1927 Ford Model T Coupe (Gold Brick) -

- Hot Rod Magazine Cover - October 2011 - The "Gold Brick" - Radical Build - 283 Tri-Power V8

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this vehicle on a website other than our main website, it's possible that only some of our many photographs of this car are presented due to website limitations. To be sure you access all the photographs, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“Gold Medals aren't really made of Gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard to find alloy called guts.” - Dan Gable. Make this car a centerpiece in your collection, someone else has invested the sweat, determination, and guts to build such a cool creation. It's not quite a gold medal, but it'll take you down the road in style!

The overwhelming theme for this car is gold, but the more you look, the more red accents pop out. This hot rod started life as a '27 Ford Model T, which in the lineup of picking a Ford base for a hot rod or custom build is not usually high on the list. Model T coupes had a sort of odd look to them, at least proportionally. A lot of expert work needs to be done to create one that is eye catching, balanced, and has a nice stance. This Model T is just that and then some.

This '27 Ford was built by Bob “Bleed” Merkt, who is well known in the Hot Rod and custom community. Bob worked alongside Jesse James at the Austin Speed Shop before heading back to Wisconsin to start Midwest Fabrication. This is a bare bones car, as you can see in our many photos. The exterior look the car has now is obviously a result of a lot of chopping, welding, measuring, and hours of collecting parts at the swap meets. White and red accents break up all the gold on the body, including red tinted windows.

The interior is stripped of any unnecessary trim, or upholstery just as young men were doing in the '30's when the idea of making a Ford lighter, and therefore a little faster really took hold. Simple pleated Gold bucket seats, a gold steering wheel, and shifter with an amber shift knob are main highlights of the interior. A few gauges keep the driver informed of vitals, and the gold painted dashboard provides a little contrast from the dark red accents inside the car.

Situated between the front wheels is a 283 V8 mated to a 3 speed manual transmission. A trio of Rochester 2 barrel carbs sit atop an Edelbrock intake manifold and are framed by true vintage Edelbrock valve covers. The exhaust is simply 4 pipes coming off the heads which end just before the suicide doors. So as you would expect, it's not hard to hear that 283 when it's running.

Dorothy Clarke Wilson stated, that “Gold will not fill an empty heart.” However, this “Gold Brick” can, fill an empty space in your garage. This is a special car that has a cool history and an amazing amount of work put into it. Be sure to check out all the photos and video on our main website: Garage Kept Motors. Call if interested or e-mail with any questions. Thank you for looking.