LOT 271 •
1932 Ford Channeled “Deuce Coupe” Chassis no. SG6668PA
Estimate: US$90,000 - US$100,000
Lot 271•
1932 Ford Channeled “Deuce Coupe” Chassis no. SG6668PA
The Greenwich Concours d'Elegance, Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia|7 June 2009, 12:00 EDT|Connecticut, Greenwich
1932 Ford Channeled “Deuce Coupe”
Chassis no. SG6668PA
Chassis no. SG6668PA
Scarcely anything has been more iconic of postwar America than the “Deuce Coupe,” even before the Beach Boys immortalized it in their 1963 hit song. For reasons too complex to contemplate, the 1932 Ford, “Deuce” in hot rod parlance, became the favorite ride of California youth in the years following World War II. Deuces were lowered, chopped and channeled, according to the builder’s desires, and infused with a powerful engine, sometimes a full-race version of the Ford flathead V8, sometimes with something more modern. This one was built with Chrysler Hemi power.
Laverne “Stetz” Stetzer, of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, began collecting parts in 1957: a five-window Deuce coupe chassis, body and wheels, a 1949 Mercury dashboard, a Terraplane steering box and a 331 cubic inch Hemi from a ’52 Chrysler. Stetzer entrusted building of the rod to Glen “Rudy” Rudisill and his father at G.E. Rudisill and Sons in York, Pennsylvania. They channeled the body over a Z’d frame, and installed the dashboard. Brakes came from an early 1940s Ford. They bobbed the fenders, and painted the car GM Bahama Blue metallic, the same paint it wears today. All the body work was done the old fashioned way, with lead.
A few years later, Stetzer sold the car to Bill Roush, of Violet Hills, Pennsylvania. Roush kept it for nearly 30 years. At some point the engine spun a bearing, and Roush had it repaired, turning the crankshaft, rebuilding the heads and taking care of other internal issues. The car then sat for 26 years, until he sold it to Karl Nishwitz of Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.
When acquired by Nishwitz, the car was partially disassembled. An old drag racer, mechanic and body man, he put it back together and tinkered until it was running well. In September 1996 he sold it to Frank Class, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Class replaced the bench seat with later buckets, in order to get more legroom, and he and his friend Steve Koup used it for several years. In September 2001 they sold it to Bruce Smith. Smith made a number of modifications before selling it to David Wiggins of Media, Pennsylvania, who in turn sold it to Rick Yocum in Lexington, Ohio. Jim Kroll purchased it from Yocum, researched its history, and got it running again. Most recently it has resided in New Hampshire.
It remains a remarkably original example of the rod builder’s art, a survivor of many years of alternating activity and neglect. Legends persist of a competition history, substantiated only by a few surviving fragments: a timing slip from US 30 Drag-O-Way in York, Pennsylvania, from the early 1970s, and a window sticker from the same drag strip denoting a “Class Winner.” The original seat, with its original upholstery, has been reunited with the car.
Modified and custom cars can be like George Washington’s proverbial hatchet: many different chassis and countless engines. This one has a documented provenance and a strong strain of originality from its 1957 conception to the present day. It is presently titled in New Hampshire with a chassis number assigned prior to 1970 by the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles.
Laverne “Stetz” Stetzer, of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, began collecting parts in 1957: a five-window Deuce coupe chassis, body and wheels, a 1949 Mercury dashboard, a Terraplane steering box and a 331 cubic inch Hemi from a ’52 Chrysler. Stetzer entrusted building of the rod to Glen “Rudy” Rudisill and his father at G.E. Rudisill and Sons in York, Pennsylvania. They channeled the body over a Z’d frame, and installed the dashboard. Brakes came from an early 1940s Ford. They bobbed the fenders, and painted the car GM Bahama Blue metallic, the same paint it wears today. All the body work was done the old fashioned way, with lead.
A few years later, Stetzer sold the car to Bill Roush, of Violet Hills, Pennsylvania. Roush kept it for nearly 30 years. At some point the engine spun a bearing, and Roush had it repaired, turning the crankshaft, rebuilding the heads and taking care of other internal issues. The car then sat for 26 years, until he sold it to Karl Nishwitz of Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.
When acquired by Nishwitz, the car was partially disassembled. An old drag racer, mechanic and body man, he put it back together and tinkered until it was running well. In September 1996 he sold it to Frank Class, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Class replaced the bench seat with later buckets, in order to get more legroom, and he and his friend Steve Koup used it for several years. In September 2001 they sold it to Bruce Smith. Smith made a number of modifications before selling it to David Wiggins of Media, Pennsylvania, who in turn sold it to Rick Yocum in Lexington, Ohio. Jim Kroll purchased it from Yocum, researched its history, and got it running again. Most recently it has resided in New Hampshire.
It remains a remarkably original example of the rod builder’s art, a survivor of many years of alternating activity and neglect. Legends persist of a competition history, substantiated only by a few surviving fragments: a timing slip from US 30 Drag-O-Way in York, Pennsylvania, from the early 1970s, and a window sticker from the same drag strip denoting a “Class Winner.” The original seat, with its original upholstery, has been reunited with the car.
Modified and custom cars can be like George Washington’s proverbial hatchet: many different chassis and countless engines. This one has a documented provenance and a strong strain of originality from its 1957 conception to the present day. It is presently titled in New Hampshire with a chassis number assigned prior to 1970 by the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles.
Saleroom notices
Please note that this vehicle's title is branded 'reconstructed vehicle'
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| • | Exempt from tax |
| Zero rated for tax, no tax will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium. |