Name: Rex Barden, Roy Sorenson
Vehicle Year/Make/Model: 1930 Ford Model A two door coupe
Built By: Rex Barden, Roy Sorenson, South City Rod & Custom
Engine Details: Buick 231 Odd Fire V-6, Buick Grand National V-6 with Edelbrock carb and HEI ignition
Transmission: Turbo 350 automatic
Chassis and Suspension Details: TCI chassis, dropped tube axle, four-bar Ford 9-inch on coilovers
Wheels & Tires: Pete Paulson Steelies with Firestone Big ’N Littles
Interior Details: Super Auto Upholstery (Hayward, CA)
Body and Paint Details: Filled roof, cowl, and molden in visor, covered in Ford blue, glass by Tri-Valley Auto Glass (Pleasanton, CA)
Miles Driven in a Year: 1,000-plus
Favorite Shows to Attend: Goodguys, Billetproof (no longer), local shows
Any Awards: Galt Annual Car Show “Best in Show” Pre-1948, Eastwood Tools Virtual Car Show 2021 “Best Overhaul”
Background on the Car: “BOB” was spotted at a very small fast food parking lot in San Jose; it didn’t even have a For Sale sign on it. It got Rex’s attention and after talking to the previous owner he found out it was a father/son bonding project. Rex reviewed his finances and broke down and bought it for a silly low price. He nicknamed the car BOB because it was a “bucket of bolts.” Unsafe at any speed but pegging the fun meter, he had a real blast driving it around San Jose and cruising with Sunset Hot Rods Car Club.
Somewhere along mid 2000 Rex inherited some money from his father and decided to get a complete overhaul for the hot rod, including a new frame and face lift. Rex kept the V-6 and tranny. The evil shop Rex took BOB to was charging lots of money and stole many parts. The so-called “quality” body shop that was working with the evil shop did tons of changes to the body that Rex didn’t want and then covered it with tons of bondo and paint that falls off when you look at it wrong! Rex didn’t realize just how bad BOB had been stripped of parts until much later.
Roy launched HOT CARS magazine and figured he could use it as a project car. But the car sat in his garage collecting dust for years. Eventually Dennis Santini helped recharge the project and later Roy began searching for a local shop to finish the build. He was friends with Pat Ganahl and heard his son, Bill, had opened South City Rod & Custom. They went to work doing whatever it took to make it the running, safe, reliable car you see here.
