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Paying respect to the lost and fallen comrades of war is hard for those who held them dearly. Robert Rodriguez, an individual with a family history of years in the service, set out to build a rat rod that no one would forget.
Aimed at paying homage to prisoners of war and those missing in action, Rodriguez set his sights on fabricating a rat rod that both he and fellow members in the service could enjoy. But first, let’s meet the man behind the kustom 1930 Ford Model A.
Rodriguez's kustom has so much character and definition that it garners attention wherever he takes it.
Following His Roots
Residing in Vacaville, California, Rodriguez is a car nut with a lengthy military background that began when he was 18 years old. He and his family were involved with cars from a young age, maintaining their interests into their adult years.
Now 59 years old, Rodriguez finds his motivation from seeing rat rods, patina’d cars, and military themed and tribute cars to service members.
The car is a essentially a tribute to our fellow service members living or deceased. The inspiration comes from a long line of family members in the military, dating all the way back to the Korean and Vietnam war.
– Robert Rodriguez
Aside from kustoms, Rodriguez owns a few Harley-Davidson motorcycles and even let the pedal hit the floor at Irwindale Speedway during his teens.
“Back in the day, I used to drag race at Irwindale when I was 18,” he said. “A little after I turned 18 is when I went into the service.”
His wife is even into cars as well, further cementing his family roots within kustom kulture. Having cousins and other family members in the Navy and the Air Force, Rodriguez’s decision to build a kustom was inspired by a friend of his who suggested he pursue the project.
“I was with my friends and they said, ‘hey lets do a military theme’,” Rodriguez said. “I had a lot of military memorabilia in the garage, and they figured I should put it to use instead of just hoarding it.”
Rodriguez's tribute to the living and fallen soldiers of war is one original build for the ages.
As for the current state of classic car culture, Rodriguez said it isn’t going anywhere and it’s not dying out because the young generation is keeping it alive.
“Going to Viva, I see some young guys doing it and I don’t think it’s dying out,” he said. “My sons are into old school and help to keep the culture alive. If you’re born into the culture, it’s a lot easier. My sons both want old school cars now, but I told them they need to save up then.”
He is truly proud of his 1930 POW/MIA tribute Ford Model A, all the way from the craftsmanship to the unique mural painted on each side of the slammed rod.
The Search For The Inspiration
Searching far and wide, Rodriguez stumbled across the 1930 Ford body in Oregon through a Craigslist posting. He said it was someone’s project previously, but it didn’t stop him from purchasing it.
Custom from head to toe, Rodriguez’s Ford is tastefully designed.
“I found the car in pieces,” Rodriguez said. “The body was all the way up in Medford, Oregon. It was already chopped but unfinished.”
He said it took about nine months to build the tribute Ford, spending roughly $15,000 total on the project collectively. Rodriguez said a majority of the money was spent on a new crate engine and a fresh transmission, which provides plenty of power for the kustom Ford.
“I’m the type of guy that once I start on something, I want to finish it,” he said. “I feel people lose their passion taking breaks in between builds. I ask them why are you selling it and they always tell me they’re disinterested with the car. Either that or they’re married, have kids, and don’t have time for it anymore. For me, I like to get it done.”
Rodriguez said the POW/MIA project is finished, with another build in line and ready for fresh paint. He mentioned his next project is a 1936 Chevy Coupe, which we hope to see come to fruition.
Rodriguez searched far and wide to find these original artillery wheels.
“You can keep dumping money into something, but you need to know when to stop,” he said. “My other project is sinking my money anyways.”
When asked what the most stressful part about the POW/MIA project was, Rodriguez said it was choosing the right wheels and actually obtaining them. He ended up finding the fronts and rears from separate states through eBay, which Rodriguez said has only increased in value since his initial purchase.
“As for struggles, it was pretty straightforward,” he said. “The biggest thing was finding the wheels since I was searching for a set of classic artillery wheels. I ended up finding two wheels in Wisconsin and the others in Indiana. They are even stamped from 1935 with the seal of authenticity.”
Featured in a couple magazines and receiving a few local awards, Rodriguez’s Ford stands as a testament for both the hot rod community and comrades of the armed forces. Above all, Rodriguez enjoys the engine, how the car is stanced, and the custom mural.
A Peek Inside
Before we talk about what’s on the outside, let us show you inside of Rodriguez’s prized kustom. Just one look inside and you’ll see some very unique seats.
Custom fabricated by Jamie Jordan of Meridian, Mississippi, the bomber seats, which are adorned with patches Rodriguez obtained throughout his tenure of twenty years in the service and patched together with 500 rivets. Complemented with with aircraft style seat belts and even a brass fire extinguisher, the inside of the Rodriguez’s custom is just as imaginative as the ratty exterior.
“The bomber seats are handmade by a guy in Missouri, with each seat having 500 rivets,” said Rodriguez. “It looks unbelievable and I got it for a steal. The seats are wide and cater to me since he measured them accordingly.”
Each seat has several of the patches Rodriguez earned over his time in the service sewn.
With various trinkets from his years in the service, each accessory only adds more originality to his custom Ford. Even the centerpiece looks like a huge gun barrel, which was custom fabricated to give the interior military appeal.
Wherever you look at this kustom, there is something unique that you won't find anywhere else.
Underneath It All
With the back story fresh in our minds, let us tell you a bit about Rodriguez’s Ford in further detail. Opting not to paint the Tribute, he said there was really no reason to paint it given it’s a rat rod at heart.
“I didn’t want to worry about paint or spending an excessive amount of money on pricey paint,” Rodriguez said. “The car is matte black, no colors here really. You can even see where the top was chopped.”
Each piece of this car culminates into an aggressive, but respectful kustom rod.
Red Label Automotive in Vacaville, Califormia, helped Rodriguez with the framing to avoid using airbags. The ’30 is built on a custom 2×3 frame. According to Rodriguez, the POW Tribute is channeled and Z’d in both the front and rear to accommodate the 4-inch drop and also allow for proper channeling.
“The rearend came off an IROC Camaro,” Rodriguez said. “But I changed out the gears and put in Posi-traction with Moser axles and 3.70 gears.”
Aiming to build a project that is suitable to drive any distance, Rodriguez replaced several components in the tribute to cater to his needs.
From the engine to the transmission, everything is fresh. Not to mention the wiring and the car has fabricated custom flooring. It’s set man; the engine, how it sits, and especially the mural. – Robert Rodriguez
From dropping in a brand new 350 cubic-inch crate V8 engine that produces 300 gut-wrenching horsepower to new wiring and custom flooring, Rodriguez wanted to do everything right the first time around.
Rodriguez said he really enjoys seeing his three two-barrel Rochester carburetors that sit atop the engine every time he drives the rod. That and the staggered 17×6.5 inch and 18×7.5 inch set of classic artillery wheels, which he said was a steal. Wrapped with Coker Tires, the artillery wheels conceal a custom front disc & rear drum brake kit that provide plenty of stopping power for the Model A.
“Honestly, I like the open hood, the pipes, and the way it’s chopped and stanced,” he said. “Man with this car, I really need to turn up the music to hear it. The pipes are literally right next to the windows and are loud.”
A Lokar shifter and a Turbo-Hydramtic 350 automatic transmission work in unison to put power to the pavement as an Offenhauser intake and Sanderson pipes help to provide sufficient air flow for the Model A.
Paid Dues
Speaking of the mural, it is a custom graphic painted by Andy Kawahara of Andy’s Pinstriping out of Scottsdale, Arizona. An eye catcher from close and afar, the mural has only attracted more people towards Rodriguez’s kustom creation.
“The mural is a POW/MIA emblem,” Rodriguez said. “I was down at Viva Las Vegas about 4-5 years ago when I met Andy from Andy’s Pinstriping, located in Scottsdale, Arizona. I asked him if he could do the logo and he said yeah no problem. When I put it on, it gave the car more pop versus when it had nothing.”
The custom pin striping was meticulously painted by Andy's Pinstriping.
Rodriguez said the mural does a really good job complementing the car. He says he catches everyone taking pictures specifically of the mural. Rodriguez wants to thank Andy for his exceptional work, but he hasn’t seen Andy in person since.
“I wanted to thank Andy, but I’ve had a hard time trying to get a hold of him,” he said. “Even my brother says he hasn’t seen him. Even at Viva Las Vegas where I’ve been looking for him at the show.”
Other custom work on Rodriguez’s Ford include a custom skull hood ornament with wings that gives the front some character, custom made by a buddy of his. Rodriguez also takes pride in the completely stainless front end, which was custom made by Rodriguez himself.
Truly Thankful
Rodriguez’s kustom is sure to bring around not just hot rod enthusiasts but also the ladies.
Bearing no name, Rodriguez said the Ford doesn’t need a name because it is so unique and different from the rest. He said he usually names his cars Betsy, but that wasn’t the case this time around.
“These cars used to be rag tops so I went to a surplus store and bought green canvas,” Rodriguez said. “That way I can roll the top back whenever I feel is right.”
Surprisingly, Rodriguez found several of the parts he needed for the build at swap meets. With so much custom work and respect for the lost and fallen comrades of war, we praise Rodriguez for his dedication and pride in his truly one-off build.
He said people ask him who’s car the Ford Model A is and why isn’t it in a car show. Rodriguez isn’t set on winning trophies with this build, he wants to pay homage to the families and members of the armed forces in America.
With Rodriguez spending just under $15,000 on the entire project, we praise Rodriguez’s kustom vision and hope that he holds on to his unique Ford Model A. Rodriguez would like to give special thanks to Danny Ferronato, the team at Red Label Automotive, his friends, Terry, Rick, and Marty, and his family.
There were quite a few hands that contributed to Rodriguez’s project and we couldn’t be any more than pleased with the results. His custom Ford is a remarkable tribute to the fallen soldiers of war, but also a toast to kustom kulture.
Photos Courtesy of Jim Hill
