Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year Finalist 1932 Ford Coupe – Matranga Hot Rods
We’ve all heard horror stories of buying a finished hot rod that turns out to be rougher than expected. Thankfully, the tale of Kent and Lisa Matranga’s chopped 1932 Ford coupe isn’t one of those. Purchased at auction, it was a well-built rod with exceptional paint and bodywork. The main thing it needed was an attitude adjustment.
“The car already had a 1950s look,” Kent says, “but from the perspective of the 1990s – King Bee headlights, peep mirrors, ’46 hubcaps on radial tires, tan interior, and lots of pinstripes. We wanted a tougher version of the 1950s – black leather jacket instead of poodle skirt. The result is a bit of a prewar sleeper. It’s subtle on the outside, but packs quite a punch under the hood and an interior that offers surprises.”
Kent and his father Bob have an enviable collection of vintage vehicles and hot rods, with their own crew (Matranga Hot Rods) to build and update them. Chris Brown of Brown Auto Design is part of that team, and they worked with him to give this 1932 Ford coupe a fresh look with classic hot rod style.
Originally built at Dave Crouse’s Custom Auto in Colorado, the coupe had a solid foundation with a boxed original frame, 4-inch dropped axle, and Pete & Jakes ladder bars with coil-overs suspending a 9-inch rearend. A tougher style was achieved using painted steel wheels with ’40 Ford Standard hubcaps and Diamondback 5.60-15 and 8.20-15 tires for a proper rubber rake.
There’s plenty of power to back up the attitude thanks to a 427c.i. stroker small-block Ford built using a Dart block and heads, Edelbrock intake and carb, finned aluminum accessories, and a custom accessory drive system built by Chris Cooper and Brown Auto Design. White block-hugger headers lead to a custom exhaust with Dynomax mufflers, while a Tremec TKO five-speed helps create a spirited driving experience.
The Matrangas were able to leave the 1932 Ford coupe body mostly alone. It already had a 3-inch top chop, shortened splash apron and frame horns, and beautiful black PPG paint. Stock Deuce headlights and custom side-view mirror mounts by Ryan Rivers helped deliver the desired period look.
Inside, Bill Brakman hand-tooled a leather dash insert surrounding the Classic Instruments gauges, while Gabe’s Custom Interiors stitched black leather upholstery with ’57 Chevy brocade inserts. Well-considered details like 3D-printed knobs and EMPI door pulls help complete the look, while Vintage Air keeps things cool.
Finished this spring, the revitalized coupe not only looked right at home in the Hot Rod of the Year competition, it also proved to be exceptionally fun during the reliability run and drag passes. In other words, it’s one well-rounded hot rod!
Photos: Marc Gewertz, John Jackson
