Words: John Gunnell
Wayne Schreier’s all-black chopped-but-not-channeled Deuce coupe is a fixture at the Symco Hot Rod & Kustom Weekender in Symco, Wisconsin. Previously we told you about the channeled-but-not-chopped orange ’32 Ford coupe that Wayne drives when he’s feeling... well, colorful. The black one is for those days he’s feeling a little more somber.
Wayne says his favorite Deuce is “the one with most gas in the tank,” but he seems to drive the black car quite a bit. Henry Ford is to thank for the deftly designed Deuce. He made automotive history when he released the flathead Ford V8 on March 31, 1932. This type of engine was not a novelty by that time, but including a V8 at Ford’s traditional low price was a true industry milestone.
Although Henry Ford carefully watched over the ‘32 Ford’s mechanical design, he left much of the body styling up to his son Edsel and Eugene T. (Bob) Gregorie, a former boat designer who came to Ford in the ‘30s to set up its first styling section. The new Ford wound up with an iconic “Baby Lincoln” look.
Wayne Schreier says that he drives his black Deuce coupe a bit more than the orange one. When we asked Wayne if he has any plans for the car, he said that he just plans to drive the wheels off it. “That’s what we build them for, is to drive them,” is his viewpoint on putting hot rods together.
“When you tear a car apart to build it into a hot rod, it’s hard to get it all back together again,” Wayne noted. “So, I’m always happy when I get a car like this one back to the point where it’s running and ready for the road so I can drive it and have fun with it. My cars aren’t perfect show cars by any means, but I really enjoy driving them more than anything else.”
Wayne looks a little bit “American Graffiti-ish” sitting in his chopped Ford at events such as “Symco.” His bearded face can just about be seen through the cut-down window openings and his left arm is usually resting on the high body sill. His pose very much resembles the vision of the Milner Coupe in the “American Graffiti” movie.
One also wonders how Wayne can hunker down like that in an A/C-less 1930s car on a hot, humid Wisconsin day. But Schreier isn’t acting the part of the traditional hot rodder - he’s living it!
