Rick Bolea’s 1933 Ford Coupe
If you like long and low chopped coupes, check out Rick Bolea’s five-window 1933 Ford Coupe from Pennsylvania. Even better, it’s powered by the old 427c.i. FE engine out of a car he had in college.
Precision Hot Rods and Fabrication in Macedonia, Ohio gets the credit for the meticulous build. They spent many hours modifying and refining the Down’s body before the PPG Red Mahogany paint was laid down. The aggressive stance is achieved with a heavy chop and the perfect rake.
They built the chassis in-house with four-bar suspension on both ends for the Superbell front axle and Winter’s Performance quick-change. Pete and Jake’s Super Stopper brakes were used behind the Real Rodders wheels. Cool spindle mounts up front and 16-inch big windows out back add to the competition vibe.
The 427c.i. FE engine came out of Rick’s old ’65 Galaxie 500 that he had back in college. He blew it up in the early 1970s and the FE sat on a shelf for 30 years before being brought back to life by Evanuik Performance. It’s now topped with a medium riser dual-quad intake, twin Holley carbs, finned Offenhauser valve covers, and an aluminum air cleaner. It’s backed with a Legend GT five-speed.
The interior is a refined cabin awash in burgundy Italian leather and performance details. Speed and Design Hot Rod Interiors in Nashville was tapped to handle the stitching chores, and they did an outstanding job. The bench seat sits in front of a small console sporting a Hurst Shifter and a chromed parking brake handle in an engine-turned bezel. Precision Hot Rods machined the one-off steering wheel, and the ’33-style dash has more engine-turned metal in the Navigator gauge panel from Stewart Warner. It’s filled with their Wings gauges.
This 1933 Ford five-window is a perfect blend of fine detailing and aggressive hot rod style. The sentimental engine under the hood is a great feature, and the fact that it’s an FE Ford makes the blue oval guys even happier.
Photos by John Jackson & Steven Bunker
