‘A’ Promise – Dave Hooker Keeps His Word to See a Two-Decade Model A Roadster Project to Completion
A Model A roadster on Deuce rails is a classic combination that’s as old as hot rodding itself. The formula has been executed countless times through the years, but that didn’t keep Dave Hooker’s beautiful example from catching our eye the minute it rolled into the FiTech Fuel Injection Spring Nationals in Scottsdale. It’s a clean, well-built car, and it was refreshing to see a back-to-basics early Ford street rod making its outdoor car show debut at WestWorld.
The roadster’s appeal only deepened as we learned more about its backstory, one that included an on-again, off-again construction process that lasted nearly two decades, plus a promise to a beloved life partner. We’ll let Dave fill in some of the background.
“It all started in the early years of the 2000s,” Dave says. “My wife, Renee, and I had been longtime attendees to the Goodguys car shows in our state of Washington and made a yearly vacation to the Goodguys West Coast Nationals in Pleasanton, California. After coming home one year, we made the decision we wanted to be a part of this.
“Our inspiration came with a cover article in Street Rodder magazine in February 2006,” Dave continues. “That was the car – that was what I was going to build. My goal was to make mine even better.”
The cover car in question was a ruby red Model A roadster on a ’32 Ford frame. It belonged to Street Rodder editor Brian Brennan and had been the subject of a long series of build-up articles during its construction at Hot Rods by Dean in Phoenix, Arizona.
It’s worth noting that Hot Rods by Dean owner Dean Livermore received years of mentoring from Dick “Magoo” Megugorac, an acclaimed car builder who helped re-popularize the Model-A-on-’32-rails formula when street rodding began flourishing in the 1970s and ’80s. Brennan’s cover car was a result of Magoo’s timeless influence, so it’s little wonder why it captured Dave’s imagination.
We’ll let Dave pick up the story again. “A call to Brookville Roadster landed me a new body and chassis,” he says. “We picked them up on our yearly trip to the show in Pleasanton. Once home, the parts and pieces started rolling in.
“Fast forward a number of years and things came to a big ol’ stop,” Dave continues. “Life handed us what would be our greatest fear – job layoffs and the big ‘C’ – cancer for Renee. It was time to take a long break and put the car aside. It could wait.”
Renee survived that initial bout with cancer and the couple began working on the roadster again several years later. “It was a great joy to be working on it again,” Dave says. “It looked like we were really going to get it done. Well, then it all changed in a minute. Back to storage. Many years of back surgeries for Renee. All along, we never stopped going to shows and saying ‘someday.’”
The on-and-off cadence continued for years until Renee’s unfortunate and untimely passing. “After a long battle, I lost the love of my life in 2020,” Dave says. “Before her passing, she made me make ‘A Promise’ that I would finish the Model A and live the dream we had. Years passed and after retiring early I set out to fulfill A Promise to her.”
Dave connected with Hot Rods by Dean to see the Model A roadster to the finish line. The plan for the car had never wavered through the years, making it easier for the shop to follow through with Dave and Renee’s original vision. The chassis was assembled using tried-and-true parts like a 4-inch dropped and drilled front axle, four-bar front suspension, Wilwood front discs, and a Vega steering box. A Winters quick-change rearned was installed out back in conjunction with Bilstein coil-overs and a four-bar suspension. The proper big ’n little wheel-and-tire combination came in the form of 15×5- and 16×10-inch Real Rodders Sprint wheels wrapped in Firestone 560-15 and BFGoodrich 295/60/16 tires.
David and Renee had always planned on Ford power for their Model A Roadster, which came in the form of a rebuilt 289c.i. small block V8. A Comp camshaft and Edelbrock top end (heads, intake, carb) bumped up the power levels, along with a Pertronix ignition and custom headers leading to a stainless exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers. A Johnson’s Radiator Works radiator was installed to keep things cool, and the engine was backed up with a C4 automatic transmission.
The Brookville body needed minimal attention before bodywork. The Hot Rods by Dean team made the necessary adjustments to ensure a good fit to the frame and between the Model A Roadster body panels, fitted up a ’32 Ford grille, added internal structure to the cowl, and crafted a custom rear floor to clear the quick-change rearend. After bodywork, the frame and body panels were sprayed in a custom mix of PPG blue paint based off a late-model Toyota color. Deitz headlights. ’50 Pontiac taillights, a quick-release fuel filler behind the cockpit, and a rear nerf bar added appropriate accents, as did the mini Moon tank up front.
Bell Auto Upholstery was called on to make the cockpit comfortable and built a custom seat and side panels that were trimmed in tan leather. The ’32 dash was treated to an aluminum insert and Classic Instruments gauges, while the Flaming River tilt column was topped with an Eddie Motorsports billet wheel. A Gennie shifter and Vintage Air retro-style heater finished things off.
“The car was finished in time to attend the 75th Anniversary Grand National Roadster Show,” Dave says. “I was so proud. Then it was off to my new home in Arizona and the Goodguys Spring Nationals opener.
“I’m looking forward to many, many more shows and meeting many great people,” he continues. “I’d like to extend a very special thanks to Dean and his great crew at Hot Rods by Dean, and Daniel and his crew at Bell Auto Upholstery, for helping me to make A Promise come true.”
