The really interesting and fun part about old cars is finding where they have been and what brought them to the point they are at today. Some cars have led very sheltered lives, while for others it's amazing that they survived at all. Such is the case for Johnnie Walker's Gunnison, Colorado based '32 Ford Coupe.
When Johnnie first located what would become his beloved hot rod it could barely even qualify for being called a "car" at that point. What was found was a pretty rust-free cowl on a '32 frame, and not much else. With a little investigation and scrounging around on the Wyoming ranch where it was found the story unfolded that the ol' Deuce had seen many different duties on the ranch, including a rolling hunter's blind for picking off troublesome coyotes. For that purpose the doors had been removed and mercifully hung in the barn to be found many years later by Johnnie in nearly perfect condition. The rest of the coupe had not been so lucky because as the use for the Coupe changed so did the body via a chisel and a large hammer! The saving grace for the old workhorse was that way out in the country the cast-off pieces ended up in the "iron pile" rather than the local dump. Johnnie was determined to make the '32 whole again so after some intense excavation work in the "iron pile" most of the pieces were located to put the body back together again.
This is where Johnnie came to a major crossroad in what would ultimately make the car so cool. His original vision was an "up to date" modern street rod just like you see hundreds of at any given event, but after consulting local builder Dave Crouse of Custom Auto in Loveland, CO he was eventually converted to a purely traditional hot rodder. With a vision of a perfect hot rod in mind, Johnnie took the first batch pieces over to Custom Auto, to be followed by many other bits as they were tracked down and purchased.
Starting from the ground up Dave and his crew put together a functional base by adding such time-tested pieces to the American Stamping '32 rails as a dropped Super Bell I-beam and hair pins matched with a pair of Super Bell discs up front and '59 9-inch located by P&J ladders bars and coil-overs doing the job out back. The whole thing rolls on a very tasty set of Halibrand "kidney beans" wrapped in Firestone bias-plys. Next Dave dropped a rebuilt '54 Chrysler Hemi backed by a Richmond five speed transmission into the reworked rails. Lots of rare goodies including a pair of Parker valve covers and an Edmunds 2x4 intake dress up the completely blueprinted 331 cubic inch Mopar mill.
The real work came when it was time to put the many pieces of the dissected body back together. Here is where the preservation work of Custom Auto is so recognizable as the body now looks better than factory condition, enhanced by the removal of three inches of unnecessary roof height and a pair of custom built hood sides. Once all the panels were smooth and the gaps perfected a fresh coat of DuPont dark green was laid out on all the surfaces.
The final step in making Johnnies dreams come true was a trip over to Doug's Upholstery in Scottsbluff, NE for some fresh leather and vinyl trimmings. When Johnnie finally took to the open road he kept an eye on the vitals via a set of vintage Stewart Warner gauges and kept the coupe under control with a restored '46 Ford steering wheel, and taking the road is something Johnnie and his '32 are more than comfortable with. "This car was built to be driven and I can't say enough about the guys from Custom Auto that made it happen", says Johnnie.
Now completely bitten by the traditional rod bug Johnnie has a few more Ford hot rod projects underway like a '40 Coupe, a '28 Roadster on '32 Rails and a '28 Tudor Sedan that we hope and plan to bring to you in the future so stay tuned.
Johnnie Walker
Gunnison, CO
'32 Ford Coupe
Drivetrain: Keeping with the "found on the ranch" theme, the 331ci Hemi in the cool coupe was pulled from a retired '54 Chrysler New Yorker before the Custom Auto crew gave it a full rebuild. Machine work was handled by ADC Race Engines in Ft. Collins, CO before Dave Crouse and Jake Yenny took over the final assembly chores. Engine dress up includes some very unique pieces like a pair of ultra rare Parker valve covers, an Edmunds intake topped by a genuine pair of WCFB carbs finished off with a pair of owner built air cleaners and carb spacers. The vintage muscle is backed by the modern convenience of a Richmond five-speed manual transmission.
Chassis: The Custom Auto built underpinnings for the Coupe are pure hot rod, starting with a pair of boxed American Stampings rails connected to a dropped Super Bell axle & hairpins up front and a '59 Ford 9-inch and Pete & Jake ladder bars in the rear. Binders are Super Bell discs fore and Ford drums aft. Vega steering guides it all down the road.
Wheels & Tires: The rolling stock on this '32 is very much responsible for the unique personality that just screams "HOT ROD!" The combo out back is a pair of original magnesium 16x6 Halibrands wrapped in 7.00x16 Firestone bias ply rubber that are mated to a pair of reproduction 15x4 "kidney beans" from Wheel Vintiques mounted in 5.60x15 Firestones up front. Like the rest of the restored magnesium and aluminum surfaces on the coupe, the rims were left "in the raw" to keep the "strictly business" attitude.
Body & Paint: You'd have to figure that any car cut into little pieces years ago with a hammer and chisel would be a monumental amount of work, but the crew from Custom Auto not only put the '32 Coupe back together- they made it nicer than it ever was! A custom hood with trick blisters to clear the mighty Hemi was built by Dave Crouse and Rex Rogers. Rex and Jake Yenny left an unnecessary 3-inches out of the roof before Dustin Nere laid out the DuPont dark green paint. Finishing details include a pair of Guide 682-C headlights with indicators on top and a pair of '50 Pontiac taillights with green dots.
Interior: A green & black leather/vinyl combo stitched up by Doug's Upholstery in Scottsbluff, NE dresses up the interior which consists of a stock style seat facing a dash filled with original Stewart Warner gauges and a restored '46 Ford steering wheel on top of a '58 column. The only tunes needed are the rumble of the healthy Hemi and music of the open road.