1929 Ford Highboy Roadster - Tuff Stuff

Though magazine editors are exposed to countless cool cars in our day-to-day lives and travels, there are always a few that, for one reason or another, stand out from the rest.

In my case there's no distinct standard, though in all honesty I do have a soft spot for hot rods versus contemporary street rods. This little red roadster is a perfect case in point. It's nothing super fancy, just a cool semi-traditional highboy that, above and beyond its no-nonsense look, was built for driving, and we mean driving in the sense of day-, week-, and often month-long road trips. Sure, there are a few details that may stray a bit from a truly traditional ride, like four-bars instead of hairpins (though correct for use with a tube axle) and radial wide-whites instead of bias-plys, but it still rings our bell. Perhaps the best component of this '29 is its owners, a couple by the names of Ron and Connie Farmer from Independence, Virginia.

The foundation for the roadster is a pair of Deuce Factory 'rails boxed and tied together with tubular crossmembers. Out back an 8-inch Ford drum-brake rearend is hung via a pair of coilovers, and up front a disc brake equipped, 4-inch-dropped tube axle is likewise hung by a four-bar and transverse spring. A quartet of Wheel Vintique's steelies wrapped in BFG radial wide-whites and adorned with caps and rings make contact with the blacktop.

Motorvation for this tough little road warrior is provided by an owner-assembled and traditionally-dressed 383-cube SBC sporting a 400 crank and a pair of roller rocker-equipped ZZ3 aluminum heads. Breathing is handled by a vintage aluminum Edelbrock XC8 Cross Ram manifold topped with a pair of 500cfm Edelbrock carbs and a pair of Hedman block hugger headers. Ron chose a TH200 equipped with a 2,200rpm-stall converter and a chrome plated driveshaft to transmit the SBC's horsepower to the rear wheels.

The roadster's coachwork is nearly all Ford (the hood is a Rootlieb) and definitely all steel and coated with a glass-smooth coating of Guards Red acrylic enamel. A pair of Dietz headlights, a pair of '39 Ford taillights and a neat lift-off soft top round out the body, and the interior is trimmed in a good-looking combo of a homemade seat covered in white tuck 'n' roll with red welting. A smoothed dash filled with Stewart Warner gauges, a Ford truck column, and a Juliano's four-spoke steering wheel finish off a comfy cockpit.

It's quite evident that Ron and Connie's roadster is a neat hot rod, but you'll have to take our word that they're a pair of the nicest folks on the planet, perfect examples of hearts of gold hot rodders with a tough little '29.