1929 Ford Roadster Donated to College Restoration Program
Brookville Roadster, a manufacturer of reproduction 1928-32 Ford replacement parts, and Freedom Road Rally, organizers of week-long classic-car road trips, have recently collaborated to donate a new 1929 Ford Model A roadster pickup body to the Pennsylvania College of Technology (PCT). In an effort to support the college’s restoration program and help the school to continue its high-quality curriculum, the two companies combined resources to make the donation possible.
The faculty at PCT desired a disassembled roadster so that the parts could be used as patterns for the students to fabricate their own parts in the lab. The PCT curriculum includes more design work and metal forming than any other restoration program. Later, the parts will be used to construct a show-quality truck.
The collaboration seemed like a natural fit given that both organizations have a history of supporting the involvement of younger generations in the old-car hobby. Brookville Roadster founder Ray Gollahon started a grant program for students attending schools to learn metal forming. The program has continued to this day under the direction of Ray’s son, Kenny Gollahan, who now heads up the company.
Scott Dorsey, Freedom Road Rally’s event coordinator, has been involved with mentoring young people in classic-car restoration for decades. He has hired PCT graduates as staff members on the Freedom Road Rally for the past five years. During the same five years, he has also served on PCT’s restoration program advisory board. It was in this capacity that he learned from faculty member Roy Klinger of the program’s desire to acquire a roadster pickup body.
The graduates who have acted as staff members for the Freedom Road Rally, Dorsey says, have exhibited skills and knowledge of classic cars that make the quality of the PCT program clear. Having worked with Brookville Roadster in the past, he knew that Gollahan was the perfect fit. Together they made an arrangement to jointly contribute the body.
Dorsey travelled to the Brookville Roadster factory in Brookville, Ohio, to pick up the body and deliver to PCT’s Williamsport, Pennsylvania campus. Once there, the students went right to work creating duplicates of the components. The students were immediately appreciative of the opportunities created by the donation. “It’s been a challenge,” PCT student Alex Romas said, “but the new skills I have learned are valuable.”
Brookville Roadster manufactures exact all-steel replicas of 1928-32 Ford roadsters, coupes and pickup bodies, as well as many associated wood and steel parts, which made the company an ideal partner for the donation. “We were very pleased that Brookville Roadster agreed to partner with us in making this donation possible,” Dorsey said. “We hope that the body will be of great help to the students in their studies and look forward to one day seeing the completed truck on the show field.”
