Words & Photos: Tommy Parry

It’s easy to get a little spoiled with the number of Model As that make up these pages. The car is so popular, and the platform so universally recognized, that it’s easy to take them for granted. Well, as comfortable as we are with them, there’s still one that comes along every so often that raises our eyebrows and makes the corners of our mouths crinkle. This ‘31 is one of those rare few.

After dealing with a few Jeeps collecting dust and clearing some room in the garage, Phil got to patching up the Model A’s weathered cab and giving it a quick, 6” buzz cut. With a bit of sheet metal, a blowtorch, and some ingenuity, he had the first limb for his Frankenstein’s monster. Despite being rusted and aged, it still held some definite promise.

And just like that, the project was underway. Mocking on a set of 19” rims in the rear and 16” inchers up front, the car looked interesting, even if it was still, as he put it, “a rust bucket.” New frame rails, motor mounts, and a 700R4 transmission came next, and once they were in place, the Model A had a beating heart.

Sorting out the suspension side of things, he bought two mounts for his front spring. One came from a swap meet and another from a well-known distributor. Neither suited him, so with a little ingenuity he built his own. After sorting out the gremlin at the front axle, he turned his attentions to the more problematic rear end.

Phil started work on the rear with apprehension; he ended up replacing it several times to fit his image of the right width. His attempt at triangulating a four-link setup didn’t live up to his standards, so he opted to run a kit from S&W Race Cars. While it still wasn’t ideal – Phil isn’t someone who is easily impressed – he cut and welded until he was pleased. Even with the wider rear end, Phil had to run spacers to accommodate the blasted and painted wheels and their massive tires. His perfectionism made him swear and sweat over getting this Model A just right, but with his persistence, he had put together a roller that looked stunning too. Now, time for the ancillaries.

A set of bullet center caps, a new radiator and a set of 4” headers gave this car unmistakable style and volume – so much that it rattled window panes a few blocks away!

Unable to find decently-priced hinges online, Phil found a few suicide hinges and bear-claw latches lying around the shop and tried his luck. A little out-of-the-box style seemed to help this package, as did the amazing interior. If the exterior is intentionally rough, the seats, dash, trim, shifter and headliner are distinctly luxurious.

A master coachman could command good money for the chrome gauge bezels, the sky-high shifter and the black leatherwork. If this stunning ‘31 looks a bit gruff on the outside, the world inside is a pleasant place to be. Perhaps Phil just doesn’t want the attention – but then again, he does have a set of 4” headers. We can’t blame him.