Original 1940's Model T Roadster Race Car Found!!!

On our last trip to Missouri we were able to purchase this Ford Model T that was originally raced in the 1940's & Early 1950's. Leland purchased the car in the the 60's (roughly), installed a flathead V8, and raced one event with the body removed and just a cage. Thankfully Leland saved all of the parts that came with the roadster, including the radiator, hood, and the nerf bars. Matt and crew work on unloading the car, and getting all the parts next to the car for an in depth look. We can't wait to get started on this thing and hopefully track down some history!
If you have any history of the roadster racing in the Kansas area, or know of someone that would, please send us an email!!!
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Iron Trap Garage
PO Box 6
New Berlinville, PA
19545
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[@charlesmoxley739]

I am blown away l have known Leland since birth my parents lived at the bottom of the hill at the dead end my father Ted Moxley raced with him and was good friends until he passed in 05 the pictures of the car at the old property was my hood spent more nights than you could count from my earliest memory in all these buildings lots of late late nights though the sixties early 70,s especially i was born in 62 i will go though my box of old pictures i have several old race car pictures that was Dads not sure if there are any of this car if i have any will copy and send sadly i think leland is the last of there group still alive if you talk to Leland please tell him hello from the Moxley,s Peace

[@IronTrapGarage]

Thank you Charles for the background! If you have any old photos of the car even sitting at the property or anything at all we’d appreciate it! Email us at: [e-mail]

[@duser2326]

Soon you will have to change your name from Iron trap Garage to IRON TRAP MUSEUM. Great find and save. can't wait to see it run again.

[@danielkeel9265]

Garage and Museum!

[@BlackheartCharlie]

3:37 How amazing is Leland's memory that he tells Matt that the left axle was possibly misaligned and went together with difficulty... ...more than half a century ago!!! I love how you're not just buying old cars and parts, you're preserving the story that explains why this car is special.

[@tokeypokey]

These old guys lived and breathed this shit they don't miss a thing even with dementia my pap could tell me about his knucklehead race bikes and bootleg coal mines he mapped

[@IronTrapGarage]

Thank you! Keeping the history alive of all of these old cars and parts is so very important to us!

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Welded up the star gears without having them sqare in the carrier. I did that once. Never again, tack them with the axles in.

[@jerryhablitzel3333]

I really like the old gentleman you bought the collection from. He has that generation’s demeanor. Wish more people today had it.

[@Ecosse57]

agree 100%

[@kevinbarrett9615]

The car is a time capsule of the early days of track racing, very cool set up. I could see this at T.R.O.G. Next year.

[@screwthecrewofpoliticians8921]

This is what I'm talking about. I've been looking for a antique racer to build back to its own glory. You have the chance of a life time with what the man in Missouri sold to you.

[@markfortin421]

Wow!...What a time capsule...you are SO lucky to have that car, that complete, and know what you have....I bet there isn't another one that complete, and original in the world, unless its been cobbled together with parts found today, but never raced for real, like yours. You are the guru, the true hero, to real car guys everywhere!! Keep it up...where you go, we will follow. 😇

[@philgogler9091]

Be nice to see it restored to back in its great days 👍🇦🇺

[@Marshal_6]

Is someone recording Leland`s memories? If nothing he deserves a "piece" on here. He sounds really interesting to listen to, and if nothing else, just for "the history books"?

[@JulianFoley]

Good on you blokes. You show such deep knowledge and true respect for this wonderful creation of the 1940's. I'm so glad it fell into your hands to bring it back to its dirt track glory.

[@IronTrapGarage]

Thank you Julian!

[@380.motorsports]

That’s a very cool piece of car history. Glad you will put it back close to what it was originally.

[@merlintraplos5462]

This car is so cool to see.

[@1954shadow]

I worked with a guy, some 25 years ago, that did dirt track racing back in the late 50s, here in Missouri, his name is, John Rabich, I wonder if this old time dirt track racer might have known him.

[@alfalke5116]

Cool car, reminds me of my memories as a teenager helping with my friend and his jalopy, model a frame, cut down a sedan body, flatty with 3 carbs

[@Ecosse57]

so much respect for leland! god bless him. for my 2 cents it would be a shame to try and make this car street-going. keep as much of it's originality as possible and use it as matt suggests as 'the iron trap special' to bring to events.

[@bryanstruble8927]

You will the bell of the ball at a vintage stock car meet!

[@garyhughes9199]

It is so cool that the Bluejay Special wound up in your shop. This car needs to be put back on the track, and you are the right man to make it happen ! Well played gang !

[@IronTrapGarage]

Thanks Gary!

[@1936fordcrazy]

Your doing such a service to hot rod history. Keep up the good work

[@IronTrapGarage]

Thank you Scott!

[@StLouisSled]

Perfect car to build for TROG. I can hear the excitement in your voice Matt...I'll bet your chomping at the bit to get started on it!

[@IronTrapGarage]

Yep it’s gonna be a neat one!

[@stevenbrowningsr1144]

I can see it now! The "shop truck" trailering the "race car" to the dirt drags! Can't wait!!

[@IronTrapGarage]

That would be a dream!

[@dale5303]

Wow what a peice of history! Went to the perfect home!

[@jimschafer9196]

WOW what a gem its going to be a real conversation piece when you get her back together.

[@stevesalvage1089]

That's great that's its going to be appreciated ! And saved ! We need more young people that save stuff ! I wish you all the best !

[@IronTrapGarage]

Thanks Steve!

[@tomcummings655]

good chance the block is the 48-53 254 "m"series 6-stock bore was 3.5 inches-the 226 stock bore was 3.3 inches-parts all interchange between the two,but the 254 was more desirable.And yes,ford made the flat head six all the way to 1953,used it in the bigger trucks [F-600 etc] Knutson was a big builder of speed parts for the Ford flathead six

[@stephenhammer7357]

just more content for us to follow, it keeps on getting better all the time cheers!

[@IronTrapGarage]

Thanks Steve!

[@rayk9315]

I can just see this car on the sand at the race of gentleman.

[@ruongluesteve]

I foresee you having a lot of fun racing it. Nice to see such a rare racing engine. You need to find another early dirt racer for your Riley 4 Banger now so you and Mike can go head to head.

[@seangavin8140]

Pleeeeeease oh please oh please build it up with that awesome old six

[@IronTrapGarage]

That’s the plan!

[@larrysmith4918]

Awesome piece of history. So fun to put her back together. Jelly...

[@hotrodZack1948]

Heck yeah, I can’t wait to see this thing put back together and driving

[@charlesrives9092]

A perfect car for the Race of Gentlemen.

[@wolfgangricky]

That'll be a Fun one !!! Now you have a race car, shop truck on the way, now you need to find a Doodlebug Tractor to move stuff around the shop area. lol. Awesome stuff, ty for sharing

[@IronTrapGarage]

Haha not a bad idea!

[@TheTubeTube2]

What a find!

[@kyleforeman4543]

What a piece of history,along with the gentleman that ran it..Wow,,tks for a trip back in time again Matt & Mike

[@protc]

Set it up for Trog that might be cool.

[@johnbehneman1546]

CONGRATULATIONS MATT ON YOUR NEW PROJECT!!!! TOTALLY AWSOME VIDEO AND EDUCATION. THANKS FOR SHARING!!! I LEARNED SO MUCH.

[@ervingoertzen7233]

Yeah, you should be named Iron Trap Museum

[@Vinegar_Stroke]

Such a cool car. This will be a fun build!

[@thomasst.martin3308]

OMG! I can't beileve the Flathead Six and all of the speed goodies. Never in a million years could you find this kind of stuff on Ebay or at a dozen swap meets. These weren't popular when they were new. How or why someone went to the trouble to build this race car is unbelievable. What a find.

[@IronTrapGarage]

Agreed this is why I was drawn to the car as a whole!

[@jongolliher4280]

They sure weren't near as popular as the flathead V8 for track roadsters but it really wasn't unusual to see one at a race. That low end torque advantage that they had made them desirable to some that raced short tracks a lot. Lots of needed speed equipment was available so there had to be several running in the U.S. to support that.

[@jonlennon3348]

Now that car is bitchin all the way around. Glad you saved it.

[@sethpetersen9288]

This might now be my favorite build you guys have. Love that you are going with the hopped up Ford straight 6.

[@heatherrigby7371]

Hi again Matt and Fellas. I thought he said he welded the spider gears in the quick change rear end. Thanks again Donnie

[@chuckb9867]

Spectre cool ride I hope it gets painted like opening race day 1947

[@osmoahma7561]

Racers again 👍🏻

[@jameseastwood4984]

This is really important American history. You could approach the Smithsonian and/or the Henry Ford Museum, with the idea of loaning them the car for a short period. Also these museums use specialist companies (like yours) to restore vehicles. It could be an interesting additional income and brand building opportunity.

[@jongolliher4280]

For many years the Smithsonian had a championship model T track roadster. it was number 32, driven by Dick Frazier, that raced in the mid-west. It ran mostly Indiana, Ohio and Chicago. More than once I saw that car at Funks (now Winchester IN) speedway Sunday afternoon and at New Castle IN that same Sunday evening.

[@jimsoltner8978]

Man what a fascinating parts haul! Can’t wait to see it assembled. Cheers

[@murdoc6501]

Amazing time capsule. Can't wait to see the build!

[@squidgameisaliarisawnosqui5341]

That and your truck very cool 😎 ty great video Steve

[@karenkress8775]

So glad you keep the them going👍😊

[@erikjohansson9039]

I get chills going down my spine every time I see someone putting aluminium heads against hard surfaces! you never know when something goes wrong and you scratch it up.

[@IronTrapGarage]

You’d have to drag it across the ground or smash it into the ground..

[@gabesgarage4522]

Wow guy's! your setting a new standard for finding Badazz vehicles and living your best life! Making your own way and not by a time clock! And somebody else's wealth! Keep up the good work! Still like to see you guys at the TX Lonestar roundup!

[@IronTrapGarage]

Thanks for watching!

[@tomcummings655]

thank you for saving an amazing part of history!!

[@kennymac192]

So much awesomeness! Great video!

[@tomdadisman1400]

Love it! Can’t wait to see it put back together.

[@josephcrispell7975]

Awesome great job on finding a race car

[@mikakari9498]

Thank you for excellent storytelling! 👍

[@brunocoutant4204]

I hope you can rebuilt this SPECIAL race car !!!! Amazing found ! bruno from france !

[@garysoykin2783]

What an awesome trip back in time thank you very much you guys

[@Roadsterguy32]

That's a great find, I'm amazed how much of these great cars are still out there.

[@cdoubleu8719]

I hope you guys are able to get it running again. Would be fricking awesome.

[@dockmasterted]

WICKED AWESOME!

[@richardlees778]

cool old Hotrod

[@stevenkarnisky411]

Another awesome project! Looking forward to seeing it.

[@garycook2355]

UI am really glad to hear that you are going to restore (?) this piece of racing history to it's former glory. It seems to me that these track roadsters just disappeared with no one caring enough about them enough to save any. I suppose that they went on to be street rods? I have seen replicas but very few of the them were the real deal. They use to be a big deal out here on the left-coast but the hard tops (super-modifieds) superceded them.

[@handyhippie6548]

talk about a true survivor. you got the car, and most of the original race parts that it had when it was on the track, directly from the man who raced it. i could see this on display in a museum of early dirt track racing. instead, it's actually sitting in your garage, and you own it. i mean, just how cool is that?!?

[@IronTrapGarage]

We’re very thankful to have these pieces of history in our possession to bring back to life!

[@gregl1824]

Another great video. Awesome to see how it was done back in the day.

[@hdvette64]

Allentown nostalgic drags coming up!

[@dannychiguina3962]

Beautiful Find guys 😎👍

[@johnkranz4004]

Great story and a part of history of Racing will be nice to see back on the road and track

[@fredfranklin1965]

The track t should be entered at TROG it would be a fitting tribute .

[@punkinsgarageandpaint8299]

This is such acool video! I lovehearing the history!

[@andrewlewis3486]

What a sweet project car!

[@chuckster6513]

Hey Matt & Mike WOW ! This car is so cool to see. As a kid in the 50s I saw a few of these cars sitting in yards or old sheds. Never got to see any of them raced. The 32 coupes & sedans with full roll cages had come into play during that time. I know there are still a few of these cars hidden away here in Kansas. I would so love to find one to refurbish and drive on a dirt track. Thank you for showing us what you were able to aquire with this car. It will be fun to see you bring this thing back to life. Stay Warm, Be Safe & Well

[@samjones-ou3bn]

wow what a find !!

[@Racemojo]

That is awesome! I love the old stories! Where I grew up was pretty unique there was quite a few dirt tracks and a lot of water so you either raced cars or boats. I loved all the stories the old guys used to tell and never missed a chance to hear them. I used to find old coupes in the woods that used to race at the local tracks but never figured they would be worth anything. As I got older I did manage to score a record holder flathead off an old guy that raced hydroplanes in the late 40s. The work that they put into this engine is amazing! It too is running clay smith equipment. I now wished I pulled all those cars out of the woods! Matt- Mojo Speed Shop and Lounge

[@michaelguinn5736]

Morning Matt & Mike, wow, goes to show how they did things back in the day, they used what ever they had, it's also pretty cool that y'all are preserving these car's, hopefully someday you will be able to display these vintage rides!! Be safe, God Bless!!

[@volvobrynk]

This is SO cool! I’m looking foreword to this! It’s gonna be epic

[@svenunland6501]

Congratulations Matt, what a great find. Love that lil T...... Might fit my pallet 🤣

[@IronTrapGarage]

Haha!

[@156-j]

😍 super rare speed equipment! So cool!

[@IronTrapGarage]

Icing on the cake!

[@MrVelocity111]

U guys appear to have the love and desire i use to have when i got into vintage cars , but its still Koolsville to see y’all diggin on the (past) times of ol’ skool hotrods I haven’t lost my passion just after owning a hotrod and custom shop and doing the kool fabbing of this kind for so long its not as fun as u guys are having ,non the less enjoy ur new finds and preserve as many of the oldies cars as u can !! that was my goal to save and put back on the road as many as i could to do my part of history for the few that dig this stuff of the new generation (X) i know there’s not many but its up to those few to see it thru for there kids when they have them. Thx

[@IronTrapGarage]

Thanks for watching!

[@randymusselman8754]

Very cool Matt love that is has a 6 cylinder in it

[@MrJeep75]

Awesome car

[@ldnwholesale8552]

Tennis raquet handle wrap. You need enough for two handles. Grippy and tidies up the uglies!! Use the 6, probably not fast but hey who else has one, especially with the shiny bits! I know there is organisations that race or 'spirited demonstration' those sorts of cars in many parts of the US. We never raced cars like that here in Oz but many of the old Stockcars have survived that finished in the 60s. And midgets, TQs and a little later Supermodifieds of which I have one.

[@edwinjstephens4958]

Hello cowboy here awesome car and history behind it can't wait to see it all together and running we'll be watching remember be safe healthy and happy God Bless 🤠

[@black88coupe]

Super cool!

[@shartne]

I like the way those old dirt track cars looked with how they added a cone to the front radiator made them look fast. I guess it was just a mud and rock guard. It looked aerodynamic LOL. It was the first formula racer ha ha.

[@ralphhammond8398]

Hey guys, great video, awesome car....Ralph

[@robertjean659]

Be so cool to see it run again and also on the dirt drags that you run at. You gonna need a bigger workshop Matt. 🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@patrickseals5746]

The old style trailer in the background was probably for hauling the roadster.

[@dougaranda6187]

Wow. That's the coolest thing ever. I hope you can work it into your build schedule fairly soon.

[@leeroyholloway4277]

In this case... I think the car should be scoured down, primed and painted close to the original race colors. Nothing too slick, but a period look. There are enough patina cars out there these days.

[@macdavis5989]

Very cool

[@rustyaxelrod]

Too cool!

[@garysoykin2783]

That would be a good car to put in your lobby in a few years from now when you guys are gigantic

[@tacoheadmakenzie9311]

The carbs on the Knudsen intake look like Stamberg BXOV2 s, which were also a favorite for multiple carb setups on early Chevrolet sixes.

[@gseyank100]

I’m building a car out of one of these bodies right now. I bought in from a chicken ranch. It was just sitting in the pasture. It’s been widened 8-1/2”. It looks like it was modified to fit a minx at one time. I will follow this one close when it is in the shop being built.

[@daleskidmore1685]

I love it!

[@iamrichrocker]

the 'roll bars' in the picture of the racing model Ts was incredible to see..wonder how many fractured necks there were back in the day..

[@robertthompson5962]

My first car at 13 years old was a 51 Ford 4 door with a flat head 6 I raced the car around the fields and woods in central MA for a few years .I don't know what ever happened to it ,It seemed to have a lot of sack for a 6 and it was a lot of fun

[@dustinpenry132]

Now you have the car that you originally planned for the Free T.