Projects After a long long search I have purchased a 1932 three window Ford coupe

Yeah The Holy Grail of Hotrodding! I actually agree with not hotrodding certain cars but honestly if my grandfather had passed that along to me I think I’d still hotrod it..... but I wouldn’t hack it up. It deserves nice work and it deserves to not be taken apart only to sit for yrs!


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Won't be hacked up , none of my cars are "hacked up" it will be a traditional hot rod just like my 5 window and 39 Deluxe coupe , if the Olds is not a smooth fit I have a great little flattie on a stand !

 

Well, I’ll follow the build

 

Yeah, do what you want. Screw what the geezer thinks, he has only protected it since he was 18. If he cared what happens to it he shouldn't have grown old. He probably decided to sell it to you for a low price because he knew you would do a better job of taking care of it than he had. It's yours now and the choice is yours.

 

I think he'd be glad he had cash.

Come and buy my first shotgun. I don't care if you chop the barrel and saw the stock. It's yours.

 

It’s not hard to determine you wanted the hot rod Olds powered for years . I have done the same many times . My 3W was Chebbie powered when I build it years ago . I was pretty sick with stage 4 cancer I just wanted to take a ride . After I started to recover I swapped in Henry Power , many many friends told me you’ll loose 1000s on the value . Well I paid a lot of attention to them ! It’s FORD true blue oval now and no turning back for me . It’s all about the fun factor , if it’s more fun Olds powered for you , all I can say is “do you need any help ? “ Have tools can travel !

 

Do you want to enjoy it or do you want to drive it to car shows ?


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"If you have the last one on the planet, you may think twice about modifying it, but just twice." (Quote from Bruce Kelley, RIP)

 

You know, it was not to long ago in my neck of the woods that people would buy a amateur restoration and conv)ert it into a hot rod. For awhile a restored (amateur) 28 to 34 Ford would cost less than a hot rodded 28 to 34 Ford and would be in better shape (meaning not hack up) than a hot rod. I see many cars on this site that are pretty much stock with very little changes, done that way as to protect the investment (I know what investment). What I cannot understand is a person "over-buying" a vehicle just for a few parts and then trying to sell off, hoping to decrease their initial cost. Parts not sold just end up hanging in the garage and the parts that are sold usually contribute to the increasing cost of building a hot rod.

 

The changes you made are timeless and spot on. Beautifully done.

 

Like this, but not chopped, would be ideal.

 

Hello,

That is one nice old 32 Ford Coupe. It is pristine and the outside should be left alone. Just to be different, if it is possible for you not to alter it without fenders that is a good start. There are too many fenderless hot rods and it would be just another one on the street. As far as the motor is concerned, put in the Olds motor and make the car look stock, but has the power to keep up in modern day traffic and hills. The teenage cars back then had fenders and without them, were given tickets for a violation of the DMV laws.

People will say many things about how they would build it, but it is your choice. Comfort and safety are mandatory, so better brakes, suspension/ride for comfort and if long distance road trips are in the future after the pandemic is over, then possibly an A/C unit. If it remains stock on the outside, you will get plenty of kudos for preserving an old car. On the inside and under the hood, that is your choice and no one else's. So, no comments about that unless you open the hood or have people crawl under your hot rod.

Jnaki

My first introduction to a real, modified hot rod, but stock looking coupe, was my friend's 1934 black Ford Coupe. He upgraded the brakes, put in a big Olds motor and a LaSalle 3 speed. This was in 1956-57. It was black with red wheels, sometimes with black wheels and chrome wheels on different versions. It was the nicest sounding motor and the ride was pure hot rod. He even won some trophies at Lion’s Dragstrip in 1958-59 in the A/Gas class. It was a very cool hot rod during the time period most would like to have been around and participating in all of the teenage activities.

This was a real 1950s hot rod from So Cal. It started with one carb, then three, then 6 Strombergs. The best times and speed at Lion's Dragstrip were with the 6 Strombergs, but they were not for daily driving. The final set up was 3 inline carbs. A daily driver, weekend drag racer and one of the fastest hot rods in the Bixby Knolls area at the time. This is a sample of what a stock looking on the outside, with full fenders and powered by a big Olds motor could look like on any Ford Coupe.

 

I agree with you

 

Nice car, should make a nice hot rod without having to restore it first. Go for it!

 

Rocket 88.

 

make it yours.

The gentleman you bought it from got his money's worth, and he could have just as easily sold it to someone who would have put C5 Corvette stuff under it. You are not disrespecting that car one bit with your plans.

There are some fantastic examples on this thread of how to do this tastefully with very limited destruction, so that argument does not fly. It's just steel... Go for it!

 

Hot rod it. And I like your plans for it very much.

If stock cars catch on one day, I'm sure there will be a good business taking the cars that people hot rodded and putting them back to factory stock again.

 

Beautiful .... Congrats.

 

Not that it matters but did this car come from Columbia Pa.? I bought parts off a guy who owned his the same amount of time plus had converted it to an early flathead.

 

I imagine if the modification question was posted on Ford Barn there would be completely different opinions. My opinion would be; why not start with a new Brookville body and tin? It is not like this is about re-doing an old hot rod, it is recreating a '50's hot rod look-alike. All new parts are available so why hot rod a '32 that has been so well preserved.

No doubt I have always tried to find good cars to start with and have been critiqued for hotrodding them. Maybe with a lot of years and cars behind me I look at all this a little differently. Just because I can don't mean I should.

 

The reason why to hotrod a '32 that has been so well preserved, is that it makes hotrodding it so much easier and end up with great results! Simple as that, and it is all Henry steel!

 

Exactly

 

Enjoy it

 

No it did not , thanks

 

Great find!

 

Make it a Hot Rod .... Olds power is awesome !

 

Everyone else loves to tell you what to do with your car. You have a picture in your mind of how it will look. Write it down and build it that way. Don't let anyone tell you how to build your car as they wouldn't listen to you if they owned it. Smile, nod and build the picture in your head. Good luck. See you down the road.

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Just keep in mind the OP did ask “what say you, leave as is or convert ?” It does kind of open him up to opinions as to what to do with the car. Just saying




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I see the question was never answered if the old seller asked what you were going to do with it. For my way of thinking, if the old guy did ask the question and you were dishonest with him, you may have some deserved bad karma coming your way. If he never asked or you answer honestly than this is irrelevant.

Some may say that you pay the money and it is yours, that is true, but I like to live in a world where people stick by their word.

For my opinion of what to do if you are all clear on the Karma front. Make the car exactly as you want. These cars are meant to bring happiness to the owner. If you can change it with no feeling of regret and create your dream you are on the right path. You are only building this car for someone else if their opinion is highly important to you, if not build it for the most important person in your life. You.

Steve

 

The former owner never asked what I was going to do with the car , just said his children didn't want it and wanted him to get rid of it ! The car has already been slightly modified with the insert of the 1936 factory Ford engine that I assume was done in 1936 or so under the first owners stewardship .