1928 Ford Model A Closed-Cab Pickup, BMW V8 powered

1928 Ford model A

The truck includes a good, clean, and valid Tennessee title. It is in great driving condition, with about 4,000 miles put on it since completion. It has its fair share of quirks and issues, but I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it across the country in regard to reliability and function.

This truck has been a blast since day one. It’s a relatively high-profile build, which has been featured on the pages of Hot Rod Magazine’s 2013 “Overkill” issue, Bimmer Magazine’s September 2013 issue, and Super Street’s November 2013 issue. It has been documented on the website StanceWorks.com, and the truck itself has a remarkable following.



It is rough-and-tumble, through and through – a mixmash of Ford and BMW, and the end result is a very fast, fun to drive hot rod pickup with tons of style.

Aside from the body, engine, and transmission, almost every component on the truck was bought brand new. Every suspension component front and rear, except for the wishbones and the rear axle housing, and axle shafts themselves. All of the brake lines, fuel lines, pedal assembly, fuel system, cooling system, and more, are all brand new and ready for years to come. The seats, the canvas top and frame, and many other parts are all new as well. While the style of the car and build leave it to be plenty rough around the edges, and it is certainly a garage-built hot rod in all respects, the truck is sound and ready to be driven hard, as often as you’d like.


Driving this truck is incredibly fun. Anyone who has ridden in it or driven it will be sure to tell you it’s the most fun they’ve ever had on four wheels. The BMW engine’s power is very linear, and the power output makes for one very quick, light weight truck. The truck is planted, albeit the suspension design itself is original and therefore archaic. It is smooth at interstate speeds, 85mph and more. It’ll do quite the burnout, it sounds like pure power, and will turn every head on the road.




Body:

The body of the truck is from a 1928 Ford Model A closed-cab pickup. When I bought the body, the top two inches of sheet metal, and the roof frame, were missing. A new wooden roof frame was built, wrapped in weather-proof canvas, and mounted to the remaining sheet metal.

The cab is chopped, and the floor has been raised ~5 inches to channel it over the frame. The bed has been shortened, and topped with a “tonneau cover” built with aged wood. The cover hinges up for access to all rear-end components and the 15-gallon fuel cell.

The nose panel of the truck was shortened, the hood was cut for room of the DOHC BMW engine, and the side panels were left alone, and supported using the original hinge pins through the front. They do not hinge open as they did on the original truck.

The cab itself is not sealed, has plenty of gaps, no side or rear windows, etc. The bottoms of the doors are rusted through, as seen in the photos.

The underbody of the cab and the firewall are all shielded with proper high-temp reflective heat shielding.



Chassis:

The chassis is custom built, using 4x2 10ga box steel, which is realistically overkill for a truck this size. The chassis has 6 cross-braces, and one triangulation brace underneath the cab. There are two driveshaft safety loops. The wheelbase is the original measurement, and the frame’s total weight is around 150lbs.



Driveline:

The engine is a 4.0-liter BMW V8 from a 1995 740iL. For the BMW savvy, it a desirable Ausil blocked engine. Mileage is presumed around 140k, with new seals. The engine doesn’t leak, and runs perfectly through the entire rev range and is frequently driven hard with no issues. It is run off of the factory BMW DME (ECU) which is housed, along with the truck’s fueses and relays, inside of a waterproof box hidden behind the passenger footwell. The engine is kept cool by a custom radiator and a pair of 7” electric fans which push 2200CFM.

The transmission is a Getrag 420 6-speed from behind a 2001 BMW M5, and it is using the stock M5 clutch and flywheel. The transmission functions perfectly, never grinds nor pops out of gear. The shifter has been modified and uses the original Model A shift knob, and the shift pattern, despite the length of the shifter itself, is short, and notchy.

The driveshaft was made by Drivelines Inc in SoCal, and is a balanced, single-jointed slip-yoke shaft.

The rear axle is a Ford 8” rear end from a ’65 Mustang, standard Ford 5-lug pattern. It has been rebuilt with a brand new Yukon posi differential and 3.55 gear set. She’ll spin both tires without hesitation.

The fuel system is a 15-gallon fuel cell, with a Walbro 255 fuel pump. Everything is routed with AN lines and fittings, braided hosing. The tank has provisions for a fuel gauge.



Suspension:

The front axle is a Magnum 5” drop axle, the front spring is a Posies Super Slide 2” drop reverse-eye spring. The front spindles are one-piece drop forged 1928-1948 spindles, with hubs/rotors from Adams Rotors in standard Ford 5-lug pattern. The front brakes are single-piston 69-77 Mid-Size GM calipers. The front wishbones were split and mounted to the frame on each side.

The rear suspension is an atypical triangulated 4-link with over-head mounted height-adjustable Competition Engineering springs and shocks.

The steering is comprised of a BMW 2002 steering box for cowl steering, mounted directly to the frame. From there, the linkages are standard. The truck includes two sets of front steering arms and a tie rod, for the appropriate Ackerman angle on the BBSs and Excelsior tires, or a shortened set for the Nitto Dune Grapplers (which are not set up for a proper Ackerman angle.)

The overall ride quality of the truck is great. It does not jar, shake, etc. It drives straight and true, and you can easily let go of the wheel while driving without issue, even for long periods of time.

With the skinny wheels and tires, the truck does suffer from the common low-speed steering wobble if the steering is upset. It’s a common issue with vintage dead-axle cars of this style, and is largely trivial and only occurs at very low speeds. This problem is nonexistent with the larger wheels and tires.

Should you decide this truck is too low for you, the rear is easily raised, and the front is entirely able to accept a new front spring.



Wheels and Tires:

The truck comes with two sets of wheels and tires. The wheels and tires pictured in most of the photos are custom-built set of BBS RS Motorsport wheels. The wheels were custom built to 17x4" wide on all four corners, wrapped in excelsior tires. The centers are 5x114.3 bolt pattern, and I had the centerbore custom machined to match the hubs. The wheels and tires are running Michelin tubes. The rear tires are close to bald.

The second set of wheels and tires, which is the beefier, wider set, is a set of 15x8" offroad wheels, painted black, wrapped in Nitto Dune Grappler tires with 100% tread life left. They've only had about 100 miles put on them.



Interior:

The interior is bare-bones and minimal. There are no gauges, except for a tachometer. It is all bare metal, with two seats, and provision for a driver’s lap seat belt.

New seats have been installed since the photos were taken, you can see them in the notated picture.

The windshield is shatter-proof lexan. The pedal assembly is a rally car pedal assembly – it is small for clearance purposes. Due to the channeled floor and chopped top, interior room and visibility are very limited. I am 5’10” and fit comfortably. My 6’2” friend is also able to drive it, but he wouldn’t want to for really long stints. If you are taller than that, this truck might not be for you.

There are 5 switches for controls – lights, electronics, etc – and one starter button. There is a master power switch on the cowl of the truck that cuts all power to everything.

The door latches are heavy-duty draw latches. They work well, but it’s not the best solution to the problem. The doors’ insides were cut by the previous owner and aren’t as rigid as desirable, so the draw latches seemed most fitting.




Electronics:

The car is powered by a small glass-matt battery, and has no issues. There is a power kill switch on the cowl of the truck, which cuts power to everything. The headlights are stock Model A components with new internals. The tail lights are classic BMW 2002 round tails, modified to fit. Their terminals are a bit corroded, so the bulbs often go in and out. It’s an easy fix, but not one I’ve ever bothered with. The brake lights function through a in-line pressure switch. Due to the weight of the truck, and the pressure of the system, it takes a good bit of braking force to actuate the lights. It hasn’t been an issue for me, but you may wish to change the switch.

The BMWs factory computer is housed under the cowl, and functions perfectly.




I would like to reiterate that the style, character, and build of this car has been quintessentially “hot rod.” It is not perfect in any way, nor is it an exemplification of superior craftsmanship and fabrication. It is a garage built machine meant to go fast, sound mean, and create a smile – and it does so perfectly.

I will be happy to help the buyer ship the vehicle, at the buyer’s expense. Enclosed or uncovered, it’s up to you. I’ve shipped plenty of cars before and it’s no issue. The title is good and clear, and the truck is legally registered as a 1928 Ford Model A in the state of Tennessee. I will ask the buyer to sign a bill of sale, and sign a release of all future claims of liability or damages resulting from ownership or operation of this vehicle

• Condition: Used
• Make: Ford
• Model: model A
• Type: Standard Cab Pickup
• Year: 1928
• Mileage: 4000
• Color: Gray
• Engine size: V8
• Number of cylinders: 8
• Fuel: Gasoline
• Transmission: Manual
• Drive type: RWD
• Interior color: Brown
• Drive side: Left-hand drive
• Vehicle Title: Rebuilt, Rebuildable & Reconstructed
Want to buy? Contact seller!