"Little Deuce Coupe" dumbass question

Can anyone tell me some facts or provide links on the "Little Deuce Coupe" from the Beach Boys album cover. Specifically the engine and any detail on its set up and special parts etc. I've search and got pictures but I can't find a definitive site with good info. The nickname is so over used i gets hits for old Fiats ( not Topolini's either!) Stu

 

The man who built is dead.....

His name was Chilie Catado ( might be misspelled)
He was friends with Herb Fischel........the head guy over GM Performance until recently.

Chilie also had a little Fiat Topolini........stock. He left it in his will to Herb..
I ate breakfast with Chilie and Herb a few times......at the NSRA Nationals. Herb is friends with a friend of mine......Buster Henderson. In fact....the little Fiat was at Buster's shop recently.

The 32 5W is back in the family now and is restored OR being restored....I heard.

Not exactly what you asked for........but Chilie was a cool guy....and nice as all getout.....

 

Hey its all good info and I appreciate it, especially from someone who has met the builder. I've always loved that car since buying the album as a kid but never really knew that much about it. Stu

 

The little Duece Coupe was built by the Alexander Bros for Chilli,

It had an olds engine..

It was called the Silver Safire then.... Then it was sent to Barris's when Chilli moved out to Cali, and Barris chopped it... He then arranged for it to be on the Beach Boys Album cover and it became the little Duece coupe...

We just interviewed the Alexander Bros for MFS... the story and details of this car will be on MFS III..

That interview rules. It was one of the best times of my life, listening to those guys talk about the old days....

 

Engine was a 56 Olds 344 CI
Chrysler intake valves and GMC exhaust valves.
Clay Smith cam
Jahns blower pistons
Crager 6-71 blower and drive.
Ignition was a stock Olds.
Jabsco electric water pump.
Trans 1937 LaSalle

I know, not definate info on grinds and valve sizes but that what I got from the July 1961 issue of Hot Rod

 

I'm sure that sucked. I hope you know how good you have it. I'm moving to Milwaukee, the Hot Rod center of the universe.

 

Thanks all who replied. Once again HAMB kicks ass and takes names! Stu

 

Here's some info from Hot Rod Yearbook #1.


Mutt

 

Part Deux...

Mutt

 

WOW there some tight quarters inside that baby!! Cool pics thanks!

 

There it is, Hot Rod July 1961, the magazine that set the course of my life 44 years ago to the month! I was 10 years old and remember putting those two quarters on the counter as clearly as if it was yesterday. Got to see the car in New York City a bit after its prime, hope to see it again sometime.

 

It made a tiny part of the cover of CAR CRAFT november 1960, but got a full two page feature. Unchopped and with fullsize doors.

 

The Coupe made the cover of RODDING & Re-styling on May 1961, the 6 page feature made a big deal about the 1957 Plymouth hubcaps with the white plastic fins.

 

I told Chilie what a HUGE affect his 32 had on me and it was a big part of me wanting to be a 32 owner. He said that he was amazed at the number of folks who told him that........

Very nice man, humble and yet out going. He still loved cars.....he was a big shot with a Banking/investment type company...if I remember correctly. Just did not have time for the rods anymore.

He got around the USA a good bit and whenever we were going to be in a new major town for a event...Buster would always ask him " where's a good place to eat ? ? " He knew Buster meant Not a chain type place.....

He always came up with a great place......


RIP Chili......


.

 

There is a very nice article on this car in the May 2001 issue of Street Rod Builder. According to this article--In addition to what's already been said, the car was sectioned 6",channeled 6" and chopped 3".

The steering is a'59 Lincoln wheel on a '34 Ford column. It's a stock dash,but the windshield header also had gauges and switches in it. Larson Upholstery did the original interior.

The wheels are reversed rim Mercury's with Chrysler Imperial centers.

In 1959,the car ran 12.90/112 mph on the drag strip.

The Alexander Brothers did most of the body work, but Chili Catallo went to work for George Barris in 1960. While there,he chopped the top himself and it was Barrris who painted the car-Oriental Blue metallic. Barris often gets credit for the whole car.

 

You could have bought it for $2900. in Oct. of '63.


Mutt

 

Last I heard it was owned by a local Metro Detroit guy. I think he lives in Clarkston. I chatted with him abit at the Autorama then a few months later he had it at BilletProof Detroit. Haven't seen the car in alittle over a year.

 

I think the current owner is Chili's son.

Here's some pics of the car as the "Silver Sapphre".

 

A few more

 

There was even a nifty little model kit inspired by the Catallo Coupe.



I've always loved that thing. The only thing I ever wondered about is in the cover photo from Hot Rod Magazine. If you look closely at the blower pulley there is a swastika right in the middle! What's up with that?



-Scotty

 

I had seen it a couple of times back here on the east coast. The guy who had bought it in the 60's had butchered it up. He had a moper 440, torqueflite trans and 9" rear. The headers were just like roadster headers, it had black wall radials and the guages were VDO or something plus it had a billet third brake light-yeah thats right! The car still resembled its old self due to paint and the radical body work, but not really.

My buddy asked what ever happened to the Olds motor, Something like-I threw it away, it kept breaking and was hard to fix. or some BS.
I did get to see it at LeadEast next to Kazzas coupe- a chopped and channeled 32 5w from Jersey. Nicely restored old showrod built in the late 50's-early 60's.
I just wish the Silver Saphire has been restored at that point. The pictures still look cool though.

 

They also showed some decent footage of it on one of the recetn episodes of "Automaniacs"... Don't know if they're re-running it or not...

 

Joe, Welcome to the HAMB! The Andy Kassa 3Window was featured in the same July 1961 issue of Hot Rod. It is the only '32 I know of that had a chromed radiator shell. I like this better than the later custom made grill it had.

 

Anybody have any newer pics to post on here??? Please do!! Thanks..

 

Deuces, your've dug up an oldie there. Six years old.
I know theres been a thread on this in the last couple o years, as i remember much discussion on the front pullys art work.

 

I'm fairly sure the car was featured in The Rodders Journal after the restoration.

 

http://youtu.be/7klWRu5xDvk

 

i used to live near middletown ny, + about in 1992 i was visiting a friend who lived in a 3-story apartment building.
there was parking behind the building, and 1 morning i was parking out back and a garage door was open and i couldnt believe my eyes but the little deuce coupe was parked in it.
it had a 440 mopar in it at the time. i just couldnt believe it.
the owner was the landlord of the building, my friend had told me it was parked there but i didnt believe him til i saw it myself.
unfortunately i never followed up on if he had planned on selling it or where it got sold to, i was just amazed that i saw it and where it was kept.

 

The lyrics say:

"Just a little deuce coupe with a flat head mill
But she'll walk a Thunderbird like (she's) it's standin' still
She's ported and relieved and she's stroked and bored.
She'll do a hundred and forty with the top end floored
She's my little deuce coupe

I remember that flatheads were "ported and relieved" but don't remember OHV's be "relieved"??

 

I don't think the song wasn't written about this particular car. It just happened to be the car that ended up on the album cover and was the "Little Deuce Coupe" from there on out.
Larry T