The "patina-look" phenomenon has redefined hot rodding in the modern age, aking cars back to their roots of being simple machines built on a budget (or at least appearing to have been) from parts collected from uncommon sources. Some are radical while others, ike this 1930 Ford tudor sedan, re a more user-friendly variation on the theme, ut which still subscribe to the simplicity and home-built attitude of the originals.The Model A tudor sedan is the most common Model A, o it was a natural choice for a lot of early rodders who wanted something other than the ubiquitous rumble-seat coupe. This one has an instantly recognizable look despite the many modifications because there's just no way to disguise the Model A DNA. But make no mistake, his isn't a beater, t only looks that way. The body is straight and clean, he doors fit well, nd everything lines up as if someone spent a lot of time getting it just right. The blue paint is new, ut it's intentionally distressed and in places, ind of haphazard, hich is all part of the charm of a rat rod and it works quite well here. The frame is a custom job that allows the '32 Ford radiator shell to stretch a little farther from the firewall that it would on a Model A chassis, iving the car great proportions and a sleeker look. A few traditional-looking pinstripes finish the look with a nod to the old-school guys who did it first.A lot of builds of this style are crude, ither by design or by necessity, ut this one is pretty nicely finished overall, ith comfortable bucket seats up front and a full interior that makes it easy to live with. Durable cloth is simple and easy to maintain, nd they actually spent some time getting the doors right with map pockets and original-style door handles. The buckets have black vinyl bolsters to help hold you in place, hile the back seat has been converted to storage and a place for the gas tank, ow that the in-cowl tank has been removed. A custom Champion aluminum gauge panel has a retro hi-po look and is now filled with new gauges that look a bit like vintage Stewart-Warner dials. There's an AM/FM/cassette stereo discreetly tucked under the dash and the shifter on the floor looks enough like a Model A piece that nobody will think twice. Yeah, t's a little basic, ut isn't that what rods like this are all about?Mechanically, his sucker was built to run and is strapping a 350 cubic inch Chevy V8 for power. There's a 4-barrel Edelbrock up top, lacked-out Chevrolet valve covers, nd bright red paint on the block, hich really pops against the blue bodywork. It's all out there ready to be examined, o they dressed it up with nice ceramic-coated headers, black alternator, nd a matching air cleaner, one of which call much attention to themselves. There's a big radiator up front to keep it cool, long with an electric fan. As I mentioned, he chassis is new, nd includes traditional radius rods and a dropped I-beam up front and a 10-bolt rear end on ladder bars out back, ut you can't argue with the way it rides and handles. A 700R4 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission makes it very livable on the highway, ecause this car was built to cruise. The exhaust uses glasspack-style mufflers for an old-school soundtrack and vintage-looking American Racing Salt Flats wheels are the perfect choice, specially with big-n-little Bridgestone radials.Cleverly built, ulletproof reliable, nd exactly right for driving in any conditions, his is the rod for the guy who would rather be behind the wheel than polishing a fender. Call today!