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Spotted at the prestigious L.A. Roadsters Show And Swap Meet in Pomona, California, we were fortunate to stumble across a peculiar custom that had everyone’s heads turning with curiosity. Owned by Leonard Knight, let us introduce you to his 1929 Ford Model A Roadster that packs quite the punch with its deadly combination of power and flair. The custom drew much attention under the warm Southern California sun, stirring up debates between the hot rod and classic car gearhead. However, let us tell you about the owner of this wild custom build that has its own identity.
Spotted at the 2015 L.A. Roadsters Show and Swap Meet, Leonard Knight’s Ford Roadster is a custom with a touch of class.
A History Of Know How
Leonard Knight of Glendora, California, was destined for greatness, with the ability to dismantle and assemble things with relative ease at a young age. “My uncle worked on several 1940 Fords in his garage,” he said. “I bought my first car when I was 15, a 1954 Ford Mainline Coupe, which I got to work on almost immediately. Working with my uncle, I got my hands on a 312 cubic-inch V8 for the Mainline.”
Having so much passion for his own car, he learned how to port and polish cylinder heads as well as paint, which he sprayed in red metallic. Leonard went through several cars over the years, including a Ford GT, high-performance Dodge Vipers, and a 1953 Studebaker. “The ’53 Studebaker was heavily chopped and had a 1,000 horsepower twin-turbo V8,” he said. To note, Leonard took home the Outstanding Paint Street Machine/Pro Street award in 2006 at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona for a 1939 Ford he put together.
The proportions of Leonard Knight’s Ford Roadster are just right from front to back.
Looking for something new, Leonard came across a 1929 Ford Roadster that had recently been completed by prestigious car builder, Brian Frick of Bakersfield, California. Leonard ended up striking a deal with Brian and went all out with this 1929 Ford Roadster. “I was in need of a new car and I liked this one in particular,” said Leonard, who has owned the car for just over one year now and has taken it to several shows. “I’ve taken the car to Orange County’s Cruising For A Cure, the La Verne Cool Cruise, Redding, as well as other local shows,” he said.
Assembling The Beast
Brian offered Leonard some assistance in order to help him make his dream a reality with his newly acquired car. First, Brian fabricated a custom frame made up of 2×4 steel, which he Z’d in the front and rear with custom crossmembers to keep everything locked together from behind the firewall and seat.
The pipes that run just outside the doors make for an authoritative exhaust note, even at idle.
Looking to make the custom roadster different from the rest, Brian channeled the steel body four inches, chopped the windshield posts two inches, and laid them back to create a more sleek look up top. He also utilized a reworked 1935 Packard grille with a custom fabricated stainless insert, capped off with custom headlights.
Brian then sprayed the fabricated body with a coat of rich Chrysler black paint and the frame, chassis, and axles with a vivid brunt orange metallic pearl hue. The result is a San Francisco Giants color scheme as the two colors complement each other nicely. The pinstriping on the rear bumper and trunk add a classic, artistic touch to the roadster.
The subtle pinstripe graphics add an artistic touch to the overall build.
A 9-inch Ford rearend helps put power to the pavement, filled with 28-spline axles and a 3.0:1 gear ratio,and a set of Aldan coilover shocks are mated with a triangulated four-link. In order to keep the Roadster’s freakishly low stance, it was fitted with a 1934 Ford axle, coupled with quarter-elliptic leaf springs and custom fabricated hairpins. All of this is brought together via a 1967 Dodge 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission with manual shift that slams through gears with an authoritative punch courtesy of a B&M shifter. Providing adequate stopping power is a combination set-up of Ford rear drums and eight-inch General Motors discs up front. The Roadster sits on 15-inch American Racing Torq-Thrust five-spoke wheels wrapped with Firestone rubber in the front and slicks in the rear.
An elaborate intake setup that had people double-taking the 1929 Ford Model A Roadster.
All the power is made up front from a 1967 Chrysler 440 cubic-inch V8 powerblock that features 905 Magnum cylinder heads, a Comp Camshaft and a vintage Chrysler 300-G long ram intake with two Edelbrock 500 cfm carburetors. The dual Edelbrock carbs are mated with O’Brien Truckers finned aluminum air scoops. A Mallory ignition system gives the initial spark for the roadster, and custom headers help dump the excess gases.
I was in need of a new car and I liked this one in particular.
– Leonard Knight
The car finished in sixth place for Altered Street Roadster 1928 to 1931 at the 66th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Grand National Roadster Show at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in January 2015 .
The interior of Leonard Knight's Roadster is a healthy dose of luxury and high-performance aesthetics.
Against The Grain
It may not be a traditional hot rod build, but this 1929 Ford Roadster’s presence is definitely noted each time Leonard brings it to Southern California shows. Truly a one-of-a-kind roadster, we commend Leonard for his artistic and wild vision of a hot rod.
Simply put, Leonard Knight’s Ford Roadster is one beautiful automobile.
The proportions to the vehicle from an overall standpoint look good and don’t ruin the look of the car. Going against the grain may have not been his intention, but Leonard’s ride is in a league all by itself for its uniqueness and originality. With parts pulled from both luxury and musclecars, the end result is an engineering and artistic gem that will live on for years to come.
