1929 Ford Model A Roadster Pickup - All Star A

We were at the HotRod Trucks Show this past July and saw a Lamborghini Ice '29 Ford Model A roadster pickup gleaming under fluorescence. Our shutter finger boogied in anticipation of photographing it for Custom Classic Trucks. To our delight and dismay, we learned the A had premiered at the 2005 Detroit Autorama and earned Best in Class. The delicious part-the A competed and won at arguably the most prestigious street rod show in the world. The distressing part-the Autorama was several months ago. Surely another magazine had already featured the pickup? No, good Karma and fortune shined upon CCT that day; we'd be the first!

The A's current caretaker, Gary Brigham of Kennesaw, Georgia, is no stranger to moving fast in various modes of transport. He's a pilot and salesman by profession, owned his first hot rod in 1958, and started drag racing the same year. Freshly finished, he and wife Janis purchased the Model A ragtop truck 11 years ago. Attending shows and cruises, the Brighams had logged over 28,000 miles on the odometer for the pickup's first reincarnation.

Initially, Gary selected T&T Customs in Canton, Georgia, for a freshening of the Ford in a few key areas. The truck showed poor paint and bodywork, and the original frame was a bit twisted. When work began on the Brigham's pickup, part of T&T's crew was building a Ridler contender at the same time. The notion came to Gary that premiering his pickup at Cobo Hall's Ridler competition would be pretty cool. After much discussion with his wife and some brainstorming about how they'd like the A to turn out, the Brighams gave T&T the green light to craft a Ridler contender.

Since the original frame looked more like a pretzel, T&T fabricated a custom undercarriage from welded 2x3-inch boxed tubing. A polished aluminum and chrome IFS from Kugel Komponents, complete with polished coilover shocks, made for a solid-state front suspension. Comprised of Wilwood calipers and customized, titanium rotors, T&T created a race-proven front and rear disc-brake system. They also fabricated a polished stainless steel Ford 9-inch, located with a triangulated four-bar suspension system and polished coilovers. Instead of employing a '29's dual saddle tanks, T&T fabricated an 18-gallon stainless steel fuel tank, which they hid between the rear framerails. After forming the stainless steel brake and fuel lines, T&T deconstructed the chassis and painted the frame Lamborghini Ice to match the eventual exterior hue, and rebuilt the sassy chassis for fitment of the drivetrain.

Being a former drag racer and SCCA driver, Gary wanted a powerplant with more oomph. He opted for a spankin' new 502ci Chevy big-block, which he had Tim Speer of ProBoat Services in Atlanta, Georgia, balance, blueprint-and generally make badass. Tim specified a special-grind Crane Cams roller camshaft and modified the Brodex aluminum heads to provide even better airflow. With such tight quarters in the engine bay, Meziere Enterprises in California provided an offset billet aluminum electric water pump, which runs no greater than 190 degrees, regardless of atmospheric conditions or driving circumstances. Rewarder Headers custom-made some tubular headers to snake around the big-block and clear the T&T fabricated frame. T&T optimized the TH400 trans with a 3,000-stall converter and Lokar floor shifter to best back the 600hp big-block.

Though much modified, the original exterior sheetmetal panels of the A date back to December 28, 1929. T&T moved the firewall rearward to fit the big-block mill. They custom-made a three-piece hood, and fabricated a rear roll pan/fuel-tank cover to conceal the extended custom frame. Many subtle-and extensive-modifications added up to achieve the goal of appearing stock, yet fitting all the custom replacement items, like the rat engine, perfectly. Several coats of the custom-mix Lamborghini Ice lavished the perfect panels, as did several clear coats, while the truck was all in pieces. Color sanding and buffing followed before T&T transformed the pieces to a whole on the chassis.

Before creating the interior, T&T's Terry Womack hand-fabricated a dash bezel to appear like a Ford factory item. He filled the bezel with Classic Instruments and wired the pickup. The selected upholster, M&M Interiors of Holly Pond, Alabama, built a custom bench seat. Wayne and Pamela McGriff, M&M's owners, trimmed the seat in tan German leather with faux-crocodile inserts. Smooth, German wool carpet covered the floor, which brought the swift 1.5-year construction project to a conclusion.

For more than 30 years, Gary campaigned and won in several drag racing classes, as well as in SCCA; throughout that time he has owned muscle machines and street rods. These days, he spends much of his free time racing to shows across the southeast with the multiple-award-winning ragtop truck. Like many a hobbyist, the Brighams love the Model A, but they're already contemplating crafting another hot rod hauler and Ridler contender. CCT will do its darn'dest to be the first magazine with a full feature, should the Brighams' dreams bear fruit (but you already knew that).