Floyd chopped his first car when he was 14 and never forgot how. On his latest car, he raised the rear wheel openings to fit the height of the rear tires and flared them 3/4 inch to eliminate the boxy look. The car also has a backup camera, making it easy to back into the garage.
There’s no such thing as too...
There’s no such thing as too much motor, even when it extends past the hood sides. The beadwork is a great touch.
Floyd Oldewurtel just wanted to build something different. Something he had not seen before. He’s a fan of Model A’s (and has built two or three over the years), and likes the fact that there’s always room for modifications. And he had a few ideas that he hadn’t seen done to a Model A before. Like we said, something different.
The first step, of course, was finding the right body. That hunt went on for about a year. When Floyd found this ’30 coupe, it was in seven different pieces with a few parts missing. Those seven parts—both sides, both doors, cowl, trunk lid, and roof center with rear window—were in good condition and had very little rust. A top chop had been started. Someone had started rebuilding the car, but got stalled.
During the process of putting together all the body parts, Floyd extended the door openings 3/4 inch to flush-fit the suicide doors. He also made custom hidden hinges, smaller than the ones he’s seen for sale. The Deuce grille was shortened 2 1/2 inches and a homebuilt steel hood was created (and cut to clear the cylinder heads). The cowl top is removable to reveal the wiring; Floyd can stand alongside the car and easily access the electronics and A/C wiring. The headlights came from Dietz and the taillights are from a ’40-41 Willys. LimeWorks sells those outside mirrors, but nobody sells those cool tubular bumpers; they’re homebuilt and one of a kind.
Some tasty chrome by Concours...
Some tasty chrome by Concours Plating in Phoenix looks great against the white-with-a-touch-of-gray paint.
Floyd went back and forth on whether to keep the chop or raise the top. You can see for yourself what he decided. The final chop is 6 inches with 3 inches sliced out of the rear glass to keep it consistent with the sides. He raised the windshield 2 1/2 inches to the roofline for better visibility, raising and shortening the visor as well. New window glass was provided by Bell Glass in Phoenix.
The homebuilt framerails, built from 2x4-inch rectangular tubing, are contoured to the body and are pinched at the front. The tubular Super Bell axle drops 4 inches and was narrowed 3 inches to keep the proportions right. The spindles are stock Ford. Steering is controlled by a Mitsubishi power rack paired with a ’55 Chevy column. Floyd added a front panhard bar, rear 1-inch antiroll bar, and Aldan coilovers all around. The triangulated four-link rear locates a 3.55:1 Ford 8-inch, narrowed 2 inches.
A pair of ’40-41 Willys taillights...
A pair of ’40-41 Willys taillights and a Floyd-built tubular bumper are part of the coupe’s clean look.
In previous project cars, Floyd has had success with small-blocks and flatheads and other popular engines, but wanted a powerplant that would suit the “do something different” flavor of the ’30. He had seen another street rod running a stock twin-cam 4.6L Ford and wanted the same massiveness for the Model A. The fact that, even after stretching the nose 6 inches, the engine would bust past the narrowed sides just made it more appealing. “I liked that look,” he says, “but the toughest part was getting everything to fit under the hood.” The AODE four-speed overdrive trans (built by Aaron Adams at TAD Shaft Works in Phoenix) is a perfect match for the 4.6, which provides a tremendous amount of torque to the lightweight coupe. “It’s so quick and smooth the passengers can’t feel the shifts,” Floyd says. “And the acceleration is unreal. My ’59 El Camino has a 454 big-block with two four-barrels, but this could beat it down the block. While the El Camino was going straight up in the air, the Model A would be going straight ahead!”
The inside’s as clean as the...
The inside’s as clean as the outside. The austere dash houses a couple Moon gauges and A/C vents, set off by super low-key pinstriping. The center console houses the Alpine stereo head unit, back-up camera monitor, and A/C and power window controls.
Putting that torque to the pavement is a pair of 235/75R15 Michelins on 15x8 Wheel Vintiques gennies with ’42 Ford-style hubcaps and rings. The big ’n’ little combination is completed by 145SR15 Michelins on 15x5 gennie wheels. Front and rear wheels are stopped by Wilwood disc brakes.
The gray paint from the wheels is carried over on the body, added along the beltline to break up the PPG white paint. Actually, when Floyd suggested we take a closer look, we noticed that painter Rich Kazon from Cave Creek, Arizona, had darkened the white with just enough gray to tone down the brightness.
The third seat from a mid-’90s Chevy Suburban was narrowed and chopped down to sit nice and low in the Model A. A Mooneyes speedometer and quad gauge are centered in the modified ’30 dash, above a console for the shifter and assorted creature comforts. Floyd installed an Alpine stereo system and Vintage Air A/C. Tom Langlois pitched in with the wiring. A 15-inch ’40 Ford steering wheel on a tilt column were painted gray to match the dash and the rest of the monochromatic interior. The silver/gray cloth upholstery and gray carpet was added by Dell Chavez in Mesa, Arizona.
The Suburban bench retains...
The Suburban bench retains the runners for seat adjustment.
When the coupe was completed, Floyd made a 100-mile break-in run before taking it on a 3,600-mile trip from Arizona to Minnesota and back. The Goodguys Southwest Nationals in Scottsdale in November gave him a chance to show the world his unique ’30 coupe. He parked it on the top of the hill, competing with the top-level cars in the Pro’s Pick category, and won a STREET RODDER Top 100 award in the process. When he went back to Scottsdale for the Spring Nationals in March, he decided to do something different, parking the coupe in the “back 40,” kicking back with his friends, and having a blast.