Written by Chadly Johnson
Model "A" coupes, you see a lot of them out there, so it takes a pretty unique one to make someone stop and take a look. When I spotted Dan Szydel's amazing coupe at the first annual Vintage Torque Fest, I stopped dead in my tracks. I made a lap around the timeless coupe, pickup up on its major components such as the miles deep black paint, and the 331 Cadillac mill. I then proceeded to wear a path around the A-bone picking up on its amazing level of detail and I quickly realized this was one special coupe.
Dan began looking for a model "A" coupe back in 2002. His quest ended in the form of a package deal found on the Model "A" Club of Wisconsin's website consisting of a '29 pickup and the '31 coupe. The '29 was actually a 4 door sedan that had been cut down and converted, a common theme during the war effort. Dan tucked the coupe away and focused on putting the truck on the road with a stash of spare parts he had. The truck came together fast and sold quickly, allowing Dan to purchase a house and get started on the '31.
While Dan was building the pickup, he did a number of pretty cool things that would aid and benefit the '31's build. Dan assembled a binder of ideas and plans for the coupe as well as a list of parts to hunt down at swap meets. Dan said that he would also attend car shows and force himself to stop and look at cars that he would normally walk past and try to find something about them that he liked. He admits that youw ould be surprised at the cool ideas that you can find that way. Dan originally had a flathead in mind for the coupe, but a friend put a '55 Cadillac 4 door up for sale so Dan grabbed it as it seemed like a better fit. Dan then began learning everything he could about his '31, including taking a machining class in 2004 where he went through the mill himself, a task very few people take upon themselves. So with a fresh engine and a head full of ideas, Dan tore into the rest of the build.
The frame came next so Dan made up a frame fixture and ordered a set of '32 Ford American Stamping rails that he joined together with a So-Cal front cross member and a Dagel "X" member. The front suspensionwas derived from the use of a '46 Ford dropped axle & split wishbones, 39 spindles, and 40 backing plates. The rear set-up includes a 40 Ford rear axle and wishbones, both suspensions make use of Pete & Jakes shocks and springs. The chassis is rolling on 16" x 4" Ford wheels up front and 1942 Lincoln 16" x 5" wheels out back, all of which are dressed in 46 Merc hub caps.
The killer 331 Cadillac mill was bored .030 over by Dan and filled with a host of other goodies, including a custom Schnider cam, Thomas magnesim adjustable rockers, and a stock distributor with a Mallory dual point conversion. For both show and go the 331 was topped with an Edelbrock 4 x 2 intake and Hildebrant valve covers. The Caddy power plant was then joined to a modified Ford Ranger 4 speed transmission, making use of a Cragar bell housing and a Schefier aluminum flywheel and 11" Ford clutch.
The coupe was last registered in 1961, making for a solid body for the Mid-West only needing rust repair in the quarters and cowl. A friend of Dan's had recently chopped his coupe 2" and Dan liked both the look and feel of the roof line, so he applied the same chop to his coupe. After installing a '51 Chevy dash and freshly massaged body was the shot in layers of single stage jet black paint by Denis O'Keef, then joined to the frame. A 40 Ford steering wheel was mated up to an F-1 steering box along with a Speedway steering hoop. The timeless tuck-n-roll interior was done by Mike from Custom Classics Upholstery in Milwaukee. Other finishing touches to the '31 include a '32 Cadillac hood ornament modified for a shift handle, a Dixco tach, a '32 Ford grille shell, 50 Pontiac taillights, a '46 Ford aluminum cowl vent, BLC headlights sitting on custom made mounts and headlight bar, and a custom made rear nerf bar. Dan also had 38 pieces polished by Epper's Polishing and plated by Reliable Plating Works out of Milwaukee, giving it that amazing show and go hot rod appeal.
All said and done, Dan's meticulous coupe took approximately 2 years to build, but Dan is the first to admit it was only possible with the help of a lot of talented people that he and his car club The Cheaters are fortunate enough to know. Dan knew that if he ran into trouble with something he absolutely could not figure out, he was usually only a phone call away from a solution. Dan says this came in very handy when building his engine "because how else would I have figured out what pushrods to use with the adjustable rockers I had or what flywheel/starter/bell housing combo would work with the engine I had"...yeah, it's great to have knowledgeable friends.
Dan says the coupe turned out just the way he pictured it. He didn't want a crazy show car or a rusty heap, but a well built, simple car that was reliable. Personally, I'd say Dan met his own expectations and went far beyond the average build, making his coupe one amazing stand out.