Rod & Custom Feature Car
Tom Branch
San Gabriel, California
1932 Ford roadster
Drivetrain
Tom started with a '63 Studebaker short-block with flattop pistons (304 ci) and added an R3 high-performance cam and ported heads with stainless valves. He topped it with a polished Spencer manifold with four Studebaker Strombergs with "backdraft" tops and Weiand aluminum valve covers. Spark is provided by a Mallory electronic ignition and the headers are homebuilt with mufflers inside them. A lightened flywheel and McLeod clutch help get the engine spinning quicker while sending the torque to a Tremec five-speed.
Chassis
At first Tom thought he'd use the Tudor's original frame under the roadster, but he ended up getting a new '32 frame Z'd 5 inches in the rear from Squeeg's Kustoms. A 4-inch dropped I-beam with '40 Ford spindles and '46 Ford drums is located with a split '32 wishbone. Steering is controlled with a '40 Ford box. The '57 Chevy rearend with 3.70:1 gears is hung by a '40 Ford spring and ladder bars.
Wheels & Tires
Tom kept the rolling stock very simple by using 16x4 and 16x5 steel wheels with '46 'caps wrapped with 4.50 and 7.50 Firestones.
Body & Paint
The original body was pieced back together, straightened, and patched with some help from Fabian Valdez of Vintage Hammer Garage in Yucaipa, California. A new floor was fabricated to channel the body 5 inches over the frame. The windshield was chopped 3 inches and laid back a little. A rear roll pan was built and '50 Pontiac taillights were added. The body finish is au natural.
Interior
The interior is very Spartan with an old reupholstered seat and a pair of floor mats. Tom filled the original hole in the dash before cutting holes for a set of Stewart Warner gauges. Everything looks traditional except the five-speed shifter, which is farther back than normal.
Diana Branch
San Gabriel, California
1932 Ford Tudor
Drivetrain
Diana's Tudor also runs a Studebaker V-8, but it wasn't bored quite as much in this case, so it's 299 ci. It also features flattop pistons, an R3 factory high-performance cam, ported heads with stainless valves, Mallory electronic ignition, and a lightened flywheel and McLeod clutch hooked to a Tremec five-speed. Induction is a Spencer manifold, but with only two of the Studebaker Strombergs. A set of Edmunds finned aluminum valve covers completes the package.
Chassis
Tom saved the original frame by replacing the front and rear crossmembers and building a new center crossmember out of tubing. A 4-inch dropped I-beam axle with '46 Ford spindles and brakes and a split '40 wishbone make up the front suspension. The '57 Chevy rearend spins 4.11:1 gears and is suspended with a '32 rear spring and ladder bars.
Wheels & Tires
Diana stayed traditional but wanted a little more flash than Tom's roadster and went with a set of 15-inch solids (15x5 and 15x6) with '48 Ford 'caps and Coker wide whites (5.60 and 8.20).
Body & Paint
The original '32 Tudor was chopped when they bought it, but it needed some work. Once Tom and Fabian were done, the top was 4 1/2 inches lower than stock. The body has been channeled over the frame 5 inches at the firewall and a little less at the rear to give it some rake and some room to get the rear wheels in the wheelwells. The taillights are Pontiacs, but not the more common '50s-they're '52s, which are a little bigger. Diana didn't want to deal with the issues of having a bare steel car, so she chose to have the Tudor painted in a Glacier Blue Chrysler metallic by Fabian.
Interior
The '36 Ford dash with the center chrome trim gives the dash some more style, and Tom filled it with a set of Stewart Warner Wings gauges. The front bucket seats came from an early Mustang and were cut down and reupholstered in a matching blue pearl and white. A Chrysler minivan rear seat was modified to fit the rear of '32. The body has been insulated in preparation for the rest of the interior.