Jim and Brenda Broadhead own a veritable fleet of fine Model A Fords, all lovingly restored by Jim, who says they are `by no means show cars,' but cars meant to be driven -- and they are.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Broadhead says of this '31 Model A, `This is a real DeLuxe car ... fold-down rear armrest and cut crystal flower vases. Other than the Town Car, it was the most expensive car in the line.'
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Currently undergoing its second restoration at Broadhead's hands, this Rock Moss Green '29 Model A closed cab pickup has been to the top of Pike's Peak and as far east as North Carolina since he bought it in 1971.
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Perhaps the sportiest of the Broadhead Model A's is this 1931 DeLuxe Roadster assembled from collected parts. Broadhead has restored at least a dozen Model A's and says part of the appeal of the venerable Ford model is that its parts are almost infinitely interchangeable.
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Double-time: the 4-door Model A is equipped with not one, but two accessory timepieces. The old Westclox portable clock keeps good time, but the more unusual piece is the clock-in-a-mirror, which features beveled glass edges and a pull-string winding mechanism.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Jim Broadhead built his 1929 `Woody' on a bare pickup chassis, using the factory cowl, fenders and hood. The beautiful bodywork on the `Depot Hack' is furniture-grade oak, crafted by John Siegar of Cuba, Mo.
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Stitched in gorgeous saddle-tan Naugahyde, the interior of the roadster was upholstered by Paul Maunz, who also outfitted the rumble seat in the same material. Maunz built the folding cloth top for the car as well.
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Broadhead says he's no purist when it comes to drivability in his Model A's. The roadster, for example, runs turn signals for safety and is equipped with a column-mounted Motor Meter that keeps track of the Model B engine's coolant temp.
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There's not a wrinkle in sight in the taut cloth top that encloses the roadster's passenger area. The center panel of the roof can be rolled up so rumble seat riders can communicate with the driver.
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The rear seat of the 4-door Model A DeLuxe Sedan was almost custom-made for transporting wedding couples. The interior is finished out in a Lebaron-Bonney upholstery kit.
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Originally upholstered in leather, the rumble seat of the roadster is now finished in longer-wearing Naugahyde.
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Adding another touch of class to the Model A sedan is this beautiful accessory rack-mounted trunk. Note how the smooth black trunk's contours match the curve of the rear of the car.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Depot Hack is nicely upholstered in period-correct cloth; Broadhead opted for sliding house-type door glass instead of side curtains.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Roll-up curtains keep the rear of the woody weather-tight; the Jeep jump-seat was added for the grandkids during parade duty and the surfboard is a call-back to Jim Broadhead's teen-age days as a true California surfer.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Who says a headliner has to be cloth? Beautiful oak striped line the top of the Depot Hack.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The '29 pickup sports a basically utilitarian interior, with a black bench seat and no carpeting, which reflects the truck's working heritage.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Three of the Broadheads' Model A's are equipped with 1950s vintage overdrive units mounted in the driveline, just ahead of the stock rear-end. The extra gear box, seen here in the '29 pickup chassis, allows the vehicles to travel safely at 55 mph on long highway trips.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Still awaiting its black leatherette roof, the pickup's utilitarian roots are revealed. Broadhead said this truck was never fully finished when he first put it together; he is doing a correct restoration now.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Eric and Brigitte Baggs also were treated to the traditional wedding transportation by their chaffeur, Brigitte's dad, Jim Broadhead.
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Broadhead family / Courtesy
The tradition of transporting Broadhead children to their weddings in the maroon '31 sedan began with Ken and Julie Broadhead, seen here with proud dad Jim Broadhead.
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Broadhead family / Courtesy
Eric and Leslie Broadhead continued the family tradition of being chauffeured to their wedding in the famil's elegant '31 Ford Model A Ford DeLuxe.
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Broadhead family / Courtesy
Teresa and Miles McClure pose alongside the '31 Model A 4-door sedan in Old Town during their wedding festivities.
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Broadhead family / Courtesy
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