Rick Wilson might not fit the typical definition of a traditional hot rodder, but that doesn't keep his Hemi-powered Deuce five-window from being one of the nicest traditional hot rods we saw all summer.
In the past, Rick's taste always leaned toward musclecars; his lifetime-long list of cool cars was mostly filled with Chevelles, Camaros, Novas, and Mustangs. That began to change when Rick picked up a copy of Andy Southard's book, Hot Rods of the 1950s. As he studied the book over and over, the timeless style of the traditional rods on its pages started soaking into his psyche. His next car, he decided, wasn't going to be another musclecar; it was going to be what he now calls "a real, no-holds-barred hot rod." Looking at this exceptional '32 coupe, you'd have to say he succeeded.
He started the coupe project by going to his good friend, musclecar restorer Gilbert Propes, to see if he'd be interested in taking on something a little different than the cars he was used to building. Propes was all for it, and ended up overseeing the project from start to finish.
Before the building could begin, Rick needed a car. He enlisted the help of Donald Allen ("who knows where every old Ford is, in every old garage") to sniff out a Deuce five-window coupe in good condition. "Three weeks later, we were pulling the finest 24,000-mile, unrusted, undinged, unanything B model coupe into my trailer."
Rick was 12 years old the last time the '32 had seen daylight. The musclecar era was just getting started in 1965, the year the coupe was disassembled for a rebuild and disappeared into the previous owner's basement. When Rick pulled the car out 35 years later, the body was in immaculate condition--no rust, no patches, not even a dent.
The original rails were in good enough condition to be retained. Jerry and Brian Williams in Cornelia, Georgia, muscled up the frame using a Model A front crossmember, '33-'34 X member, and modified Deuce rear crossmember. They also modified the stock firewall to accommodate the Hemi and fabricated brackets for mounting the '40 master cylinder, '32 clutch and brake, and '40 truck column.
Inspired by Mason Peters' '32 pictured in the Southard book, Rick decided that his Deuce had to run a '55 Dodge Red Ram Hemi. After digging up a 270ci truck engine, he learned that Dodge didn't use side motor mounts (which he required) until '56. Further researched revealed that a '56 270 poly-headed block would fit his '55 heads, which solved the problem. Wayne Dill of Dill Performance put together the Hemi with help from Bob Walker from Hot Heads.
The first shot at painting the body was disastrous, but with additional prep work by Jerry and Brian Williams, a new paint job from Ernest Allen, and final color sanding and buffing by Jerry and Brian, the result was phenomenal. Equally nice is the cockpit, completely covered in tomato red Naugahyde tuck 'n' roll by Danny Reese.
We got our first glimpse of the '32 at the Goodguys show in Columbus, where it stopped us in our tracks. Rick told us that he accumulated enough parts during the buildup of the coupe to start thinking about another project, maybe a roadster. Until that day comes, Rick plans on showing and driving the period-perfect coupe, which he calls "a car that was 40 years old the day it was finished," and "the restoration of a hot rod that was never built."
Rick Wilson
Lilburn, Georgia
'32 Ford Coupe
Drivetrain: Wayne Dill at Dill Performance built the 270-inch Dodge Red Ram Hemi, packing the cylinders with Ross pistons. The Racer Brown cam is custom ground. Triplet Stromberg 97s feed the Hemi through an Offenhauser 3x2 manifold. A handmade exhaust system was built to fit the side mount headers. A second set-up was built for use with block-hugger headers, in case Rick ever decides to throw some fenders on the coupe. Gilbert Propes dug out a '37 Cadillac LaSalle transmission that his Uncle Charlie had used during the '50s, and matched it to the Red Ram with a combination of old Halibrand and Cragar adapters. The '49-'50 Olds tailshaft creates a short open driveshaft set-up.
Chassis: The original body rides on original rails, modified by Jerry and Brian Williams of Cornelia, Georgia, with the front crossmember from an A, Deuce rear crossmember, and '33-'34 X member replacing the stock K member. Front-end components include an old-time Mor-Drop I-beam axle, split wishbone, and steering set-up from a '51 Ford pickup, plus '40 spindles and brakes. A '40 Ford rearend (with 3.78:1 gears) was rebuilt by the Hot Rod Works and hangs on N.O.S. '40 Ford springs, with '40 brakes and'35-'36 radius rods. Pete & Jake shocks are mounted front and rear.
Wheels & Tires: What would be a better choice for rolling stock than steelies with bias-ply Firestones? The front '48 Mercury rims are 15x5s with 560-15 'Stones. Rear Lincoln rims were widened to 16x6 and wrapped with 750-16 rubber.
Body & Paint: Rick reports that the original sheetmetal was in like-new condition when the body was pulled from a basement after several decades, and the only bodywork needed was to iron out factory flaws. Jerry and Brian Williams prepped the body for paint, and Ernest Allen shot the '47 Ford Barcelona Blue enamel. Rick kept the door handles, rumble seat handles and just enough chrome to set off the dark blue paint. The '32 headlights were mounted on modified Model A stands, and chrome work was handled by The Finishing Touch in Chicago.
Interior: The red theme that started on the outside and under the hood is continued all over the interior. Danny Reese from Cleveland, Georgia, came to Propes' shop to install the tuck 'n' roll Naugahyde upholstery. Propes replaced the original window handles with '51 Chrysler hardware and the rearview mirror is a '39 Chevy item. The steering wheel is from a '40 Ford standard, and those '33 Plymouth gauges fit in the stock dash location as if they came from the factory. When we asked him about a radio, Phil quickly responded. "None! It's a hot rod!"