1931 Ford Model A Street Rod

It took builder Jeff Madden about a year to transform his 1931 Ford Model A Fordor sedan into this extended-cab shortbed pickup truck that many will recognize from the front cover of the May 2012 issue of Hot Rod magazine. Madden began the project by placing the body and the Brookeville Roadster short pickup bed on the floor of his garage, shortening the cab until the proportions suited his eye and then building a frame to match. Perhaps the truck’s most unique feature is its Cummins 4BT turbodiesel engine, which originated in a Fritos delivery truck and then served a tour of duty in Madden’s ex-Army tow truck before getting a thorough cleanup for its new digs. Backed by a 400 Turbo automatic and a 2.41 10-bolt rear axle, the bulletproof little Cummins returned 41 MPG during a trouble-free 6,000 mile trip Madden made with his son Kevin from Charleston, SC, to the Bonneville Salt Flats for Speed Weeks and across another 21 states. The trip ended in Madden’s home town of Titusville, Pennsylvania, next to Oil Creek, where the truck got its name. It was the site of the first oil drill, and the Oil Creek Petroleum Co. was a real company. Also featured in numerous other magazines and calendars, this homebuilt Retro Rebel has been invited to the 65th Annual Hot Rod Home Coming on March 23–24, 2013, at the Fairplex in Pomona, California. It will be presented for sale at the Mecum Kissimmee Auction, Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 8:25 PM.

Photo courtesy Mecum Auctions