1932 Ford Roadster - '32 B-Lowe

In the fashion world it is said that the basic black tuxedo will never go out of style. And it seems, at least for street rodders, that the '32 Ford roadster is our hobby's black tuxedo. It was the cool car to have 50 years ago and it's still at the top of nearly everyone's list of what they would want today (except for those on the "fringe" who like Mopars!). Although trends, whether in fashion or in rodding, come and go, the '32 remains.

Bob Lowe, a clothing store owner from Springfield, Missouri, knows a thing or two about fashion. His Town & County store supplies threads for people of means, from high profile businessmen to a few elected state officials. And if you've been in business for 45 years, it's probably safe to say that you know what looks good.

But Bob also has an expert eye on the street rod world. Some readers will remember his deep green (really almost black) Deuce roadster highboy from the Jan. '00 issue of STREET RODDER. It was named this magazine's 1999 Street Rod of the Year, and has appeared in dozens of other magazines and advertisements (the driver-side profile shot has been the centerpiece of Colorado Customs' ads for the past two years).

Lowe ended up selling that roadster (to Harley-Davidson's Willie G. Davidson, no less) and then decided to build another Deuce highboy, but many thought it was like trying to reinvent the wheel. As it turned out, Bob's original '32 was just a steppingstone for an even grander automotive concept.

Once again he teamed the two shops that created his first roadster (Curbside Hot Rod Parts in Howard, OH, and Greening Auto Company in Cullman, AL) and, armed with a whole new set of plans, went about building this project. Curbside got the call for the chassis and suspension, though this wasn't going to be your basic dropped axle and spring setup. Up front, Curbside's Boyd Singer started with a straight axle but modified an airbag suspension from Air Ride Technologies to work with it. The trick was, because this was a highboy, they needed to figure out a way to hide the airbags between the radiator and the engine block.

The rear was a little more tricky, as the frame's crossmember was sealed off, pressure tested, and made into a mini air tank reservoir. The ShockWave bag/shock combo (from Air Ride Technologies) was placed inside the framerails and laid down parallel to the ground. The overall wheelbase was stretched 3 inches (totaling 109 inches) before the chassis was assembled using a Woodward steering rack, Bilstein shocks up front, and Wilwood disc brakes on each corner. Road wheels came in the form of a 15- and 17-inch Colorado Custom wheel combination.

Though his last roadster sported a well-detailed LS1, the drivetrain in this roadster has a lot more "umph," in both performance and in the looks department. Dave Boatwright (Springfield, MO) assembled a LS6 454 using Keith Black 11.2:1 pistons (with Speed Pro rings), a Melling oil pump, an 8-quart oil pan, a Comp Cams camshaft, an Evans water pump, and GM rods and crank. Up top, ported and polished heads were fitted with Manley valves and titanium retainers, plus a set of Comp Cams aluminum rockers.

The motor's injection system comes from a mix of parts, mostly from Enderle and BDS. Greening Auto Company's Jesse Greening whittled up a set of injection stacks from aluminum, and reworked a pair of aluminum valve covers to showcase the name of the car. Other engine parts include Sanderson headers, Taylor wires, MSD ignition, a Steve Long radiator, and a SPAL cooling fan. The big, black V-8 is mated to a Richmond six-speed trans, which is operated by a Long shifter modified by Jesse.

With the drivetrain and the chassis out of the way, it was time to address the Harwood body. Dave Hay, who worked on Lowe's last roadster, was drafted to reshape and modify the new project, too. Subtle things, such as lowering the reveal at the bottom of the cowl so it runs straight instead of being kicked up was one trick, and raising and re-arching the rear fenderwell reveal was another. Inside the cockpit Dave reshaped the dash so it would flow into the tops of the doors.

From Dave's the highboy traveled to Greening Auto Company, which is headed up by the father-and-son team of Jeff and Jesse Greening. (Greening, you should remember built Paul Atkins' Ridler-winning SpeedStar coupe a couple years ago as well as the phantom two-door '39 Willys found on the cover of the Apr. '02 issue of STREET RODDER.) The Greenings created the top on Bob's first roadster, and got the job to not only make another top--this time incorporating a Muroc curved windshield assembly--but to do some fabrication as well as the paint and final assembly.

The Greenings started by making a hood (from steel) and sides (from aluminum), a set of mirrors (both side view and rear), and a set of rear nerf bars (that also incorporate the taillights). They generally reworked whatever they could get their hands on--from the column drop to the center console. Greening also painted the car, which is one of those subjects that makes Bob Lowe smile. His last roadster, which many people think was black in color, was actually the deepest, darkest green you could mix. Only in certain light would it give up a highlight of deep green. This roadster would be no different. Using Glasurit paints, Greening created the deepest, darkest red they could conjure up, naming it MerLowe. (A few years back Bob had been told by a certain rod builder that black is the only color for a hot rod. Just to be contrary, Lowe went with the deepest shade of red he could find. It makes people look that much harder at his ride. That's just Bob bein' Bob).

When it came time for the rod to get its threads, Paul Atkins, the same upholsterer that did his last rod, did this one, too. Paul created a custom bench seat for the '32, covering it with pleated almond-colored leather. The custom top made by Greening also got the Atkins treatment, with Paul stretching almond-colored Hartz cloth over the removable structure.

The cockpit was finished off with a dash insert made by Carriage Works, which accents a Classic Instruments 140-mph speedo (with a rescreened face depicting Bob's '32 B-Lowe logo) and a pair of Hainline Avionic gauges on either side. In the center console that rises up from the trans hump, a Classic Instrument tachometer lets Bob know how the revs are going. Carriage Works also made the banjo-style steering wheel, which is wrapped in the same almond leather used throughout the ride.

It was almost 26 months between the time Bob cut his first check to get the ball rolling for the chassis on this project to the time he got to drive it. And though it's hard for most folks to even muster the energy and willingness to reinvent the wheel, Lowe, Curbside, and Greening not only took the challenge but also managed to show everyone that there really is another way to look at the 70-year-old design in a brand-new light. Behold Bob Lowe's new black tuxedo . . .