It is no easy task to take a car from a rusted shell to an awardwinning hot rod, but that is what Bill Britz did with his custom 1930 Ford Model A in Sauk Centre.
From car shows to everyday errands, Britz likes to see people’s enjoyment at seeing something new and different cruising down the road.
“This one’s special,” Britz said.
“We went
all out on this one. … It’s like an adult-sized Hot Wheels.”
Britz has worked on cars all his life, starting with a 1954 Ford he got for baling hay. A month after receiving it, its timing chain went out.
“It’s been one car after another,” Britz said.
While Britz has lost count of how many cars he has owned over the years, his Ford Model A hot rod is the fourth car he has worked on extensively — and it surpasses any of his previous projects in terms of how much work it has received.
Britz got the original Model A from a friend, Ray Cole, about 25 years ago; the car had been broken down for some time
Wheels Mid–Minnesota
one’s special’
2
Centre.
bought the broken-down Model A about 25 years ago; after modifying it, he has started driving it to car shows this year, and it has won awards for People’s Choice and Best of Show.
and many of its parts were missing. Cole passed away several years ago, so Britz had the car refurbished in his honor, having previously collected various parts for it off and on.
“Everything we did, we did in this garage — no body shop, no paint booth, no nothing,” Britz said. “I had a picture in my mind of what it should look like.”
About the only original piece of the Model A is its shell, although its roof was lowered 6 inches in the modification process. Every other major
component is from the 1900s: The wheels are chrome reverse in the 1950s style, the headlights came from a 1936 Ford, the taillights came from the 1950 Pontiac, the dashboard is from a 1956 Mercury and the grill came from a 1928 Hupmobile.
“I had to add 4 inches to (the grill) to make it fit the height of the radiator,” Britz said.
The newest piece of the car is its transmission, taken out of a 1985 Ford Mustang.
The Model A’s engine is a V8 from a 1956 Ford Thunderbird with three Stromberg 97 carburetors. The car gets about 18 miles to the gallon — unless Britz puts his foot down. Roll bars line the Model A’s interior, and one of the most difficult steps in modifying the car was building it around the roll bar frame.
PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK Bill Britz brings his custom 1930 Ford Model A to Sinclair Lewis Park Oct.
in Sauk
Britz
Britz from 1W
“There was no way to get (the roll bars) in,” Britz said. “The car was in pieces to start with, and we had to assemble it anyway, but that was probably the hardest part.”
The roof was cut open for the installation of a sliding ragtop, which is handy for if it starts drizzling during a drive. Britz tries not to drive in the rain, though, to protect the engine.
Jerry Mead, one of Britz’s friends, painted the Model A in its distinctive white with orange flames. The car also incorporates eyeball details as a nod to American artist Kenny Howard, known as Von Dutch.
There are still boxes that need to be checked on Britz’s list before he will consider the Model A completed. The steering column and inside door panels need
metalwork, a backseat with seat belts is planned, and the gauges in the dashboard need to be rebuilt.
Although the Model A is not completely finished, Britz started taking it to car shows
this year, including the Minnesota Street Rod Association’s annual Back to the ‘50s Weekend in St. Paul and the Cruisin’ thru the Golden Years car show at what is now Cura of Sauk Centre.
He has won a number of trophies with the car as well, including awards for People’s Choice and Best of Show.
Britz also uses the Model A as an everyday car, from driving around grandchildren to going
to the store.
“You can’t get too many groceries in it,” he said.
Of course, if it takes multiple trips to bring the groceries home, it is not a problem for Britz, who likes to see people
smile as the Model A goes by.
“You don’t see something like this every day,” Britz said.
“The rewarding part is being able to cruise down the road.”
his friend Ray Cole, who passed away several years ago, and Britz refurbished the Model A in his honor.
PHOTOS BY BEN SONNEK
Bill Britz’s 1930 Ford Model A sits with a custom interior Oct. 2 in Sauk Centre. The car was built around a roll cage, and the roof of the Model A’s original shell was lowered 6 inches.
Bill Britz shows a picture of the 1930 Ford Model A’s previous condition Oct. 2 in Sauk Centre. He bought it about 25 years ago from
Bill Britz drives his custom 1930 Ford Model A along Main Street Oct. 2 in Sauk Centre. The car has a V8 from a 1956 Ford Thunderbird, which gets about 18 miles to the gallon.
Pin holes,
wearing tread
the measurements of the
Rakotz gives insight to tire maintenance
BY EMILY BRETH STAFF WRITER
Tires may seem simple, but there are many things that are often skipped over when it comes to basic maintenance, Ryan Rakotz said.
Rakotz has worked at Albany Oil Full Service for just under four years. Since he started, he has fixed, replaced and rotated numerous sets of tires along with completing his other jobs.
Ryan Rakotz
“The biggest thing is the rotation (of tires),” Rakotz said. “A lot of people get that shake in their car, and rotations are one of the best ways to get rid of and prevent a lot of those issues.”
It is recommended that tires should be rotated every 5,000 to 10,000 miles, especially for front and rear wheel drive vehicles, Rakotz said. The distance depends on road conditions and the difference of tread depth from front to rear tires.
“A lot of people don’t do it at all, and nitely tell,”
Rakotz said. “You want to rotate them because the drive tires are going to wear down
“A lot of pe don’t do it at al you can definit a otz want to r usebecau tires to wear faster.” tires is hi
The tread on tires is the biggest thing a person can watch to maintain good tire quality. Rakotz said a good thing to watch for on tires is how close the tread is getting to the wear bar.
A wear bar is a strip of rubber between the treads that will create a solid line across the tire once the tread is low enough.
“A lot of people just use a penny to show how much is left,” Rakotz said. “The wear bar is the best way to know when the tire is done.”
Another thing to watch for is uneven wear. Not only is that bad for the tire, but it is also an indicator of other problems with a vehicle, Rakotz said. The most common cause of this, Rakotz said, is having a loose ball joint.
Rakotz page 5W
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PHOTO BY EMILY BRETH Ryan Rakotz sets the wheel balancer Oct. 29 at Albany Oil Full Service in Albany. Rakotz said he likes to use the wheel balancer because the machine will tell him where a tire needs weight and how much it requires after putting in
tire .
“This could cause your tire not to sit flat on the road, so it is sitting more on the inside than the outside or vice versa,” Rakotz said.
When a tire has a leak, there are two methods to fixing it — patching or inserting a plug. Rakotz’s preferred method to fix a hole in a tire is using a patch on the inside of the tire.
“The plugs can work, but they tend not to last the rest of the tire, and you will have to fix them again, especially if it is a newer tire,” Rakotz said.
To place a patch, Rakotz said he scuffs up the area around the hole, cleans it, applies a glue and then puts the patch over it. There is also a special roller used to press the patch securely into place.
“I normally like to put bead sealer or something around the patch to be sure it holds,” Rakotz said.
When putting a tire on a rim and back onto the vehicle, there are many things to consider. First, the tire has to be balanced. Rakotz said he likes to use the wheel balancer while doing this process. After putting in the measurements of the tire, the machine will tell Rakotz where the tire needs weight and how much.
Then, as a tire is put back on a car, the lug nuts should be tightened in a specific pattern, he said.
“You want to do it in a star pattern, so the rim gets tight against the hub,” Rakotz said. “If it is not on there flat, it is not going to drive down the road very well,
problem
at them (the tires),” Rakotz said. “It does not take a lot for a
PHOTO BY EMILY BRETH
Full Service in Albany. Ryan Rakotz said the
MeChAnIc iNfOrMaTiOn
An auto mechanic goes by several different names, including car mechanic, automotive technician, and service technician, and is primarily responsible for evaluating, fixing and maintaining cars and trucks. Some of these mechanics may specialize in a particular area or system of the vehicle, such as a brake technician, transmission rebuilder or automotive air-conditioning technician. These professionals are usually trained to use a wide range of tools on various kinds of vehicle models. https://learn.org/articles/What_Does_an_Auto_Mechanic_Do.html
CaR FaCtS
There are an estimated 1.2 billion cars in the world today while there were only 500 million in 1986. According to a report released by research house Bernstein, there will be a total of 2 billion cars on the planet by 2040.
Almost 65% of the world’s population drives on the right side of the road.
Did you know that in 1982, the automobile industry provided 1 of every 6 jobs in the United States? Thus, the automobile industry became a key force for change in 20th century America.
Car Facts are courtesy of https://thefactfile.org/car-facts
FiXiNg
for a living
We asked local mechanics a series of questions about their occupation and what they enjoy about it.
Kevin Messer
Company: Centre Auto Inc., of Sauk Centre Years of experience: 32
Why did you decide to become a mechanic? I grew up on the farm until I was 15 years old. I started working on cars after that and realized I really liked it.
What is your favorite aspect of your position? I like learning new things — as the vehicles are evolving, so am I. I also like helping customers.
What are three essential tools you need or use every day? I use the diagnostics tool, alignment machine and air tools every day.
What is a project or issue you have worked on a lot since being a mechanic? I do a lot of timing chains and have really gotten into them.
Scott Ritter
Company: Melrose Main Street Repair Inc., of Melrose Years of experience: 31 Co
Why did you decide to become a mechanic? I grew up with it, and it’s all I know. My dad was doing stuff at home and fixing stuff, so I just got interested in it. I also like doing stuff with my hands versus other stuff.
What is your favorite aspect of your position? Working with people.
What are three essential tools you need or use every day? Impacts, sockets and wrenches.
What is a project or issue you have worked on a lot since being a mechanic? I work with older vehicles on my own time. It is back to the basics.
Dwight Kohout
Company: Joel Schneider Service Inc., of Albany Years of experience: 32
Why did you decide to become a mechanic? I have always been interested in how things work since I was young. What is your favorite aspect of your position? The people I work with, most of the time. Also, learning new things almost every day. Every project has its own unique challenge. What are three essential tools you need or use every day? A ashlight, 10mm wrench/socket and screwdriver.
What is a project or issue you have worked on a lot since being a mechanic? I have done a lot of exhaust bending in my time.
Maximizing the motor
Arceneau shares maintenance tips, recommendations
BY SARAH MIDDENDORF STAFF WRITER
Providing routine engine maintenance can help owners maximize the life of their vehicles. That includes timely changes for oil, transmission and coolant as well as visual inspection of belts and hoses.
“The biggest failure we see is when people are running with whatever their vehicle says, and they are not going off the (oil change) sticker,” said Joe Arceneau, an auto technician at Arce Auto in Melrose. “It’s
not surprising to see customers come in at 8,000-9,000 miles on their oil. Those are the engines we see a lot of failure out of.”
Most manufactures recommend engines can go up to 7,500 miles before changing the oil, but Arceneau recommends not exceeding 5,000 miles between oil changes.
Some engines burn oil while others do not. If the engine is burning oil, he suggests popping the hood every two or three times
the vehicle gets filled up with gas to check the oil level.
“It’s just kind of a thing of the past; you don’t see people as they are filling up with gas open their hood and check their oil level,” Arceneau said. “Nobody checks their oil, so they don’t know that they are running 2 quarts low of oil. Then, we go to pull the plug, and 2 quarts of oil come out on a 6-quart system. That’s a bad deal.”
Nobody checks their oil, so they don’t know that they are running 2 quarts low of oil. Then, we go to pull the plug, and 2 quarts of oil come out on a 6-quart system. That’s a bad deal.
- Joe Arceneau
Joe Arceneau stands in front of Arce Auto Oct. 25 in Melrose. Arceneau is an auto technician at Arce Auto.
Arceneau page 9W
PHOTOS BY SARAH MIDDENDORF Jared Dobmeier checks the oil level of a vehicle Oct. 25 at Arce Auto in Melrose. Auto technician Joe Arceneau recommends changing the oil at least every 5,000 miles.
from page 8W
Engine failures can happen when the engine starts burning more oil, leading to a lack thereof. If the filters are pulled off, there can be metal shavings found in the filter. If it burns too much oil and there is no oil in the vehicle, the engine may lock up and start knocking.
Transmission
Arceneau said transmission fluid does not get changed or checked as often as it should be. He recommends changing transmission fluid every 50,000 miles.
“A lot of people bring it in after 150,000 miles because their (transmission) is acting up,” Arceneau said.
Arceneau page 11W
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MISSION-SPECIFIC ENGINEERING
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PHOTO BY SARAH MIDDENDORF
Auto technicians work in the shop Oct. 25 at Arce Auto in Melrose. Joe Arceneau recommends checking the oil level every two or three times the gas tank is filled up, if the vehicle burns oil.
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foundations FiSh hOuSe
Berkon Outdoors welds trailer frames
BY BEN SONNEK | STAFF WRITER
Beneath every good fish house is a good trailer, and Berkon Outdoors near Holdingford has been making them for most of its existence.
Berkon Oudoors only makes hydraulic trailer frames, and they are normally in the 6-by-10 to 10-by-40-foot size range. They also have made trailer frames for campers, pontoons, trailer houses, saunas and more.
“We started doing hydraulics back in ‘07,” said Erik Berscheid, owner of Berkon Outdoors. “That was very odd; people (thought), ‘Why would you ever pay extra to do hydraulic when it doesn’t take extra work to crank it a bit?’ That feeling has changed for people.”
A trailer frame with a hydraulic lift is handy for cold days, which are inevitable on frozen lakes.
button,” Berscheid said. “My dad always said, ‘People … used to (not) have automatic windows in their cars, but you don’t see that anymore, either.’”
While the frame designs have not changed much, the frames themselves have needed to become more heavy-duty. When Berkon Outdoors started making fish houses, a 4,000-pound fish house was considered heavy; today, they can reach 12,000 pounds, so the frames must be beefed up.
“Nobody wants to go out and crank when you can just hit a Berkon Outdoors page 14W
WhenOutdoorsBerkon makingstartedfish houses, a 4,000-pound fish house was considered heavy; today, they can reach 12,000 pounds, so the frames must be beefed up.
PHOTO BY BEN SONNEK
Eric Berscheid sits on one of his trailer frames Oct. 23 at Berkon Outdoors near Holdingford. Berkon Outdoors was founded in 2001 and started making fish house trailers around 2007, providing them mainly to Ice Castle Fish Houses.
