1932 Ford Three-Window Coupe - Of Mountains And Mole Hills

It's commonly said-and I've heard it somewhere, I know-that the visual mass of an iceberg above the surface of the water is only representative of about 10 percent of the iceberg's actual mass, hence the term, "just the tip of the iceberg." I can't think of a better way to describe the situation many of us find ourselves in after purchasing a new hot rod project. It wasn't long after Skip Walls purchased a bright red '32 Ford three-window coupe that he started finding little things on the car that just didn't fit his meticulous sense of craftsmanship. The car was a driver and in great shape for the coming rod run season, but the slightest imperfections tugged at the Lokar Performance Product's owner until he finally broke one day and decided to tear the car apart.

The chassis under the coupe left Skip with something to be desired, as did the straight-axle front suspension and 9-inch Ford rearend out back. The drivetrain, in general, was tired, so it was decided to replace everything south of the body, chassis, and all. To replace the first chassis, Skip called up Bobby Alloway and ordered a set of Alloway's Hot Rod Shop's Deuce framerails and got to work constructing crossmembers, engine, and transmission mounts. It was necessary at this time to pick a means of motivation, and for this end, Skip had Ford Racing crate up a new 514ci engine backed by a C4 transmission by Flat-O Products to drop between the coupe's 'rails. For suspension duties, a Heidt's Open Wheel Superide IFS was bolted in up front, and out back, a Currie aluminum 9-inch rearend swings on a Pete & Jake's four-bar coilover suspension. Wilwood Engineering disc brakes accept Boyd Coddington Junkyard Dog billet wheels at all four corners, wrapped in BFGoodrich hide.

Once the bodywork began on Skip's coupe, it became painfully obvious that it was going to take more than just a skim of filler and a coat of filler primer to prep the body for its new paint job. While the coupe was already chopped, Mother Nature had gotten the best of quite a bit of the original steel, requiring patch panels in numerous areas of the roof, doors, and quarters before any further bodywork could be done. It was at this time when the cowl was laid back, the bottoms of the doors straightened, and the wheelwells raised 2 inches. The floor of the body was also a little ragged in the trunk area, so it was decided to not only channel the body over the 'rails, but to weld the floor to the top of the frame as well. Once the seemingly unending number of modifications were finished, the body was primed, blocked, and sprayed with Lokar's signature DuPont Lokar Purple paint, flamed over DuPont Mazda Silver at Alloway's Hot Rod Shop. Steve Holcomb was then called to stitch up the maroon leather over the Fiero bucket seats and custom panels. Lokar products were, of course, used throughout the build to highlight the vast products the company manufactures and sells.

Skip tells us he's quite pleased with the outcome of his new three-window, but if he had his choice, he might make it a little easier on himself the next time 'round. He seems to have a knack for turning mole hills into mountains, for it seems he's hot and heavy with yet another three-window project that began with a few minor glitches and ended, well, we'll just have to wait and see.