John Maloney’s Red Speedster

My interest in Model A’s began around 1980 when my Daddy bought a Model A. I started watching the want ads in the Atlanta Journal newspaper and found a 1929 Tudor in Brookhaven Georgia about six miles from my house. I bought it and did a frame off restoration. I found a picture of a red speedster (I still have picture) and decided I wanted to build one.
Around 2008 I found a rolling chassis and bought it. My goal was to keep the build simple. I built the bed, gas tank risers and seat rails out of white oak lumber. I used a standard Model A windshield frame and cut it down two ½ inches. I took a Model A trunk and cut four ½ inches off of it and put a raised floor in it to allow for the rear spring. I used a dune buggy gas tank and seats and Walmart men’s belts for hood tie downs. The only modifications to the drive train are high compression head and high speed rear end. The paint is Dodge Viper Red. After getting the body parts back from the paint shop, I was storing the hood halves on the floor in a small building to keep from getting them damaged and one day I was in the building getting something and my rear end hit a shelf that wasn’t secured, and some heavy electrical meters fell off the shelf damaging the hood halves. So, it was back to the body shop for repairs.

It is a fun car to drive except when you get in a thunderstorm like we did coming back from the Motorcycle Museum to Ashville, NC at the National Meet.

The Model A hobby has been a part of our family for over forty years.  We have been to many unique places and met so many nice people. We enjoy our dear friends in the Georgia Region MARC. The fellowship is special. We drive, eat, and laugh each time our club meets. Each time we drive the speedster we make another memory and hope to make many more in the future.

John J. Maloney
Doraville, GA