Roseville Rod & Custom Builds a Deuce Coupe with Inline-Six GMC Torque
Congratulations to Amadeo Angelo and Rosevill Rod & Custom to being selected as a Top 5 Finalist for the Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year Finalist
Amadeo “Amie” Angelo’s ’32 Ford three-window coupe project started the way so many automotive endeavors do: with a conversation over drinks at a bar! Amie and Ben York from Roseville Rod & Custom dreamed up a pair of hot rods they could drive from California to the Goodguys BASF Nashville Nationals the following year. And while this coupe build took longer than a year – and turned out nicer than expected – Amie succeeded in making the Top Five in the Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year competition.
The Roseville Rod & Custom team started with a chassis from Roy Brizio Street Rods and a Brookville steel body. The chassis incorporates tried-and-true traditional elements like a dropped I-beam axle, hairpin radius rods, a four-link rear suspension with QA1 coil-overs, and a Winters quick-change rearend. The Roseville team built the cowl steering setup, plus distinctive custom shock/headlight mounts and a unique spreader bars. Kinmont-style brakes from Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop added to the classic look, as did the Wheelsmith 16-inch artillery-style wheels wrapped in Diamondback 5.50-16 and 7.50-16 tires.
Amie is a Chevy guy, and Ben’s other business, York Speed Shop, manufactures vintage Chevy six-cylinder speed parts, so the idea of building a 302c.i. GMC inline-six engine came naturally. The engine has a rare Howard 12-port head, a Scintilla magneto, and a Hilborn intake converted to EFI. There are many one-off parts like the custom headers and accessory brackets, and everything is beautifully detailed. Amie shifts the Tremec five-speed transmission using a custom shifter made from Damascus steel.
Besides chopping the top 3-inches on the Brookville body, the Roseville team fine-tuned the panels, fit everything to the chassis, and incorporated a ’34 Chevy grille with a GMC emblem in a nod to the inline engine. Taillights from a ’34 Chevy add to the mixed heritage, as does the color – a modified version of a ’36 Graham-Paige hue called Beaver Brown.
Roseville Rod & Custom’s upholstery guru, Mel, came up with some great ideas that helped put the build over the top. These included ’64 Corvette seats and other soft parts wrapped in Eureka leather, a ’34 Chevy dash with Classic Instruments, a ’41 Buick steering wheel, and custom trim made from more Damascus steel. There’s even a hidden trunk compartment for a vintage shotgun – a nod to the coupe’s “Double Barrel” name.
Amie says the Hot Rod of the Year reliability run in Nashville demonstrated the coupe’s drivability and inline-six power which paved the way for more road time, like the Goodguys Hall of Fame Road Tour later this year. And what about the other hot rod, the one Ben dreamed up over those same beers? It’s half finished. Maybe we’ll see it next year in Nashville.
Photos by John Jackson, Marc Gewertz
