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The Model T build is the iconic hotrod platform. There were so many Model Ts made over the course nearly two-decades that cars and parts were cheap and plentiful up through the late ‘50s when hotrodding was really gaining traction. It didn’t take a lot of money back in the day to buy a Model T body, a wrecked car with a V8, and pick through a wrecking yard for enough other parts to build a car. Now, they remain a staple of the hotrod industry and the heritage of our hobby.
This Model-T with its open headers, flames, and fat tires is a really cool, old school build—and we love it!
This sinister, mean, vinyl-topped Model T sedan is owned by Ron Rogers of Port Townsend, Washington. It’s just as loud as it looks with the open-header exhaust, and just as mean too. This is a really cool looking car that’s got that classic vibe we love, with just the right amount of custom to make it the kind of build we’re looking for.
It’s hard to beat the look of dual-quads on a big-block engine. The custom air intake is a really good addition to this build!
Ron’s had it for two years and he takes it to nearly every car show in the area. He drives it quite a bit, but it’s still a work in progress, there is still a lot of dialing-in to be done. “This last winter we put a bunch of rear suspension work into it,” Ron said. “Now it’s a little safer. The builder had used water pipe for suspension in the back.”
It's more than just eye candy, but it's hard to look away. You can't deny this thing is a cool looking rig. It's more than cool though, it's got a mean look that really fits the hotrod style well.
“They had an 8-inch rearend with full-spool gearing,” Ron continued. “Now it’s a 9-inch Ford Posi with heavy Currie axles.” The build definitely needs the extra support in the rearend and the axles with the aggressive engine as its heartbeat.
The engine is a 540 cubic-inch Dart block with Edelbrock heads, a tunnel ram intake, and dual 660 CFM Holley carburetors and the transmission is a Turbo-hydromatic 350 automatic. “It’s running right around 650-horsepower,” Ron explained. “You’ve got to pay attention when you drive it.”
The little details make this car really stand out in a crowd. The flames on the valve covers, top, and even interior really carry the look through the build, and the LED headlights are not only a cool accent, but they are brighter for driving out at night.
Ron does trailer it to most shows, but only because it gets roughly 4.5 miles-per-gallon, making it just a little bit more expensive to drive than your average car. To top it all off, Ron has to run his car on race fuel, making it even more expensive than if he was able to run standard unleaded, or even premium, in his build.
To combat the high power, Ron’s T-bucket has front and rear disc brakes.That was one of the things Ron added after buying the car. With all that power, stopping is just as important as going.
The interior is also just about as cool as the exterior, where the seats match the flame design that is impressed onto the vinyl top, and the instruments are all aftermarket gauges for style and accuracy. The shift handle is a really cool, custom skull that sits high on an old-school floor shifter.
Everything about this build exemplifies what we dig in an all out custom build. This hotrod’s definitely got some power, but it also has the old school looks that turns our crank. There is no mistaking this car as show-stopper anywhere it goes, and if the looks don’t knock you out, then the sound from the engine and open headers definitely will!
