Donna & I have a 1928 Model A Ford Open Cab Roadster (convertible) Pickup Truck.  It is a Type 76A with a Type 78A bed.  The serial number is A120955A and was produced in May of 1928.  It is 1 of 24,000 produced in 1928.  I believe that only about 100 of these "Open Cab's" are still in existence.  That includes all 4 years, 1928 thru 1931.  It has a top speed of 65 mph.  I've only had it up to 55 mph - that's enough - no sense in taking any chances.  I don't want it to put it under any undo stress.

I purchased this truck in June of 1998 from a man in Conway, Arkansas.  He had worked for the Finkbiner Meat Company in Little Rock and was the company mechanic.  He had cared for this truck since 1970.  The pickup was painted Razorback Red & driven in parades and to Arkansas football games.  Upon the death of the owner of the company, the mechanic purchased the truck from the estate.  Being in his mid 80's, maintenance presented a problem for the Mechanic and he decided to sell the truck, painted it Black & advertised it in the newspaper.  I was the first one there with cash!!!  I knew when I saw it, that my 40 year search  for the Perfect Vehicle had ended.

Tare weight is 2073#.

Wheelbase is 103.5".

Compression ratio is 4.22:1.

3.875" bore X 4.25" stroke = 200.5 cubic inches and develops 40 brake horsepower @ 2200 rpm.

Original list price was $445.00.

An interesting note: as Secretary of the local Meat Cutters Union, my Grandfather was a friend of Mr. Finkbiner (management).  My Grandfather, however, passed away prior to the pickup being in Mr. Finkbiners possession and, therefore, he would not have had any contact with the truck.

Although not 100% authentic, my pickup is close enough to fool all but the purist.  I consider it "customized" and nothing has been changed that can't be returned to authentic.  For instance, the original truck did NOT  have a top that folded down - mine does.  The original top could be removed - but not folded.  The original truck was painted "Rock Moss Green" lacquer body with black enamel fenders.  My truck is 2002 Ford black basecoat/clear coat.  The original truck did NOT  have a chrome radiator shell or horn.  They were both black.  Wheels on the original truck were 21" and painted black.  I have the 30 - 31 Model A 19" wheels and they are powder coated and clear coated to match the interior and top color.  The original top was, also, black.  The original truck had no outside door handles.  The '29 door handles have been added to mine.  My truck has rear bumpers - not so on the original.  So, you see - my truck, though not 100% original - is just "customized".

I've entered many shows always resulting in an award and/or the oldest car trophies. See the list, below.  My proudest trophies are the 1st and 2nd Place awards at the M.O.T.A.A. Regional Show held at Petit Jean State Park each year.  I attend many of the local shows; however, don't like the "sitting" for hours after wiping, polishing, cleaning, etc. and forgoing the pleasure of "driving".  A "driver" doesn't make a good "show" car.  I can't compete with those guys that "Trailer" their ride.  Cleaning is just too difficult!

Because of a minor traffic accident on June 28, 1999, the Model A Pickup underwent what was supposed to be its first restoration.  The front axle, fender, drag link and other minor parts were damaged.  Completion was scheduled for January 29, 2000, but was not finished until April 8, 2000. It was supposed to be as good as it was when produced in May of 1928, however, my mechanic was far from being Henry Ford!!!  Much closer to "Geech".  I picked it up at his shop in Pine Bluff and drove it to Sheridan, about 25 miles, for a Club meeting & car show.  After filling up with gas, I noticed that the Amp meter was not showing positive (+).  The meter was right - the generator burned out due to the inferior assembly of the cutout (voltage regulator).  After the Sheridan show & lunch with the Model A Club, I drove the pickup another 25 miles to Benton.   This vehicle has NO heater.  Do you know what the wind chill is at 40 degrees & 40 mph.  About 400 below zero!!!

My 1928 Model A is a daily driver.  The motor gradually developed a knocking sound with volume increasing with mileage.  After several attempts at adjusting the shims, the mains were checked and found to have the babbitts literally "falling out" in chunks.  The motor had been rebuilt by the previous owner about 15 years ago but had very low miles since.  The lead was obviously of poor quality.  It was determined that new babbitts MUST be poured.  Since the motor had to be pulled, it was decided to do a complete restoration.

In October, 2002, the Pickup was completely disassembled.

The motor was found to be in excellent shape, except for the babbitts.  The cylinders had been sleeved to .000 and the crank was at -.010.  The valves needed only a slight grind to seat perfectly.  New rings were installed and new babbitts poured.  Each mechanical part, including nuts, bolts & washers, was either repaired or replaced and all the body parts were repaired of all defects and individually primed with black epoxy primer and painted Ford Explorer Black basecoat/clear coat.  The fenders had rubberized undercoating sprayed onto the underside to absorb rock impacts.  The bright metal was either polished or replaced.  Imported from Central America, Teak floor boards were fabricated, coated with 2 coats of marine spar varnish, and installed in the bed with stainless bolts and rails.  The wheels were powder coated/clear coated to match the interior & top colors.  A new interior was installed.  Recessed sealed beams were installed.

New rear motor mounts and a front "Float-a-motor" were installed.  The 6 volt starter, generator, distributor, plugs and coil used were the same ones removed before rebuilding the motor, which was running excellent except for loose babbitts.  New plug wires, distributor upper plate, lower plate, body, shaft, condenser & points were installed.  The oil pump was rebuilt.  The water pump was replaced with a new leakless unit.  The radiator was replaced with a new heavy duty model.  Rebuilt Houdalle shocks & links were installed.  New seals were installed on the rear axles and 1 brake lining was replaced due to grease leakage.  New brake rods, cross shaft, clevis pins and stop light switch were installed.  Modern, threaded grease zerks were installed.  The intake and exhaust manifolds are the same ones removed from the motor before it was rebuilt and were NOT surfaced but were checked with a straight edge.  A new "one piece" gasket was installed.  The throw out bearing & clutch assembly were not worn and only the linkage was tightened up.  A new wiring harness, battery cut-off switch, ammeter and ignition switch was installed.  The steering was all new and no adjustment or replacement was necessary.

My friend Robert Wade did all the mechanical work and had me ready for the Petit Jean show in June of 2003.  With 86 points, we won 1st in our Class.

Attending Car Shows with a driver tends to be a real chore.  It is necessary to continually load up spare parts (in case of break down), tools and detailing supplies.  When you get to the show location, everything must be unloaded and after the show load it all up again and, again, unload it all when you get home.  Well, seeing some of the street rodders and motorcycle guys having a small utility trailer to carry all of that stuff, I got to thinking how convenient it would be to have one.

That was the simple part - thinking of what to do.  Where to find a small trailer light enough for the Model A to pull - yet big enough to handle the necessities - that was the real problem.

I looked and looked.  The closest thing I found was a car top carrier with wheels offered by J.C. Whitney for $600.  It just did not look sturdy nor large enough.  I checked out some of the street rodders.  The really nice ones were a cut down version of their car.  I looked at a few trailers made from modern pickup beds.  They were too heavy.  But, that got me thinking.  Why not a trailer made from a Model A Pickup bed?  Well, again, that was the easy part.  Have you looked for a Model A pickup bed lately?  Hen’s teeth would be an easier find.

Since the local Model A Club (50th Anniversary Chapter) offered free want ads in the newsletter I decided I'd give it a try.  Several months passed after my ad was published.  Finally a Club member from Eastern Arkansas called and said he had a pickup bed he wanted to sell.  If fact, he said, at one time it was mounted on a custom frame as a trailer.  He indicated that it was in excellent condition - no rust, no dents and complete with the wood floor, fenders, tail light and a locking water proof top cover.  I told him (not asking the price) it was mine.  It was NOT cheap - but well worth the price.

Time passed for another month or so.  Then one evening I got a call from another fellow about 50 miles from me.  He said that he had a frame that at one time had a Model A pickup bed mounted on it.  He said it was complete with rusty wheels & bad tires.  To keep it light, the builder had used 1" square tubing, a Model A front axle and welded the spindles to run straight.  That was a real novel idea - and it works.  Again, I told the seller that the frame was mine and would retrieve it soon.

I started recruiting friends with pickups that were willing to assist my voyage to retrieve the purchases.  Within a couple of weeks I had everything back at home with the assistance of my friend Earl Cloud and his pickup.

Wouldn't you know it - they belonged together.  The original builder, Doug Zhan, told me that it was fabricated in 1985 and pulled 25 miles one time behind a Bronco just to get it home.  The original owner made the weather proof top, covered it with Model A Sedan Vinyl material and used a Model A door handle as a latch.  The color was a dark brown that matched the Coupe of Club member, George Millar, the original owner.  I needed it to be black to match my pickup.  I found a local painter that picked up all the pieces, put them together and painted it Ford Explorer Black basecoat/clear coat to match my daily driver.  We powder coated the wheels to match the pickup and installed new, matching Firestone tires.  I had a local welder custom fabricate a draw bar on the pickup so I could use a standard 2" bar & ball and interchange with my Explorer.

Now, you ain't never seen anything better.  This thing is great and does exactly what I wanted.  The center of gravity is forward and has 0 tongue weight so I use a 6" drop down hitch.  It does get a little loose above 50 m.p.h. - but I don't drive the Model A any faster than that anyway.  Every time it goes to a show, there are people all over it looking and taking pictures so they can build their own. 

I would really hate to see more of these since I like to have things no one else has, but if you have similar needs - this is it!!

As if my pickup alone didn't draw a crowd, now with the trailer it's awesome!!

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Awards: 1st Place, Class M-1, Commercial Trucks to 1942, M.O.T.A.A. Petit Jean Show, June, 2003

             1st Place, Antique Trucks, Saline County Fair Parade, September, 2003, 2006

             1st Place, Class G, Original Trucks, Dixie Car Club Show, Oct. 1998, 2000, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07

             2nd Place, Malvern Brickfest Car & Truck Show, June, 2003

             2nd Place, Model  A  Ford Class, Dixie Car Club Show, October, 2002

             2nd Place, Class M-1, Commercial Trucks to 1942, M.O.T.A.A. Petit Jean Show, June, 2001

             2nd Place, Class G, Original Trucks, Dixie Car Club Show, October, 1999, 2001

             3rd Place, Central Arkansas Corvette Club Showtime Car Show, October, 1998

             3rd Place, Bryant Fall Fest, Trucks Pre-1966, October, 1998

             Oldest Car, Dixie Car Club Show, October, 1998

Color: Body:  Ford Code UA, Black Base Coat/Clear Coat

Wheels: Camel Powder Coat/Clear Coat

Paint: Goyne’s Paint Shop, Malvern, AR (Every part painted individually before assembly)

Floorboards: Teak wood (imported from Central America), Marine Spar Varnish finish

Motor Rebuilt: Doug’s Antique Ford, Little Rock, AR

Top: Chatterton’s, Hot Springs, AR

Interior: Marshall Upholstery, Tull, AR

Mechanical: Robert Wade, Bryant, AR