Much of the vintage appeal...
Much of the vintage appeal of the roadster pickup is in its heartbeat-a '48 Ford 59Y Flattie. The 239ci displacement was bumped to 276 inches by the crew at H&H Flatheads, who assembled the balanced and blueprinted V-8 with a 4-inch SCAT crank, Ross 3-5/16-inch pistons, SCAT rods, and a mild cam. Up top, the Edelbrock heads were set up with 8.5:1 compression, and are fed by a RetroTek injection system bolted to an Offenhauser manifold. Other hop-up goodies include a Powermaster alternator, a Speedway Motors water pump, an MSD ignition system, and a Walker radiator.There is a 12-inch kick in the rear, and cross tubes provide the extra bracing to keep the frame sturdy. The rearend is a Ford banjo unit, suspended with split wishbones, Romic aluminum shocks, and an OSHR triangulated Panhard bar.
It's the curse, or maybe the pleasure, of every hot rodder who has ever scoped out a car that, in their mind, they immediately start to tear it down and rebuild it in the image they believe would be of a superior design. If you could get a nickel every time someone started a sentence with, "Well, I woulda done it this way . . ." then you'd be a rich man. But, most of these people then simply go about their day, while others might possibly use one or two of their ideas on their next ride.
After viewing a great many cars at local car shows, 36-year-old Mike Goins and 37-year-old Rick O'Connor believed they could not only build a better mousetrap, but took the big step of starting up a shop to do just that: provide the public with a unique but limited-run hot rod.
While many of the cars the pair looked at around their SoCal base were glossy in all the right places, the duo felt there was something lacking underneath, namely in the suspension. And, though some of these high-end cars were assembled to the highest degree, Mike and Rick looked at each of the individual items used to build it (i.e., wiring, fastener choice and use, routing of those lines, basic engineering, and attention to detail) and knew they could come up with something better.
The result is the Land Speeder roadster pickup-a vehicle that lends its look to the rat rod and/or traditional crowd, but with a much higher degree of build quality and parts. Starting up Old Speed Hot Rods (OSHR) less than two years ago, Mike and Rick decided to showcase their concept in a vehicle and debut it at the '08 Grand National Roadster Show, where their ideas and talent would be placed alongside some of the best in the industry.
They also felt they could do a better job than what they'd witnessed and be able to turn out a popular product for less money. The idea was to hand-build 10 cars of one type, each using their proprietary chassis and suspension components. Mike's father-in-law, Gerry Bierman, loaned him the money to start buying the parts they needed, and soon they were off and running.
In June of 2007, OSHR purchased the '29 roadster pickup body package from Last Refuge Hot Rods, who offer a steel '29 Ford roadster pickup cab and bed. Rick combined some of the parts he'd been saving for a '30-31 closed-cab project, and Mike rounded up the rest of what was needed, plus began designing some of the parts he'd have to fabricate himself.
Operating on a shoestring budget while trying to keep the doors open of their new shop, Mike and Rick would often put in long hours, and many all-nighters, to get to the next level of completion. They wanted to have people see their hot rod in a new light, so they started from the ground up by creating their own frame and suspension package. The 'rails are 2x4-inch, 0.180-wall steel, filled with sleeved lightening holes, and set up on a 112-inch wheelbase. There is a 12-inch kick in the rear, to get the car as low as possible, and a unique suicide cantilever suspension design up front. While the rear works with split 'bones, an OSHR Panhard bar, and a pair of Romic aluminum shocks, the front is a bit more tricky.
It's based on a Magnum monoleaf spring, which sits above and crosses over the custom framerails, as does the drilled-out I-beam axle. The shackles are bolted to split 'bones, and connect on the other end to a fulcrum that pivots just inside the framerails where another pair of laid-over Romic aluminum shocks actuates. The result of the rear kick and this unique front suspension makes the vehicle very low.
Drum brakes from a '40 Ford, with the backing plate drilled out, are used on each corner, as are 16-inch steelie wheels. The front wheels are 4 inches wide while the rears are 5 inches, and Firestone Deluxe Champion rubber wraps all four wheels, with 6.00s used up front and 7.50s out back.
 One of the many items that...  One of the many items that sets the OSHR pickup apart is their own cantilever suicide design incorporated into the front suspension. A Magnum reverse-eye monoleaf spring is used in conjunction with shackles that mount to the split 'bones, and a fulcrum that pivots just inside the framerails actuates the laid-down Romic shocks. |  The Speedway Motors headers...  The Speedway Motors headers were wrapped at OSHR (the wrap job runs nearly the entire length of the vehicle) and looks stylish while providing protection from radiant heat. |  The lightening holes found...  The lightening holes found in the frame are a design element carried over elsewhere on the chassis, including the aluminum trans mount and some of the smaller bracing. |
 The guys of Old Speed Hot...  The guys of Old Speed Hot Rods made their own Model A-style frame, which was fabricated with a 112-1/2-inch wheelbase in mind, using a 2x4-inch, 0.180-wall rectangular tubing for the 'rails and 1-1/2- and 1-3/4-inch round tubing for crossmembers. |  An aluminum battery tray was...  An aluminum battery tray was milled at OSHR to contain the twin Optima 6V batteries. |  |
 There are many one-off aluminum...  There are many one-off aluminum trim pieces on the truck, but the windshield frame has to be one of the most unique. Bomber aircraft in design (to match the bucket seats), the screen, with its smoke tint, is heavily raked for an added look of speed. |  Rick O'Connor (left) and Mike...  Rick O'Connor (left) and Mike Goins are partners in Old Speed Hot Rods, and besides offering 10 of these roadster pickups to the general public, plan to debut a new vehicle (with their special chassis/suspension platform) each year at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, CA. |  The pickup has no mufflers,...  The pickup has no mufflers, and the exhaust exits forward of the rear wheels and through the frame. |