O ld customs don’t die, they just get reborn. The truth is there has never been a better time to buy an already built pre-war car (WWII). It’s always been true that an already com- pleted car is cheaper, but with the number of pre- war loving rodders going down, there are now stunningly great deals out there (like the restored Model As that drove the Traditional/Rat Rod move- ment, which you can still buy). Dr. Todd Moran started with Joe Moreno’s last daily driver, a beauti- ful ’41 Ford two-door with a non-removable Carson top. I had seen Joe’s car many times and it was slick, but I didn’t recognize its new look until Dr. Todd mentioned it. He didn’t do too much to
make the ‘41 his—a little fancy paint on top of the already gorgeous paint, a new set of wheels and tires, some mechanicals that needed to be done, and an update on the interior. The car Dr. Todd bought was originally designed by Mr. Moreno and Bill Reasoner to be a super bitchin’ modern custom with a ‘60s vibe that Joe could drive right through retirement (Joe had the car for years in different disguises). The basic ’41 sits on a G-body chassis modified to fit the ’40 body, C’d, notched, and Z’d to sit right. The stan- dard G-body frame features stamped unequal length A-Arms, coil springs, a Saginaw steering box and disc brakes. The G-body runs an 8.5 GM
30 FEBRUARY 2026
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