1933 Ford Roadster - Traditional Nature

Jim Stockton's '33 Ford Roadster

By Eric Geisert

A lot of folks who are into cars have been for many years. Some people trace their interest back to when they saw a famous hot rod for the first time at a show or in a magazine back in the '60s, while others remember being at the drag races when they used to have the engines in front of the drivers rather than behind them.

But Jim Stockton, who has lived all of his life in Springfield, Ohio, has car memories that go back to his infancy, some 60 years ago. That's because Jim's dad (who is 86 now) started restoring automobiles in 1953, and taught Jim and his twin brother, Dave, all about how they go together. Jim's dad, up until the last year or so, has attended every Hershey Swap Meet since the second one in 1956 (he hadn't heard about the first one until after it was already over). In fact, Jim remembers his dad pulling him out of his sixth grade class just so he could attend the popular auto swap meet. And it was at an even earlier age that Jim would be asked to recite the makes and models of the vehicles driving by, and cars were generally the topic of conversation around the dinner table. So to say cars are in his blood would be an understatement.

When he was older, Jim worked for more than a decade at a Chevy dealership (in sales and then as sales manager) and has always held a reverence for old cars, as both a hobby and, along with his brother, a means of investment and a living through wholesaling. For the last 22 years, the pair has bought and sold many cars, but always kept an eye out for special vehicles they would keep for themselves.

One vehicle the brothers had built back in 2001 was a hopped-up Model A phaeton with a detailed 200-cid four-banger. That concept-building a car with vintage speed equipment-is a popular one with Jim, as he's always wanted to do the same kind of build, but with a '33 or '34 roadster instead.

Jim also remembers how the early hot rod magazines featured different roadsters with a '37 Ford truck grille, and that look has stuck with him for years. So while collecting parts these past few decades, he's always remembered to be on the lookout for the "right" parts needed to complete that car.

When Jim was finally able to pry an original steel '33 Ford roadster body out of a local collector's hands (Jim had known about the body for more than 30 years), his latest project got underway. The body was in decent shape, though having once been channeled over a '40 frame many years ago, and it did have new wood in it. In fact, it was in decent enough shape that Brookville Roadster's Ray Gollahon had once looked it over as a possible template for creating a new steel roadster. But Jim's thoughts were of a traditional nature.

The main concept of the new car would be to have no parts newer than 1953. Initially that's not too hard, at least for most of the parts. But when you get down to the details, something Jim is supremely good at, then that's when the men and the boys are separated. Jim hooked up with his good friend Wayne Crew, another resident of Springfield, but one who is also extremely talented not only in building hot rods, but knowing how to get from point A to point B in the shortest distance. And with this type of build, it's easy to stray or get off track, and Wayne's expertise kept everything going in the right direction.

The chassis is an original '33 Ford set up with a '33 Ford rear end (4.11:1) with a stock spring, though some leaves were removed. The front suspension is the classic dropped tube with a reverse-eye spring along with an un-split wishbone, with braking supplied by '40 Ford drums on each corner. Rollers are 16-inch steelies dressed with caps 'n' pinstripes, and shod in Firestone rubber-475s up front, 750s in the rear. Steering is aided by a '52 Ford F-100 box.

The body is the aforementioned original steel roadster from Henry, but a narrowed '37 Ford truck grille is now in place up front. Covering the engine is a three-piece hood, with the hood sides made by Wayne that utilize '37 Ford passenger car hood louvers. It's an interesting mix, and something you won't see elsewhere in rodding. Wayne finished the body off with an R&M matte black paint but used a green gloss when painting the dash.

The drivetrain is pure Cadillac-so much so that Jim didn't even change the look of the powerplant from its '53 livery: blue block, blue valve covers with cream pinstripe. Some speed equipment was used, but it all adheres to the pre-'54 constraints. An Edmunds manifold uses twin Carter carbs to feed the V-8, and an Isky camshaft perks it up a bit. Wayne and Jim even went to the extent of finding the correct cloth wiring to run throughout the engine compartment, as well as in the rest of the car too. A '40 Ford trans outfitted with Zephyr gears gets the horsepower to the rear.

The view of the cockpit reveals Jim's imagination at work. When most people want an interior to look like something from another era, they supply the upholsterer with photos. Jim supplied the bolt of vinyl material that was originally made in the '50s! Though the plaid green and yellow pattern may be off-putting to some folks, it definitely says 1953!

Rick Futrell, from Dayton, Ohio, got the call to do the stitching for the interior, which included adding green leather to the door panels as well as installing the door pulls, door levers, and ashtrays from a '31 Cadillac (even though Jim has never smoked). The dash is a '33 Ford item, but Wayne created the gauge panel filled with original Stewart Warner Wings-type gauges that includes a mechanical tach. The color-coded '40 Ford steering wheel bolts to a '40 column-shift column, and a vintage '37 Arvin heater (which Jim's dad found at a swap meet years ago) resides under the dash.

Simple rubber mats were used on the floor-an idea that is carried through into the trunk, along with cardboard panels. The pinstripe found on the glovebox copies the color used on the heater and the wheels, and those three areas are the only places pinstriping is found.

Jim and Wayne wanted to recreate the look of an original Carson top, and even made up the framework, but admit they didn't get it quite right. So the pair turned the job over to Rick, who straightened out the design before covering it with tan Hartz cloth. Jim capped the work by adding an original Carson Top Shop tag to the top bow-another example of the high level of detail found on the car.

As you might expect, Jim is pretty happy with the way his car turned out, and that's saying something when you've got 10 other cars that are just as nice (one of his garages can be seen in the opening spread shot). He realizes that this type of car isn't for everyone (they just don't "get it"), but it is exactly what he wanted: an authentic, period-perfect hot rod, and not a copy of anything else out there.