Butch Harness
Wichita, Kansas
1932 Ford Tudor
Drivetrain
Butch wanted a hot rod motor and could've run a Chevy small-block, but he chose instead to follow his dad's and uncle's lead (Dad runs a 348 Chevy and Uncle Hub runs a 331 Caddie) and went with a real nostalgic 303 Olds. The Olds was dressed up with an Edelbrock 6x2 intake with two extra 94s added and chrome valve covers. Otherwise the motor is stock. A Petronix ignition kit was added with a set of Mallory wires for fire. The owner-built lakes-style headers dump into 2 1/4 straight pipes.Although he wanted an early Olds motor, he also wanted a more dependable transmission, so he decided to adapt a Turbo 350. If you're familiar with the early Olds motor, you know the bellhousing is built into the rear of the motor, so Butch had to mate the Olds flywheel to the 350 torque converter, and then build an adaptor to mate the 350 to the Olds bellhousing. After careful measuring, the front of the 350 was cut down then welded to an adaptor plate.
ChassisThe stock Ford frame was completely boxed with a Model A front crossmember added to get the front down. A Chassis Engineering X-Member keeps the framerails in place. For that nostalgic look, Butch drilled a Magnum front axle and the '40 wishbones before he installed a pair of '40 spindles. F-100 brakes, along with a '59 Ranchero master cylinder, help stop the sedan, while a Vega steering box keeps it in line. In the rear, Butch used a '72 Int'l Scout Dana 44 with a 3:73 posi mounted to a pair of drilled '40 wishbones. A set of stock '32 springs and tube shocks keep the sedan riding smooth.
Wheels & TiresA classic combo of chrome reversed Ford wheels with painted centers mounted to bias-ply wide whites fill the fenders.
Body & PaintAs stated earlier, the stock body was in perfect condition, so Butch took it down to bare metal and applied PPG Sunburst orange with a flatter added. While the body was under construction, the dash and firewall were sent to Blaine Scott at Pinstriping by Blaine. As you can see, Blaine spent many hours applying his skills to give the firewall a period-perfect look that brings it all together. Although the body, the headlights, and taillights are all stock '32 items, the way they were put together along with the nostalgic motor and the right stance shows you don't have to get radical to make a statement about how cool this style of hot rod can look.
InteriorBelieve it or not, the interior, with the exception of the carpet, is the original installed in the '60s by Paul Matz, a well-known upholsterer who did a lot of Starbird's customs. Even the glass is the same installed back then. Butch had Rick Fisher Upholstery (Augusta, Kansas) install a white roll 'n' pleat top insert and running boards. There is also a Vintage Air unit and a Pioneer CD player for comfort on those long drives. A Painless wire kit handles all the electronics.