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This is about as classic as it gets: a 1927 Ford Model-T roadster. The Model-T was ground zero for a lot of what we know today in the automotive community. It started everything from mass-production at the Ford assembly plants to hot-rodding with the early T-bucket roadsters. This Model-T stays true to its early heritage and was built with old-school cool in mind.
This is an all around good looking vehicle. We love the little style choices that Mike put into the car. It's built with classic style in mind, like something you'd see in the '50s or '60s, but at the same time Mike clearly has his own personal touches thrown in there.
The owner of this hotrod is Mike Long of Graham, Washington, and he has had the car for around eight years now. “It’s all steel,” Mike explained. He bought the car a s a roller and basically just built it as his own. All the little touches and details on the car are Mike’s own creation. “When you get down into the little details, that’s where it’s at,” Mike said. “And they’re never really done.”
This roadster features a fully boxed frame, a small-block 350 cubic-inch Chevrolet engine, turbo-350 transmission, and a Ford 9-inch rearend. “We tried to keep it as old school as possible,” Mike detailed, “but we built it do that it’s a good reliable driver. We drive it everywhere.”
There’s more to the custom features on this car than what is easily visible from the outside. “It’s been widened by 4-inches and stretched by 6-inches,” Mike explained, “And it has an original 1950s Moon fuel tank on the front.” That tank isn’t a reproduction of some kind, it’s a genuine, vintage hotrod accessory. When Mike said they were going for old-school, he meant it. And we think he’s done a good job getting there.
The trio of carburetors on the top of that Chevrolet engine look good and certainly don’t hurt its performance. If you look straight down the line, you can see the more of Mike’s detail work in the skulls that line up in the air intakes. Not only that, but the front brakes that look exactly like a set of air-cooled Buick drums, are actually modern disc-brakes inside of a retro styled housing.
The steering column bracket is also a custom V8 emblem hiding under the dash. Another cool, custom touch that is so subtle it might go un-noticed. Again, for Mike, it's the little details that make the biggest difference.
The pinstriping was done by Bob Davisdon and the interior was done by Bob Jasper. Bob Jasper is a highly regarded and well known upholsterer in the Tacoma area and he often has a lengthy waiting list. It’s obvious from the quality of Mike’s upholstery that there is good reason for that. Jasper marks his work with a brass plaque that Mike wears on his dash as a badge of honor.
He also has an original, vintage Sun Tachometer on the steering column.
In keeping with the classic style, but reliable build design, Mike is using an original Magneto distributor that’s been updated with modern electronic ignition equipment inside. It looks just like the old-school stuff, but has been fully modernized and works like new.
We love what Mike has built with his roadster. It’s an awesome custom car and just the kind of thing we like to see. What do you think of Mike’s Model-T roadster? Would you have done anything different? If you’ve got a rat-rod or roadster that you’ve built with your own styling, we’d love to see it. Shoot us an email and we’ll consider it for our Classic Customs series.
