Mike Peltier’s All Steel, “Old School” 1930 Ford Model A Coupe

Car Feature - Mike Peltier's 1930 Model AWith the growing number of modern hot rods in the industry featuring the likes of LS engines and full air ride suspension systems, it can be hard to remember what the hot rod scene started out as. But luckily, there are a handful of people who’s life passion is to keep the hot rod community “pure”, incorporating relics of the past to add to the color of the ever modernizing car world. One of these individuals is Michael Peltier of Round Rock, Texas.

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Images Courtesy of: Michael Peltier

A loyal reader of Rod Authority, Peltier sent us pictures of his beautiful ride and a little bit of background, emphasizing that his ’30 Model A is far from your modernized model. It wasn’t until after we found out that only a handful of components on this vintage classic hail from after the 1950s, that we really got interested and contacted Peltier for all the nitty-gritty details. This is his story.

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Photograph: Roger Vargas

A Family-Fueled Passion

Having been in love with the car scene all his life, 64-year-old Peltier can trace the start of his hot rod passion to decades ago. It’s a story of his youth that truly solidified his love for the Model A.

“When I was 14, dad needed to stop at a junk yard in Russia, Ohio and asked me to come along,” Peltier told us. “I don’t know why he needed to stop. It didn’t matter; a chance to go to a junkyard on Saturday with my dad? Heck yes!”

“There I saw a beautiful (to my eye ) junked 1930 Model A Coupe that only had a ‘little’ rust in the quarter panels. I thought to myself, I could buy this and fix it up. I had two years to do it in before I could drive.”

“To my surprise, Dad was getting interested in it with me and persuaded the junkyard guy to let us have it for $90. Oh boy, did I want to buy that car! But it would not be. Dad, although he was a little excited too, quickly came to his senses and said there was no way he would let me buy that thing.”

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It wasn’t until later that he found out just why his dad said “no” to the idea at the junkyard- a story involving a pair of young brothers out drinking and fooling around behind the wheel of a Model A coupe back in the day.

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Photograph: Roger Vargas

Those young boys were Peltier’s father and uncle, and they found themselves in a predicament when the throttle on the old Model A stuck wide open and Peltier’s dad had to climb down to the floorboard and pry the gas pedal back up before they found themselves in any more danger. Peltier has this story printed out and shows it along with his car now 50 years later. 

Understandably, Peltier’s father could see the risk of a young lad and a vintage hot rod and decided to prevent his son from potentially following suit. Of course, that didn’t stop Peltier’s dreams from driving through. 

Although Peltier didn’t walk away from the junkyard when he was 14 with a Model A of his own, his love for the model only grew. Without the money and place to do all the work to the rod, the car was not meant to be at the time, but Peltier’s dream of owning a similar Model A continued throughout his adult years. And then he found the dream car he’d always dreamed of.

Scouring eBay for classic car memorabilia and vintage hot rods, Peltier came across the 1930 Model A coupe that he now calls his own.

Painted in the same original Ford Chocolate Brown color of the Model A Peltier had seen in the junkyard in his early teens, the hot rod was just meant to be his. Right at $2,500 later, “Dianne” was on her way home.

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Now, unlike a lot of hot rods hitting shows and cruises these days, Peltier’s Model A was not destined to be an autocross-loving modernized machine. Rather, she was meant to pay tribute to the forefathers of rodding with a genuine traditional build. It even maintains its original glass, complete with bullet hole straight through one side. 

11-19-09 012With the skills of Scott Wilson of Grants Pass, Oregon, Dianne was transformed into Peltier’s perfect ride.

Just like the classics, the car features all American steel. “The Body is real steel, genuine Henry Ford. No rust; no patches,” Peltier explained. And if that’s not cool enough, Dianne has “nothing newer than 1951, except for the 12Volt alternator, Lokar shifter, seat frame and electronic gauges.” The removeable steering wheel is also a bit more modern, having come out of a 1960s Datsun .

Unsurprisingly, Peltier shows the car as a throwback to the past, calling his Model A “the real deal.”

Though Peltier’s Ford is of the classic genre, she’s far from a purists’ ideal. Per Peltier’s request, the Model A was modified with bobbed rear fenders, shortened taillight stanchions, a custom rear rolled pan and a custom gas tank (the last of which are favorites of Peltier’s), which sits comfortably in the trunk. Dianne also features a ’32 radiator shell and steel running boards from a vintage truck. Of course, in the name of dream machines, this is all accentuated with Montana Brand Hershey Chocolate Brown paint with hand-done black pinstriping details.

A Chassis and Drivetrain to Match

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Underneath the Model A’s traditionally modified body, you’ll find the classic chassis features to match. Up front, the Model A is fit with a 1932 heavy axle with split wishbones, a Posie Super Slide Spring and 1940 Ford spindles. In the rear, the car is equipped with a classic 1940 Ford traverse rear spring setup. Both front and rear are equipped with panhard bars.

Control arms for the car come in the form of Speedway ladder bars, while the shocks are from Pete and Jakes.

The steering is taken care of with a Vega box with cross steer, and the brakes are of the 1940 Ford Juice variety. All of this is connected to a fully boxed Model A frame with custom cross members and a 3-inch kick-up in the rear.

compressed029Under the hood, you’ll find another gem in the form of a 1951 Flathead with Holley Ford 94 carburetors, a Weiand 3×2 intake manifold, and a 26-inch exhaust with Smithy’s mufflers–an engine Peltier has been assured has never been tore down and rebuilt.

compressed015The engine is tied to a 1951 two-speed Ford Ford-O-Matic controlled by a Lokar shifter with piston shift knob. From here, the engine’s power is pushed to the rear wheels through a Ford 8-inch rearend with 3.55 gears. The last stop before the power hits the pavement are 15-inch 1940 Ford steelie wheels wrapped in 5.60×15 and 8.20×15-inch BF Goodrich Silvertown Wide Whitewall bias-ply rubber from Coker Tires.

An Interior Built From Tradition

Just like the rest of the car, the Model A’s interior is just as traditional as the rest. Inside you’ll find a bench seat with an adjustable back mounted to a slider. The dash, which is another of Peltier’s favorite parts of the car, is a custom creation made out of a 1949 Ford dashboard that was sectioned down to fit and then equipped with a 5-in-1 gauge setup from Classic Instruments. The glove box was custom fabricated.

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All the upholstery was done by Ed’s Custom Upholstery in Grants Pass, Oregon, while the rest of the interior, just like the rest of the car, was fabricated and assembled by Wilson in his home garage.

A True Gem

A real-life creation of his dream Model A, the car is a source of pride for Peltier and he has no problem sharing it with others. In fact, since it was finished in 2009, Peltier has taken the Model A to a number of shows, including the Culvers Toys for Tots Show, where the car won Best in show; the 33rd Austin Mustang Owners Club Show, where the car won Best in Class for all-year Ford-powered vehicles; and the Freddy’s Frozen Custard Show, where the car won the Freddy’s Choice Award.

011The car has also placed in many Top 10s and some Top 20s, as well as was a feature vehicle for the 2013 LoneStar Roundup. And to top it off, Peltier even drives the car weekly. 

Award winning and super traditional, this Model A is truly a gem in the industry; one that Peltier would only tweak with a larger gas tank and maybe a manual transmission if he had to do it all over again. Otherwise, the car is perfect and an amazing example of how well done traditional and downright “old school” rods can be if done properly.

“I must say, I am the lucky one, privileged to be the current owner and caretaker of this jewel,” Peltier concluded. “Credit certainly goes to Scott Wilson of Grants Pass, Oregon, the builder of this piece of art.”

A huge “Thank You” goes out to Mr. Peltier for sharing his story and his beautiful ride with us. Be sure to be on the look-out for this traditional machine at car shows all over Texas this year!

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About the author

Lindsey Fisher

Lindsey is a freelance writer and lover of anything with a rumble. Hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles - she's owned and driven it all. When she's not busy writing about them, she's out in her garage wrenching away. Who doesn't love a tech-savy gal that knows her way around a garage?
Read My Articles

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