1929 Ford Roadster - The Ultimate Model A?

Also found on the hood tops, internal bracing adds strength and rigidity to the hood sides, too (plus the sides will never "oil can" out of shape). Lieb always thought stock hinges looked like an afterthought so Lieb had Shine add a set of four latches typically found on a '21 to '28 Model A Duesenberg. They're strong and latch solid.

This A roadster body is the same one Lieb bought in 1958. Luckily he had it stored for many years so the body didn't have many dings or dents when it was resurrected nearly 50 years later.

Lieb doesn't like the way standard hood props just hang out in the open and obstruct the view of an engine, and he remembered he'd seen a hinge-prop combo on a White truck he'd owned (actually a vintage Yellowstone tour bus) and Jimmy took the idea and scratch-built a pair of hood latch 'n' props. They hold the hood up near the hood corner but, once the hood is down, they can rotate and secure the hood in place.

Most folks know you have to modify a Model A firewall to fit most any type of engine, but the work doesn't have to be ugly! Shine likes the look of rivets, as they were used extensively back in the early days of coachbuilding and not something you find on current off-the-shelf products.

Rivets are again used on the rear spring hump. Shine used an A rear crossmember with the new '32 frame (they used American Stamping rails), but he used a Masonite template to transfer the location of all of the stock factory frame holes onto Lieb's frame to make it look original.

The stock A body was reinforced around the cockpit edge to gain strength, and the floor barely rises at the trans hump. The dash is a combination of '31 Ford truck roof sections mated to a custom face. The glovebox on the right opens, the one on the left is a dummy. Jimmy Shine milled the brass Auburn Dash, which will probably get a chrome finish later.

An oxygen tank from a B-29 had its ends cut off and then added a larger center section that Jimmy fab'd out of stainless steel to create the car's gas tank. It's now about 13 1/2 gallons.

It's hard to make a Model A post look graceful, but Shine was able to accomplish that by thinning out the middle section of the post and then leaning it back.

The top, which Jimmy scratchbuilt and designed to be able to fold up and down, was chopped 3 inches compared to a stock assembly. To get the rear section of the top to lean forward and look right on the car, the cockpit opening was extended a few inches.

Shine also designed and fab'd the side curtains, which have to not only fit snug when upholstered but integrate into the top's design in an effort to keep the rain and wind out. When not in use, the side curtains will fit into small holders mounted to the floor behind the seat.

If you look close, you'll see no glass covering each of the gauges as Lieb intends to cover the entire insert with a piece of glass, sealing in all five gauges at once. The '50s-era hanging pedals are ones Lieb scrounged at a swap meet back in the '70s.

Can't place the headlights? Never seen an early '20s Wills Sainte Claire? Tom Lieb has owned more than one, and decided the era was correct for his Model A. The bottom driving light was rewired to be used as a turn signal.