Photography by John Jacksont’s been said that ’32 Ford roadsters are plentiful and all that can be done has been done. Well, not so fast and don’t assume … it will get you in trouble. Dave Gray of Michigan is both a longtime hot rodder and shop owner of Gray’s Garage Hot Rods and Customs. He’s seen and owned plenty of early hot rods but the ’32 Ford roadster has always been high on his list as “most desirable.”
Dave’s shop consists of one employee, Matt Vanderbush, and between the two of them the build began. As the coming deadline crept closer a good friend, Colton Leigib, helped throughout those rapidly accumulating midnight hours. When building a ’32 Ford roadster there are any number of acceptable powerplants. But there is always one that is near the top of every hot rodder’s list: the Chrysler Hemi. For this build a ’54 Chrysler Fire Power Hemi V-8 was selected–a 331-inch variety (oftentimes referred to as a First-Generation ’51-58 Hemi). If you like “heft” then the early Hemi is for you, coming in at a not-so-svelte 700 pounds but did produce an era-impressive 180 hp. A few other internal “secrets” were it came with a forged-steel crank and large 1.81-inch intake and 1.50-inch exhaust valves. Now, history and experience has taught us that this venerable oldie but goodie can produce upwards of 400 hp with a compression jump to 10.0:1 and a good four-barrel. The hemi you see here does have an aluminum intake with an Edelbrock 650-cfm four-barrel. You will also find the use of a Holley electric fuel pump, a chrome vintage air cleaner, and valve covers. Bringing the Hemi to life is a Mallory Unilite electronic distributor with a stock coil and Taylor plug wires. The custom headers are made from 1-5/8-inch tubing that dump into 2-inch exhaust pipes that run sans mufflers. Cooling comes by way of a finned aluminum water pump with a chrome factory-style four-blade fan. The Hemi is backed up to a T-5 five-speed that operates through a Mcleod clutch package. The shift lever began life from Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop and then Dave heated, reshaped it, and afterward repolished it. A H.A.M.B. limited-edition shift ball (number 42) is scripted with the H.A.M.B. “Twenty-Five Years of Speed & Power … Old News Travels Fast.”
The body is a Brookville Roadster ’32 Ford recreation that Dave then gave a great deal of attention to. He went on to properly gap the doors while the top of the doors and dash were “cleaned up.” You will notice custom hood sides and a many-louvered decklid, while the fuel tank filler is relocated to the trunk. The taillights are custom as is the trunk handle. The windshield was laid back and a custom top fitted. All the bodywork was handled by Dave as was the PPG Ochre (a color that ranges from a pale yellow to a deep orange or brown).
