Steve McGregor realized he could have a lot more fun with a car that he didn't have to baby constantly, so he built his primered '29 Ford hot rod and it's been all fun and games since it hit the road.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
McGregor says he has considered chopping the top on his '29 Ford, but has always resisted, noting that it might take away from the car's vintage hot rod look.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A closer look at the pinstriping and rear tag details. McGregor was amazed he was able to get the first RATFINK tag issued in Kansas.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A 4-spoke O'Brien Truckers steering wheel sits atop a 1960s vintage Chevy pickup steering column, which mounts a classic Stewart-Warner "winged" tachometer. The other instruments are also by S-W and are installed in an aftermarket engine-turned dash insert.
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A classic smallblock Chevy V-8 wearing a set of three Rochester carbs and a set of owner-modified headers gives the old-school ride the correct vintage power. McGregor is a big fan of open engine compartments - as well he should be.
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Inside, a bright red pair of early Mustang bucket seats ride shoulder-to-shoulder in the narrow '29 Tudor body. "This is a small car ... people must have been tiny back then," McGregor said.
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The skull-and-crossbones theme sets off the radiator and is repeated throughout the car. A Moon tank has been converted to act as a coolant catch can. A closer look at the front frame spreader bar reveals turn signals incorporated into the tubing.
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The rear end displays plenty of details: '32 Ford taillights mounted on '29 stands, no-cost car-show pinstriping, a Wichita Fundamentals club tag and the "RATFINK" personalized license plate. The logo along the beltline reads: "In the Rough Is Just Enough!!"
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Knowing he would have to work around the inset firewall, McGregor disassembled a set of headers and crafted his own S-bend pipe on each side before welding them back into place and returning them to the manufacturer for ceramic plating. Spider web graphics supplied by nephew Jeb McGregor.
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One of the niftier touches on the '29 is the tiny traffic light that hangs in the rear window. McGregor rigged it so the yellow light comes on when the engine starts, the red lights up when the brakes are applied and the green light glows when he gets on the throttle.
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A super-long shift lever built by the owner is topped by a top-hat-wearing skull knob, which peers out through the windshield.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
To get the correct depth and look on the rear wheel/tire package, McGregor narrowed the 9-inch Ford rear end and built mini-tubs inside the car to hold the L78x15 Coker bias ply wide whites mounted on Wheel Vintique chrome reversed rims.
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Thanks to a TCI 4-inch dropped front axle, the 5.60x15 Coker wide whitewalls on chrome rims tuck neatly under the front fenders.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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