© Wes Allison
001-1929-Ford-Tudor
Justin Keller's 1929 Model A Ford hot rod came out of Memphis, Tennessee, through a vintage website called eBay. It was stock and clean and ready for a build at the hands of the newly formed Keller's Rod and Custom in Gainesville, Georgia.
Keller's skills were forged in small shops in the Birmingham area before the financial crash of 2009 forced him to go on alone. He had been building 1932 Fords and tri-five Chevys, so he was familiar with the Model A and all the tricks to build one right. When he found the Tudor, his plan was to build a rolling advertisement for his new company and drum up some business.
"I like the Tudor because they are a little more roomy," Keller says. "You can move the seat back farther and get everything underneath the car instead of outside. And I just like the Tudor model. "
© Wes Allison The fuel tank, battery, and all of the housekeeping items are hidden under the body. The roof has a 4-inch chop, and Ketter added custom suicide doors. The taillights are cab lights from a 1950s bus that have been frenched in. The lower half of the firewall has been smoothed, and Keller built custom steel floors. The roof was recovered with fabric meant for a convertible top. If you look closely at the grille shell, you will notice the headlight buckets are welded to it. This eliminated the headlight stanchions and cleaned up the front of the car.
Inside, Keller fitted the dashboard from a 1956 Oldsmobile he found at a swap meet. The glove box and radio holes were removed, and the dash was shortened to wrap around the door hinges. All of the original gauges work. The steering column is from a 1954 Chevy, and the banjo steering wheel is an aftermarket piece. The front seats were created by taking apart a rear bench from a '90s Camaro and covering them in distressed leather that still bears the branding marks from the original livestock.
The 2x4-inch frame was handmade with a Super Bell Axle 4-inch dropped I-beam, split radius rods, and a steering box from a 1955 Chevy. The Hot Rod Brake Company provided the hidden disk brakes, and the shocks are hydraulic from an early '40s Ford. In the rear is a triangulated four-link with a 1957 Chevy 8.2-inch differential.
Power is from a "'70s truck" 302-inch V-8 with an AOD overdrive transmission bolted to it. The combo is perfect for cruising at 80 mph on the freeway. The small-block Ford has an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake with a 2x2 Rochester adapter from Vintage Speed.
© Wes Allison "This car gets driven back and forth to local shows and driven around town," Keller says. "I drive it everywhere I possibly can." He still has this car, and after 12 years in business, it still does its job. Look for Keller and his '29 in the Gainsville, Georgia, area this summer.