Don Ryan has been around cars his whole life. His father raced cars when he was young, and it was no surprise when Don got into racing both cars and motorcycles.

Growing up, Don says there was a 1931 Ford Deluxe Sedan Model A that was just sitting in a neighborhood yard. on several occasions, he asked the owner to sell it to him. Finally, he got his Model A when he traded a BSA racing bike for it.

When he took possession of the ’31 Ford, it had a 1955 Corvette engine with a four-barrel carburetor, 4-speed transmission, and a 1949 Oldsmobile rear end. Don raced the car for a few years. The gears in the rear end were welded for drag racing. But driving it on the street took its toll on the driveshaft and tires.

To deal with the transition from racing to street life, the differential was disassembled, and welds were removed. The welded differential gears were the precursor to the “spool.” After Don had knee replacement surgery, the trans was replaced with a Turbo Hydramatic unit, and a Dodge driveshaft with heavy-duty u-joints was installed.

The radiator is a 3-core unit for a 1932 Ford. It sits just a little shorter than the original; the filler is inside the cowl, whereas the original filler came out the top of the grille assembly. A Tweety Bird resides there now. That same ’55 Corvette engine is still in there. One of the unique features of this car is that it has a custom-made copper exhaust system, designed by Don.

Henry Ford famously said, “You can have any color, as long as it’s black.” When Don got his ’31 Ford, it was painted with many layers of 1957 GM gold paint. Several years into owning his Model A, Don stripped the car down to bare metal and found a lot of body damage that had been badly repaired. A friend of his helped him with the repairs and painted it two-tone blue, dark blue metallic and light blue metallic, 1982 Buick colors.

Don says he has totally redone the interior. Ford used shipping crates for the flooring and anywhere that wood material was to be installed. The roof wood was replaced with remanufactured pieces, and the floor is marine-grade plywood. All of the gauges have been rebuilt, including the fuel sender and mechanical gas gauge. The gas tank sits in front of the windshield and only has an eight-gallon capacity.

The speedometer, oil pressure, and temperature reside in a custom-built console by Don. The interior panels were made by Don and his wife. All of the wiring was fabricated by hand. The 6-volt electrical system was upgraded to 12 volts. The alternator is from a 1982 Nissan, with handmade brackets, from a horseshoe.

The dome light is original, along with the rear-view mirror. A quadraphonic AM-FM-CD sound system was installed. The seats are Fiat, which have been reupholstered by Sergio, from Tony and Sergio’s Custom Upholstery in Palos Hills. Don also added seat belts.

The suspension has been reworked with new rear leaf springs replacing the transverse springs.

The front has Mustang disc brakes; the rear drum brakes are 1949 Oldsmobile. The master cylinder and brake pedal assembly are from a 1959 Dodge. Sway bars and traction bars have been installed for stability, as well as coil-over shocks all around. A 1972 Nova gearbox and Buick tilt wheel replaced the factory equipment. The wheels are 15-inch, American steel wheels with hubcaps.

The body is 100% steel, and the windshield frame and wipers are also from 1931. All of the glass has been replaced by M&M Glass. Over the last 65 years, Don has continually made improvements to his sedan.

Although he doesn’t go to as many car shows or cruise nights as he used to, you can see him in local parades. He has chauffeured many family members on their wedding day. He is also a member of The Worth Cruisers, a local car club that meets every Monday, weather permitting, at 115th and Harlem Avenue.

If you have a car you would like to see featured in Classic Wheels, contact Rudy Host, Jr. at Classic.Wheels.Rudy@gmail.com.