The “deuce” roadster was once plentiful and cheap. It became the car of choice for those building a hot rod because it had a much more substantial frame and a cockpit with more hip and legroom than the Model A Ford. Eventually the supply dried up though and good “deuces” became more expensive. The price rose so high that only a few with the money to spend could build one. Eventually fiberglass reproduction bodies were produced to make them affordable to the masses again. These were good substitutes for the original but never really measured up to the real thing for die-hards. However, that all changed when Brookville, Rod Bods and Dearborn Deuce began producing all steel replicas. Once “deuce” roadster bodies were made available to everyone by simply ordering one, the hot rod world exploded with “deuce” highboys everywhere. They have remained the favorite choice among hot rod builders but have to feature a unique combination of paint, drivetrain and accessory choices if they are going to stand out from the crowd. I am fortunate enough to have acquired a real ’32 Ford roadster many years ago when the price was not to bad, but have had to use many repro parts to restore this former race car derelict body. It has many traditional pieces like the Buick Nailhead drivetrain and vintage PSI suspension parts. But probably the most unique item on the car is a rare Stewart-Warner accessory instrument panel. Les Jarvis, my friend and co-worker at Street Rodder Magazine in the early ‘70s, acquired it for me back then at an Early Times Car Club Swap Meet in Buena Park, CA. The dash panel is a Stewart Warner accessory panel (594 BNX in the old Bell Auto Parts catalog) that was used in many custom applications, including those classic wooden Chris Craft speedboats from the ‘30s and ‘40s. I have only seen this panel in two other cars; a high-tech, but unfinished style ’32 highboy in the “suede palace” at the Roadster show and in Tom McMullen’s ’32 roadster when he first bought it. We took it out in 1960 to install a full set of new S-W gauges and I don’t know where the panel ended up. If someone out there knows where it went please let me know. It’s very ironic that I unintentionally ended up installing the same model instrument panel in my roadster as the one that we took out of Tom’s roadster over 50-years ago.
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