In the sea of cars at a show like Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, KY, there are certain ones that stand out. We ran into the Tucci Hot Rod team from Marcy, NY in the parking lot of our hotel and had to pause to look at their custom creation.

Dave and Dom Tucci are the father/son duo responsible for their well-crafted, creative hot rods.

Their business card says “Deliver the unexpected.” When a customer brought in the body of a 1931 Model A Ford and a skull shift knob and asked for something “low, loud, and obnoxious,” they got to work creating just that.

Dave says, “We work with the car and it tells us what it needs.” In this way, they highlight the character of each vehicle they create, making them truly unique.

They built a frame and chassis for the Model A, did a 5.5” chop on the roof, and added a Track T nose. The motor is a small block Chevy accompanied by a 5 speed manual transmission, three deuce carburetor, and Zoomie exhaust system. Cantilever airbag suspension with front shocks from a snowmobile – all operated by an AccuAir ride height controller – provide a solid riding and driving experience. Nice, big spare wheels came from a Dodge Nitro and were outfitted in Coker tires.

Thoughtful exterior details make you really stop and peruse – the painstakingly placed solid brass hardware on the side and rear windows, PPG Tiger Eye paint, the exposed holes lining the top of the windows, machined visor holes, and the CNC milled, reclaimed walnut bars across the “roof”.

On the inside, a quick release steering wheel helps the driver get in and out of this low rider and the original skull shift knob from Tucci’s customer gets front and center attention in the minimalist interior. Seat frames are water-jetted out of aluminum – compliments of Dom Tucci design – and the seats themselves are Bux Customs.

Total build time? Around eight months.

Thanks to Dave & Dom Tucci and intern Nick for taking time out to talk to us during their busy schedule at Street Rod Nationals. Keep up the good work, guys!