My 1932 Ford Roadster… Kind Of
Well, I finally caved to the pressures of social media and
bought a nearly one hundred-year-old car.
My friends probably think I died, but no, I just spend all my time
trying to build another car I can’t afford.
You weren’t aware
that social media is pressuring men into buying and building ancient cars?
Then you and I aren’t on the same social media.
The truth is, I became addicted to images on the
internet. No, not those images. I began spending my bathroom throne time on a
hot rod forum, specifically a thread titled, “Traditional Images That Need No
Explanation.”
Link here – https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/traditional-images-that-need-no-explanation.1143737/
Traditional Images That Need No Explanation is a stream of pictures from the
1920s through (roughly) the 1960s showcasing automotive culture, free of
commentary (well… some can’t resist a monologue).
I was drawn in by the mixture of excitement, challenge, creativity, craftsmanship, enterprise, smiles,
style and achievement presented in the photographs; Traditional Images
presents a slice of America that I want a piece of.
When I first started yearning for a piece of this “traditional”
American car culture, I owned two British cars: a Lotus 7 recreation and a 1957
MGA.
Yet, I haven’t fit in with the British crowd. I enjoy the All British Field Meet, as a novelty,
but I lack the personal draw that so many there seem to have.
I have no British roots. Tea and biscuits are simply food. I consider
the monarchy annoying celebrities. And the British flag only reminds me
that we, thankfully, threw it out in 1776.
Now, I know the news, celebrities, and politicians have been
telling you that the U.K. is a model we should follow in our march towards
globalism. But, British classic car
magazines have allowed me insight into the common man’s life there. They have tiny little garages, make do with
rudimentary tools and repair cars that I wouldn’t touch with a stick because
they can’t afford nicer cars. I admire their ability to make-do and succeed in
those tiny garages, with ancient tools, building cars that I wouldn’t consider
driving (with weird names like “Humber Super Snipe”); it is admirable. But I don’t want to be them. I like my nice garage, fun cars, sufficient
budget, and great tools; the common man still has it much better in America. And no middle-easterner is trying to stab me downtown… yet; maybe in Dearborn. The grass is not greener in the U.K..
And that brings me back to Traditional Images; on Traditional
Images, I found photos of men (and women) building cool cars, in the
garages and neighborhoods that I relate to, American garages, surrounded by
their American families and friends, having fun, and enjoying an exciting and engaging
hobby.
So, in December, perusing Craigslist I found a $500 dollar
1932 Ford frame for sale. It was a reproduction,
but the price seemed like a low cover-charge for entering the American scene
that I saw represented in Traditional Images. Five hundred dollars for three pieces of metal were my door charge to step into a new automotive world.
The 1932 Ford is the car most found in hot
rod’s Traditional Images, challenged for supremacy only by the 1955-57 Chevy. The 1932 Ford is an icon of American hot
rodding.
To get an introduction to the 1932 Ford, this 15-minute
documentary of the McGee Roadster is an excellent video to watch; it is free to
view on Youtube at this link –
Not long after I bought the 1932 frame, the front half of a
1932 Ford Roadster pickup body popped up at a great price, and I bought it.
I studied and stared at photos of 1932 roadster pickups for
hours… and decided that it just wasn’t the ideal I was looking for. There are some great pickup examples from hot
rodding’s history, but their shadow pales when compared with the massive shadow
the 1932 car has cast on hot rodding. I
decided I wanted to build a 1932 Ford Roadster (convertible) car; this was the
car that is found in so many photos of early American hot rodding.
The above is an important car and shop; more info here
But my pickup truck purchase wasn’t for naught, the pickup shared a number of parts
with the car, that I could use. And, I like the nickel-plated pickup grille; I’m going to
use the pickup grille until I’m wise enough to know that it looks goofy and
wrong.
In 1932, Ford only built approximately 10,000 Roadsters. Because the Roadster has been the ideal hot
rod for nearly a century, some dieter would force you to eat gluten-free food
that DOES taste better before you find an unrestored 1932 Roadster; it’s not
going to happen.
I did find a 1932 regular car’s cowl (the part between the
hood and the doors) that someone had started converting to a roadster cowl long
ago.
And, I discovered an American company, Brookville, made steel
doors, rear fenders and trunks for 1932 Ford Roadsters.
I was in business! I
could build an all-steel 1932 Ford Roadster, imitating those cars I loved
viewing in Traditional Images.
As you might guess, I decided that I wanted to build a car that
looks like something in the Traditional Images. I collected many photos of traditional
Roadsters; some, I printed and taped up in the garage as motivation. I don’t
own the rights to the pictures, so I can’t post them here, but if you’re a
friend and you’d like to see my collected album, just ask and I’ll send you a
link.
Intentions are nice, but budget is always a factor.
I sold my Lotus 7 recreation, and I picked up some overtime
shifts in January. This became my budget
to build a 1932 Ford Roadster.
At this time, I’ve spent my entire budget, almost to the
dollar, but (I believe) I have almost every part needed to produce a
rudimentary running 1932 Ford.
If I had no life (family, work, etc), I could probably go
into the garage and have a running 1932 Ford Roadster (replica) in a month, at
the expense of only some hardware and paint. And burritos. I love burritos. There’d be lots of burritos in that scenario.
I made budget concessions (smaller cheaper 8″ axle, Tesla 16″ wheels, used disc brakes, etc) but don’t they have to be final. I can come back and address things
later. I’d rather have a driving car
that wants upgrades, then a lump of parts in the garage. David Freiburger says, “Don’t get it right,
just get it running,” and I think he’s right.
Now, all I’ve discussed is buying things. Any rock can buy things. Putting it all together is another story.
A friend came over to help put together the frame. We struggled and struggled to square it with
tape measures and a concrete floor. Thankfully,
Eric is a contractor, and, after some time fighting our measurements, he went
out to his truck and grabbed a laser square.
Things went much smoother after we grabbed a laser; I guess not everything has to be traditional.
Around this time, I had an unexpected treat. During a
ride-along with a coworker, I told him about my Roadster project. At lunch, we
swung into a home and he told me he’d like to introduce me to someone. It turned out, my coworker is friends with
Marty Strode, who is a well-respected car builder and hot rodder, who also
posts many of the Traditional Images; he’s been in the Portland car
scene since the 1960s, but he also made trips down to Lions dragstrip, car
shows, etc., embedding him in the national scene. Marty showed me his garage, his current
projects and told me some stories. He is
working on replicating a historic car that, when it’s finished, I’m pretty sure
will be in all the magazines. It was awesome to see his garage and meet Marty!
Here’s a link to Marty Strode’s project:
On my car, there’s been a lot of measuring, and adjusting.
Some things just barely fit. For example, I spent hours and hours trying to get a mix of (original?) axle to fit reproduction springs/perches/etc; I eventually had to give up and buy all the reproduction parts designed to go together.
I spend hours of time thinking about stupid
problems like this, staring at the wall in the shower trying to think of
solutions. It’s like that humorous
picture where the wife is looking at the husband, wondering if he’s thinking
about other women, and his thought bubble reveals he’s thinking about something
much more obscure.
I didn’t buy a running motor, I’m on my second cheap motor (the first was cracked) and I’m hoping I can fix a bent valve/broken valve guide and get it running.
The hardest part to find has been a rather random part. Between the floors and frame rails are “sub-rails”.
They want $2400 for reproduction subrails! I found the back half for $250, new (reproduction). Twice, I’ve paid $100 dollars for fragments
of the front half that people claimed were from a 1932 Ford coupe and both
times I’ve been lied to. Neither fit. I’ll have to make them, it seems.
Which brings me to a discussion of the 1932 Ford’s used parts
market. I’ve had some luck buying used
parts. For example, I am happy with my front-end body parts. But, those subrail fragments, and some other
parts, have made me realize there are sharks in the water. The technique seems to be, sell 1932 Ford
parts on Instagram where there is no feedback mechanism.
On Instagram, I saw some front drum brakes that were super
cool and offered at a great price. When
the seller asked me to pay at an account named Ahmed, based in the Middle-East,
I realized I was being taken; thankfully, Ahmed was quite transparent. If he’d been just a little sneakier, I probably
would have given him some money.
And, Instagram sellers go buy up all the stuff at swap meets
so they can jack the prices up and sell it online. I had to go to work, so I couldn’t make it to
the Portland Swap meet; I was annoyed/depressed when I saw those Instragram
accounts posting about the great new stock they picked up in Portland.
There is a ridiculous premium for anything 1932 Ford. And, somehow, a weird monopoly. For example, at least three different
companies make the subrails for Ford cars up until 1931, and I can buy a set of
subrails for a 1931 Ford for $700. But,
only one company makes them for a 1932, and the price is $2400. But, they did cut the subrails in two and
sell me the back halves for $250, which I absolutely don’t understand!
Also, you can’t place an ongoing search for 1932 Ford parts
because every moron adds the keywords “1932 Ford” to their advertisements. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling a window
motor for a 1985 Toyota Corolla, throw the keywords “1932 Ford” in the ad,
everyone else does. This makes searching
for parts annoying and a pain-in-the-butt!
Don’t believe me? Go search “1932
Ford” on Summit Racing’s website and enjoy the two-million results.
Well, let’s focus on the positive. As of this week, my Ford is sitting on its
own wheels/suspension and can be steered.
The motor, transmission, driveline and rear axle are all connected. The front half of the body is together. Next up, I need to work on the floors and all
those reproduction body parts for the back half. I may have a more Roadster looking car
soonish.
Then I’ll take it apart again. Seriously.
I’m only building and fitting things together now. There’s a lot of welding and painting to be
done before the final build of the car.
If I don’t get arrested.
The county next to ours convicted someone of “hate crime” for pushing a
man using the women’s bathroom and calling him a man. You can Google it,
it happened in Sellwood Oregon; the judge is Cheryl Albracht. You can now be arrested and given jail/parole
for not honoring lies. I (still) need to move; problem is, we keep visiting potential places and I see this crap creeping in at those places. Don’t let it! Our state is filled with drugs, homeless and pink-haired weirdos. You don’t want it! It’s not “loving” to allow this; don’t buy into their carefully crafted manipulation of words and emotions; we’re seeing the end game here and it’s bad.
So, look for an update from me. Maybe I’ll have a more Roadster looking 1932
Ford. Maybe I’ll live in South Carolina
or Texas. Who knows, maybe I’ll achieve both. It’d be nice to make a move without having to sell my project, for once.
Well, for now, into the garage I go (literally).
I’ll leave you with a few photos from this year’s Salem Roadster
show; a nice indoor event that I appreciate in the spring. Well… I didn’t appreciate that they couldn’t process
cards to pay entry fees, but they had an ATM that charged a hefty fee next to the window; that’s simply extortion. Even
my dog can accept card payment these days.
