Bryan started with a pair...
Bryan started with a pair of genuine '32 Ford 'rails and fashioned the frame fit for its own feature with some help from the Ionia Hot Rod Shop.
Bryan Smith gets all the thrills he needs during working hours with an exciting career as a camera operator in a news helicopter. He did, however, find the perfect project right under his nose to relax in between action-packed airborne adventures. It just so happens that his brother Craig (with whom he shares the cover of this month's issue) had been collecting parts and building a '32 Ford roadster, and along the way he developed a sizeable cache of extra pieces like a grille shell, firewall, and frame. These parts were transferred from brother to brother, and with a '64 Chevy small-block thrown in from his dad, Bryan had enough pieces to start a project of his own.
Bryan is far beyond "detail oriented," and so began the work on his '32 Ford chassis with plenty of trick ideas flowing through his head. Because he spends so much time in his office-12 hours a day on call waiting for news to happen-a huge help to the project came when Bryan asked his boss if it would be alright for him to build his engine in his office. To his surprise, he got the green light on the conditions that the engine stayed only in his office and out of sight of the other co-workers. Looks like he had some downtime, as the 327 was built and detailed with a 3x2 intake manifold topped with a trio of rebuilt Rochester 2G carburetors and flanked on both sides by a pair of Edelbrock valve covers and Sanderson headers. A final touch is a Ford 427 air cleaner modified to fit the triple-carb setup.
Backing up the mighty Mouse...
Backing up the mighty Mouse is a Richmond Super T10 manual trans (real hot rods have three pedals) connected via a '57 Chevy truck bellhousing and a Centerforce clutch package.
In his off-hours, work on the chassis began with a pair of original hand-me-down '32 Ford 'rails Bryan sent to Dennis Lesky at the Ionia Hot Rod Shop to fit a set of custom-fabricated crossmembers to tie everything together. Brakes consist of a drilled Ford backing plate/finned aluminum Buick drum combo attached to the front axle and a set of binders from an '80 Ford pickup bolted to the rearend. A '56 Ford pickup steering box filled with N.O.S. gears and mated to a '32 Ford mounting flange will keep Bryan's Deuce headed in the right direction.
Being the aforementioned detail nut he is, Bryan gave every piece a very personal touch by drilling or massaging each piece by hand before finally fitting them to the frame.
With all the components in place, the final touch to the period-perfect underpinnings was a set of American Racing Torq-Thrusts wrapped in Michelin rubber. The story continues on this chassis with it meeting an equally detailed '32 roadster body, but we'll bring you that exciting story in an upcoming installment, so stay tuned!
 There is no question of the...  There is no question of the rigidity of Bryan's chassis with such well-designed crossmembers holding it all together. The bolt-in design is something that takes much more planning and fabrication than just simply welding them in. |  The split wishbone mount,...  The split wishbone mount, just like every other piece, is detailed and looks like it rolled off the factory line. |  Studying the photos, you will...  Studying the photos, you will notice Bryan stayed away from too many polished and plated parts, choosing the more "strictly business" look of paint-detailed pieces for his chassis. |
 A pair of custom headlight...  A pair of custom headlight brackets mounts a pair of restored Guide headlights nice and low on the frame. A pair of T3 sealed-beam bulbs is used for an added nostalgic touch. |  The entire theme for Bryan's...  The entire theme for Bryan's '32 is early '60s hot rod, which led to pretty much one option when it came to wheels. He went with a set of new "straight-spoke" five-spokes from American Racing (known as TTOs) with 15x5s mounted up front and a modern twist out back with a 17x8 size selected. |  A heavily reworked '40 Ford...  A heavily reworked '40 Ford rear crossmember is more Ionia handiwork. The transverse spring setup uses a pair of Pete & Jake's ladder bars to locate the Currie 9-inch rearend. |
 Front suspension consists...  Front suspension consists of a Chassis Engineering 4-inch dropped I-beam hooked to a POSIES spring and located by a pair of owner-modified '37 Ford split wishbones. |  |  Special motor mounts connect...  Special motor mounts connect the front of the engine block to the original front crossmember in the original '32 Ford location. |