If there’s anything we’ve learned about the people behind the hot rods that we cover, it’s that many of them truly are what we like to think of as “grassroots” car builders. Tom Warner from Fort Pierce, Florida falls under this category, as his hot rodding history is one that goes a ways back, “In high school, I had bought a ’36 Ford. I put a HEMI motor in it; it was faster than all of the 348 Chevys, but it couldn’t beat a 409,” says Warner of one of his earliest rodding ventures.

It’s true that hot rod building is a craft learned by years of experience, but circumstance also plays a major role in determining one’s project of choice, as it did for Tom and a close friend, “My buddy and I each had a bunch of Chrysler stuff. We each had five engines and each kept one,” Tom explains. “That was about six years ago.”

The motor that Tom preserved from this collection of neat Chrysler “stuff” was the 392 HEMI now featured in his ’26 Model T, an old-school motor that’s been keeping up with the market’s best since the rod scene’s glory years. But just because it’s a bit of a motoring relic doesn’t mean that Warner’s tricked-out T isn’t packing power. Tom’s 392 mill features a bumpstick from Fort Lauderdale’s Race Cams Inc., and the early HEMI still has its original, adjustable rockers intact.

Tom enjoys cruising Florida in his HEMI-stuffed Model T, and not too preoccupied with numbers, he says that the amount of tweaks that he’s done to his custom T’s motor is at the absolute minimal, “The only thing I’ve done to it is the Weiand intake and its WCFB, dual 650 carbs,” says Warner of his 392 motor swap.

Warner’s HEMI is a mill that packs a remarkable performance history within its very engine block, as it’s a direct donor from a ’57 300C. Unfortunately, Fort Lauderdale’s Race Cams Inc. has gone out of business since Tom has completed his Model T build, but Tom is still more than satisfied with the grind that the former camshaft company has made possible for his ride, “It’s a good cam that puts out lots of power” says Warner.

While Tom is unsure of the exact origins of his Model T shell, it is a completely fiberglass body that has made for a heart-stopping street rod, one that brings old-school back to a new generation of custom fanatics. But it’s also one that fuses together the old with a little bit of the new, as Tom’s T-rod chases a GM Turbo 350 box with a Ford limited-slip rear, and has Ford OEM disc brakes at the rear.

Tom’s master cylinder is from Wilwood, and a set of Mustang II brakes fitted with Chevy discs help slow the front. Without even a shred of doubt, Tom’s HEMI T is one of Florida’s coolest rides. It’s one that turns heads, but according to Tom, it’s one that may also soon inspire the creation of yet another street rod, “It’s a lot of fun. I’m thinking about building something with a roof on it, because my wife doesn’t like getting her hair blown around on the cruises” shared Warner.

Tom Warner’s ’26 T is one that brings all of us back to the very heart of hot rodding, and while we’re not sure what his next custom build will be, we can only imagine that it will be just as sweet as the HEMI-powered Ford that has put him on the map!