1929 Ford Rat Rod

The Hot Rod you see before you is not just any custom Hot Rod. This 1929 Ford 5-Window is a certified, Boyd Coddington build that was one of the last cars ever to be produced out of the Boyd Coddington shop in California. The owner of this car is none other then Scotty Grey. Scotty was a common face, seen on Boyd's hit TV series American Rodder, purchasing many of his customs. They had a long standing friendship that was brought together by these amazing machines. Scotty has owned a string of well-known vehicles that, taken individually, would be the focal point of anybody's garage but, taken en masse, it's almost unbelievable. Over the years the result of the wheeling and dealing between Scotty Grey and Boyd Coddington produced several cars. One such transaction involved a '32 Ford woodie Scotty wanted but, as it worked out, he was offered the Aluma Tub instead (the all-aluminum '29 tub built for the American Rodder TV show and featured in the August 2004 issue of STREET RODDER), a deal Scotty took. Though some might be able to remember back to 1992 when Coddington had built the Aluma Coupe (the scissor-door, egg-shaped, yellow pearl, Mitsubishi-powered hot rod), 10 years later Boyd was well into another phase of aluminum-bodied cars. Around the same time the Aluma Tub was built, two other '29-based vehicles were being assembled with similar, but unique, suspension pieces: the Aluma Truck and a Model A coupe. The truck made its debut in the Dec. '02 issue of STREET RODDER, but the little Model A coupe was never completed by Coddington due to his untimely death. Scotty Grey owned the car and turned it over to Ohio-based hot rod wizard Jeff Eischen to work his own particular brand of magic on it. Already familiar with Eischen's work, Scotty has owned multiple hot rods by Eischen including his first hot rod he ever made. Scotty naturally felt he could finish this project. But well before Eischen got involved this car had its own history. The chassis was built by Al Simon at Coddington's using hand-formed rails and tubular cross members on a wheelbase of 104 inches. A Winters quick-change was used out back while a unique torsion bar system with aluminum radius rods utilized up front. Wilwood discs are on each corner, as are Coddington-carved 15x7 spindle mount wheels in the front and 17x10 pin-drive wheels in the rear. The body started life as a 1929 Ford Model A five-window but, after a visit to Marcel's Custom Metal in Corona, California, the coupe was chopped, its roof filled, aluminum three-piece hood put in place, and the doors not only made to open suicide-style but close flush fit. Roughed together with the suspension in place and most of the bodywork done, the car then sat for a few years. Mulling over whether to sell it or finish it, Scotty eventually called Eischen about finishing the car. Eischen went on to make whatever he didn't have and assembled the car in the manner of his other vehicles: simple and stylish with a high degree of fabrication and design. He made a grille out of stainless steel tubing and screen, and shaped his own engine mounts and steering shaft supports. A hole in the one-piece hood was made so the top of the air cleaner would fit flush, but a metal ring needed to be made to not only stiffen the edge but as an accent, too. Eischen fabbed the radiator grille out of stainless. And as an example of Eischen precision work, that's not a grille on top of the hood-it's the top of the air cleaner, perfectly fit and flush-mounted. Ron Mullins, based in Galloway, Ohio, got the car from Eischen so he could do the required bodywork before spraying the entire car with Dupont two-stage black paint. Once the color was on, the rod went to Southwest Auto Upholstery where a pebble patterned pleather was used to cover the door panels and a pair of Porsche 914-6 seats. Dyanmat insulation then went in before the gray square-weave carpet was laid out. Back at Eischen's the final assembly bega