The Sanderson headers are...
The Sanderson headers are installed along with the Ford Racing flywheel. Taking the time to chase all threaded holes with a tap makes final assembly easier and torque specs more accurate.
Now, we are not saying one type of reproduction body is better than the other, rather we want to point out that both bodies are viable approaches to building a very cool hot rod. While the new line of steel bodies is incredible, the fiberglass alternative still provides an approach to street rodding on a slightly lower economic level. Nor are we suggesting a fiberglass body, reproduction frame crate motor is the low-buck way to build a street rod, but we will suggest that it is the midrange approach to street rodding and it will produce a car with predictable performance, great looks, along with many years of enjoyment. Add in timesavings and it is easy to see why the 1-800 rod is still a great way to go. The very term 1-800 rod has taken on a bit of a negative connotation lately but frankly if you want to build a really neat hot rod in about of year of weekend work let your fingers do the walking. To prove the point we decided it would be interesting to assemble just such a car today and see exactly what an all-new, mid-price range street rod costs and how it performs.
To accomplish this we enlisted the considerable talents of Bobby Alloway. We'll admit that many of us, OK make that most of us, are unable to build a hot rod in our home garage to the same level as the Alloway team, but many of us can come close enough. Beginning with a Stage III chassis from Pete & Jakes is a good first step, then topping it off with a quality fiberglass body goes a long way to speeding the process. This particular '32 Ford five-window coupe body is from Rats Glass and comes complete with dashboard, garnish moldings and wood and steel reinforcing for a price of $6,500, add stock-style exposed hinges and the price goes to $7,000, while the Rats Glass chopped top three-window coupe is $200 less.
Comparing the steel body to the fiberglass body is truly comparing apples to oranges, but that's precisely the point, there are two different ways to build a fun hot rod here. The Brookville all-steel reproduction Deuce three-window sells for a $24,000, stock top, open roof insert. It is a beautiful piece and their steel bodies have proven to maintain higher selling prices years later than comparable fiberglass bodies. But, like many things, some of that is a function of "money in money out." If you can afford the steel body by all means use one, they are great, but for many people the budget is just not up to the price of steel, and for those people fiberglass is the natural choice.
Having a good motor stand...
Having a good motor stand is the only way to ensure none of your detail work is damaged during the clutch assembly and hoisting of the motor.
With the chassis plumbed and...
With the chassis plumbed and assembled it is time to install the Ford motor and Tremec transmission.
The Tremec transmission is...
The Tremec transmission is looking good covered in PPG blue, and mixing gears behind a 400hp motor in a Deuce coupe is always fun.
The Ford Racing clutch disc...
The Ford Racing clutch disc is sandwiched between the pressure plate and flywheel, and while using the proper clutch alignment tool the pressure plate was torqued down to the flywheel.
Here's another tip for flawless...
Here's another tip for flawless assembly. Have enough help on hand, one man on either side of the motor and a third working the engine hoist. This ensures the motor doesn't spin and chip the frame or crossmembers.
With the Ford engine resting...
With the Ford engine resting on the motor mounts it is time to align the bolts from the mounts to the block. Note that Alloway chooses to mount the motor to the mounts rather than risk chipping the frame by locating the motor mounts to the framerail.