He loves his Model A's

WESTERLY, R.I. — Franklin Barker's green and black 1930 Ford Model A Huckster truck with red wire wheels stands out in the driveway of his house.

The wooden body is by Hudson Wagon Works of Iowa and features canvas side and rear panels that can be rolled up to display wares. The name Huckster reflects the large, open area in the rear that could be used as commercial space.

"It's a huckster, but I have mine done up as a depot hack," he said, noting that the style was also known as a produce truck.

"The cowl, engine and chassis were all made by Ford," Barker said.

The chassis served as a platform to fit a wooden body made by an outside supplier such as Hudson. "They were built to receive a wooden body," he said.

He's identified his as a depot hack belonging to the Railway Express Agency, a freight company affiliated with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. "It came through here," he said, referring to the railroad running through southern Rhode Island.

"They delivered freight from the railroad stations to customers," he said. "Anything dropped [off] by the [trains] and delivered locally."

Indeed, Barker should know. He also owns a G-scale model railroad with 100 feet of rolling stock and 1,000 feet of track made out of brass so it can be set up outside. He said he makes his own structures for the miniature railroad. 

Barker said he bought the Huckster 10 years ago and has been slowly working on it, making sure to keep everything period-correct. That includes the green and black paintwork — he said all rail trucks were green and black — while the red wire wheels were a personal preference. The engine is the original 200-cubic-inch flathead four cylinder motor creating about 40 horsepower.

Barker, 65, a retired truck driver and a member of the Little Rhody Model A Club of Rhode Island, said he had "been playing with Model A Fords since I was 13." His first was a 1931 two-door sedan.

"I'm a fan," he said, adding that his father was not interested in cars. "I fell into it," he said, "really loved them."

"I have five of them in various stages [of restoration]. Two are on the road."

He said he likes to drive the 1930 Model A truck around town. Over Labor Day weekend, he drove to the Rhythm and Roots Festival at Ninigret Park, in Charlestown, towing his small tear-drop camper that he made from blueprints about five years ago. The camper is almost exactly the size of a double bed, with the rear opening up to serve as a camping kitchen, storage and even a hose for a rudimentary shower.

"They were popular after World War II," he said of the diminutive camper.

He said he also likes to drive it to cruise nights and advertises his daughter's jewelry business — Diva's Designs on Franklin Street in Westerly — on the side panels.

Barker, who has has 2 children, 6 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren — the latest of whom was born the weekend of the festival — said he has always lived in Westerly and can trace his family roots in southern Rhode Island to 1650. 

Other projects that "keep me out of trouble," he said, include a 1931 Model A coupe that he bought on eBay and is converting into a hot rod with 1989 Chevrolet S10 running gear, and a 1931 two-door sedan that he has owned since 1970. In 1994 he pulled it out of the woods where it had sat for 20 years after an accident, and he has fully restored it.

He said owning the old cars is "like owning a wooden boat" — "They are never done; there's always something that needs to be fixed or repaired."

He said one advantage of working on Model A's was that so many were made, and parts, original and reproduced, are readily available.

"The beauty of the Model A is that it's not fancy, but Ford made so many," he said, noting that "in 1995 there were 475,000 Model A's still registered in the U.S."

He said there are two sides to the car hobby, those interested in preservation that is historically accurate and others interested in simply restoring. "I like originality, but I'm no purist," he said, adding that his cars were meant to be driven.

— pelswort@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7403

On Twitter: @peterelsworth