Hot rod historian help appreciated on this one! I’m trying to track down info on my 1929 Ford Model A roadster. I’m hoping someone in the cl***ic car/hot rod community remembers my roadster from the old days or knows someone who does. Here’s some backstory first. A gentleman named Mark Biedenger of the Jesters Car Club (Lancaster) bought the roadster I have now in San Luis Obispo from an old movie grip (technician) who received it from his uncle (also in the movie industry). I bought the roadster about 2 years ago from a gentleman and fellow Jester CC member named Ted Fowler. He didn’t have much information on the car other than it was a hot rod back in the day (he was older and in declining health, so his memory was not great). Through mutual connections, I was able to get in touch with and have some great conversations (ongoing) with a gentleman named Lynn Bailey, also of the Jesters CC, that was around in the 1950s. Lynn said my roadster was driving around in Monterey and San Luis Obispo in its stripped down hot rod form in the late-late 1940s. Lynn shared in the 1950s it was used in some film work, but he couldn’t remember what films or in what capacity (he’s digging through his s**** books to find more info). He went on to say the roadster was also raced at El Mirage and Famoso in the 1950s. At the time, the roadster had two 4 banger motors. A hopped-up 4 banger was swapped into the car for racing and had work done by Ed Iskenderian at one point in 1957 or 1958. It also had a more streetable 4 banger for city cruising that was used when the car wasn’t being raced. It also had the early Borg Warner torque tube overdrive that’s still in the car, juice brakes in the front and mechanical brakes in the rear (it now has juice brakes in the rear). I can’t imagine many Model A roadsters, let alone 1928/29 roadsters, had this specific set up and history back then especially since so many were converting their hot rods to v8 flatheads, but who knows. The roadster metal is in amazing shape considering it’s 95 years old, so it was stored nicely somewhere in San Luis Obispo. Any help or leads are greatly appreciated.
Yeah, I have a picture of my roadster currently, but it looks like any other roadster from that era. I’m hoping the specifics of the parts and story resonate with someone who remembers the car back then. Definitely a shot in the dark.
great point! I just added some pics of how the car sat before I tore it down for final bodywork and paint (happening in the next few weeks). I also added some pics of the torque tube overdrive.
Whattya mean final paint? You aren’t going to fix the firewall and put a four back in it? Knowing the history is kinda worthless if you don’t honor it. That overdrive is ingenious!
Do you have photos as bought? As for el mirage an entry name or car number is a must because there could be 30 cars in the same cl*** on any race event. With it painted and an engine swap to a flathead it totally looses its past and is just another AV8.
yeah, I don’t have any other history or supporting docs other than what the previous owners have shared with me. It had AV8 motor mounts in it when I got it, so someone before me had done a swap or planned on doing one. Thanks for the info re: the race number or name.
I don’t think it’s worthless. Someone had put AV8 mounts in it at one point. I don’t know what the changes made to the roadster were over the years, but I’m getting a lot of this information after I’ve sunken tons of money into the V8 flathead and other parts. Worse case scenario if I can track the history to when the AV8 was added I can preserve it at that stage.
Congrats on this acquisition...having names and finding those living and connected is a big bonus...having a banger on a stand is certainly a worthy thought and those V8 mounts were possibly a period move forward...it looks like your doing it justice...they did evolve and have many transitions along the way...it's difficult to choose sometimes...keep us up on things... Welcome to the Hamb...membership can be vocal and you probably understand why...these capsules can be lost to any number of post modern ugliness...but I don't think your that type... My Hotrod is a new build but 63 in period...it could easily be 1948 in period but I don't feel a need to reach back... If in 54 a Flathead 8 was going in why not...what color were you thinking...did it sport a deuce shell back in the day...they were a popular thing...you are in control...hanging around here there's plenty of inspiration...try to keep up with the former owners family for pics and connections...there's many times fruit to be had... Happy New Year
Any unexplained holes in the firewall? like maybe from a lakes timing tag or something along those lines? Like has already been said, photos showing what might be the original suspension or reshaped steering arm could help discover its'' history, in a similar thread (P.R.C.) entire pages were lively discussions over something as innocuous as a shackle mounting.
nothing that comes to mind on the body, but I’ll go over it again. I wish I had a pic or any of the info mentioned above. I posted the overdrive and suspension is normal A suspension (nothing noteworthy).
Thanks Stogy! That’s awesome about your car. Period pieces are some of my favorite (and kustoms). I am waiting to hear more from a few Jesters CC members that can further clarify past styling and and helpful details. If a picture popped up that would be amazing! & thanks, I’m trying to keep it as period correct for the history that I have on the car. At this point I’m going off the info that it was a hot rod back in the day and was progressing style and driveline-wise in the hot rod scene. So with the 59a, 39 trans, etc I have on it, I’m seeing that as the route it was headed (with some of my personal touches with chrome and paint, and custom parts like the stock headlight bar I heated and bent into headlight stands, ‘35 driveshaft converted into exhaust pipes, etc). The roadster will be black (base coat/clear coat). I’m shooting the car in 2 weeks and will post pics after.
I dont know anything about computers but cant this website be fixed so that 'full image' is the only option?
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