army, and when he got back, sold the 56 to get married, and Rod and his wife used the A as transportation, until he “sold” it to a family member to get something that could fit a family. Eventually when Rods son was older, and that family member was nearing the end of his life, he gave the coupe to Rods son to keep it in the family.
That’s where I got it from. Everyone that had it always kept it covered and inside a garage. It’s got dents and dings, but overall the interior is stilll great and the paint still shines. Definitely not show car quality, paint job wasn’t the best and everything else was done mostly by some 15 year old kids, but I dig it.
Rod told me he really wanted a Chevy motor in it, and he really wanted a full on hot rod, and when I told him that I was doing exactly that, using only parts available when he was a kid, without touching the body or interior, he was genuinely happy, and glad that it went to somebody that cared about his old coupe. Which made me very happy too.
At this point I’m just about a couple weeks away from it being done, and I’m also weeks away from having my first child. Trying to pay for both is admittedly difficult, but I’ll manage soon enough!

 

Awesome story, that makes it all even better! Thanks for sharing.

 

X2...good on you @Deescott...the driven look rocks...and the connection to the original family is priceless as well...have a well deserved maiden voyage...dayuum that's really looking the Hotrod part bigtime...

 

Fantastic story!

 

The coupe is neat and the story is even better!!!

 

Thanks for sharing the story!

 

Way cool car and story. When I first looked at the interior shot (5th pic down) I thought I was seeing a wooden broom handle for the steering column. Whew. Nevermind...

 

Thanks for the rest of the story! Congratulations on your new 'babies'.

 

Well., some new Dads hate when Wifey says "go to the store for more diapers"...he is gonna take the coupe and be gone for 3 hours..

.

 

Great story, Best of Luck with the Baby and the coupe.

 

Not the best pics, but just got it all back together and rolled it out into the sun. Needs wired, lights and drive shaft, but everything else is bolted down, bled and insured. Not too far away.

 

F'n A... That be a Hot Rod !!

That motor looks so cool the way you dressed it out.. chromed early manifolds, trips, gold paint...home run.

White paint underneath the fenders, toooo...

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Fun times just around the corner...your doing a fantastic job...Great restraint on upgrades...that's a cool Hotrod

 

So cool you got to talk to the original builder, that is awesome.

That seems like a really fun car to go drive and have some fun in.

-Woog

 

Man what a beautiful coupe!!!

 

You guys have no idea how cool this car is until you see it in person. It's a true time capsule and Dan is doing an amazing job putting it back on the road without taking any of the histories away from it.

 

So neat!

 

This little hot rod is awesome, Daniel! Just know, you're old Fordor is doing great - It's driven at least twice a week to work, and every weekend.

-Dustin

 

I like that firewall, does the stock tank fit behind it. Is the front cross member still in the stock location. Phil

 

Awesome Dustin. I love this car but miss the Fordor a lot, especially because right after you got it I found out we were having a baby, and now that’s we are family, I need that car back! If I would have known, I don’t think I would have sold it.


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Yes and yes. Still using stock tank and stock front crossmember. The cowl is trimmed back a bit so there isn’t a huge hole in the middle to fit the distributor and motor.


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Fuck this car rules hard.

 

Last piece to this hot rod puzzle! Can ya guess what it is?