The nice part of shooting custom cars is that you meet so many very nice people. All of them give their cars a last shine over and then retires to see create my shine, but some like Robert are a quick study and he helped me with all the little things that get a shoot done in the short time I have the “sweet light”. But let’s let Robert tell us how this roadster came to be;
My desire to build a 1932 Ford Roadster probably began when I was a kid. Having a Dad who liked to mess with cars, boats and airplanes in our home machine shop, one can’t help but get interested in rolling stock and hot rods. The 32’ roadster chapter really began about 10 years ago when a new neighbor moved in to the house next to my home. I had wanted to build a hot 409 Chevrolet into something. I always liked the look and history around the W block Chevy but had never convinced myself what I should put one in. My new neighbor as I would later find out was the son in law of Pete Chapouris the President of So-Cal Speed Shop. I pretty much got to know the whole crew that hung around with my new neighbor Matt, like family. So I thought a hot rod of some sort could be a good platform to build around a 409 Chevy.
Fast forward to about 2005:
I helped my neighbor to build a 32 roadster. During the process of helping him build his roadster, I came to appreciate the simplicity and style of the 32’ Ford Roadster. Light weight, strong after the chassis goes through the So-Cal treatment and just good looking. So I too had to build a 32.
I made a mental list of the things I felt were important to me in a 32 roadster. It had to be as period correct to the Chevy 409 as possible with respect to style and parts. The car itself had to be understated and not flashy. The focal point being the 409 engine and attached systems.
It took me about 2 years to finish the 409 and build my roadster to a roller that could be wired and fired minus the exhaust. So-Cal built a nice Yellow stacked injected Hiboy around the time I was building my roadster and the polished stainless exhaust was simply perfect… It was built by Rod Sexton in Anaheim and it would remain there for the better part of a year as Rod worked his magic. It was stunning! After seeing the work Rod did I knew the direction of the car was set. Being the perfectionist that I am, no longer could I do anything that wasn’t top notch on the car. I needed some… OK allot of professional help to finish the car match the level of the exhaust. After many discussions with Pete and the guys, I knew that So-Cal would be the perfect place to have do the work. Pete liked the direction the Hiboy was going and we decided that I would bring it down to the shop for a “little“ fine tuning”. I think Pete at that time knew that So-Cal would end up finishing it. I worked with Ryan Reed who was the shop Forman and Pete, mostly for the first year and then Jimmy Shine took over the build after Ryan and So-Cal parted ways. The car was off to a great start that would get even better as Jimmy and I worked out the details. We began adding some touches largely influenced by Jimmy. The firewall, wiring, radiator shroud, ETC ETC were all the personal hand work of Jimmy. He has a great eye for detail and we both jive on the perfection of the build and direction it took. I picked Tremec TKO 600 5 speed transmission, connecting to a polished ribbed Winters rear axle. Wheels are 16×5 front and 16×8 back, both knock off pin drive So-Cal wheels with Vintage Firestone tires.
Interior had to follow that conservative simple look and I used Moon instruments on a stock 32 Ford dash. Soft green leather and German Square Weave carpets.
I had chosen British Racing Green as the color but it took a few walk‘s around the shop and talks with Jimmy and Pete before I got the perfect green. The body fit and finish had to be perfect to show right with the dark green. Mick and his crew nailed the body and paint.
The car I have today could only have been possible with the assistance and skill of the So-Cal crew. I know my passion for perfection and limited budget made for a few bumps in the road, but So-Cal stuck with me and stayed the course.
