1932 Ford Three-Window Coupe - The King Coupe

When someone says "old-school rod," folks will undoubtedly have more than one idea of what the phrase means. But, there is at least one basic style template nearly everyone can agree on: a channeled Deuce coupe with flat-black paint, a Flattie motor, and tons of attitude.

That's what Mark King thinks of when he hears that phrase, and it was a look he wanted to capture with his latest hot rod project. Finding an all-metal coupe to start with wasn't that easy, but he was able to locate a nice five-window only a mile from his home in Seymour, Indiana. Mark bought it and stuffed a Nailhead Buick in it, but continued on his quest for a three-window (because one can't have too many '32s, you know!).

He was finally able to locate a good candidate, and coincidentally one that had already been channeled. Mark knew what his three-window would eventually look like, but the concept was fanned when he saw a vintage photo that was taken of a car built by Claude Kern, who was building hot rods back in the '50s and racing on dirt tracks the rest of the time.

Claude's son, Cale, runs Kern Automotive in Bedford, Indiana, and had worked on a Blazer Mark's son had built a few years back. Cale, even though he's only 38, has lots of hot rod-building experience, as he built his first car-a '40 Ford panel truck-when he was 12! He still owns the truck, and still likes working on special projects outside of his own. Mark knew Cale could build his car twice as fast as he could and that it would turn out exceptionally nice too, so Mark gave Cale the job.

Though the coupe was already channeled, the pair wanted the car to have a lower look, so Cale removed a few inches off the top of the framerail so the coupe would appear even lower without sacrificing more legroom. To accommodate the new floor, Cale moved the original crossmember back, and added new members where needed. In a weight-saving measure, he also drilled out much of the frame with lightening holes (which also look pretty cool too). The rear of the frame was Z'd 8 inches, and the floor in the trunk area was raised to clear the Model A leaf spring that attaches to a set of '40 Ford bells and a Winters quick-change (4.22:1) rear.

The front suspension centers around a dropped and drilled axle fitted with a POSIES Super Slide Spring. Cale split the stock wishbones and moved the perches onto the new radius rods to move the axle forward 2 inches, pushing the wheelbase to 108 inches, while lowering the car another 3 inches up front. The wishbones were also drilled with progressive holes-done at Mark's business, King Industrial-and then chrome plated by Metal Finishings in Indianapolis. A pair of reshaped F-100 shock mounts was fitted to the chassis, and Pete & Jake's chrome shocks help smooth out the ride.

The brakes Cale used out back are standard Ford drums, but up front he started with some '39 Lincoln backing plates (drilled out at King Industries) and hubs from Wilson Welding, along with original Buick finned aluminum drums. The steering is a bit unique too, as it is a one-off Sprint Car box designed and built by Karl Kinser (a veteran of 40 stellar years of Sprint Car racing) and mounted inside the cab by Cale with two small-journal Ansen connecting rods. The output shaft exits the body mid-cowl, and connects to a custom aluminum pitman arm. To make the chassis a roller, Wheel Vintiques wires (15x4 and 16x6) were first powdercoated red and then wrapped in Firestone rubber (560-15 and 650-16).

You couldn't "do" the old-school look with a contemporary motor, which is why Mark went way back for a Flathead V-8. Commenting that he'd "never spent so much to go so slow," Mark began by collecting the parts needed to make his Flattie run as well as it could. The block was cut and drilled for adjustable lifters at King Industrial, and it went to Cale from there for a port and relieve job at his machine shop.

Cale then assembled the short-block with a custom-grind camshaft, a Scat 4.25-inch crank, Scat billet rods, and Wiseco pistons to fit the .060-over bores. The assembly was now 282 cubes, and finished off with Sharp aluminum heads and intake, triple Stromberg 97 carbs, and a Mallory ignition system. The V-8 backs up to a 200-R4 transmission.

The body received just as much attention as the chassis to create the correct vintage appearance. The steel body has not been chopped, but the aforementioned channel job gives it its aggressive stance. The roof was then filled and the Enos Brothers punched the decklid with more than 150 louvers. Taillights from a '59 Pontiac were installed into the rear apron, and a bellypan was fabricated to fit under the body.

Cale brought in Larry Kennedy to help with some of the fabrication and bodywork on the car, which included the large engine-turned panels used under the decklid and inside the cab. The pair also painted the coupe with a flattened BASF black before Trent Niflis followed with the graphics and Joe "Smitty" Schmidt laid down the fine-line pinstripe.

There is a lot to look at inside the coupe too, with the addition of a steel '40 Ford dash and a pair of aluminum bomber-style seats from Honest Charleys. This dash came into the picture when they couldn't find the original '32 dash, and it was painted code 81 red and features a custom stainless steel insert from King Industrial for the Stewart Warner gauges. Mark wanted to find enough vintage gauges for his ride but couldn't at the time, though he's currently on the hunt for a complete set of older gauges. He did manage to find one vintage piece, however: the Sun tach, which is mounted mid-dash.

The drilled-out four-spoke steering wheel from LimeWorks attaches to a custom steering column, to which two more mini fuel and battery gauges are attached for easy reading. Interiors by Ed in Mitchell, Indiana-the same folks who used black vinyl on the door panels-stitched up the seat cushions.

In keeping with the old-school theme, there aren't a lot of creature comforts in the car-Mark said his only air conditioner system is when he opens his cowl vent! But, more important than having a cushy cruiser, he got the look of the car right. From the stainless steel pushbar mounted out back to the sectioned '32 grille shell up front, this exceptional hot rod is a fine example of old-school rodding at its best!