Carl Akins’ 1932 Ford Coupe
Any car builder would welcome the directive that Carl Akins gave Rick Lefever for finishing this 1932 Ford coupe. His simple instructions were to craft the best Deuce possible, and to make it a good driver and strong performer.
Rick was the right man for the job. A lifelong rodder and racer, Rick began his career doing custom fabrication work on drag race cars in Pennsylvania before coming to California in the 1990s. He eventually connected with the late Pete Chapouris at So-Cal Speed Shop and put his skills to work on projects at that legendary shop. In fact, Rick says Carl’s coupe is the last hot rod Chapouris had a hand in when it was started at So-Cal.
Considering that, it’s no surprise to find So-Cal Speed Shop frame rails as the foundation for the coupe’s custom-built chassis, which also features a chrome 5-inch drop tube axle, Winters quick-change rearend, Wilwood disc brakes, and custom Indy-style 16- and 18-inch wheels by Curtis Speed. All wiring is hidden inside the frame rails, all lines are stainless steel, and every stainless ARP 12-point bolt on the car has been ball end milled and polished.
The 580-horsepower 369c.i. small-block Ford V8 was built by Ray Zeller and equipped with AFR heads, an Eclipse magneto, custom valve covers, and a two-piece billet oil pan. It’s fed by Weber-style electronic fuel injection and exhales through custom stainless headers. A McLeod clutch connects it to a Tremec five-speed transmission.
The Brookville steel body was treated to a 4-inch top chop, welded and filled hinges to hide the pins, a louvered hood top, and an extended rear pan fitted with Pontiac taillights. Removable headlights can be installed when needed. The team at Mick’s Paint performed the bodywork and applied the beautiful Ferrari silver paint.
There’s more impressive fabrication work inside, where you’ll find a chrome-plated roll bar, a one-piece aluminum headliner covered with leather, and a custom chrome-plated removable transmission tunnel. The dash is fitted with gauges from Redline Gauge Works, vents for the Vintage Air system, and a custom column topped by a three-spoke wheel. Ron Mangus is responsible for the brown leather upholstery over custom seats and door panels. The upholstery extends into the trunk, were there’s also a chrome-plated aluminum fuel tank with a fuel cell bladder inside.
Car owner Carl Akins ultimately got what he wanted – a badass Deuce coupe that’s both refined and rowdy. It proved its performance capabilities on the Hot Rod of the Year reliability run and dragstrip passes last season and stood shoulder to shoulder with some of the best builds of the year as a Top Five finalist for the 2023 Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year.
Photos by John Jackson, Damon Lee & Marc Gewertz
