When Tim Hoxie was in high school, he spent a lot of time working on Ford Model A cars. He held onto a dream that one day he would buy one for himself and convert it into a hot-rod. Years
When Tim Hoxie was in high school, he spent a lot of time working on Ford Model A cars. He held onto a dream that one day he would buy one for himself and convert it into a hot-rod.
Years passed, and in 1972 Hoxie found himself working for a sugar company on the Big Island. One day while reading the newspaper want ads, he spotted a 1931 Ford town sedan for sale. When he drove out to see the car he was very disappointed to find it rotting away under a mango tree. Heaving a huge sigh, he decided to buy it anyway and ended up getting two cars for the price of one. Hoxie worked on his town car for five years in his spare time until it was finally road worthy enough to run the stock forty horse, 4 cylinder engine to the docks for shipment to Kaua‘i.
After transferring to the Kekaha sugar mill Hoxie drove his car around for the next five years as a stock model A, but in his heart of hearts he still dreamed of driving a Model A hot rod.
After five years passed, Hoxie found himself being transferred once again, this time to a Honolulu sugar mill. He decided to bring his sedan with him to the new job and had a special trailer built for the boat ride and as a temporary garage. Some months later he was able to swap the custom built trailer for a Chevy V8 engine and transmission that was to bring him closer to his dream. Next, he sold the Ford sedan’s engine and transmission thereby committing him to follow his dream and drop the V8 and transmission in.
This meant stripping down the car to the frame and “boxing” it up to hold the V8 and transmission. Hoxie then purchased various parts from a California-based parts catalog to complete the sedan’s overhaul. By adding a Ford 9 inch differential with a 3.0 differential ratio the car was now a converted “cruiser,” providing Hoxie with both the power and punch to go, but not waste gas and rubber when the pedal hit the metal. It took five years to carefully grind and patch up his dream car until it passed all the inspections with flying colors. Hoxie chose to keep the original paint intact until the day comes when it gets a cosmetic make-over. “Getting a new paint job is on my to-do list along with a handful of other items” Hoxie said, with a wry smile.
One unique feature of the 1931 Ford town sedan is the “suicide doors” that open wide from the center of the body. “If one was to open the back door while the car is speeding along, the person holding the handle would probably be pulled out of the car by the onrushing wind thereby giving it the name “suicide” door, Hoxie said.
The final touch to the character of Hoxie’s sedan is the stick-on bullet holes applied to this classic Bonnie and Clyde-mobile.
Hoxie added that driving his car around every week brings him a lot of fun and satisfaction, giving real meaning to the word “Cruisin” around in his “cool” rod.
Anyone wishing to share their classic auto may find out more information by calling Richard Aki at 482-0688 or Harvey Maeda at 651-2813 or e-mail via harveyskoi@juno.com
To view a short video of Tim Hoxie’s 1931 Ford town sedan, browse for “Video” at kauaiworld.com
