Rod & Custom Feature Car
Debra Kipp
Canyon Lake, California
1930 Model A coupe
Owner contact info: bubinga50@aol.com
Chassis
Robin Silk started with a SO-CAL Speed Shop '32 chassis, kicked up the rear section and bobbed the rear horns, while adding Model A horns at the front. The rear crossmember was changed to allow for driveshaft clearance. There's a Currie 9-inch axle back there with 31-spline shafts, hung on SO-CAL ladder bars and transverse spring, and Pete & Jakes shocks, a 4-inch dropped Magnum I-beam keeps the grille shell from dragging on the blacktop, coupled with Magnum spindles and SO-CAL hidden disc brakes. A non-boosted dual reservoir brake master cylinder is operated through a SO-CAL pedal assembly, and the steering box is a Vega unit.
Drivetrain
The '57 Ford Y-block was assembled by Ray Zeller, using a stock crank and rods, 9:1 pistons and an Isky cam. The small combustion chamber/big valve heads received a mild port job, and are fed gas from the three Ford 97s through an Edelbrock 573 manifold, fired thanks to an MSD ignition. Those rams horn style exhaust manifolds were polished before being heat coated, and lead to a Jair Valle-fabricated exhaust system. A Torrance Transmission-prepped C4 slushbox selects which ratio to spin the Inland Driveline driveshaft.
Body & (No) Paint
From its 4-inch chopped top to its subtle channel, the body received much massaging, in the form of new rear wheel wells with factory style beads, a canvas-covered sheetmetal top insert that can be removed and stored in a pouch behind the seats, a welded visor, the addition of a '32 cowl vent, and the widened firewall that was moved back into the cowl. The grille shell was filled and peaked and fitted with a mesh insert, while the headlamps are '28 Model A fluted lens items. Paint? You not been looking at the pictures?
Wheels & Tires
The big `n' little tire combo wrapped around the 16-inch SO-CAL wheels consists of 525 and 750 Firestone blackwall bias plies, providing the perfect rubber rake and style for this coupe.
Interior
The paintless theme continues inside the coupe, but only on the dash and door shuts. Rubber matting covers the floor, while olive green canvas and brown distressed leather cover the door panels, the Speedway seats, and the upper and lower inner body panels. A Limeworks column and Vintique '40 Ford steering wheel and Lokar shifter handle necessary chores, while a soundtrack to drive to comes courtesy of an iPod Nano hooked up to ARC Audio speakers and amplifier, all hidden from view. A Vintage Air compact heater keeps the extremities warm on those chilly California evenings.