Seriously, if you’re gonna insult people, you should probably learn to spell “Deuce” properly. I am not a fan of reproduction bodies and personally wouldn’t want one, but I don’t begrudge those that have them. A lot of people can’t afford a Gennie body or don’t want to do the work to get them into paint but still want to enjoy a Deuce. Some people look at them as just one giant patch panel. A few years ago I was looking at a deuce roadster that was for sale. I asked him if it was Henry or repro, since let’s face it, that affects the value. He replied it was a little of both. He told me the doors, quarters, decklid, floors and sub rails were brookville. The cowl, hood and rad shell were Henry. My point is a lot of cars are built with the help of the aftermarket. The soul of a car doesn’t come from its journey through time, it comes from the people it encounters through time. A UPAC or brookeville or Fiberglass car starts time when it’s built by someone passionate enough to want to invest their time and money in our hobby/sport. We shouldn’t insult or discourage those that don’t have the same ideals.
Whatever floats your boat! If steel bodies were not available, many more of us would have glass bodies. I have seen many killer roadsters and coupes that were glass.
You know, Henry only made about 12,000 roadsters in 1932 and the rest of of the production numbers for Ford vehicles that year were fairly low due to the Depression. Many did not survive the 30's and 40's because they were used up, worn out or scrapped, mainly to help with production of iron and steel products during the war. After the war, many of the young men and some women, became interested in modifying "old" cars to make them both better looking and performing. Many of those old cars just happened to be Fords ! Thanks to those folks, many of the old Fords, Model A's, Model B's and V-8's did survive ! The reproduction of many of these vehicles (bodies, frames, etc., has allowed many more people to enjoy a bit of the past by building their own "Hot Rod" with at least some new parts and whether those New Parts are fiberglass or steel doesn't matter at all. Reproduction parts have allowed many more people to become involved in the hobby ! Welcome them ! Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
You can play! We’ll always have some who’ll give our cars the sniff test and then tell those who’ll listen to them the short comings of your car. The great thing about this hobby is the diversity and the variety. Everyone is entitled to there own ideas. The blue five window deuce is mine and it’s a real deal all steel Henry body and it was built by Barry Lobeck’s shop and I always admired he’s work and vision and he built a lot of glass 32 roadsters so Barry seemed to have no problem with glass cars And that’s good enough for me
Can I have a reasonable argument against this?^^^ mine is my daily driver for most of this year, as the only other vehicle I have that is fit for the road is a 66 K20 that gets maybe 7-8 mpg around town.. ...and YES, I live here alone, so there is no modern "girlfriend/wifes" car sitting here to use. I know for sure that my car is the most driven hotrod in my entire county. Cars get soul (IMO only,)when they get the wheels driven off them, and countless people, get smiles when they see it, sit in it or on it, tell stories of their grand dads old car , whatever...sharing your hotrod with as many people that care about smiles.. I have seen countless steel bodied cars that have no soul at all....cut & buff "paintjobs" that honestly look like a freak show, never get driven except to show off at some major show...no one is allowed to get near it, or heaven forbid, sit IN it, or start the motor, rev it... ^^^two little brothers at the July fireworks night. They went up to the car in bewilderment, so I told the Dad that they should sit in it.. An extended family visiting at UConn's famous "Horsebarn Hill". One woman asked if she could take a pic...I said let them sit in it too. Look at that lil Hotrod gal with her arm out like Milner. One male was scolding the little boy for pumping the gas pedal, and fiddling with everything.. LOL ^^ on the back side of that Hill, the School owns more homes to rent to visiting people, like this guy that I kept meeting everywhere except at the school... He is a Professor at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. We've become friends during his 3 month study grant. (he is car guy) Got to share a beer from his country on the deck with his 15 year old daughter listening to us talk. I even took him to a local cruise as he said rods are illegal there,...he was stoked to ride in a true Hotrod in America. He has sent pics of the 32 to every gear head in his country. so he claims. ^^ I stop when I can to visit the staff and clients at a plant nursery that is set up to give the Mentally "gifted" clients a sense of a real paying job instead of just warehousing them. That staff gal is a riot, and was surprised to have her greet me at a cruise a few weeks later. The clients love my old cars...they asked her if they could take pics with the car. Ok, show car paint guys may want to skip the last pics... Met the Blonde first at the Dam...she asked to take a pic...so I said "you go pose, your husband can take your pic"..."you can stand on the boards or sit in it". She sheds her sweater...lol...then the brunette show up! She peels off her sweater, tosses it to the guy on the bike! These two must have felt so young again that day, going by their smiles. sorry for my usual long posts, but putting a better spin on this wayward thread..you know? ....And no, it is not fiberglass, that's not the point here in these pics/text. .
I was gonna guess the 2 chopped cars were the real cars. Looks like I was 50% wrong, at least. I figured the chopped 3W was real because of the original fuel line clamp on the firewall... but you did say that the repro's had a lot of original parts on them... how am I doing? I'm going to go with the stock height 3W is the other original car!!! Your burgundy coupe has A LOT of soul in it!!! 3blap.
Not doing to well. Here’s the skinny The two five windows are the real deals The chopped one was just completed thru Bobby Hilton’s hot rods and features tons of period correct parts The uncut one was built by Barry lobecks shop in 2005 and Was built from a 100% stocker The two three windows are the imposters or crap as some have said There both brookville bodies and both built in our shop The chopped one was cut at Walden’s shop and it features a blown Flathead built by mr art chrisman and quick change The uncut one is very conventional with small block Chevy 4 speed Muncie 9 inch ford rear and A/C I believe they all have soul- thanks for playing
Being a young kid growing up in the doom n gloom 70’s with the advent of unleaded gas, catalytic converters and low powered V8’s V6’s and a bunch of 4 Bangers that could’ve always used a little Hawaiian Punch!!!! One looked to the lines of many different publications that featured The quintessential “Hot Rod” that being a 32 Ford of most any kind, cinematic media definitely was the distributor sending that spark thru that 7mm wire to those plugs and with this being the 45th Anniversary of American Graffiti a certain 32 era 5W cruised across the screen and many young guys took notice. Sure she’s no beauty queen, but it got many soon to be Hot Rodders attention and help to form their views on just what it may have been like 11 years before that movies release. 5 other cars come to mind as well, 1 from the 60’s, 2 from the 70’s and finally two from the 80’s 4 are steel and one is glass. #1 is Tom McMullen’s Hot Rod cover car in that exact configuration, #2 is of course Gary Kessler’s yellow roadster = timeless!!!! #3 is what IMHO set the bar that still stands for many HR enthusiasts, that being the Barry Lobeck 32 Highboy roadster literally seen at the Hot Rod Nationals in 79. Dirt track tires and Halibrand wheel prices went thru the roof!!!! #4. Next up is one of local cars that I personally saw and made the most sense attainability wise. The Eastwood & Barakat Sedan. It is back now in primer and paint and probably impacting many young guys minds. And finally #5. Think about what was happening in 1986, Money was flowing and people were spending, so much so that my favorite Hot Rod Parts place was sold and gone over a weekend in November of that year. Pete & Jake’s..... Well how does one follow that move up, Pete does a deal with P.A.W.-Chatsworth,Ca., B-M Performance and HRM. And here is #5. The Limefire Roadster!!! I watched this car come together from frame to painted,plated and minimally upholstered driver, I could care less if it’s a Wescott glass body, it’s bitchen!!!! (Added mine in for good measure .) About the time this was going together I was really into Model 40’s and A’s because I never thought that I’d ever get a 32. I’ve had 5 since then..... 32’s are user friendly, not really caring what they’re made of or even when, it’s about what the builder achieved.
Well... I tried. You didn't make it easy! You have a bunch of great looking cars... post a pic of the '33 3W too! I may chop mine. I always said I wouldn't, but when I look at full fendered coupes like Cory Taulbert's... it just looks killer! I'm going to get it driving as is first and then worry about that way down the line. 3blap.
They are well liked by one local fellow I see at a lot of the big car shows. Not gonna mention any names and he may very well be a member here, rumor has it that he owns at least one copy of every 32 that Ford ever produced from the trucks right down to a factory produced California Highway Patrol 32-5 window. At one show a few years back he brought 12-32's of various models. Quite a collection!
Here you go. All steel real deal with a late model flat head. Chopping one takes some serious thought and no turning back Have a set of brookville fenders for the 5 window and I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. They do look good with a 2 or 3 inch chop where at the lone star round up each year. Please look me up. We’ll have the 32’s there next year with Bobby Hilton’s crew at the main entrance
Well here is my 2 bits for what its worth. Yup, mine is glass but so what? I have been parked next to steel bodies "32's and passersby couldn't tell the difference. Even quite a few car guys. We both were surprised how well built this 5 window body actually was. Considering that the supply of original steel bodied Fords were dwindling rapidly due to wars and depressions plus the limited supply to begin with, I'm not surprised that enterprising individuals began to build the most quensiential hot rod ever! Yup, I grew up in northern California. I watched all the older guys driving around in coupes and roadsters while I was driving a beater "35 Ford pickup with a leaker flatty. Rustoleum red with chinese yellow wires and a horse blanket for a seat cover! But you know what, I wouldn't trade those days for anything. Just took me awhile to get here! American Graffiti was filmed about 40 miles from the dairy I grew up on. So yes, I did actually did live those days, many have! So here I'm in Amarillo, Texas and trust me, this isn't roadster country in the least! Its cold in the winter and hotter than blazes in the summer, the wind is blowing constantly and I'm too old to go through that again! I had my share of roadsters here! I'd rather drive my coupe in any sort of weather and be HAPPY! Oh and to answer those who ask why I don't have a Ford engine, I just happened to have had a stove-bolt V-8 under the workbench! John H Edge is right, it takes guts to chop an original Ford! I know I couldn't do it, I'd go buy a glass body! Again, just my 2 bits!
Being a glass or steel body is more then what others think , for me it’s the history of the car . When I’m sitting in my cars I wonder what this car was doing 70 or 80 years ago . Two of my coupes where channeled , my 3W was a real bad channeling. So I chose to rebuild it and put it back on its rails . After countless hours of work I’m getting close to chopping it . Not to offend anyone and I’m not degrading Glass or repop steel cars . But I like many others would rather have a 85 year old car showing it’s age and history of its past . But I am very grateful that we don’t all like the old junk , as my 3W came available after the old owner bought a Brookville body . He is building a nice car and the time he saved in metal work got his car much further along in much less time . I’m not against anybody building a aftermarket body car as long as they are keeping Hot Rodding Alive ! . Keep building guys Glass, Steel,New, Old . Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I'll track ya down for sure... as I know exactly where y'all were posted up last year and it's not hard to find Bobby Hilton's cars! The last 2 years I spent at a swap meet space and that's not happening in 2019. My '32 5W will be there... even if I have to push it there! Your '33 is super nice! I have one also, but it didn't get the same life that yours did! Mine needs a little rust repair here and there, and I think half of its problems are because the body was acid dipped to get rid of the rust and the acid wasn't neutralized well enough afterward. That's OK... I'll fix it. I'm just happy to have it! 3blap.
Going to the cruise the coast in October if you’re coming maybe we’ll run into each other. Is your 33 a three or five window??? I’m looking for a 33 or 34 5 window body that buildable
I've only had three. I had the last one first and wish I'd kept it! All with Henry bodies. First one was in same family for 75 years. I'm supposed to be a 36 guy but these things grow on ya!!
My '33 is a 3W. It's a long term project. It was chopped square at 5" and roof split, but I shortened the roof back to stock length, leaned the A pillars and took another inch out of the rear to address some issues in the back. It's still not finish welded because I want to replace the floor before I button it all up. I have most of the flooring, but am holding off until the '32 is on the road. I don't know of any '33 or '34 5W's that are available. Which coast are you cruising? East coast I assume? Since my '32 is not operable at the moment... I will only be joining you in spirit! 3blap.
Myfirst 32 was the yellow high boy, built in 1970, I've had several 32,s since then, my last 32 is the yellow high boy, that was finished in2007 it was a Brookville body, on a new chassis, home built, and you know what, it is better than all my Jenny 32s I've had over the years. what could be better than a brand new 32????
Good to see you on here Gary, Thom Taylor and I had a discussion years ago about 32’s, Yours was always one of his favorites. . The Black Roadster under the Limefire pic was built about the same time your 1st yellow one was. It’s the Butch Carlton 32 TUDOR Tubs chassis. The body is on now a TCI Chassis owned by Mike Gamel, he drove it in the original’s chassis from 1982 till the millennium. The chassis was sold to his fathers neighbor and he had it for a couple of years I guess, he was also named Mike. He placed an add in the HAMB Classifeids and I saw it there, not knowing that I’d seen this car before. (Thom remembered this car under Butch’s ownership), Then I was going to use it for another project, but couldn’t bring myself to cutting it up. I ended up building the Roadster... We got them together in Santa Maria a few years back. Since these are ever changing cars, it now looks pretty much like this below. I was wondering if you remembered it as well?????? Let’s see some pix of your present roadster.
Kevin thanks for the compliment, Thom always talked about my fist 32 every time we saw each other, Steve Coonan was a young kid way back then and he always raved about that car also. they say every body gets 15 minutes of fame that car brought me about 15 hours!! thanks again Gary
Kevin, I believe your post is spot on! Always admired the deuces you highlighted. Kessler's roadster in 1980 (at the Roarin' 30's run) caught me hook, line and sinker.
Gary Count me as another teenager that raved about your roadster, still do, love your new one too but the memory of seeing those drag slicks on a street legal car at 17 (ish) for the first time never fades. Your car and Barry Lobecks' first roadster with the big Firestones have always been at the top of the list of my alltime favorite 32 roadsters.
I am on the same page. Gary's roadster just hit a home run with me. I built my first roadster with similar wheel set up and dirt track tires. My current build has a set of 16x10s available for the rear (located under bench). I still have a weakness for the look.
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