Buddy Athouguia
Model A
Tucson, Arizona
(Editor’s note: Sometimes a reader’s letter is perfect the way they send it in, so here is what Buddy Athouguia told us about his hot rod).
I just received my Mar. ’11 issue in the mail and after reading the Early Iron section submitted by Danny Bryant, it inspired me to tell you about my project and to submit some pictures.
I have wanted a nice, simple street rod since I was 12 years old, but I could never afford one and, while serving 21-1/2 years in the Air Force, I was always open for assignments, so I never really settled down, if you will. After retiring from the Air Force in 1985 I worked for Raytheon here in Tucson, Arizona, for 21 years (and then retired from that job), and I set out to find a nice driveable or a project street rod.
I searched eBay and craigslist and finally, in 2008, I found this ’30 Model A on craigslist in Tucson. It was a steel body, built in 2005 by someone in Oklahoma, chopped 2 inches, and bought by someone in Tucson in 2006, but it sat in their garage.
I went to look at it and it was a turnkey car within my budget. It had a stroker 383 with a tunnel ram and a bunch of go-fast goodies, which didn’t interest me, so we made a deal without the running gear. It was yellow with red interior, which really didn’t do anything for me, either, but I left it like that for about a year even after I got it on the road.
I found a four-bolt main 350 (made in Mexico) engine on craigslist, bought a rebuilt 350 transmission from a trans shop, found the old-school valve covers and intake with the oil filler tube on craigslist, and the Mallory dual point on eBay. I wanted to do this car, my first street rod, as it would have been done in the 50s or 60s. After a year of driving it around with its yellow paint, I took it apart and used spray cans to shoot it with gray primer. I added a 23-inch Lokar shifter, changed the electric gauges to S&W mechanical gauges, and used an old Super Sun tach I bought new in 1970 that I had in my parts bin. I eventually traded the Torq-Thrust II rims for some chrome reverse wheels with baby moons and added the wide whites. I also traded some Mustang parts that I had since the 60s for the flat blue paintjob applied by Metal Masters.
Jeff and Wes Walker from Welfare Customs & Classics did the interior in blue and white tuck n’ roll and, in rewiring the entire car, gave me a horn, turn signals, high and low beams, and an interior light. Iaddeda17-gallon gas tank from RCI and, with a Ford 8-inch and 3:50 gears, she is quick and very dependable.
We’re looking for nice hot rods
We want photos of your street rod, whether it’s under construction or finished. Send us a handful of good, sharp, 4x6-inch photo (not inkjet) prints in the mail to the address below or email digital images (each should be least 1 MB in size, or just set your camera at its highest setting) of the front and rear three-quarter views, the engine, and the interior. Camera phone shots aren’t good enough quality. Email the info about you and your car to eric.geisert@sorc.com, or mail the prints and specs to: STREET RODDER / Early Iron, 1733 Alton Parkway # 100, Irvine, CA 92606. SORRY, PRINTS WILL NOT BE RETURNED.