Jim Cooper's 1931 Ford

The Cockroach at the 2010 Dallas Autorama

In March of 2020 the Cockroach was advertised for sale on Craigslist. The asking price was US $69,000, but the seller was also considering trades. Click here to check out the Craigslist ad.

Firestone 560-15 1 Inch Whitewall Tires up front. Pie crust slicks in the back. Big and Little. A perfect combo. Add four vintage Astro wheels, and we have a winning formula for a heavily chromed 1960s show rod. More cars featuring Firestone 560-15 1 Inch Whitewall tires - Check price and availability on these tires on Amazon.com.

Firestone 560-15 1 Inch Whitewall. A perfect front runner for early 1960s styled hot rods. A classic 1-inch whitewall tire with the iconic Firestone pie crust styling and authentic thread design. Cars featuring Firestone 560-15 1 Inch whitewall tires - Check price and availability on Amazon.com.

1931 Ford Model A Roadster built by Jim Cooper between 1959 and 1965. The car is also known as "The Cockroach". The windshield-frame on the roadster was chopped 4 inches, and the body was channeled 8 inches over a chromed and modified 1932 Ford frame. The firewall and the whole underbody were chromed, and the car was fit with a filled 1932 Ford grille-shell that was sectioned 4.5". The front suspension consisted of a chromed and dropped I beam axle. The eye-springs were reversed, and the wishbones were custom fabricated. These components, and the steering box were also chrome plated. Once the bodywork was done, the car was painted with 78 coats of Candy Copper Lacquer with fogged Candy Gold Custom graphics. The car was painted in 1965 by Ed Lepold. Jim fit the roadster with custom fabricated bench seats that were upholstered by Dickie Wright in black diamond tuck upholstery. A 1932 Ford dashboard fit with a Hollywood accessory panel and 8 Stewart-Warner gauges replaced the stock dashboard. The steering column was chromed and fit with a Cal Custom steering wheel. A removable roll bar was also made for the car. The car was powered by a 425 Buick Nailhead engine fit with a Weiand Drag Star intake with 6 chromed Stromberg 97's carburetors. The engine was hooked to a Turbo 400 transmission and a chromed 1955 Chevrolet rear end with positraction. The rear end was held in place by a chromed Ford transverse spring with custom fabricated, chromed wishbones. The headers were custom fabricated, and both the headers and the exhaust were chromed.

After Jim passed away the var remained in a Midwestern garage for many years. In 2006 the car was resurrected by the Giacalone family. Today the car is owned by Chris Ito.

For sale

In March of 2020 the Cockroach was advertised for sale on Craigslist. The asking price was US $69,000, but the seller was also considering trades. Click here to check out the Craigslist ad.