Robert Di Pietro's 1931 Model A

The current small-block is the same ’65 327 that Di Pietro ran in the late ’60s, though the ported heads, high-compression pistons, and radical solid-lifter cam have been replaced with tamer componentry. Flat-top pistons with stock 2.02 heads yield 10.0:1 compression, and the vintage Edelbrock X-Ram mounts a pair of Carter AFBs offering, as Robert puts it, “a mere” 1,000 cfm. An MSD electronic distributor replaces the vintage Mallory dual-point unit (though it’s on standby for full nostalgia effect) and the lakester-style headers (fabricated by Robert) run under the car, through Walker glasspacks, and out the back. Neat carb scoops are California Custom Accessories with wire-mesh filters.

The axle is the same hammer-dropped unit installed to the original ’32 crossmember in the early ’60s, using the ’31 spring and the uncut ’32 wishbone. Spindles and brakes are ’47 Ford with Buick drums, and the tube shocks are Volkswagens mounted to the frame with Dodge truck brackets.

The rear fenders on Granucci’s cover car were reworked Model A pieces, so Robert fabricated his to mimic the look. He tells us he made a frame from 3/8-inch rod, then welded sheetmetal over it to create the bobbed fenders. The wide rear track was intentional; as Robert explains, “We wanted to have the look of really wide tires like racing slicks, so we ran regular tires on fat rims and had the wheels made to stick out to create the illusion.”

The headlights were made by Arrow back in the late ’50s and included the jeweled signal lights; both were obtained during the car’s first build. The ’32 grille and shell are gennie pieces, picked up for $10 in 1961.

The interior probably shows the most contemporary touches. The seats are ’64 Mustang, upholstered in tan and mocha leatherette (Morris Minor buckets were used the first time around). The dash is a stock ’32 Ford piece fitted with Haneline and Autometer gauges with Antique Beige facing. The LeCarra banjo wheel mounts a ’59 Olds column base, mated with a ’54 Ford truck column, and the tach hanging from it is an Autometer unit housed in a homemade cup and bracket. All switches are hidden under the dash. The shifter is a Hurst Competition Plus, connected to a Borg-Warner T10 and an Ansen cast-iron scattershield.

The unusual wheels were purchased through the aftermarket in the early ’60s. Robert relates that they were advertised briefly in magazines of the day, sold under the name Tacoma, and designed to take ’34 Ford caps and rings. The fronts are 15x5s and the rears, 15x8s, mount Commander bias-ply wide whites.

On a late summer afternoon in 1958, 13-year-old Robert Di Pietro’s life was changed forever. It was on that day that Robert got his hands on the September ’58 issue of R&C—and right there on the cover was Gil Granucci’s ’31 Model A coupe. Robert had found his dream car, and the course was set.

By the time he reached the age of 15, Robert had already procured a ’31 five-window of his own for $75. Not content to create a basic highboy coupe, Di Pietro immediately set about channeling the A to mimic Granucci’s—no small task for a teen without experience or proper tools and living in Quebec. The floor was cut out with a Vise-Grip used like a can opener; according to Robert, “The jagged cuts are still there.” A floor was made from plywood (also still there) and the coupe was on its way. The adolescent’s resourcefulness was amazing; after scoring a Deuce frame for $15, he pulled the coupe off of the A frame, replaced the body with a roadster pickup shell he’d acquired, and traded the functioning Model A for a set of used acetylene torches.

A ’47 Ford was purchased for another $15 to donate its mechanical bits. “In those days, you could buy late-’40s Fords for next to nothing, and then you had all your mechanicals: engine, trans, * rearend, spindles, and brakes,” says Robert. He put the ’47 gears in a ’39 case, but before the flathead ran, it was replaced by a Chevy 283, which was mated to the Ford trans with an adapter from Honest Charley.

Later, a hotter 327 would be installed, and after going through numerous gearboxes and rears, Robert upgraded to a Corvette T10 four-speed and ’57 Chevy rearend. By 1966, the 327 had high-compression pistons, a big solid cam, an aluminum flywheel, and 1,500-cfm worth of dual-quads in an effort to stay ahead of the musclecars. Then, in 1972, the coupe was parked to raise a family. It resurfaced in 1985 with a street-rod revamp, seeing 70,000 miles of travel. In 2000, Robert decided to return it to its roots; it once again became a late-’50s/early ’60s Northern California hot rod.

So did the image of Granucci’s coupe truly alter Robert’s destiny? It should come as no surprise that he opted to pursue an education in engineering, and today he’s president of an engineering firm in his native Quebec. Thankfully, he never let go of his inspiration.