Five Month Build and 700-Mile Shakedown – Dave Gray’s ’32 Ford Roadster
After selling his ’34 Roadster last year, Dave Gray set about building a Deuce roadster for his next cruiser and as a calling card for shop, Gray’s Garage Hot Rods and Customs based in Midland, Michigan. He had a Brookville body on order, but wanted to get the car done sooner rather than, later so he found another body and different chassis to work with. But even when he had the car in primer, he just wasn’t feeling warm and fuzzy about the project.
In mid-January this year, he got a call that his new Brookville body was ready, so he set aside car that was nearly complete to start anew with the fresh Deuce roadster. His goal was to drive to the Goodguys BASF Nashville Nationals to join the Hot Rod of the Year fun. It was also less than five months away. Hey, if it wasn’t for deadlines, nothing would ever done, right?
Dave mounted the Brookville body on a Brook Craft frame with a dropped axle and split wishbones up front and a ladder bar rear suspension and 9-inch Ford axle. A used 331c.i. Hemi was sourced and topped with a polished intake and four barrel carb along with an accessory drive from Hot Heads and a set of custom headers that run into straight pipes for a classic hot rod tone. Thanks to a third pedal, Dave gets the fun of grabbing five gears via a T5 transmission.
As the chassis came together, Dave massaged the new sheet metal, created custom side hood panels, and added a pair of ’40 Pontiac taillights with custom bezels. The unique paint choice has led to the car’s name on social media, #aintyelloroadster. It’s actually a PPG Ochre shade that Dave applied in mid-April.
The task of stitching the interior was entrusted to Colton Leigeb, his first complete interior project, which he nailed with a custom seat and handsome panels and finishes. A gauge set from a ’34 Chevy truck combined with a tach and extras from Classic Instruments fill the dash. The column from a ’42 Ford is topped with a vintage Triumph banjo-style wheel.
After five solid months and with just a mile on the odometer, Dave drove the ’32 home, packed some clothes, and set the alarm for 4am to head south to join the fun and camaraderie of the Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year competition in mid-May. By the time he got to Nashville Superspeedway, the ’32 showed about 700 miles! As of July, the roadster has over 5,000 miles – a testament to doing the job once and doing it right the first time.
Photos by John Jackson & Marc Gewertz
