Deuce Week - Drive! Online

Deuce Week, Part I
We Go Along For The Historic Ride

Written by Roger Rohrdanz
Photos by Roger Rohrdanz

The 1932 Ford was a landmark car for Ford Motor Company, beginning a period of styling dominance for the company and, most significantly, offering the world's first mass-produced V-8 engine. Then, a few years after its introduction, the '32 Ford played a major role in another revolution-the development of the hot rod. These cast-off cars, built in backyards and small garages, performed far beyond their original capabilities and often rivaled the performance of the best cars in the world. Hot rods, of course, are a uniquely American form of automotive expression. The '32 Ford, nicknamed the "Deuce", continues to have a tremendous impact on many aspects of the automotive world and on contemporary culture.

In early 2005, as part of its planning for the 75th anniversary of the Deuce, The Ford Motor Company formed a panel of 25 recognized hot rod authorities to select "The 75 Most Influential '32 Ford Hot Rods". The Petersen Museum, which had Deuce Weeks in the past, felt this was important enough to make a big deal out of it!

Deuce Week started on Monday, February 19, with registration at the Petersen Museum in downtown Los Angeles. Approximately 1,000 people and 400 cars had pre-registered for this event. However, only about 200 to 300 people and 50 to 60 cars were in attendance. Twenty to 30 Deuces, including a few of "The 75 Most Influential '32 Ford Hot Rods", were on display on the second floor of the museum.

Scott Whitaker brought his Brookville-bodied '32 Ford "Dynaliner" coupe from Cincinnati to the SEMA Show in November, then to the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, and finally to Deuce Week. Eight months ago, Stan Ochs, from Boring, Oregon, bought his '32 Ford Fordor in Atlanta and drove it home. Now that's not boring! Next, he drove the car to California for Deuce Week. Ron Hickman and his black with red scalloped '32 Ford coupe came from Jacksonville, Florida. A group of five hot rodders made the trip in their '32s from Texas to California in three days. When they left Texas, it was a chilly 12 degrees. "The Texas Five" (four from around Austin and one from near Beaumont) are Norm Jones ('32 Ford roadster, Hemi powered), Mural Cook ('32 Ford roadster, Chevy powered), and Skotz Ingram ('32 Ford coupe), all from Lago Vista; plus Ray Roberson ('32 Ford 5-window) from Bastrop and Danny Graham ('32 Ford roadster, Hemi powered) from Lumberton.

On Tuesday, 120 participants boarded three buses for a tour of the Jack Croul private racecar collection in Costa Mesa, the private Art Astor Collection "Astor's Classics" in Anaheim, and Edlebrock's private museum in Torrance. At Jack Croul's, the front building housed a collection of exotic European racecars. The building in back featured 13 American cars dating from 1910 through 1940. Oh, by the way, there was even a Merlin-powered Rolls-Royce! "Astor's Classics" is comprised of approximately 300 amazing (mostly American) cars, plus large collections of telephones, radios, trains, televisions and gas station memorabilia. We had only two hours to view this wonderful collection: But to really see the entire collection, you need at least four hours!

On Wednesday, participants drove their own cars to SO-CAL Speed Shop in Pomona. After a tour of the facility, lunch was hosted by the L.A. Roadsters Club. The participants then drove on to the Wally Parks Auto Club NHRA Motorsports Museum for another tour. I expected a large number of the pre-registered Deuces to participate in these tours, but only about 30 were spotted on the roads. Several of "The 75 Most Influential '32 Ford Hot Rods" were on display at the NHRA Museum's current "Deuces Wild" exhibit (which runs through June 17). Everyone really enjoyed the NHRA Motorsports Museum visit, then it was "back to the barn".

Because this was such a huge event, we're going to break it up into three parts so we can bring you additional photos of the historic Deuces, along with the men and women who own them. You'll find more to enjoy in our July and August issues of DRIVE! when we take a look at The Legends dinner at The Petersen, the Gala Celebration, and, on Saturday, Deuce Day when 550 '32 Fords filled all three floors of The Pete!

0828 – A “Deuce Vicky” owned and driven here by Brad Knotek from Canon City, Colorado.

One of the “Significant 75 Deuces”, the Tom McMullen Roadster was featured in many magazines, on record album covers, in ads of all kinds, in the movies and on TV. It ran at national drag events in Pomona and at Indy, and even set a top speed record at the El Mirage dry lake. It did all this while being built and maintained in a small home garage, and driven regularly to work and back.

Some of the folks who made the Deuce Week events possible include (left to right) Art Astor, the owner of “Astor Classic’s”, Dick Messer of the Petersen Museum and Michael Keener, also with “Astor Classic’s”.

Portland, Oregon’s Bob Tindle built the “Orange Crate” ’32 Ford Tudor Sedan, which was on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine in ’62 with its mind-blowing, tilt-body, bright orange color scheme, and blown Olds power. Revell turned into a model kit later that year

	The little red Deuce sedan shows how intimidating an L.A. freeway can be. Normally, driving in a group is fun.	Talk about highway improvements…doesn’t this one look better with a touring group of Deuces on it?
Next stop for the hot rods was the Auto Club Wally Parks Motorsports Museum in Pomona, Calif.	Deuce Week tourers got their own place to park at the SO-CAL Speed Shop in Pomona, Calif.	Norm Jones and his Hemi-powered ’32 Ford Roadster were also part of the “Texas 5”.
Jerry Jacobson from Capistrano, Calif., owns this, Bob Lowe-built, injected LS6-powered, ’32 roadster with a 2-inch chop and a Richmond 6-speed changer. It looks black, but it is actually “Merlot”.	Here's Ron Hickman's Deuce, all the way from Jacksonville, Florida.	Scott Whitaker brought his Brookville-bodied ’32 Ford “Dynaliner” coupe from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Another day of “Deuce Week” ends at the Peterson Museum.	The license plate on Ron Hickman's car says it all: HOT 32!	After a tour of the SO-CAL Speed Shop, lunch was hosted by the L.A. Roadsters Club.