Car Owner: David & Faith Price Words & Photos: Gary Rosier
David Price (Dave) and his wife Faith of Port Orange, Fla. own this 1930 Ford Tudor (2 door sedan). He saw the car listed on E-Bay as a stock, running car, certainly in need of some work. He bought it sight unseen from out West – a project car – just what he was looking for!
Never mind that all he was really looking for was a body that he could transform to his liking. He had the skills, no doubt, judging by his “resume” below. It’s important to point all this out, as you always wonder how people gleaned the necessary skills to accomplish such a cool ride, especially when it’s all done by the owner.
Dave was always a body-man first; originally from Norwalk, Ohio and still residing there part-time today, he worked for a time at the local Ford Production plant nearby (Lorain Ohio Assembly Plant). Other stints included time at various body-shops where he honed his skills and then the local Chevy Dealership as the Body Shop Manager (where he met his wife, he says with a grin!). Starting to get the picture?
Dave left the body-man business to begin a career in welding and fabrication. After a few years working in several fab shops, doing side jobs (one of which was making oil pans for the famous Ramchargers of Detroit), he decided to open his own business. He started with a tig welder, drill press and a week’s work! That business continues to this day, though Dave has recently retired.
Seems that Dave also had these hobbies – drag racing, racing motorcycles and dirt racing jeeps! All told, he built three race Jeeps. He drove one, his wife Faith and son Kevin the others. They were all highly modified and participated in the East Coast 4 Wheel Drive association. They participated for many years, winning events and championships!
Never mind that he was the 1998 IHRA Super Eliminator World Champ – a fact that he only modestly told me about after I pestered him about all the pictures hanging on his walls of the garage! Well, it’s not a biography of course – but is all about the build of this “Nailhead” powered ride.
Dave immediately started disassembling the ’30 Ford. He had a vision for this car, a mid sixties styled hot rod, and was on a mission! So much fabrication was needed to make this car whole again, but all this was right up Dave’s alley.
Dave’s father was a Buick man, it turns out, so there was never any doubt which engine would take up residence in Dave’s new custom-made (by Dave himself, of course) chassis. He installed a 1961 Buick Invicta 401 cu inch engine.
The Buick Invicta was a full-size automobile produced by Buick from 1959 to 1963. The Invicta was a continuation of the Buick Century concept that mated the standard size Buick LeSabre body with Buick’s larger 401 cubic inch Nailhead V8 engine, yielding what was referred to as “the banker’s hot rod.” The name Invicta, by the way, was derived from Latin and means ‘unconquerable, invincible, unbeatable, un-vanquished,’ according to Buick Motor Division sales training materials.
Buick engines became known as the “nailhead” for the unusual vertical alignment of the small-sized valves. To offset the smaller valves and restrictive intake- and exhaust-port diameters, the nailhead V8 family used a camshaft with greater lift and duration. The small-diameter intake runners allowed these engines to develop high torque, with many exceeding one foot-pound per cubic inch, exceptional for the time.
He installed a “thumper” Competition cam, cleaned up the bores, installed new bearings and rings and some stock manifolds – again scored off E-Bay. The “piece-de-resistance” was the Hilborn Injection with Emerald ECU. He wants to thank his good friend Sean Ryan, who was responsible for the wiring of it, programming, start-up and tuning.
The transmission is a ’37 LaSalle three speed that he had to fabricate and combine some interesting pieces for in order to make it all work. How about a Farm-All 10″ spline clutch disc and Hudson pressure plate to handle and transmit that good ‘ol horsepower to the ’55 narrowed (6 inches) Chevy Rear end with Moser axles and 3:55 gears? It stops by way of drum brakes at all four corners – ’40 Ford Spindles adapted to Buick finned hubs – and a Wilwood Master Cylinder tucked up under the floorboards. It rolls on “steelies” (15×7 with 2 in back-spacing), moon hubcaps and BFG 255/70R15’s out back and 205/65R15’s up front.
A Speedway Motors steering column and sprint car steering wheel (quick release) steers her straight. Stewart Warner gauges monitor all the vitals. Pro-Car Scat seats from Summitt Racing are comfortable and nice to look at. Some rear upholstery/custom covers are still in the works to cover the twin 6 volt (but in a series, which is 12 volts) Optima Red-Top Batteries in the back. All the wiring was handled by Dave and is tucked up nicely under the dash in a drop-down, hinged custom-made panel for ease of access.
I asked Dave if he was going to finish the car – paint it and do up a nice interior? Finish it? It IS finished, he says!
It is one cool custom old-fashioned Hot Rod… with a twist (those Hildborn Injectors!WOW!). We just love seeing a different power-plant in use today and no better way to finish her off than a 61 “Nailhead” – Hilborn injected powered beast. You definitely “Nailed” it, Dave!
