Words: John Gunnell
What’s a Dearborn Deuce 1932 Ford Roadster worth? By John Gunnell The car you see here was built by Jon Lewis and Jim Shackleford of Green Bay, Wis. It’s a fiberglass-bodied Dearborn Deuce fiberglass-bodied roadster. The build took the duo two full years to complete and represents a big investment of time, energy and money. The body alone was a $27,000 item, to start with!
A lot of other expensive pieces went into the build; putting a hot rod together these days usually requires a pretty big pocketbook. But, as they say, “Money isn’t everything.” Hot rodders also take pride in their creativity and craftsmanship, but it’s so hard to place a value on such qualities. The satisfaction derived from constructing a hot rod has spiritual value, too.
This roadster features a completely disappearing convertible top, something you don’t see on a lot of rods. It has a Grant steering wheel, a light tan leather upholstery, a complete set of Auto Meter gauges and power door locks. The body is finished in an attractive, medium blue color with yellow flame graphics accenting the front and hood.
The two-seater has a Roadster Shop Stage III chassis with a Heidt’s suspension system, 10-gauge fully boxed frame rails, TIG welded cross members, a specific street rod front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, Wilwood brakes, a Ford 9-inch rear end, 28-spline axles, a triangulated 4-bar coil over rear suspension and 10 x 2-inch rear brakes.
Under the car’s hood is a 454-cid Chevy big-block V-8. The engine specs include: V-8. Overhead valves. Cast iron block and heads. Bore and stroke: 4.25 x 4.00 in. Displacement: 454-cid. Compression ratio: 10.25:1. Brake horsepower: 345 at 4400 rpm. Taxable horsepower: 57.80. Torque: 500 lbs.-ft. at 3000 rpm. Five main bearings. Hydraulic valve lifters. Carburetor: Four-barrel.
The car features a manual transmission, leather upholstery, power steering, power brakes, a killer sound system and power door locks. Car collector Red Lewis owns the car. He has a five-page listing of its standard equipment, extra-cost parts, accessories and options. The body was purchased direct from The Roadster Factory.
This hot rod is in exceptional condition with perfect paint. It runs perfectly, too. Car enthusiasts often wonder what a hot rod is worth, since there are no set values on cars such as this one and no printed price guides that cover hot rods.
In 2012, the auctioneers at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., sold a 1932 Dearborn Deuce roadster for $143,000. Two years later, a similar car was hammered down at Scottsdale for $121,000. The high sale for a car like this came in 2011, also at Scottsdale, when a 1932 Dearborn Deuce brought $176,000.
