Barn Fresh

Reproduction Meets Vintage

Bullet holes in the rear taillight panel hint that the car may have spent some time in a field before being hot rodded, and vintage signs used for floorboards were not unusual for the day although these signs are in pretty nice condition. The patch panels are neatly cut and attached with sheetmetal screws, which at first glance would lead you to believe that the owner probably didn’t have welding equipment. Then again, welding sheetmetal patch panels to a glass body is tricky business. Yes, folks, this is a reproduction fiberglass body, but read on—the rest of this car is pure vintage hot rod.

Building the Chassis: A Labor of Love

James Wolk built the chassis, beginning with a genuine ’32 Ford frame. The frame was boxed, and custom crossmembers were added to stiffen the frame. A Maverick 8-inch rear was mounted with a transverse buggy spring and a pair of tube shocks by Monroe. Up front, a dropped I-beam axle from Magnum is combined with a Posies reverse eye spring to provide a proper hot rod stance. Adding genuine vintage flavor to the car is a Schroeder steering gear protruding through the cowl of the car.

Vintage and Modern Fusion

Now, if all of these parts sound awfully new and somewhat 1-800, you’d be correct. The chassis is basically a state-of-the-art traditional unit that employs quality parts from street rod vendors. Making it so unique is the time spent finishing these pieces so that they appear to be 50 years old. Gary Moore added the ’35 Ford wire wheels to the car, and the bias ply tires are period-perfect. The front Firestone tires are 5.25×16 while the rear Goodyears are big 6.50-16s. Slowing the roadster down is up to the finned Buick drum brakes up front and the stock Ford drum brakes out back.

Heart of the Hot Rod: The Engine

Of course, if you’re building a vintage hot rod, the thought of a crate motor just doesn’t seem to work, so a ’58 Cadillac engine and transmission were mounted in the Deuce chassis. Gary Moore added a rare four-two Edelbrock intake along with four vintage Stromberg carbs from Vintage Speed in Vero Beach, Florida. The heads were mildly reworked during the rebuild, but beyond that, the 360ci Caddy remains stock and reliable. A set of Smitty’s steel-packed mufflers was found and installed to muffle the big Caddy motor.

The Unique Barn-Find Story

Okay, you’re not going to believe this one, but it is true. It seems that James Wolk actually found this body in primer in a barn, so while the body is fiberglass, it is still a barn car to some extent. The manufacturer is unknown although it is suspected to be an old Gibbons Fiberglass piece. The body was mounted to the chassis while being careful not to fit the doors perfectly. The ’48 Chevrolet taillights were added after the bullet holes. An original Deuce grille and shell were found and installed in their original patina condition, along with a set of headlights that are just plain old.

The finish on the body is a careful blend of red primer with black primer over the red. The tops of the doors and areas on the body reveals are “worn through” perfectly, letting the red primer bleed through the black topcoat. A Duval-style windshield was mounted to the car, and aluminum teardrop bezels surround the steering gear and bolts on the hairpin radius rods. Studs were installed in the rear wheel wells to give the car the “fenders just left” look. Out back, a reproduction gas tank from Tanks provides clean fuel to the Caddy motor.

Inside the car, James filled the dashboard with a swap meet gauge cluster from a ’32 Studebaker, and a set of modern gauges is located just under the dash so Gary can keep tabs on the engine. Gary added a ’36 Ford ashtray and ghosted the paint to indicate missing speed trial plaques that make the car all the more interesting. The seat is from an old school bus, and the seat belts are military surplus aircraft belts. The steering wheel is a vintage racecar wheel, and the doors are covered in a matching red vinyl. The floors are devoid of carpet, and vintage signs are used to patch the floors.

The attention to detail continues throughout this car. Wolk even harvested vintage cloth-covered wiring to use wherever wires were in view, such as on the firewall. Metal patch panels are screwed in place on the lower quarter panels, and build level is appropriately poor, yet the car is a driver. When Gary Moore brought the car home to Melbourne, Florida, he did some brake work, modified the Pitman arm and tended to some minor details before the car was ready for the road. After owning and driving five other Deuce roadsters, three woodies, a pair of Deuce three-window coupes, two ’34 Ford five-window coupes, one ’32 Chevy convertible, a ’27 Ford roadster pickup and even a ’60 Rambler drag car, Gary reports that this car turns as many heads on cruise nights as any car he has ever owned. It must be because everyone loves an old hot rod with history… even if it’s modern history.