Final Assembly and Upholstery for the Goodguys 2023/2024 Grand Prize Giveaway ’32 Ford Coupe
Let’s get this Deuce together! After finishing the paint work on the Goodguys Grand Prize Giveaway ’32 Ford coupe back in July, the team at Streamline Custom Designs was motivated, amped, and ready begin the final assembly process on this fantastic five-window hot rod. With momentum on their side, they dove in and started putting things together and brought Cody at Seams Impossible Interiors in to start working his magic on the interior, as well.
Cody Nebeker at Seams Impossible Interiors stepped in during this time to begin the upholstery work, making backing panels for the various soft pieces and trimming the square-weave carpet to install on the floor. All upholstery materials for the project came from Apex Leather.
Reassembling the Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop chassis was pretty straightforward, and it looked better than ever going together with fresh finishes on all the parts, from the dropped front axle and JHRS radius rods, to the Winters quick-change rearend. Similarly, all the pieces on the Roush small-block Ford engine received their final paint and detailing prior to being reinstalled in the chassis. The team was also able to connect the new Holley ECU for the Borla EFI system so they could start dialing in all the details to make this engine run as good as it looks.
After completing the paint work on the body, frame, and all the suspension components, the Streamline team was able to start reassembling the chassis. This included installing the detailed Roush Ford engine. Check out the subtle paint and texture hues used on the different engine parts, as well as the vintage-style Lokar spark plug wires and the custom GG valve cover emblems machined by Greening Auto Company.
Speaking of electrical components, one key element came in the form of a Holley Terminator X ECU to control the Borla fuel injection system. Goodguys Media Director Steven Bunker even got in on some of the fun of making connections and prepping the ECU harness for installation.
Once the body was back on the frame, things could really begin coming together inside. The floors and firewall were first lined with DEI Boom Mat to insulate the cabin from heat and noise, and then a variety of other components could be fit in place. This included the Vintage Air HVAC system mounted under the cowl, plus an American Autowire fuse panel, Kicker audio gear, and Optima battery installed behind the seat using a Detroit Speed aluminum mount. The painted dash was reassembled with its custom gauge bezel from Greening Auto Company, plus a custom set of ’42-’48 Ford RTX gauges from Dakota Digital. The Lokar shifter was bolted to the Bowler transmission, and a steering column, wheel, column drop, and turn signal switch from Limeworks were fitted in place, too.
With the body back on the frame, the Streamline team used insulation and acoustic materials from DEI wherever possible to ensure the coupe’s cabin will be quiet and cool. This included Boom Mat on the floor, firewall, inner doors and side panels, and on the top. Thermal insulation material was used on the transmission cover and elsewhere to prevent heat transfer from under the car.
Before the dash was installed, the team mounted a new Vintage Air air conditioning and heating system under the cowl. This unit will have no problem maintaining comfortable temperatures in the cabin.
The bracing behind the seat provided mounting points for the car’s primary electrical components. This includes an Optima battery nestled in a Detroit Speed battery mount, an American Autowire fuse panel, and the Kicker Audio amplifier and woofer for the sound system. These parts will all be easily accessible from the trunk. Note the vintage-style wires supplied with the American Autowire harness.
The painted dash was prepped for installation, too. Dakota Digital built us a set of ’42-’48 Ford RTX gauges with custom Goodguys faces, and those instruments were fitted into a custom bezel by Greening Auto Company. A custom winged GG emblem from GAC made a nice finishing touch.
Streamline called in Cody Nebeker at Seams Impossible Interiors to do the upholstery work on the coupe, and he really knocked it out of the park. Using leather, suede, and other materials from Apex Leather, Cody custom stitched upholstery for the WiseGuys bench seat, combining distressed leather with custom Gucci cloth inserts that incorporate a subtle “GG” logo. Custom door and side panels match the seat, while square-weave carpet was custom trimmed to finish the floor. Overhead there’s a suede headliner that really completes the cabin in fine style.
The seat is based on a WiseGuys bench seat frame. Cody cut and shaped foam to create the desired profile, and then stitched the custom upholstery using distressed brown Apex Leather with custom cloth inserts that cleverly incorporate small “GG” logos in the pattern.
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- It’s nice to have a place to sit!
Matching door panels were constructed using hardboard backing, foam, wood armrests, and aluminum trim custom cut to fit the shapes and contours. New handles from United Pacific finished them off nicely.
Cody finished the upholstery work with a suede headliner, a fitting way to complete this first-class interior job.
There are plenty of other details in this small cabin, including new interior door and window handles from United Pacific, a rearview mirror from Speedway Motors, glass from Auto City Classics, window seals from Steele Rubber, switches from So-Cal Speed Shop, and a complete sound system from Kicker consisting of a Bluetooth receiver, amp, and speakers.
Some of the last pieces to go back in were the Limeworks polished steering column, column drop, turn signal switch, and steering wheel. For Goodguys members looking for a similar column, wheel, or other vintage-style hot rod parts, Limeworks is offering a 10-percent discount when you use promo code GGMEMBER2023.
We’re not giving away any spoilers by letting you know that the coupe made it safely to Columbus for the 25th Summit Racing Nationals in July, where it was unveiled to tremendous applause and delight from the gathered hot rodders and industry representatives. Needless to say, this is a really impressive hot rod that we can’t wait to show off and drive during the next year! Stay tuned for a full feature next month – we think you’re going to love it!
Photos courtesy Streamline Custom Designs & Seams Impossible Interiors
