OVERVIEW
1932 Ford Roadster
VIN: 18156632
With more Deuce roadsters on the road today than Henry Ford ever sold, it’s hard to build a standout. Some guys choose to stretch or squash the car’s iconic proportions. Others pick color schemes that would look more appropriate on a hooker’s fingernails. Still others try to embellish their roadsters with personal touches, elements that usually induce more head-scratching than jaw-dropping.
There are a couple of timeless quotes attributed to the German architect Mies Van der Rohe. They ought to be lettered on the wall of every hot rod shop: “Less is more” and “God is in the details.” Jim Smith and his son Jason get this. They run the Hot Rod Garage in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. HRG turns out top shelf cars. They also produce a line of beautifully fabricated, traditionally styled hot rod accessories. This roadster was built to showcase both these products and their craftsmanship.
Even at 50 feet, it catches your attention. The stance is dead-on. The custom-mixed “Moon over Tulsa” blue paint, besides being flawless, is one of those rare colors that looks both vintage and hip at the same time. The windshield has the right rake. The headlights are the right size and in exactly the right position. The ’37 Ford taillights are tucked up tight under the rear quarters. And the black-on-black wheels and bias-plys add both to the car’s subtlety and to its traditionally perfect proportions.
At 20 feet, details start revealing themselves. The spreader bar has a subtle V, the axle is drilled, and the headlight-shock mounts are simple, clean and graceful. The front disc brakes are enclosed in handsome, hammer-formed housings, painted black with aircraft-inspired stainless steel screens and rivets. As you get closer, you spot the simple, polished Dzus fasteners that secure the decklid and louvered hood, you notice that the gaps on the Brookville body are perfect, and that the top fits flawlessly.
Inside, upholsterer Chuck Rowland handcrafted the seat to fit like a glove -- then highlighted it with a seam stitched to look like a baseball mitt. Yards of saddle-colored vinyl cover the seat, the door panels, the firewall, and even the dash. The carpet is a unique super tight “Daytona” weave, in a matching color. The dash features one of HRG’s own Auburn-styled gauge inserts, scaled to fit a Deuce’s dimensions. It’s filled with a set of Classic Instruments All American gauges, mounted from behind to mask their large, bright bezels. The brake and throttle pedals are also HRG items and the one-off column-shift has been cleverly fabricated using a Deuce cowl vent lever arm. The steering column is topped by a modified, Bell Auto-style wheel.
Under the hood, the 350 cubic inch Chevy LT1 motor has no problem motivating this roadster along at a healthy clip, its output fortified by a GM Performance intake and Barry Grant Road Demon carb. The engine is dressed with vintage 327 valve covers, rams horn exhaust manifolds, and hand-made pieces like the air cleaner and fuel block. The LT1 is backed by a TH350 automatic trans and cooled by an internal, cam-driven water pump — hence the lack of water pump belt and pulleys. Externally, cooling is handled by a Walker radiator with an electric fan and shroud.
Underneath, the car is just as tidy. The Pete & Jake’s frame rails are tied together with tubular crossmembers. The limited-slip Currie 9 inch features freeway-friendly 3.00:1 gearing and is located by P&J ladders bars and a Posies ‘40-style buggy spring. Rear brakes are 11” Ford drum. The front end combines a Super Bell dropped axle, mono-leaf spring and hairpins. Steering is via a Vega-style box from Flaming River. The front wheels are hot rodder favorites: 16x4 inch ’40 Ford, rolling 450 - 475-16 Firestones. The rear wheels are 16x5 from Wheel Vintiques, with matching 700-16’s. The hubcaps are ’40 Standard.
There’s another old saying that ought to be up on shop walls: “Modesty is the best policy.” In a world of over-wrought, billet-laden cars, this beautiful little roadster is a perfect example. It might fly under the radar, but up close it’s a knockout. Tuned and detailed, it’s ready for an enthusiast that enjoys driving his cars.
When this car arrived at Canepa it was so near to perfect that Bruce only added a few personal touches to its design. He modified the windshield posts, adding 7 degrees to the rake to give the car a more Bonneville bad-boy look, while shortening the windshield ¾ of inch. To add to the real world drivability of the car a rear view mirror was added along with a horn, turn signals, emergency brake, and fire extinguisher. Finally to top off the car, literally, a new top frame was designed and then canvas installed by Sids Custom Upholstery. The finished product is a completely streetable hot rod
