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Off road racing in the desert Southwest has been around for almost forty years now and we’ve never gotten tired of looking at vehicles and hardware associated with going off-road. Off-roading–racing or just having fun presents problems. We’re always intrigued by some of the solutions.Here’s what we found on a recent trip to Baja.

Cooler Runnin’

All summer you’ve dreamed of passing all those boats that have blown by you since June. Now that time has come. You plunk down a large stack of greenbacks for a nasty supercharger and wrench all weekend bolting it in. Now comes the moment of truth. As you tear down the lake, all eyes are on the gauges, and the oil pressure is heading south too quickly. What could be wrong? You let off the throttle for a bit and all the vital signs return to normal.

We’ve ran into this exact scenario before. We installed an R-Tech Supercooler on the ProCharged Dorr’s Marine Engine 502cid motor in our Baja 250ES. The install was a huge success with a whopping 9mph increase in top speed. The boat worked well, but what we weren’t expecting was the huge increase in oil temperature from the gain in horsepower. If we had stayed on the throttle for a good 5,000-plus-rpm run, the oil temperature would have shot for the moon and oil pressure would have dropped to an uncomfortable level, forcing us to back out—what fun is that?

OVER AND UNDER

Our old 350 Chevy-powered ’47 International was running a three-speed 350 Turbo trans with 4.11 gears, which, as you know, is not a great combination for this type of highway cruising. It is fine, however, for those who absolutely love in-town, short-?distance, stop-and-go cruising, as it does prove great low-speed throttle response. On the highway, however, it spins up the engine and uses more fuel. We decided that after having our low-speed fun, we were using too much fuel and weren’t comfortable listening to the whine of the small block as we approached 70 mph. It was time to make a change. We looked around for a number of answers and talked to many classic truck owners who had either installed a new set of gears, an overdrive trans or a Gear Vendors overdrive/underdrive unit. We figured that the new 700R4 trans best fit our application budgetwise, although future plans may call for a Gear Vendors unit, as it represents the best of both worlds. But we first wanted to start with a newer, more modern trans.

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CANDY COUPE

The candy coupe draws a crowd everywhere it goes.

Author

Gerry Burger

Photography Courtesy of Jacky White

Jacky White’s 1932 Chevrolet Coupe: A Basket Case Transformation

It all started when Jacky White found a basket case ’32 Chevrolet coupe. The old Chevy may have come home in pieces, but at least the pieces were very good. The coupe was complete, and for a 70-year-old body, it was in excellent condition. After getting all of the pieces back to his home shop, a quick inventory indicated that the car was complete, from the cowl lights and bumpers to all four steel fenders. In short, Jacky White had everything he needed to build a ’32 Chevy street rod.

Suspension and Chassis Modifications for a Smooth Ride

Jacky knew that he’d be driving this coupe, so when it came time to set up the suspension, he decided that a Kugel Komponents independent front suspension would be the way to go. The fully polished stainless steel suspension looks great and handles well, and the installation was very straightforward. Steering is from a manual rack-and-pinion, and Wilwood disc brakes provide plenty of stopping power up front. The chassis was completely boxed, and new crossmembers were added to stiffen the frame. Jacky White did all of this work at home with help from Steve Spears.

Powertrain and Rear Setup: LT1 Power and Smooth Cruising

Moving to the rear of the chassis, a ’96 Camaro Positraction rearend is in place with a custom four-link that Jacky fabricated using four Camaro control arms. Power for the coupe comes from a ’96 LT1 connected to a 4L60E overdrive transmission. The engine is completely dressed out in polished aluminum pieces from Street & Performance, and a wiring harness from Street & Performance controls the electronically fuel-injected motor and the electrically operated overdrive on the 4L60E. Street & Performance headers exit the exhaust through a polished stainless exhaust with components from Stainless Specialties. This combination provides 340 smooth horsepower with a final drive ratio that makes highway cruising a dream.

Bodywork and Paint: Achieving a Show-Ready Finish

When it came time to take on the body, Jacky handled most of the work himself. Since the original lines of the ’32 Chevrolet were just fine, the body and fenders remain stock on the car. The windshield frame was exchanged for a very neat flush fitting windshield that incorporates a thin stainless bead around the glass area. While the stock hood sides are still on the car and are complete with four chrome hood doors per side, the top of the hood is now one piece for a smooth look. The grille shell has a filled radiator cap, but the original blue bow tie still graces the front of the grille shell. After months of work and with help from Danny Goodman, Jacky White finally had all of the body panels perfectly straight. Danny Goodman then laid the silver basecoat and multiple coats of candy red House of Kolor paint. After some color sanding and buffing, the coupe was wearing a flawless candy paint job. Jacky would like to thank Raymond Phillips for the use of his paint booth.

Exterior Details and Lighting Upgrades

Up front, a ’32 Ford dropped headlight bar was mounted to the car. The bar is a mere 3/16-inch narrower than the Chevy unit, and White says that the flange angle is perfect. After drilling two holes, the bar was mounted, and King Bee headlights joined the bar for front lighting. The stock front bumper was sent off for some new plating before rejoining the car, and the turn signals mounted off of the bumper brackets are the original ’32 Chevrolet cowl lights. Stock running boards are recovered with new rubber, and step plates add some resto rod flavor. The rear fenders have been shaved off of the original taillights, and ’50 Pontiac units with blue dots now provide rear lighting. The stock rear bumper is still in service out back, but the spare tire has been eliminated. No fewer than six tailpipes exit below the bumper for a bit of early hot rod flavor and mellow sounds through a stainless exhaust system.

Interior Customizations for Comfort and Style

Inside of the coupe, the stock dashboard was modified to accept a Southern Air system, and Dolphin gauges reside in a nice wood insert. The steering column is from Flaming River as is the wood rim steering wheel, and polished stainless steel U-joints and shafts from Borgeson connect the steering to the Kugel rack-and-pinion below. A seat from a Ford Escort was fitted to the interior of the coupe before H.C. Lewis of Summerset, Kentucky, worked a little magic in bone-colored leatherette.

Final Touches and Wheels: Ready to Hit the Road

A set of polished American Racing Torq-Thrust wheels were mounted on all four corners, and after a couple of weeks of final detailing and polishing, it was time for Jacky and Nellie White to cruise the open road in their stunning red coupe. The candy coupe draws a crowd everywhere it goes, and at rod runs large and small, the ’32 Chevrolet hauls home its fair share of the gold. Awards are nice, but rewards are better for Jacky White because he can enjoy the benefit of his hard work any time he feels like sliding behind the wheel of this great homebuilt street rod. After all, that’s what street rodding is all about.