1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
1929 Ford Model A Roadster Dupont "Black-Blue"
This 1929 Model A Highboy was built by Vern Tardel – the foremost authority on early-Fords and Flathead motors – at his “Flathead Ranch” in Northern California. The Brookeville body sits on a ’32 Ford chassis with ‘pinched’ rails. The chassis and all components, including steering, axles and suspension are actual early-Ford parts that have been meticulously ‘dressed’ and then powder-coated in the corresponding body color – Dupont’s “Black-Blue” – or gloss black. 1935 wishbones are split in front, supporting the four and-a-half inch dropped and drilled axle. 1937 wishbones attach to a ’40 ford rearend with Halibrand-style quick change center section. Kelsey-Hayes bent-spoke wheels carry Coker radials and are brought to a halt by 1940 Lincoln brakes. The engine is a 1949 Mercury, built, of course, by Vern Tardel. A Thumper cam, three Stromberg 97’s, Offenhauser heads, Sanderson headers and an electronic ignition all make for a flathead that runs like a fine Swiss watch. Add to that a Chevy T-5 transmission and this little roadster gets out there and runs with the big boys. The roadster is painted Dupont ‘Black-Blue,’ with ‘Butterscotch’ leather tuck-‘n-roll interior. Stewart Warner gauges adorn the dash and a ‘Mini’ 1940 steering wheel points things in the right direction. The windshield is chopped and laid back; a signature look for Vern. The wheels, engine and transmission are painted Butterscotch, to match the leather. Virtually everything else has been powder-coated in the Black-Blue color of the vehicle, or basic gloss black. The battery and gas tank are in the forward portion of the carpeted trunk, behind a drop-down door. This car is absolutely pristine in appearance and runs, as I said, like a fine Swiss watch.