Posted on 10/12/2018 11:15:26 AM PDT by ETL
Ever since he was in high school, Roger had wanted a 1932 Ford coupe. Sixty years later, he still wanted one, but Deuce prices had gone sky high. So Roger built this 1931 Model A with a 1932 grille and gas tank.
He says the coupe was a pile of rusty parts when he bought it from a friend. It had taken him years to convince his friend to sell it, and it went from the friend’s garage to Roger’s barn where it sat for more time. “After I retired, moved, built a new pole shed, finished building a Ford F-100, then selling the truck, I started working on the coupe.”
The body is almost all original steel. It was in good shape when he bought it, and the top had already been chopped 2 inches and partially filled. Roger did the rest of the bodywork, including a lot of paint and rust removal, in his shed. The missing firewall was replaced with a reproduction from Bitchin Products. His toughest bodywork challenge, he recalls, was fitting the trunklid to the body.
Roger sold the factory frame and bought a TCI replacement from JW Rod Garage with independent suspension. Roger built his own four-bar rear suspension with coilovers. American Racing 15-inch five-spoke wheels roll on 225/60R15 and 275/60R15 BFGoodrich radial tires.
The frame had been set up for a Chevy engine and automatic transmission, but Roger changed it for his Ford 347 stroker from Blueprint Engines, topped with a Holley carburetor and backed up by a TREMEC five-speed transmission. The Ford 9-inch rear was rebuilt at JW Rod Garage.
A Brookville dash was installed and equipped with VDO gauges. A wood underdash holds the heater controls and vents. The banjo wheel tops a tilt column. A local upholsterer covered the Wise Guys bucket seats in tan faux leather. Roger took care of all the wiring chores.
After painting the coupe with epoxy primer and finishing the undersides of the fenders with truck bedliner, Roger drove the coupe for a one summer. He then brought it back into his shop and tore it apart for bodywork and paint, using PPG Omni Blue Denim.
“I am a retired engineer and I like to build things,” Roger told us. “Building street rods is a great hobby and I enjoyed the building of the coupe.
This was the fourth street rod that I have built and the last one because I am 76 years old.” Roger hasn’t let his age stop him from building a great Model A, or from driving it to local shows whenever he has the chance.
This car color is Washington Blue.
https://cjneil82.smugmug.com/Old-Cars-Trucks-Assorted/i-WNhFnRV/A
The local Carolina Model A club (IIRC) was out and I popped a few photos.
All of the cars out at the time were all nice but that one stood out to me. It came from South Africa I believe.
Yup.. that’s the one ! Mine had a white interior though.
Hagerty rocks. I have them for all my cars.
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