1950 Ford El Caballo de Hierro Tribute

Description 1950 Ford “El Caballo” Tribute VIN – BIRH123024 Exterior Color – Red, White, and Blue Interior Color – Red Engine – Oldsmobile 357 V8 Transmission – 3-Speed manual Mileage –miles (TMU) History of the Original El Caballo In 1954 legendary Southern California hot rodders Ak Miller and Doug Harrison returned for their second attempt to compete in the grueling 1,900 mile Pan American Race, Carrera Panamericana, with hopes of winning. Their handmade entry, El Caballo de Hierro (the Iron Horse), was now supported by Hot Rod magazine. Despite needing differential repairs, their first attempt resulted in an 8th place finish as the only American entrant in the “Large Sports Car” class. Built on a 1950 Ford frame and outfitted with a 1951 Olds 357 V8 engine with four Strombergs running a 53 Lincoln rear end, the low slung racer was shaped with a 1927 Model T Ford center section and low profile hand formed hood, track nose style grille, and light weight cycle fenders. Remarkably, running against a field of 150 cars, Ak Miller finished 7th overall in 1954, behind four Ferraris and two Porsche 550 Spyders, which is all the more dramatic considering no factory support. With this finish and notoriety growing in American, Miller would launch his career in racing and begin the lifelong career that would establish him as a legend in the Hot Rods community. A true pioneer of American hot rod culture and one of the earliest proponents of legitimate and safe sanctioned hot rod events, Miller was key to the establishment of the NHRA and one of the earliest Presidents of the SCTA. With a career that spanned decades including record runs at Bonneville, Pikes Peak Hill Climb participant, Miller finally entered the 200 mile club at the age of 72. Ak Miller is today recognized as one of the most prolific and innovative contributors to the American Hot Rod genre. History of this El Caballo Tribute This tribute was conceived and built under the guidance of the Swig Family Collection patriarch, Martin Swig. A Northern California vintage racing enthusiast and founder of the California Mille, Swig commissioned this build shortly after acquiring the original Weiand intake manifold and carburetors used on the original El Caballo. With these components in hand, Swig envisioned a tribute to the original with these key elements. The build began in 2011 with the purchase of a 1950 Ford frame BIRH124024 with suspension and brakes as the basis for the build. Following closely to the specifications used in the construction of the original, Swig also purchased a 1953 Lincoln rear axle, driveshaft, and other components for the build. Hot Rod and specialty parts were further curated consulting period reference photos and magazine archives as parts and hardware arrived with hot rod expert and builder, Dave Schaible. As the build progressed from 2012-2013, the Olds V8 engine was torn down for a comprehensive build including the installation of a 1937/38 Cadillac LaSalle 3-speed transmission. As noted earlier, the Weiand intake manifold and Stromberg carburetors were acquired by Swig when Ak Miller scrapped the original El Caballo for parts c. 1958 but kept a handful of items be removed from the car – importantly, the Stromberg carburetors and Weiand manifold. When Miller was approached by Bruce Glasscock about building a recreation of El Caballo in the late 1980s, Miller allowed Bruce to acquire these surviving parts from Miller. Glasscock built his tribute car, which today resides in the Petersen Museum, though fitted with a different induction system. Both the original Stromberg carbs and Weiand manifold were purchased by Swig and installed on this tribute. As the car began to take shape careful references were sourced for the right fit for the Model T body to the frame. An original, all steel 1927 Model T roadster body was purchased from Roy Brizio and fitted to the chassis. Addition work included shortening the rear axle housing, modifying the front hubs to accommodate Lincoln brakes, shortening and lowering the rear spring, rebuilding the steering gear and installing the engine and suspension components to the rolling chassis. Over $50k was spent assembling the chassis, drivetrain, and suspension including fortifying the frame with structural steel members, using high grade fasteners and the installation of Pertronix ignition and a modern coil. Body and paint work continued seaming the Model T to the hand formed hood, track nose, and grille. The dashboard instruments and electrical were wired, custom exhaust fabricated including side exit pipes, and numerous detail items constructed to exacting detail following the original. After the car was completed, additional sorting and recreational driving was done, followed by further mechanical sorting performed in 2016. Over the past decade, the car has remained in the Swig Family Collection primarily as a display piece, occasionally started and run to keep the mechanical systems in order. Current Condition Today this one of a kind El Caballo Tribute is beautifully presented in gleaming red, white, and blue colors. Although the restoration was done some years ago, the quality of the finishes remains at a high level with excellent details throughout, including beautiful paint, handmade features, and excellent panel fit to the hand formed front end, hood and grille. In addition to the excellent overall body finishes, the sparse construction is surprisingly complex in the simplicity of design and execution – a worthy consideration for both the original construction and this resultant tribute. The body is low and purposeful with wide tires on stamped steel factory wheels finished in bright red, wearing a set of Pirelli Scorpion STR radial 225/75 R15 tires all around. The interior continues the sparse competition theme with high back formed aluminum bucket seats trimmed with dark red seating inserts and a set of Crow competition wide band lap belts. The dashboard is painted blu