1932 Ford Roadster [Real Henry Ford All Steel]

1932 Ford Other Additional Info:

Up for sale is a stunning full fendered all Henry steel 1932 Ford hot rod. This car is exceptional in every way. The workmanship by the expert craftsmaninvolved in this build is evident in every detail. The perfect stance, the perfectly filled and peaked grill shell, the windshield posts perfectly laid back. This is a traditional hot rod in every way. This is a real deal roadster and assuming you couldactually find a perfect body and fenders today would beimpossible to build to this level for morethan double my asking price. The body has never been repaired, Zero patch panels ever. Adrivablepiece of history with a great and traceable nearly sixty year history. The best original Henry Ford traditional steel roadster hot rod available today at at any price for less than half the build cost. A very rareopportunity indeed. Read the story, view the pictures and if you want the best give this car your consideration.
This car is a beautiful example of the mostdesirable model and body style of all hot rod's. This car has a long and veryinteresting history and has been built and worked on by some of the most well known and respected people in the hot rod world.
This is an original California car that tookseveral attempts and nearly forty years to complete. The first attempt was in the early to mid sixties in California. A small block chevy and early Ford drivetrain were installed. The car was put in storage and no more work was done. In the mid seventies the car was purchased by an east coast hot rodder and shipped to the New England area. He put the car in storage and after a few years he decided not to move forward with the project. He then sold theroadster to a friend who wanted to build a very high quality traditionally styled 32 roadster.
Back in the day nearly all the great hot rod's were being built in California so the roadster was shipped back to the Los Angeles area to be built. As this gentleman wanted a great deuce roadster the car landed at then the world famous shop of Pete Chapouris and Jake Jacobs, Pete and Jake's. At the time the now legendary chassis builder Pete Eastwood was working there. He was given the original frame and started to build the chassis. In addition to his normal expert workmanship including boxing the frame and adding a K-member of 2 inch tubing Eastwood did this frame with some different touches to add to the traditional look and feel of the roadster. One very notable touch was installing the coil over shocks In Front of the Ford 9 inch rear end. Coil overs are normally installed behind the rear end and by putting them in front he was able to preserve the beauty of the rear end. Great ride quality and no ugly modernlooking shocks out back, the best of both worlds. He also built his first set ofstainless steel ladder bars for this chassis. The workmanship was flawless.
At the same time as PeteEastwood was building the beautiful chassis the roadster was sent down the street to the renowned Don Thelen at Buffalo Motor Works. Again, this roadster was going to be a very high end car and Don gave the body to expertmetal man Don Borsch at L.A. Metal Shaping. Don crafted an exact replica of the original floor including copying all of Henry Fords original ribbing. What was unique and gorgeous was he crafted the floor out ofStainless Steel. It is a beautiful work of art and when you look under the car it sparkles like bright shiny chrome. Very nice touch indeed. The car was sent back to Pete and Jakes and the body was temporarily put on the chassis. At this point the roadster again was put instorage in L.A. and was not completed.
Fastforward to 1990 and as I understand it in what was a multi car swap deal theroadster went back to the New England area and wound up in the shop of Master Hot Rod builder and metal worker Dave Simard. Dave has built manytraditional high quality hot rods includingautomotive writer and car aficionado Ken Gross's famousblack blown flathead roadster. His work is excellent in every way. At this point the fenders, hood and other parts had not been fitted and there was no interior, exhaust system brake system etc. The car sat again for a few years in Dave's shop.
Starting in 1993 and over a five year period a lot of first class work was done. The body was completely disassembled and stripped to bare metal. From what Dave told me the body was perfect. Not a patch panel anywhere. One of the best he has ever seen. Dave is one of the best metal workers in the country and this is certainly high praise coming from him. A stainless steel exhaust system was completely fabricated and fitted to the car. The brake system consisting of a combination disc/drum setup was fabricated and fitted to the car. A dropped I-beam front axle and hairpin radius rods were installed to replace the Super Bell axle and four bars. [Remember, PeteEastwood did the frame in the 1970's]. The body was fitted to the frame, the hood and NOS perfect fenders were fitted, the firewall was modified and a stainless steel transmission tunnel was fabricated and installed.
By now it was the late nineties and the car still needed to be finished. A friend of Dave's who came to the shop quite often, offered to buy theroadster and finish it. He bought the car and had it painted in a beautiful deep black. It was painted with fourteen coats of blacklacquer on top and enamel under the hood, on the frame and underneath the fenders. The result was nothing short ofexquisite. You can see for what appears to be miles deep into the steel. The roadster was then sent to Steve Pierce's shop in New Hampshire for the interior. Steve is very well known for stitching some of the finest interiors in the country. His work has been featured in all the major Hot Rod magazines and at all the best Hot Rod shows including the Grand National Roadster Show. The interior was done in a traditionally styled red rolled and pleated leather. He also fabricated theremovable top for the car. As is his reputation the work was excellent andbeautiful. All of the finishing touches were completed including wiring, wheels/tires, steering wheel/column. For the motor he decided on a small block Chevy starting with a 1974 four bolt main displacing 355 cubic inches. As he was a Corvette enthusiast a 1961 Corvette manifold was used with two Carter AFB 4-barrel carbs. The heads are 1961 Corvettefuel injection and the valve covers are early Corvette with custom breathers, fully polished. Edelbrock aluminum water pump and Holley fuel pump were installed with TRW flat top pistons. Compression ratio is 10.5:1 and Sanderson headers complete the package. The car was driven infrequently over the years.
In early 2009 I decided I needed another deuce roadster. I already had a highboy and wanted a full fendered car. I ran into Ken Gross at the Grand National Roadster Show and during our conversation I mentioned I was looking for another 32 roadster. He said he would ask around to see if anything good was available. A couple weeks later he emailed me with a referral to Dave Simard. We spoke on the phone about this car and he told me it may be for sale. I usually like to build my cars from scratch but this car sounded very interesting. I got in touch with the owner and bought the car from him.
I had Dave pick up the roadster and we put together a plan for it. In order to create a great car you must have a theme period and stick with it. This car would be an early/mid sixties roadster. The car was completely gone through and many changes had to be made. With the exception of the paint, which was excellent, the car was transformed into a period perfect example of wonderful time in hot rodding history. Some of the changes includedsteering wheel and column, wheels and tires and replacing the carpeting in the interior andtruck with black german square weave. A set of original Stewart-Warner period correct gauges were restored and installed in the Stewart-Warner engine turned dash insert. A new top was fabricated and installed. The chassis was completely gone through and repainted,replated and repolished. The carbs were restored and completely rebuilt to brand new spec's. The result is what you see in the pictures.
This roadster is an absolute gem. It does everything right. I have owned many 32's over the years and the steering on this car still amazes me. It is just so precise and confidence inspiring. The motor runsbeautifully and makes more than enough power. The restored and rebuilt Muncie 4 speed shifts as smooth as silk. On both the freeway and in the city the ride quality is superb. Overall this is a rare opportunity to buy a 'needs nothing' fullfender deuce roadster that has been built and worked on by some of the legends in the hot rod world. I have priced the car fairly and am not interest in any trades. Please respond only if you are prepared to complete the transaction.