Second Time Around
One of the best ways to build an attention-getting street rod is to start with something out of the ordinary and finish with something out of the ordinary. Kind of what Crawford Byxbee did by building this '32 Ford roadster pickup.
The choice of body style was a wise one, considering the fact that Deuce rpus are few. The genuine article, which Ford called the open-cab pickup, is virtually non-existent. According to Crawford's detective work there were only 593 original B-76 open-cab pickups produced; you'll find a photo of a restored specimen in Robert Genat's book, Deuce: 75 Years of the '32 Ford. It's not likely that many or those have been hot rodded.
Crawford built this shop right...
Crawford built this shop right behind his house about 10 years ago. He says the 36x48-foot shop makes a cozy environment for winter projects. Located on 2 acres of forest, it has been visited by both moose and deer.
Of course, if it's hot rods you're looking for, there are a few around. George Poteet's Brizio-built '32 rpu from a few years ago comes to mind, and this year's STREET RODDER Top 100 list currently features two others, built from reproduction sheetmetal. And, of course, there's Crawford's.
Crawford invited Street Rodder into his personal shop in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to see how his Deuce rpu came together. His first street rod was a fendered '29 rpu, purchased in 1960 when he was 15 years old. It was finished in black primer and the bodywork "was whatever I could do with my Dad's claw hammer." He remembers the stock four-banger would run about 52 mph, "but it took a long stretch to get there." Some of his homegrown upgrades include a downdraft Stromberg 97, followed by dual 97s on a junk yard manifold. "I also made my own 'supercharger' out of an old vacuum cleaner," he admits. "It made an interesting sound, but slowed the car down to just under 50 mph."
In the following four decades, Crawford's interest in pickups never stopped, and his mechanical skill-and wisdom-grew. In 2000, he found a '34 full-cab pickup cab and doors in a friend's field. Tim's Hot Rods in Spokane, built it into a Ram Jet-powered chopped beauty, which appeared in Street Rodder in December 2003.
Now, 50 years after his Hoover-blown Model A, Crawford is back behind the wheel of a roadster pickup. The project started with as vintage 409 engine he came across about three years ago. The engine, built by Jack Gibbs at 409 Performance, had a dual-quad intake on a '64 block. "Jack added big valves to a set of nice '65 heads and cammed it with a solid Isky job with specs similar to the old 425-horse version of the 409," Crawford said. "Roller rockers were added just for fun, and forged pistons are used. With blueprinting and balancing, it should be plenty for the lightweight roadster pickup-scary maybe."
Here's the '29 rpu he bought...
Here's the '29 rpu he bought for $160 in 1960, when he was 15. Note the chopped windshield, downdraft Stromberg, and primer paint. "Not a powerhouse but lots of fun."
It didn't take long for Crawford to come up with the idea of dropping the big-block into a roadster pickup. Searching for a body worthy of the project took a little longer, until ultimately, he contacted Brookville Roadster about using one of their new bodies. While waiting for delivery from Brookville, he got back in touch with Tim's Hot Rods to tell them about his plans and to talk to them about obtaining a TCI chassis (which he had used on the '34 as well).
The TCI chassis has a 46-inch solid I-beam front suspension with disc brakes. The rear is a Speedway Engineering Supermax quick-change on coilovers. Some modifications to the rails were made to fit the Brookville bed. "I took notches out of the outside of the rear 'rails and changed the angle to level with the rest of the frame, then reinforced the notched areas with steel plates welded inside the framerails. It's probably the strongest part of the car and is invisible to everyone except me. With enough welding wire and grinding wheels, anything can be accomplished-even two or three times."
"I used a cheap Harbor Freight...
"I used a cheap Harbor Freight cherry picker and nylon ropes to move around the bed and cab. The setup works well, but I wouldn't advise crawling under it while it's hanging in the air."
When he contacted Brookville, they compared the dimensions of the '32 rpu to a '32 closed cab pickup, the '32 roadster, and the Model A rpu. The Brookville '32 rpu extended cab is the same length as their roadster body, and 9 inches longer than their closed cab body. The '32 rpu bed is 10 1/2 inches shorter than a stock Ford Model A bed, and is designed to fit on a '32 chassis.
For more details on all available options, contact Brookville.
Brookville Roadster
(937) 833-4605
www.brookvilleroadster.com
 "Not long after buying the...  "Not long after buying the '29, I made this drawing of what I thought a hot rod pickup should look like." Note the quick-change and track tires like the current project. |  "Not long after buying the...  "Not long after buying the '29, I made this drawing of what I thought a hot rod pickup should look like." Note the quick-change and track tires like the current project. |  The '32 frame as received...  The '32 frame as received from TCI. It is stretched 3 inches in the engine compartment and pinched 2 inches in front. |
 The bed arrived with the cab....  The bed arrived with the cab. It is a modified, narrow bed similar to that found on Model As. |  "The firewall was delivered...  "The firewall was delivered well ahead of the cab and bed. The air cleaners are a gift from my wife, who picked out a couple of beauties. Hungry for a project, I ordered the 409 engine in 2006. While waiting, I got a Muncie M-22W 'rockcrusher' four-speed to put behind it. This is a new trans with a new case made by Gear Vendors. I found a guy in Oregon who makes a centered top-shifter for Muncies. This puts the shift column where it should be instead of way back and in your lap." |  With the engine and trans...  With the engine and trans positioned, Crawford changed the rear crossmember to better fit the quick-change. Notice the Firestone track tires. He later added real Moon lakester aluminum wheel discs. |
 Urethane safety mounts were...  Urethane safety mounts were used, and a modern gear-drive starter replaced the huge stock unit. |  The gear-drive starter is...  The gear-drive starter is installed and Crawford has started to rough plumb the exhaust. |  Crawford fabricated his own...  Crawford fabricated his own lakester headers. "I drew the preliminary header design on graph paper and glued it on cardboard to get a feeling for what I wanted and how to get there. A friend made CAD drawings that provided more accurate dimensions." |
 Here, the primary tube components...  Here, the primary tube components are matched to the full-scale CAD drawings. There are 11 individual tube components in each side of the headers, not counting the flanges or cones. |  Each 2 1/4-inch tailpipe is...  Each 2 1/4-inch tailpipe is made up of five lengths of mandrel bends. |  He tack welded the front header...  He tack welded the front header tube to achieve the cone position he wanted. Each tube is canted up between 15 and 27 degrees at the flange for appearance because the center two ports on a 409 are lower than the outer ports. The return pipe runs above the framerail in front of the firewall. It's almost invisible and gives the appearance of open headers. "I found that a fairly accurate way to position the headers is to look at about 3-foot eye level from the front of the car and see how the cone flanges line up with the lower door hinges. One degree of mismatch will account for about 7/16 inch of travel at the end of a 25-inch tube. The angle meter was for double-checking." |
 "I used 409 rods to hang the...  "I used 409 rods to hang the rear pipes. The small ends have been fitted with a bracket to mount to the bottom of the added bed brace. These rods cost less than typical street rod parts and look more timely to my eye." |  "This is Bobby, my shop dog,...  "This is Bobby, my shop dog, car dog, all-around best friend, and the smartest 'person' I know. He has a pad in the shop and seldom wanders from it." |  When mounting the shock arms,...  When mounting the shock arms, Crawford used threaded steel bungs welded into the frame. A notch in the bottom inside of the 'rail clears the monoleaf spring. The Kabota tractor alternator puts out 40 amps, but fits well on a car that has no electrical accessories. |
 Non-vented disc brakes are...  Non-vented disc brakes are from Willwood. Crawford used a motorcycle jack for lifting the frontend, transmission, and rearend. "It made a nice stable platform for lifting and adjusting." |  This top-mount shifter is...  This top-mount shifter is from T&F Shifter in Lebanon, Oregon. It locates the floor shift in the position of an old floor shift box, to make the Muncie four-speed look old timey. "It shifts smoother than any floor shift linkage I have ever used." Crawford said the new Gear Vendors version of the old Muncie case is much stronger. |  The rear crossmember was repositioned...  The rear crossmember was repositioned slightly to allow the proper pinion angle for the quick-change. The rear frame was notched and brought up level to fit the narrow bed. Two 5/16-inch steel plates run about 8 inches on either side of the notches to add strength. The rear portion of the 'rails were boxed. The '32 license plate has the proper Idaho county and will be used to register the car. |