A Pink ’32 Roadster for the Grease Monkey Princess – built by Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop
Mekenzie Murphy, known best as the Grease Monkey Princess on social channels, was introduced to car shows when she was two weeks old. Her first ride was a customized pink stroller, followed by a pink pedal car with black flames. Now she’s pedaling the throttle of a 1932 Ford roadster built by Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop – and yes, it’s pink with black flames!
Mekenzie’s father was behind the stroller and pedal car, but when it was time to think about a project for her senior high school year, she and her parents teamed up with friends Alan and Angie Johnson to build a real hot rod dream car, one that would help Mekenzie build on her Grease Monkey Princess social media brand.
The roadster build began with a custom JHRS chassis fitted with the company’s steering kit, a Pete & Jakes 5-inch drop axle suspended by a Hollywood spring, and another Hollywood spring connected to a Winters quick-change rearend. Braking is handled through Johnson’s Kinmont brake system and the steel-style wheels are actually whittled from billet aluminum and shod with Firestone dirt track tires for a more aggressive look.
Speaking of aggressive, Mekenzie does not shy away from leaning into the throttle. She opted for a traditional 400c.i. small-bock Chevy filled with performance parts by Keith and Jeff Dorton. The 450-horsepower engine is fed by an Autotrend EFI induction system topped by a custom-machined air cleaner and expels fumes through stainless ram’s horn manifolds to a custom exhaust with Borla mufflers.
Starting with a Brookville body, Johnson’s team stretched the front end 2-inches, extended the cockpit 4.5-inches, and cut the windshield frame 2-inches and leaned it way back. Body lines were moved and massaged to match the custom touches before getting covered in a custom candy pink Axalta finish followed by black flames and stripe work by Josh Shaw.
The roadster’s interior was designed in collaboration with Gary Ragle. The JHRS team stitched black Garrett leather over a custom heated seat and flush-mounted side panels. Classic Instruments fill the dash and there’s a Vintage Air system tucked behind, which is all wired into an American Autowire harness. The push/pulls are all crafted and machined in-house at JHRS.
The Grease Monkey Princess has miles of memories to make now that the roadster is on the road. She has already had a few experiences to last a lifetime, such as when she presented her car to the judges of the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award at the Grand National Roadster Show earlier this year. In Nashville, the Deuce earned Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop a finalist nod for the Chevrolet Performance GM Retro Iron Builder of the Year Award, adding to what is certain to be a long list of accolades.
Photos: John Jackson
