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King of the road

Hot rods a passion for Anthony's Body Shop owner

Sidney native Lorin Anthony has always had a passion for cars. Especially hot rods.

"I grew up with it," Anthony said. "I was doing hot rods since I was 14, so I just stuck with it."

As a youth, Anthony said he spent most of his spare time with his cars, rebuilding and replacing parts and taking them far from stock. At the height, he said he had a solid collection, although he no longer has any of the cars from those days.

"I wish I did," he said. "I had a '46 Ford, a '47 Mercury, a '48 Ford, a '49 Mercury and, after I got out of the Navy, I had a '62 Chevy Super Sport and two roadrunners."

Today, Anthony is the owner of Anthony's Body Shop, located at 1841 Hickory St. in Sidney near the Safeway. Cars are still his passion, and even now he still loves hot rods.

In the past several years, Anthony has been building a new collection, which currently includes a 1970 Dodge Challenger and a 1940 Ford pickup. His most unique vehicle, and one people will see him driving down the street when the weather's nice, is his 1923 Ford T-Bucket Roadster.

"It just an old-fashioned hot rod," Anthony said. "But it attracts attention because it's so different."

Anthony started the project in 2013, building the roadster from a kit he purchased through Speedway Motors.

"They sell the body and frame, and then you put the rest together," he said.

Even though a throwback, Anthony made sure his hot rod's safety and handling was up to modern standards.

"It's street legal," he said. "It's got everything. In fact, it's got more than the '23 roadster ever had. It's got seat belts, an automatic transmission, and it's a lot safer."

While the vehicle's body is distinctly 1920's, Anthony decided to go a little more modern with its engine – a 1951 Ford flathead V8.

"I liked the looks of it," Anthony said. "I took the motor down to Sterling and had a guy down there rebuild it. I put all of the exterior stuff on it, he rebuilt the block, and I put in the heads, the ignition, the intake and all that."

In all, Anthony said the roadster took about seven months to build. The first thing he did, after driving it around town, of course, was take his new hot rod to a car show in North Platte.

"It went well," he said.

Because of the exposed engine, as well as the lack of a roof, Anthony is unable to drive it around for everyday tasks or in inclement weather. He makes the most of it, however, when he can get behind the wheel.

"I don't have many miles on it, but like I said, I get it out every once in a while," he said. "It's fun to drive."

While Anthony loves his roadster, he continues to rebuild vehicles. Currently, he is working on a 1950 GMC pickup and has no plans to stop there, either.

"I've got a couple other ideas," he said.

 

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