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‘This one’s special’ Britz builds 1930 Ford into hot rod BY BEN SONNEK STAFF WRITER
all out on this one. … It’s like an adult-sized Hot Wheels.” Britz has worked It is no easy task to take a car from a rusted on cars all his life, starting with a 1954 shell to an awardwinning hot rod, but that Ford he got for baling hay. A month after is what Bill Britz did receiving it, its timing with his custom 1930 chain went out. Ford Model A in Sauk “It’s been one car Centre. after another,” Britz From car shows to everyday errands, Britz said. While Britz has lost likes to see people’s count of how many cars enjoyment at seeing something new and he has owned over the years, his Ford Model different cruising A hot rod is the fourth down the road. “This one’s car he has worked on extensively — and it special,” surpasses any of his Britz said. “We went previous projects in terms of how much work it has received. Britz got the original Model A from a friend, Ray Cole, about 25 years ago; the car had been broken down for some time
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PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK
Bill Britz brings his custom 1930 Ford Model A to Sinclair Lewis Park Oct. 2 in Sauk Centre. Britz bought the broken-down Model A about 25 years ago; after modifying it, he has started driving it to car shows this year, and it has won awards for People’s Choice and Best of Show.
and many of its parts were missing. Cole passed away several years ago, so Britz had the car refurbished in his honor, having previously collected various parts for it off and on.
“Everything we did, we did in this garage — no body shop, no paint booth, no nothing,” Britz said. “I had a picture in my mind of what it should look like.” About the only original piece of the Model A is its shell, although its roof was lowered 6 inches in the modification process. Every other major
component is from The Model A’s the 1900s: The wheels engine is a V8 from a are chrome reverse in 1956 Ford Thunderbird the 1950s style, the with three Stromberg 97 headlights came from a carburetors. The car gets 1936 Ford, the taillights about 18 miles to the came from the 1950 gallon — unless Britz Pontiac, the dashboard puts his foot down. is from a 1956 Mercury Roll bars line the and the grill came from Model A’s interior, and a 1928 Hupmobile. one of the most difficult “I had to add 4 steps in modifying inches to (the grill) to the car was building make it fit the height of it around the roll bar the radiator,” Britz said. frame. The newest piece of the car is its transmission, taken out Britz page 2W of a 1985 Ford Mustang.