Friday, August 8, 2008

The concept







After owning a number of hot rods that I hadnt built - just modified to suit my tastes, I wanted to build a car that interested my preferred style of hot rodding. I wanted to build a traditional hot rod. Inspired by clubs like the Shifters and the Burbank Choppers as well as such builders as Pete Chapouris & Jim Jacobs of Pete and Jakes, traitional rodding from the thirties to the sixties era is what appealed the most. In particular, the Model A's of Jim Jacobs really struck a chord. This 29 closed cab was located from Geoff Mitford Taylor and we threw the car together in a period of three weeks to attend the Scroungers Hot Rod Blowout.
The car was built with no fenders as it didnt have any to start with so I dragged my parts to Graeme McNeill's shop www.macsspeed.com and Graeme, Howard Bond, Royce Everett, Graeme Gordon and myself threw the car together using parts I had collected. I got a running A motor, adapted the T5 S10 gearbox, got a diff that Chris Piaggi set up and Keith Golder dropped the axle. The looks on peoples faces as we drove it across Auckland City was priceless! The Scroungers Hot Rod Blow Out is a superb traditional Hot Rod show that has been running for approximately 10 years.
Bernie Beckett stitched up a roof and seat for me before me and Steve Levine headed to the Beach Hop in Whangamata - it was quite a spectacle as the car was VERY primitive!



Welcome to the blog for Project 29, a 1929 Ford Model A Closed Cab Pick up built by me (Greg Stokes) and my father Mark Stokes. We have covered this build up in the New Zealand Hot Rod Magazine - http://www.nz-hotrod.com/. There are an incredible number of people who have also helped on Project 29 - they are: Mark & Janne Stokes (Dad & Mum), girlfriend Rebecca, Ange & Marcus, Paul & Liz Grace of the New Zealand Hot Rod Magazine, Geoff Mitford Taylor & Paul Servantie of GMT Hot Rod Parts, Dan Tyler of Rocket Speed Equipment, Graeme McNeill & Andrew Foote of Mac's Speed Shop, Colin Willoughby at Com Tech, JR & Flick at Rods By Reid, Mark & Gaylene Homan at Morris Sheetmetals, Kelly O'Donnell at Stitches UpholsteryRob Watkins for chassis paint, master metalman Mike Roberts for inspiration and panel help and adviceChris Piaggi for the rearend set up, Haydn Mitchell, Garth Hogan, Gary "Grease" Martin & Andrew Rea of Early Times Motors, Kiwkstrip, Dave Levien, High Performance Coatings, Dynamat, Automotive Sandblasting, John Antonvich for paint, Peanut Martin, fabulous engineer/fabricator John Hinton, Steve Keys, Chris Walton, Phil Game at PG Hydraulics, Keith Golder.