April 2004, New Braunfels, Texas. With the fresh engine in, it was time to try it out in a Greatrace regional. These are 3
day weekend events, a 'cloverleaf' so that you come back to the same hotel each night. Folks use these to learn how to run
the race and test their cars. It scores exactly the same as the big cross-country event and it's open to any car.
'Hot Rods' were not permitted in past events, which were at first only open to stock vehicles built before WW2. In later
years eligibility moved to postwar cars before 1950, then to 1960. The rules gradually allowed modifications for safety and
reliability, including hydraulic 4 wheel brakes (now mandatory), alternators, electronic ignition, electric fans, fuel pumps,
and wipers. The cars still need to be essentially period correct, with engines, drivelines, and steel bodies. Bias ply tires
are required, and disc brakes are not permitted unless the car came with them new. No streetrods with Chevy V8's or Mustang
II front clips permitted.
The rules allowed authentic race cars, then 'recreated' race cars such as the '34 Bohnalite Indy specials built by Roush, or
the Shafer Buicks run by the Cokers. It was a logical next step to allow 'hot rods' or dry lakes racers as part of that same
group. Our '29 was the first entered under this new rule, which also saw a '32 hiboy on the same race.
The light steering, low center of gravity, and good power to weight ratio make it a fine rally car. I think we finished about
15th in our first run, and we came home with a laundry list of modifications to make before the next race. That's my wife and
expert navigator in the car working on her route instructions before a start. Cosmetically the car is still the same, with
the wheels having been painted black so they all matched.

The next big cosmetic leap was to paint the wheels in the same red as the engine block. This helped a ton and was always part of the plan. I will pinstripe them at some point. This angle also shows the '32 V8 emblem added to the grille bar, which looks so at home I've had car people ask me how many Model A's came with V8's!
Greatrace rules require a hood (usually waived by the chief tech on really hot days), and they were required on the dry lakes cars in the old days as well. Since the deuce frame increases the distance from the cowl to the radiator, a new custom one piece hood was rolled out of aluminum by our local rod shop, Tri-C Engineering. The latches are concealed underneath, and provision was made to fit side panels at some future point (removable, with lots of louvers to emulate the old Alfas).
Not everyone likes the hood, but to my eye the beauty of the '28-'29 is in the slope of the cowl, which is lower than the '30-'32. The hood visually takes your eye from the radiator to the cowl in a smooth motion, and being 3 or 4 inches longer takes some of the stubbiness out. No '32 shell for me: it either has to hang below the chassis or be cut short, both of which don't look good to my eye. I might paint the old grille shell to match the body, but it could make the headlights too prominent. Regardless, the hood can be easily removed for the traditional look at any time without any hardware showing.

The current configuration, as seen on Greatrace Cactus Derby, Nov. 2005. This shot was at the scenic overlook at Alamo
Reservior, about 30 miles due east of Parker, Arizona. The most prominent new feature is the rear mounted spare. Required by
Greatrace rules, it was forced out of the trunk by fitting a jump seat for our daughter to ride in. This required a new rear
body panel without lights (bye bye to the '50 Pontiacs), and '36's on '32 stanchions were bolted to the frame. I like this
because it backdates the car, and I like glass lenses better than plastic. The license was moved to the left stanchion. The
spare mount as all fabricated by me, and does not use any Model A parts or require holes in the body: it can be unbolted to
return it to a conventional roadster look at any time. Hard to see are the old style nerf bars at the ends of the mounts. I
was never comfortable with the body hanging behind the frame rails, and with my daughter back there some protection was
necessary.
Also visible here are the new 6.00 x 16 front tires, replacing the 4.50/4.75's it had before. That plus a new SoCal shimmy
damper ended the problems I had in the last race with every cattle grate we hit at speed.