Just about the time you believe you have seen every which way a Deuce can be built one pops up that makes you rethink your perception. As is often the case when a highly creative and talented builder gets his hands on sheetmetal, the end result is spectacular. Dale Boesch and his crew of Boesch Auto Body in Humphrey, Nebraska, combined with Owner Dave Doll of Omaha, Nebraska, to build one of those incredible Deuces, causing all of us to have a “rethink moment.”
The 383-inch SBC is equipped...
The 383-inch SBC is equipped with a COMP Cams Mutha Thumpr cam, AFR aluminum heads, and 48mm Weber carbs on a chrome-plated Inglese intake. Other items include an MSD ignition and Sanderson headers upstream of the Boesch custom-built 3-inch exhaust to Magnaflow mufflers.
The ’32 Ford five-window retains the unmistakable beauty associated with a full-fendered coupe. However, the looks were enhanced with Boesch extending the front fenders 3 inches with boxed braces. Speaking of lighting, the headlights are Dietz 7-inch buckets with Hella HID innards bolted to a custom mounting bar while in back custom lights are based on ’37 Ford bezels and an LED lens. The rear fenders were widened 1-1/2 inches and shorted in the rear by 4 inches. The rear wheelwells were moved in 2 inches. At this point a faux rear fuel tank and rear framehorn covers were made; all fasteners are hidden. Next up was the obligatory top chop with 1-1/4 inches removed and the addition of a filled roof covered with Mercedes Hartz cloth, giving the traditional looks with modern affect. From here the cowllights, cowl vent, and trunk handle were neatly removed and smoothed over. Tempered gray glass was used throughout while the top 2 inches of the windshield features a “shaded” edge. The hood was extended by 3 inches and sports ’39 Chevy louvers. All this hides the custom ribbed firewall. The grille shell, accented with a Dan Fink Metalworks black powdercoated insert, was narrowed by an inch, the radiator fill hole was covered, and the overall height dimension was shortened 2-3/4 inches, all the while wrapped around a Steve Long copper and brass radiator with an offset drive electric fan. The coupe sports an unusual feature in the air tank that’s mounted in front of the radiator. It appears to be an old-time gas tank but in reality it’s the reservoir for the RideTech system. Note the flush fit on all the body panels yielding an incredibly flat profile. From here the sheetmetal was covered in DuPont ChromaPremier Pro basecoat/clearcoat by Team Boesch. The upper half of the body was sprayed in Diamond Black while the lower half in a Boesch custom-mixed Ivy Green.
The original ’32 Ford frame was stretched 4 inches, kicked up 2 inches at the cowl, and widened 1-1/4 inches just in front of the rear wheels. Other front suspension items include a Chassis Engineering dropped-and-drilled I-beam axle, Flaming River Vega-style steering box, and a RideTech ShockWave air system in front and RideTech airbags with QA1 shocks in back. The rear suspension is housed around a Richmond quick-change with 4.11 gears to handle daily driving chores while a Boesch custom-fabricated triangulated four-bar locates the rearend.
At the corners you will find the one-off Boesch-designed wheels built by Intro, featuring functional knock-offs. The front spindle mounts measure 18x4 inches while the rears are 18x9.5 knock-offs. A combination of Mickey Thompson Front Runners measuring 24 inches tall are mounted forward while the rears are Michelin 255/60R18. Other corner appointments include the Wilwood disc brakes; 11-inch rotors/calipers in front and 12-inch rotors/calipers in back all operated by an ABS master cylinder and electric booster.