Bluebird of Speed

The Timeless Appeal of ’32 Roadsters

Roadsters have an appeal that’s hard to beat—especially ’32s. No matter where you go, they’re all the rage. It’s not just the hand-built one-offs we’re talking about either; it’s real street roadsters that scream at the heart of cool. For instance, take a close look at Chris Boutilier’s slick ’32. Chris has managed to blend the past with the present, while adding his own pizzazz. His roadster not only looks right, but it also drives like a dream and easily wins awards when he chooses to show it off.

Chris Boutilier’s Vision and Priorities

Chris says, “I always liked the old-school nostalgia look, and having grown up with a dad who built rods in his shop, I guess it was just natural for me to build this style of roadster.” There were several priorities when Chris was planning the build. “Number one was its driveability. I wanted to be able to run to cross-country events in the left lane without a thought! I also knew that it had to be comfortable and that I had to seat myself as low as possible to stay out of the wind and the rain.”

The Custom Chassis and Suspension

Having built and owned a series of rods, including coupes and roadsters, Chris decided to purchase this roadster about halfway through its construction on a Lobeck custom chassis. The chassis features pinched front rails with a mix of traditional and performance suspension, highlighted with masses of chrome and color detailing. The Deuce Factory supplied the front suspension: a fully chromed 5-inch dropped tube axle, a split four-bar, chrome ’40 Ford spindles, Deuce Factory custom shocks, color-detailed SoCal Buick drum brakes and a Durant chrome monoleaf spring. The steering runs off a Mullins polished aluminum column turning, a Vega steering box with chrome draglink and arms.

The Rear Suspension and Wheels

The rear is set up tight and simple as well. It features a triangulated four-bar installation with a sway bar, a Ford nodular-case 9-inch differential with an Auburn locker and modified Ford axles. In keeping with his wish to have a traditional rod, Chris chose a set of 15-inch “steelie” wheels, 5-inch front and 8-inch rear, capped with chrome ’46 Ford hubcaps, ribbed beauty rings and whitewall Coker radial tires. This combination is perfect for the style and look of the roadster and helps gives it a classic stance.

The Classic Body and Paint

The body came from Harwood, and apart from cleaning and prep work, not much was done to it before it was painted in ’95 Dodge Ram Pickup Factory Blue. It also features a stock ’32 fuel tank, King Bee headlights on chrome stands and custom-mounted ’37 Ford taillights standing off the ends of the framerails. Chris had Dale Weber at Weber Graphics add the traditional Tommy the Greek-style pinstriping to the finished body for that near-perfect nostalgia look. Dale added art to the dash, trunk, headlights and side body, molding in white and red. The side striping includes an unusual “sail panel” at the rear cockpit molding.

The Modern Powertrain

Chris certainly didn’t look back too far when it came to choosing a powertrain. One might think that this roadster is flathead powered, but under the hood is a ’97 Corvette LT1, sitting neat as pin between the framerails. With 365 horsepower’s worth of fuel-injected fury on tap from the factory, Chris didn’t do anything to the internals of this modern small-block. The installation required a Street Performance custom intake to mount the cone-shaped K&N air cleaner and the mass air sensor so the induction would clear the new Walker radiator. However, he did clean up all the detailing with additional chrome, hidden wiring/plumbing, a set of Sanderson HPC-coated headers and custom 2.5-inch glasspak-equipped stainless exhaust.

Electrical and Transmission Setup

Setting an LT1 in place can be quite a chore electronically. To eliminate any potential problems, Chris used a Ron Francis wiring harness that made the installation extremely simple, allowing him to retain all the engine management features and the interconnection with the 4L60E transmission. This means clean easy starts, smooth running and excellent fuel economy. He also installed a Lokar “swan neck” shifter for cog swapping. The overall LT1 installation is tight and righteous looking, as the Vette’s V8 retains its sophisticated factory look without being tacky or overdone.

The Interior Design

When it came to the interior, Chris had a plan well set in his head. He wanted a simple, sanitary look—clean and traditional with few accessories. He set up the dash with “winged” Stewart Warner gauges mounted into a machined aluminum dash panel that he created for the roadster. It gives the dash an old Indy racecar look. In keeping with these traditional gauges, Chris installed a Mullins speedway-style four-spoke steering wheel. With the blue body, whitewall tires and chrome, he wanted an interior color scheme that was crisp looking, contrasting and tight. To get the driving position he wanted, Chris had Cornhuskers build a full seat with a lowered base trimmed in red Mercedes leather. Cornhuskers also did the side panels and door panels to match the red wool carpeting. The lap seat belts are color-matched to the leather. The seating gives Chris a cool, low cruising style position, which is fine for driving long distances. One neat finishing item is around the base of the Lokar shifter, where he fitted a chromed bezel to finish off the shifter boot, adding a simple highlight to the nearly monotone red interior.

Finishing Touches and Final Thoughts

For the icing on the cake, Chris wrapped up the roadster with a louvered Nevada license plate that reads “THENNOW,” and set a polished, spun aluminum Moon tank between the front framerails for effect. The final addition of polished support brackets lined in red and insulated makes all the difference to the look of the rod, giving it a classic finish. Not only does Chris’ roadster get great fuel economy, with improved distances between fill-ups, but it also flies like a bluebird. It’s just the ticket for cruising and touring around the country all summer long.