Tim Wells of Louisville, Kentucky, figured out how to mix hot rodding with a brand new family. This works especially well if you already own a hot rod that can be traded for another. Tim happened to be working on a '33 coupe at the same time his wife was pregnant with the first of their two children. Two children equal the need for a back seat, and that just what Tim found, via friend Barry Lobek, in the form of a 1932 Vicky. Believe it or not, Tim and his father, Bob Wells, are credited with performing the majority of the work in Tim's two-car garage. This was no small feat considering the arrival of Tim's second child mid-way through the '32s five-year construction.
The gennie boxed '32 frame was treated to a Magnum 46-inch I-beam, Durant mono-leaf spring, Pete & Jakes tube shock, So-Cal Speed Shop hairpins, '57 Buick 12-inch brake drums with '41 Ford backing plates up front, and '59 Ford 9-inch narrowed by Mosiers equipped with a 3.50 gear set and 11-inch drum brakes held in place by a Pete & Jake's ladder bar and Aldan coilovers. Motivation come from a 300hp GM Performance 350ci equipped with an Edelbrock Performer intake and 600-cfm carb, MSD ignition, Sanderson headers, and a homemade stainless steel exhaust with Stainless Specialties mufflers.
With Vicky the sitting and sounding pretty, the next question was wheels. The perfect result came when Eric Vaughn transformed a pair of 15X10 w/ 2-inch backspacing Halibrand wheels into 15X8s, called the Real Wheel treatment. This was done to give the rear wheels the appropriate look of depth and at the same time fit within the confines of the '32s fenderwells. The front Halibrands are normal 15X5 with 145R75-15 Michelin rubber while the newly narrowed rear wheels are wrapped with 235R75-15s.
Now that the all-steel Vicky was on its way to becoming an above average street rod, Tim looked to the talents of Butch Whitaker and his two sons, Steve and Lee, to perform the countless hours of bodywork it was going to take before Butch could spray the flawless Sherwin-Williams black basecoat/clearcoat paint. Any hot rodder worth his salt can tell you one of best ways to properly set-off a black hot rod is with a simple yet stylish red vinyl tuck and roll job. Ray Bartlett and Dean Hillman of the Hot Rod Garage in Denton, MD upholstered everything beautifully. Topping the interior off is the '33 Ford dash complete with a set of Stewart Warner gauges set into a Haneline panel and a Vintage Air Monster A/C unit.
The only question now is how did Tim juggle two kids and the Vicky at the same time? Tim explains, "I would place the kids in the playpen in the garage so I could watch them and also work on the Vicky." Sounds too easy to us, but we will take his word for it after seeing the Vicky for ourselves. Enjoy.