e’ve all heard the old saying, “The devil is in the details.” As we look at some of the last tweaks made by the crew at Creative Rod & Kustom on Gerry Kerna’s Model A sedan, you’ll see how careful attention to small details can make a car stand out.

For the dashboard, rather than use a complement of standard round instruments, a decision was made to design a unique bezel that follows the top and bottom contours of the 1932-style dash with three uniquely shaped openings. After the details were worked out in CAD, the bezel was CNC machined from aluminum. Classic Instruments was called on to build custom instruments to fit this panel, and it is the perfect example of modern technology used with a vintage design element.

A removable hatch was needed behind the seats for easy access to chassis-mounted components, and rather than use a flat plate, a highly detailed panel was designed with a convoluted outer edge, stiffening ribs, and recesses for the mounting screws embossed with dimple dies. Once painted body color, this panel brought one more point of interest to the interior.

The seat backs and lower cushion frames were also covered with sculpted metal panels. Again, adding just a few ribs and steps to these panels gives them a lot of character. They add a nice contrast to the soft leather upholstery when painted body color.

The fuel filler cap was positioned above the left rear wheel and fitted into a neat recess. When you see it, it looks “right,” but if the cap had not been recessed, it would protrude awkwardly.

The Cadillac engine had to be mounted relatively high in the chassis to get proper ground clearance, leaving little room for a traditional air filter. The solution was to design a cantilevered filter with the element on the passenger side of the engine, using three low-profile runners to direct the air into the throttle bodies. Ninja Robot did the machine work on these parts. Not only did this solve the clearance issues, but it also added a unique detail to the underhood area.

The chassis was initially set up with traditional tubular shocks behind the headlights, but a plan was hatched to make this a unique detail. A clever bellcrank arrangement was designed to mount the shocks on the inner side of the framerails, entirely hidden by the hood sides. Taking this concept one step further, the outer portion of the bellcrank was designed to look like a vintage friction shock–something rarely seen these days. Roadster Shop fabricated these components, which were installed by the Creative Rod & Kustom crew.

Kerna wanted a vintage license plate from her home state of Pennsylvania, but these are virtually impossible to find in salvageable condition. The solution was to machine a new plate from aluminum in CNC. As you’ll see, after careful masking and painting, the raised lettering and keystone symbols give this plate an authentic look.

If you missed the article on the finished car, it was featured in the Nov. ’23 Modern Rodding (and on the cover). Now you can look at the car with fresh eyes, understanding the tremendous effort put into getting every detail just right.