Tom Miller's 1930 Ford Model A Coupe

1930 Ford Model A Coupe owned and built by Tom Miller of Michigan. Tom completed the coupe in 1989, powered by a flathead engine. It featured a filled top, a 1932 Ford grille shell and insert, red steel wheels, and a flame paint job laid out and sprayed by Teddy Zgrzemski. Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

Teddy Z welding the top on Tom Miller's 1930 Ford Model A Coupe in his shop in Wyandotte, Michigan. After Tom warped the top while gas welding a filler panel, Ted straightened it and finished welding the whole car. Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

Some of the other projects in Teddy Z's shop when he was working on the Coupe. Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

Teddy Z taping up the flames on Tom's Coupe in his shop in Wyandotte, Michigan. Tom brought the completed coupe back to Ted for the flame job. The car ran a flathead engine and red steel wheels. Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

Teddy Z and Bill Hines with the Coupe after Ted completed the flame job. Tom brought the car back to Ted's shop for the flames after finishing the build. According to Tom, he "had to go see Uncle Bill when he came to visit Ted." Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

A photo of Bill with his daily driven custom next to the coupe. Photo courtesy of Tom Miller.

1930 Ford Model A Coupe owned and built by Tom Miller of Michigan. Tom completed the coupe in 1989, powered by a flathead engine. It featured a filled top, a 1932 Ford grille shell and insert, red steel wheels, and a flame paint job laid out and sprayed by Teddy Zgrzemski.

Tom Miller

Tom bought his first car in 1964, at 13 years old, a 1931 Ford Model A. A second Model A followed two years later. He did not start building street rods, however, until he met Teddy Z in Wyandotte, Michigan in the early 1980s. After retiring from Ford Motor Company, Tom went to work for Lew Wolff, maintaining Lew's cars.

The Build

Tom ran a flathead engine in the coupe and did much of the work himself, but a mistake during the build changed the course of the project. While gas welding a sheet metal filler panel to fill the opening in the top, he warped it badly. Not knowing how to fix it, he turned to Teddy Z for help. Ted agreed to take the body to his shop, though he did not sound too hopeful. He asked Tom to run to the hardware store for some bolts. Tom came back about 20 minutes later to find the top perfectly straight. Ted then offered to finish welding the top, and ended up welding the whole car. According to Tom, Ted did not charge him for any of the work.

Ted also gave Tom a steering column, a DeVilbiss spray gun, and a hammer and dolly. He sold Tom an original 1932 Ford grille shell and insert for $20.00, roughly a twentieth of their $400 market value at the time.

The Flame Job

After completing the coupe, Tom brought it back to Teddy Z's shop in Wyandotte for a flame job. A photo taken in the shop after the flames were finished showed Ted alongside Bill Hines, who had come to visit. According to Tom, he "had to go see Uncle Bill when he came to visit Ted."