Steve Pierce Builds an All-Weather Deuce - SR Web Garage Scene

One of the most important components of hot rodding encompasses many of the purpose-built innovations which bring the best in performance and safety to the cars we drive. Whether these improvements are for the streets, salt flats, lake beds, or drag strips, one thing for sure is that this constant flow of creativity regularly brings newfound ideas to the forefront of our hobby year after year. For Steve Pierce of Gilford, New Hampshire, his involvement in hot rodding started way back in '55. While living in the suburbs north of Boston, Massachusetts, during his pre-teens, his earliest experiences included watching and listening to the almost-nightly drag races that took place on Route 1 in Saugus from the Howard John son's restaurant all the way up the strip to Santoro's sub shop (sometimes till 3:00 a.m.). Add in the obligatory infusion of little books and weekly visits to drag strips in both Maine and Connecticut watching masters like Prudhomme, Karamesines, and Garlits cutting fast lights and there was no way that he would ever escape its clutches.

Into his teens Steve continued his quest with a basket-case Willys and then moved onto a scorching '55 Chevy that he used to terrorize his classmates with at Melrose High School . From this point till the present there have been countless cars that Steve has taken on as project builds including his own '55 Ford F-100 dubbed Lo-tech which earned "Truck of the Year" in '88 at the Hot Rod Nationals, and Dick Metz's '32 Ford roadster that received the coveted Yosemite Sam award at Detroit in '99 as well as a Great 8 designation in the Ridler competition. As the owner of One-Off Technologies in Gilford , New Hampshire , since '93 Steve has taken on many unique projects which have kept his name in the forefront of hot rodding and the custom car world. Regular readers will recall the two-part tech series in STREET RODDER outlining in great detail the build of one of his new-generation Carson-styled tops for Charlie Dolan's traditional Deuce roadster. Steve's capabilities as an award winning builder, fabricator, and upholsterer have brought many well recognized cars through his shop for interior's including Ken Gross' jet-black Deuce and the Jim Khougaz roadster. One car in particular kept a fire burning in his mind for years. The Quadra-Deuce was an all-wheel drive Deuce coupe which came to life in the mid 90's incorporating cutting-edge all wheel drive technology, big horsepower, and razor sharp handling. While in Steve's shop for a complete custom interior, he was able to get up close and personal with its build and see first-hand what made the road-burner tick.

Remembering back to purpose-built innovations and the call to create something truly unique based on personal needs, Steve set forth with a fresh sheet of paper to conceive a car that would be able to handle everything from the harshest New Hampshire winters (where snow is measured in feet!) to the debilitating heat of the Mojave desert.. Working with designer Thom Taylor, the vision of the Quad-Rod was born. Of course the car would have to possess the right look thanks to a bitchin' stance along with plenty of traditional accents that would make it appear equally at home cruisin' the long drive up Mount Washington as well as when parked on the lake beds of El Mirage. One of the most critical areas for the new car would involve the incorporation of the all wheel drive system into the chassis and to get things rolling Steve contacted ASC for a fresh set of their Deuce rails as a base. From there, Steve's engineering and fabrication skills were called into play first to locate all of the parts that would work together within the rails. Wanting to keep the car all Ford, Steve sourced a 2000 Ford Explorer front differential to be combined with a Borg Warner T5 transmission matched up to a Ford Explorer Sport-Trac shift-on-the-fly electronic transfer case finally meeting up with a Lincoln Navigator rear differential. With the core essentials finally dialed in, it was time for Steve to begin designing the incorporation of the parts within the close confines of the Deuce chassis. By fabricating custom crossmembers once all of the dimensions were known, Steve was able to start anchoring the major components into place. A close examination of the accompanying images gives us a close look into the intense amount of custom fabrication involved to bring this hot rod to life including its custom designed front and rear suspension, locating the offset injected 302-inch Ford mill, and just how artistic the final loaded rolling chassis looks. Just wait till it gets dipped with a galvanized coating that will protect it from the nasty road salt that eats cars for a living during the harsh winter months in the Northeast.

Being that the car will be thrust into a multitude of environments another important factor that Steve faced was that of whose body to use, its set up, and the interior ergonomics for the long haul. For this task Steve decided on a chopped coupe body from Rod Action that will be treated to a lustrous coating of Ford Grabber Blue along with having its underside, interior floors, and running boards covered in Line-X for durability. Inside the coupe, it's all business with plans for a plenty of cutting-edge technology and loads of comfort with an interior that will be sure to have just the right amount of black leather rolls & pleats to keep even the most devout traditionalist content. Watch for Steve as he hits the road in the car in early 2012 with a cross-country run to the Grand National Roadster Show during the thick of the winter to showcase the Deuce's capabilities. We can hardly wait!