The engine was moved forward, too, and a complete Pete & Jakes frontend (Super Bell dropped I-beam axle, Pete & Jake hairpins, Posies Super Slider spring, chromed front shocks, Ford spindles, Vega box) went in. Chevy 15x5 and 7 chrome reverse wheels (with spyder caps) wrapped in Coker Classic rubber (L78-15 and 560-15) are used for rollers. A custom Griffin radiator was also installed, as was a LimeWorks steering column. The rear suspension uses a transverse-mounted spring connected to a ’55 Chevy rear (3.55:1). The dash was repainted, though the coupe’s exterior paint (now 18 years old) was left alone. Shoreline Upholstery in Pasadena, Maryland, stitched up a red and black roll ’n’ pleat Ultraleather interior, which matches the theme set down by the red carpet.
Just because there aren’t that many around anymore, any real ’32 Ford five-window can be considered a survivor, as it was probably dumb luck it wasn’t salvaged during World War II or used as an erosion embankment on the edge of some river back in the ’50s. But as long as there are enthusiasts out there like Tommy Grimes, who can recognize a good thing when it’s in front of him, there will always be great examples of hot rods for future generations!
Tommy Grimes believes this...
Tommy Grimes believes this Ray Palmer photo of Bill Burton’s Deuce coupe racing at Beechmont Drag Strip in Cincinnati in 1959 or 1960 is the same car out in his garage. Ron Roberson, who wrote Middletown Pacemakers: The Story of an Ohio Hot Rod Club, says this photo shows Burton’s ’32 when it was Midnight Blue and with cycle fenders on each corner. He thinks it ran B/Altered powered by a Flathead, then changed to an Olds 345 and, as a kicker, he believes it ran at the Nationals in Detroit in 1959 (and maybe 1960 too) under the name “Lightning Rod.”
The decklid has seven rows...
The decklid has seven rows of 27 louvers each (that’s a total of 189 for those doing math in their head right now) and the paint on the car is almost 20 years old. The 6-inch channel job was done in the early ’80s.