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Automotive Lifestyle
AUTOS: The Hot Rod Build, Part 3: Details, Details
The third installment of a multi-part series about the construction of a custom Ford Deuce Coupe
Bob Golfen  |  Posted April 12, 2010   Phoenix, AZ
Hot-rod builder Ron McCorkle shows how the '32 Ford radiator shell and grille will fit into the frame of the Deuce that's under construction at Hot Rods by Dean in Phoenix. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
This is the third part of a multi-part series focusing on the building of a 1932 Ford “Deuce Coupe” hot rod. The scratch-built car is being created at Hot Rods by Dean, an award-winning street-rod and custom shop based in Phoenix, for a Glendale, AZ., customer.

The goal: to build a classic street rod from modern components, including a new all-steel body, that will be authentic and indistinguishable from one created from an original 78-year-old car.

The air-conditioning outlets are set under the dashboard for a clean, original look. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
Myriad details emerge as street-rod craftsman Ron McCorkle pieces together the Deuce’s interior. These are the small, time-consuming bits that merge ability and experience, and make all the difference between a quality, award-winning street rod and an also ran.

At this point, the hand-formed front section of the floor has been constructed and tack-welded into place, a mount for the battery has been fashioned (with a competition-style safety cut-off switch), and the air-conditioning vent work has been fabricated and installed behind the original-type dashboard.

“I tucked the air-conditioning vents under the dash so that they are effective but don’t look obnoxious,” McCorkle said.

Calmly and methodically, McCorkle attacks each piece of the puzzle, confronting each problem as it comes along. The steel seat-frame bottom has created some issues, requiring him to weld an extra piece of metal to the front portion.

Watching McCorkle shape the part to fit, you get the impression that he could build just about anything with a welder and a piece of steel.

Extra metal was needed to increase the depth of the original seat-bottom piece to fit the dimensions of the coupe seat. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
As noted in Part 2 of The Hot Road Build, the frame was an old, original part from a four-door ’32 Ford, which required cutting off the backrest and now, adding depth to the seat bottom. Hot Rods by Dean’s builders are trying to get as many original parts as they can for the Deuce project for the sake of authenticity, but some things have to be adjusted to fit.

Some of the parts for ’32 Fords, the most popular of street-rod subjects, are just unavailable or because of their rarity, prohibitively expensive.

“This seat was from a four-door sedan, and they made a whole lot more of them,” McCorkle said. “This part cost about $200. If we actually did find one from a coupe, it would be $1,200 and probably all rusty.”

Some supplier problems have also arisen, he explained. The hand-build V8 Ford engine has still not arrived from the builder, requiring McCorkle to calculate clearances using a dummy engine block, most likely necessitating some changes when the real engine is bolted in place.

Also, the radiator they had ready to install was not correct and had to be sent back; the Deuce will be equipped with air-conditioning and the radiator left no space for the condenser. The manufacturer will swap it out for the correct part, but it requires more waiting.

The back and sides of the seat are also created with wooden forms, as they were when the Fords were built in 1932. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
There are many aftermarket parts made for ’32 street-rod projects, including some unexpected ones. McCorkle showed off a new set of springs for the seat, designed to be duplicates of the originals.

The seat is actually a labor-intensive part of the project as the shop strives to make it look as original as possible. McCorkle demonstrated how the wooden seat forms, more aftermarket components modeled after the originals, will fit with the steel bottom that he has “whittled” to the exact proportions.

He was smiling about one original piece that Dean’s scouts had located and purchased for the project: an original grille shell in good condition. The nicely made chrome-wire insert fits exactly.

“This grille shell is in really nice shape, but it was pricey,” he said.

McCorkle happily showed how the grille will eventually be placed on the frame.

Next week, the new engine hopefully will arrive at the shop so that it can be fitted to the structure, including clearance for the steering column and custom-built headers.

See the first two parts of the series at The Hot Rod Build, Part 1 and The Hot Rod Build, Part 2.

Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEEDtv.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, who has driven and evaluated essentially every new vehicle sold in the United States. A lifelong car enthusiast with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle, he annually attends and writes about Arizona's famous January collector-car auctions, focusing on Scottsdale’s monumental Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event. SPEEDtv.com fans email veteran Automotive Editor Bob Golfen at

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