SP Rides: Forever Ford
By JERRETTE KAMAKA
OWNER: Wesley Teixeira
YEAR: 1930
MAKE: Ford
MODEL: Model A Pickup
ENGINE: 4 cylinder, 40 HP
DRIVE TRAIN: 3 speed
SUSPENSION: leaf spring
WHEELS: 19-inch spoke wheels, tires 4.75 x 19 tube
INTERIOR: bench seat
EXTERIOR: Ford Rock Moss Green
One of Wes Teixeira’s favorite occasions is attending car shows and cruise nights with his showstopper of a ride — a 1930 Ford Model A pickup truck. Often, spectators will approach him and ask questions about the time-tested model, and Teixeira will oblige by explaining how these trucks were made and what they’re like to drive.
“To start the engine, the starter button is on the floor. Then, you have a lever on the left of the steering wheel to adjust the timing and a lever on the right of the steering wheel to adjust the fuel level,” explains Teixeira. “Then, you have to turn on the fuel under the dash and set the choke on the carburetor.”
Teixeira bought this vintage ride from California resident Leroy Souza, whose mother was born and raised on a plantation village in Ewa Beach. Souza restored the Depression era truck in 1999 to its current condition, but kept the automobile under covers until he finally put it up for sale just a few years ago, and found a willing buyer in Teixeira.
“I’m a retired Army paralegal with the JAG Corps, so I naturally do a lot of research for things I get into, and for this truck I needed to learn how to drive it,” said Teixeira. “Once you set the levers and start the engine, you still need to adjust the timing and fuel while driving, depending on the road conditions.”
When Teixeira went to pick up this pickup truck at the docks, he was very pleased with its condition considering he only saw pictures of it during the buying process. After getting the engine started, he began his long drive to Makakilo, taking every side road on the way in a vehicle that tops out at 35 mph. The transmission is an unsynchronized three-speed manual gearbox that requires the driver to double clutch between gears to avoid grinding. And to add to an already difficult driving process, the brakes are completely manual, with no hydraulic assists.
“One time I was going to a car cruise and I was driving down Makakilo, and the car in front of me stopped so I hit the brakes, and the car just kept going. It was like riding a 10-speed bike and squeezing the handles, and it just keeps going,” describes Teixeira. “And when I finally came to a stop, I was in the middle of a four-way intersection.”
The brakes consist of levers, linkages and rods that demand a lot of foot pressure to stop and, fortunately, Teixeira didn’t hit anything. Since then, Teixeira gives himself a lot of stopping distance between cars anytime he takes this all-original-with-matching-numbers ride out for a cruise.
