Russ Moore’s 1929 Ford Street Shaker Packs HEMI Power

1st Gen HEMI projects and products.

Moderator: scottm

Post Reply
User avatar
scottm
Posts: 3442
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2001 7:00 pm
Location: Texas
Contact:

Russ Moore’s 1929 Ford Street Shaker Packs HEMI Power

Post by scottm »

Image

Russ Moore’s 1929 Ford Street Shaker Packs HEMI Power
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/russ-moo ... emi-power/
Imagine growing up as a part of the family business that was originally established in 1904 and still maintains its tradition. For Russ Moore of Strathroy, Ontario, Canada, being a part of the historical Moore’s Blacksmith Shop in his hometown since he was 12 years old has certainly taught him plenty of skills, including custom welding and fabrication while working alongside his dad throughout the years.

Having always been fascinated with anything mechanical it wasn’t long till Russ became enamored with cars, sharing the passion along with his dad. Soon after model kit building let him appreciate the inner workings of many of the favorite hop-ups he saw rolling through town. When he stumbled on the Aug. ’82 issue of Hot Rod magazine at the school library showcasing 50 Golden Years of Deuces the fuse was lit directing him down the high-performance path. It wasn’t long until he got his license and earned the keys to his first ride, a 1973 Dodge Challenger that he later restored and used as his daily driver for the following decade.

As the years passed he continued to study all the early Fords he would encounter, especially their various styles and engine combinations, never forgetting that issue of Hot Rod that originally inspired him. One day while driving through town he discovered a 1929 Ford Model A Tudor body on the side of the road with a For Sale sign taped to it. Closer inspection confirmed that it had suffered a hard life and that the bottom 4 inches of its body had deteriorated. Russ saw the issues that the body presented and decided to take on the challenge. He made the purchase and dragged the treasure home to the shop to evaluate.

Seeing that all he had was a body, the first step in the build would be constructing a suitable spine. Starting with 2×4-inch rectangular stock he crafted a fresh frame with custom crossmembers to tie it all together. In back a Ford 8-inch spins 28-spline axles linked to 3.55:1 gears and is hung in place by a custom four-link with Panhard bar matched to coilover shocks from Horton Hot Rod Parts. Up front it’s all traditional thanks to a 4-inch dropped axle wearing 1940 Ford spindles deftly matched to a transverse leaf spring and tube shocks all from Speedway Motors along with owner-fabbed hairpin radius rods. To make sure there’s plenty of stopping power a dual master pushes fluid through steel lines to Ford drums out back and GM 11-inch vented discs up front. Anchoring it all to the ground a set of 14-inch front and 15-inch rear steelies capped with Coker Classic rubber to add plenty of style.

There’s nothing more impressive than a vintage Hemi between the ’rails of your hot rod. Russ located a classic 1955 DeSoto 291ci V-8 and brought it to Ross Automotive in Strathroy to work their magic. The block was massaged to perfection and filled with a refreshed stock crank and rods wearing fresh pistons all urged by a mild performance reground factory cam. The factory cast-iron heads were tweaked for plenty of power while a vintage Weiand four-pot intake wears a set of Stromberg 97-series carbs topped with an owner-fabbed air cleaner. It all sparks to life through a Mopar Performance electronic ignition while spent gases dump through a set of custom lake-style headers to 2-1/2-inch steel exhaust and Thrush mufflers all by Russ. Power moves rearward through a Dodge A833 four-speed trans rebuilt by Russ to a custom driveshaft.

When it came time to address the body, Russ rolled up his sleeves and got busy by first repairing all of the sheetmetal damage, starting with the bottom 4 inches of the body that all but disappeared. He fabricated fresh steel repair panels and followed by replacing the floors and bracing. From there he continued by channeling it 4 inches, crafting a steel roof insert, modifying the rear body panel and shortening a Deuce grille shell while also fabbing a custom insert. He then mounted a set of 1932 Chrysler headlights along with 1937 Ford taillights. Once all updates were completed, he metal-finished the body to prepare it for paint and laid down a subtle vibe of Nason 1955 DeSoto Lexington Green, bringing it all to life.

To add just enough classic flavor inside Russ crafted a custom dash accented by a combination of Sunpro dials and vintage swap meet gauges to monitor the vitals while an owner-designed steering wheel navigates the course and a Hurst shifter pulls the gears. He then crafted a set of custom bomber seats and mounts as well as a mini-console all from aluminum stock. To wrap it up he completed the upholstery in black and white vinyl while also wiring everything to add spark. This is one wicked Street Shaker prowling the streets of Strathroy with plenty of vintage Hemi power.
Really nice hot rod. I love those Strombergs!
Post Reply