Building a traditional-style rod today isn't nearly as unique as it was, say, a decade ago. Lots of people have jumped onto the old-school bandwagon lately, to the point where primered black Deuces with red wheels and whitewalls are almost as plentiful at some rod runs as bright-red smoothie versions.
So what makes George Poteet's five-window coupe any different, let alone distinguished enough to rise above a field of other high-profile contenders to win the prestigious Goodguys Street Rod of the Year title? Well, we'll assure you that it's more than just shiny paint and yellow wheels.
Anyone who has met George or is familiar with his cars knows that he has impeccable hot rod taste. That's half the battle. He also has a knack for picking talented car builders who are not only great craftsmen but have excellent design sense. For this project he returned to the man who built his green Deuce roadster a few years ago, Dave Lane at FastLane Rod Shop (www.fastlanerodshop.com). The two were on the same page from day one, with George offering input but knowing when to step aside and let Dave run with his own ideas.
"We really tried sticking to the '60s theme-basically a car that would have been built in the '60s by someone in California with a few bucks to spend," Dave says. "For this reason we did a lot of chroming and used a traditional suspension-wishbones on the front and radius rods with a transverse leaf rear. The Winters mini banjo seemed to be the perfect addition to this. The theme followed along to the interior with the traditional tuck 'n' roll. The chrome window cranks and handles, '40 Ford dash and wheel, along with the chrome column and pedals fit right in.
"The engine follows suit," Dave continues. "We wanted the reliability of a crate motor, along with having a 'Ford in a Ford.' To this end, we used the Ford Racing 351, but to make it look the part we made aluminum adapters to fit older-style Thunderbird valve covers. The 3x2s also lend themselves to the '60s flavor."
Sounds so simple, doesn't it? Of course, modest Dave neglects to mention countless other cool traits, those that help set the coupe apart from a sea of look-alike nostalgia cars. Take, for instance, the oval-shaped windows in the wishbones, which mimic those machined into the Pete & Jake's axle, or the one-off headlight bar built with modified stands from So-Cal Speed Shop and a custom center piece. Even the '40 Ford instrument panel has been updated by Classic Instruments with new innards, custom gauge faces, and Poteet's CamelToe Racing logo.
Subtle surprises permeate the coupe body, as well. Squint hard and you just might notice the sneaky 1-inch top chop and Rootlieb four-piece hood that's both stretched (1 inch) and pinched (the hood tops were pie-cut 3/8 inch in front). True Deuce fanatics will also spot the roadster quarter-panels, which, unlike coupe offerings, have graceful flares around the wheels that look so right on fenderless cars. Custom-fabbed corner extensions finish off the rear of the body with as much class as the deep DuPont Super Jet Black paint and minimal Josh Shaw striping that covers it.
The list of neat one-off tricks goes on and on, but you get the picture. The truly impressive part is how well the individual modifications come together to create a cohesive whole. That's the secret to the coupe's appeal-it sucks you in with simplicity, then knocks you over the head with intricate details and first-rate craftsmanship. It's precisely the sort of one-two punch that continues to make hot rodding fun and interesting, and also makes this five-window much more than just another black Deuce.
George PoteetMemphis, Tennessee'32 Ford Coupe
Chassis: Builder Dave Lane started with American Stamping rails, which he boxed, pinched (front), and kicked up (back). The wheelbase is stretched an inch. A flat front crossmember supports a Durant monoleaf spring, Pete & Jake's 4-inch dropped axle, TCI spindles, and So-Cal brakes. The oval-shaped windows on the '48 Ford wishbones match those on the axle. A Flaming River steering box, Deuce Factory shackles and lower shock mounts, and modified So-Cal upper shock mounts round out the frontend. Out back you'll find a Winters mini banjo rearend bouncing on a transverse leaf spring. Virtually everything on the chassis glistens with show-quality paint, polished stainless, or chrome by Wright's Custom Chrome Plating (Grafton, OH).
Wheels & Tires: To help create that vintage vibe, George and Dave sprayed pale yellow paint on Wheel Vintiques wires (15x5 and 16x7), then wrapped 'em in 5.60x15 Firestone bias-plies (front) and 8.90x16 Firestone dirt trackers.
Drivetrain: A fresh-from-the-crate Ford Motorsport 351 was made to look old by adapting vintage Thunderbird valve covers and adding a trio of Holley two-barrels (detailed by Holley's custom shop) with O'Brien Truckers air cleaners. The block and heads were ground smooth and painted black. Finishing touches include a Mallory distributor, MSD control box, Zoops pulleys, Powermaster alternator, and modified Griffin shroud on the Walker radiator. Dave tweaked the Patriot headers and custom-built the 2.5-inch JetHot-coated exhaust. A '64 Galaxie shifter is used to row gears in the Tremec five-speed.
Body & Paint: Think this body is stock? Think again! Dave installed Brookville roadster quarter-panels and made custom rear corner extensions to tidy up the fit between the body, frame, and Tanks Inc. gas tank. He also chopped the top an inch, stretched the four-piece Rootlieb hood a like amount, and pie-cut the hood tops 3/8 inch in front. The Brookville grille shell has a Bob Drake insert and a custom CamelToe Racing bullnose emblem by MotorHead Jewelry. Headlights are '33 commercial units with '50 Pontiac items out back. As with almost everything else, Dave gets credit for the near-flawless DuPont ChromaPremier Super Jet Black paint, which is accented with subtle Josh Shaw striping
Interior: The metalwork doesn't stop outside, as the interior sports a narrowed '40 Ford dash with a custom gauge cluster from Classic Instruments (George and Dave picked the fonts and colors and had Classic Instruments add the CamelToe Racing logo). Other tricks include a handmade speaker grille, plus custom dash and shift knobs made by Dennis Crooks (Quality Restorations). Dennis also gets credit for the scaled-down '40 Ford wheel on the Cornhusker Rod & Custom column. Kudos go to Steve Pearson (Clinton, IA) for stitching the white-and-pale-yellow-leather tuck 'n' roll that covers the modified Glide seat and various interior panels. The electrical system is based around a Centech panel.