Rod & Custom Feature Car
Doyle Gammell
Palos Verdes, California
1932 Ford Coupe
Chassis
As with the original, Doyle started with an original pair of '32 'rails and fully boxed them and added 2x2-inch crossmembers with help from Tom Medlock. A Magnum dropped axle with matching spindles sits under a Durant mono-leaf spring with '39 Lincoln brakes, split wishbones and a '56 Ford pickup steering box (a set up nearly identical to what currently sits under the nose of the original car). A 9-inch rearend is located under the back by a set of long ladder bars and cushioned by Firestone airbags and Pete & Jake shocks.
Driveline
Always a competitor with a father who built an untold number of race mills Doyle cannot live entirely in the past and updated his version of the small-block with a Jon Barrett assembled 350 block wearing a pair of reworked 327 heads. Gear drive and 9.5:1 slugs keeps the bottom end lively with a Rochester fuel injection on top that was prepped by Chuck Smith. Hedman headers were again used in another similarity to the original. A T-56 six-speed manual box is mated to the mighty Mouse and has been treated to a Moon shifter wearing a one-off knob from long time friend Norm Grabowski.
Wheels & Tires
The choice for rims could only be American 5-spokes, but for this newer version 14-inch versions were used up front with a pair of 15-inchers in the rears. Modern Firestone rubber keeps Doyle's hot rod highway friendly.
Body & Paint
The biggest challenge for Doyle in the whole build was recreating the classic chop. He lived up to this task with the perfectly proportioned 3 1/2 inches in the front and 3 inches in the rear haircut with the A-pillars laid back just the right amount. The top was also filled with an insert from Scotty's Hammerworks before the custom mixed DuPont brown metallic paint was laid on by Doyle and Jim Gordon. Separating Doyle's version from the original is a special set of lines and graphics from veteran striper Tom Kelley.
Interior
Another deviation from the past was Doyle's decision to go with a brown interior (instead of the black) stitched up by Eddie Martinez. As a former Moon employee Doyle still likes to use as many pieces as possible from his old hang out and has a Moon tach on the Limeworks steering column along with a traditional Moon gas pedal. A Limeworks wheel tops the column and Haneline gauges fill the dash. As far as any climate control Doyle is still happy with the crank out windshield and roll down rear window Henry supplied in 1932.
Rod & Custom Feature Car
Bruce Meyer
Beverly Hills, California
1932 Ford Deluxe Coupe
Chassis
Starting with the original '32 Ford 'rails the guys at Kiwi Konnection in Bakersfield, California, started over and beefed everything up a lot better than what was found under the coupe after many years of changes and use. Fresh components include a Magnum 4-inch dropped axle and Pete & Jake's chrome shocks which mate to original pieces such as '40 Ford spindles, split '32 wishbones, '41 Lincoln drum brakes and a '56 Ford steering box. In the rear a Currie 9-inch rearend is mounted via a de-arched '32 Ford spring and a custom triangulated 4-bar set up.
Driveline
Even though the coupe ran a 427 Chevy big-block for the longest number of years it just had to be a fuel-injected small-block under the hood to rightfully call the car the "Doyle Gammell Coupe". A '61 283 was prepped by being punched out to 301 cubes and filled with a Duntov 30/30 cam and 9.5:1 pistons by Kirby Smith in Crestline, California, before receiving the proper topping of a '61 Corvette fuel-injection unit. Headers are recreations of early Hedman by Bob Bauder. A Richmond five-speed was selected for its great range and highway friendly 5th gear, but keeps the look of the earlier installed manual gearboxes with the use of the original '62 Chevy 409 shifter.
Wheels & Tires
Luckily when restoring the car the 15-inch aluminum ET 5-spoke rolling stock that had been on the car for decades were still in place, they would just need a good polishing and a fresh set of vintage style rubber in the form of Firestone 6.00x15 ribbed fronts and 8.20x15 pie crust slicks from Radir for the rear.
Body & Paint
The original chop, 3 1/2 inches in the front and 3 inches in the rear with laid back A-pillars, is directly attributed to Dick Bergren, but over the years the coupe has seen the hammer and spray gun of many unnamed artisans. Most recently Tim Beard in Hemet, California, massaged the coupe back into prime condition before color-matching the Cordova Brown paint from a sample found inside the car and spraying on many coats of the rich earth toned hue. The original pinstripes had been the work of Ed Roth while Doyle was working for "Big Daddy", but this time around "Lil' Louie" manned the brush and recreated the original line work. The Moon tank up front is the other defining feature that really gives the coupe its well-known look. Interesting to know that throughout the years the tank was never hooked up, but was just a great addition inspired by the tank up front on Tom McMullen's roadster.
Interior
One area that most seem to agree is that the original Tijuana button-tuft upholstery seen in the first Rod & Custom feature does not deserve to be recreated and for that reason a black pleated interior that resembles the trim work Doyle later had installed was selected for duplication by Ron Mangus. Stewart Warner gauges, a Sun tach and a Covico steering wheel all come from the coupe's early days as a hot rod.