Whenever you read, hear or even think of the name Harry Luzader, I?m assuming the image of a high-riding mint green Deuce five-window comes tearing across your mind, pulling the front wheels in every gear. For those of you unfamiliar with his Model... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Great story, Thanks for sharing it. Harry's 'Coupe has been an inspiration to me for 40 years, it's one of those cars that speaks to me.... "Build me"!
I've mentioned before that I lived a few miles from Monroeville, where Harry had his motel. I watched his Deuce pull the wheels lots of times at PID and loved that car. Sometime in the 70's a friend told me Harry was selling the 32, sans motor and trans, to fund building his Opel gasser. I called Harry and spoke with him about it, and he wanted $ 6,000 for the car. Since I was a struggling Father of two, trying to just keep a roof over our heads, $ 6,000 was like a million dollars to me, so I had to pass. God, what that car is worth today ! Don I just reread that story you posted and noticed something very interesting.........and maybe really far out. I recently posted that my Dad sold my 32 five window out from under me when I was 11, it was also a four cylinder Deuce. Since we lived right near Monroeville, (and Harry and I are similar in age) wouldn't it be something if my Deuce turned out to be the one Harry bought and turned into his !!!!!!!!! I mean, since a lot of 32's were V8 cars, and Harry's and mine were 4 cylinder cars, could it be ????? We'll never know, unfortunately, but stranger things have happened.
I never knew about his A,but I remember the Opel.An amazing little car.But 6k for a roller back in the 70s,that's stout.
Yeah, I paid $10,000 for my house back then. I remember the conversation with Harry that day very well. He was a super nice guy but I got off the phone thinking he was nuts wanting that much money for it. Here I was the crazy one ! Should have put a double mortgage on the house. To give some perspective on it, around that exact same time a body shop guy I knew traded a Corvette for a 32 that came out of California. The Vette was worth about $2500 and his buddies all told him he was crazy to give that much for the 32. The Deuce was a showcar and had been professionally built. Every part on it was chrome plated, even the motor mounts and every little piece. He was pulling the 371 Olds (also completely chromed and built) and putting a 427 Chevy in it so I bought the Olds and Cad LaSalle floor shift setup for $ 175.00. He had no use for the "obsolete Olds." (but I did ) When I say everything was chrome plated, I mean EVERYTHING, except for the block. That is why Harry's 32 seemed so overpriced for the time, but it sure would be a bargain if we only knew it would become so iconic. Don
It's perfect...full fendered and no chop. Won't be long and guys will have to unchop one for this look.
I bought a 63 split window in 1981 and an old guy(probably 35)tried trading me a 32 roadster straight up.I almost went for it,but I was too smart for that.Instead,I traded for a 633 CSI.That's how smart I am
I took the photo on the right of the 3 posted by II FUNNY at Cecil County, Maryland. I was pitted next to Harry with my '56 Chevy gasser.
When Harry and his 32 would pull up to the starting line no one in the stands was still sitting. We had to stand to watch him lift the front wheels in each of the 4 gear changes. That little Deuce was quick. I think it was somewhere between 65 and 67 that we got to watch him race at Pittsburgh International Dragway every weekend. Don
I used to haul steel on 22 through Monroeville every week, you just don't think about the history that happened long before you passed through. Ron
Harry's '32 sits in a body shop in Turtle Creek which is real close to Monroeville. Harry's tried numerous times to buy the car back, but the owner of the body shop won't budge. Harry still has the Opel sitting in a garage put there years ago and never touched after the motor let go. I was at the garage behind the motel that stored the '32 and his brother's coupe that had a new style Hemi in it. They had pits under the cars with steps and it was the first I had ever seen something like that. I had bought a set of mags for my '40 coupe at Brougher's and the wheels were Harry's that Woody had agreed to try and sell. Going from the dirt floor and 1 light bulb at Brougher's to Harry's palatial garage was eye opening.
I bought my first set of American Torque Thrusts from Broughers in about 64-65. They were in Pleasant Hills (I think) at that time but later moved to another part of town. That is where I went to the sale when they closed their doors in the 70's. No one was interested in the old timey parts they were selling, except me, so I was able to get a lot of great parts pretty cheap. Wish I had known then what I know now, I would have bought a lot more. You mentioned a body shop in Turtle Creek, and we lived right near there in about 1970. I bought an Olds engine from a body shop guy that came out of a 32 that came from California......he had traded a Vette for it and was putting a BBC in place of the Olds. Wonder if it was the same guy who bought Harry's 32 also ? Small world. Don
Don, when I bought the wheels Woody was located in Lincoln Place and it was like stepping back in time with the dirt floors, dirty light bulb and the street cars RIGHT in front of the door. I'm thinking this was in the 62-63 era because I bought the '40 in New Kensington in '62. I wish I could remember what the make of those wheels were now. If Harry comes to the PID Reunion dinner this Thursday, I'll try and remember to ask him about the body shop in Turtle Creek.
He will probably remember the body shop guy. Tell him in about 1970 the guy there traded a mid 60's Vette for the 32 out of California. It was a former show car with 371 Olds/Cad LaSalle, and the guy was putting a 427 Chevy into it. The car later ended up on the East Coast of Pa with a sbc in it and I saw it in a magazine. I bet Harry knows him. For some reason the last name Gatto rings a bell with me, but not sure about that. Please do try to get Harry to come on here, it would be really great if he could. I know I have a lot of questions for him and I bet others do too. Don
I have a bunch of video clips of this car running...its one of my all time favorites...Surprised it was never redone....Shit, I jus laugh when I see all these 32s being built with no fenders and chop...(flashmob cars)...esp if they were unchopped to begin with when this is the look in my opinion...great car!!
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