In 1960 I bought my ‘32 Five Window Coupe from Corcoran Ford, in Wellesley.  The dealer took the car in trade from its original owner, an old lady who could no longer muster the strength to steer the car or to stop it with its mechanical brakes.  I am the second owner of the vehicle.   I paid $500 for the car...my dad thought I paid too much...he was an old time used car dealer and remembered buying these Fords for $50.  It had a Pines Winter-Front grill which I immediately swapped even for a stock grill in a deal with Donny Christianson, a buddy who worked part time for me at Mat’s Good Gulf.   I got me a 273 cubic inch Chevy engine for $150 from Linder’s junk yard and bought new Corvette heads, pistons, and Duntov cam for it from Mirak Chevrolet.  The Chevy parts cost less than $300.  Donny, a retired chief mechanic for American Airlines, who still has his Chevy powered deuce 5W from high school days, showed me the trick of bolting the Ford motor support brackets to the Chevy block.  The engine fitted perfectly and the front supports lined up exactly with the front cross member.  My first ride resulted in a blown rear end.  Wally Phillips, best friend and fellow Ty-Rod, had to tow the car back to the shop from Rte. 9 Wellesley.  I replaced the axel keys with tool bits and never sheared one again  Over the years I blew 2nd gear in more than 10 transmissions until I bought a tranny with Zephyr gears from fellow Ty-Rod Bob Magane and a set of 4.56:1 “mountain gears” from Don Spinney, an old buddy of infamous Ty-Rod Fred Steele (RIP) and an antique car expert who had a home warehouse of early Ford V8 parts.  The 4.56s took the load off the tranny and I never blew another one.  My car accelerated like a raped ape but lost top speed.

 The stock V8 engine, with aluminum oil pan was stored beside my gas station and I left it behind when I sold the business in 1962, the year I graduated MIT.  It is worth $3000 to $4000 (or more) today.

  I drove the car for nearly 20 years as a resto-rod with completely stock chassis, running gear, body, and interior.  One day I decided that the car might be interesting to my sons, who would ultimately inherit it, if it was a modern hot rod.  We had all decided that this car would stay in our family forever.

 I wanted to bring the car into the 20th century....2.5 inch chop, new chassis, 350 auto tranny, high stall converter, 9 inch Ford rear axel, 350 small block,  Porsche India Red paint, and black leather interior.  My boys loved the idea.  I told them  I would supply the car and money for parts, materials,  interior, and body work if they would supply the labor.

 I told Dave Simard about my plan and asked if he would go through the body and chop the top.  He agreed that this body was greet and that he would be glad to do the work.

 Then, at a Ty-Rods meeting in my barn, I told Fred Steele about my plan...he went ballistic as only Fred could do. He admonished me to keep the car as is and recited many reasons for doing so.  I ignored Fred and proceeded to update my beloved deuce coupe.

  Off with the body and it went to Dave’s shop.  A lot of the body work was done by Whitey Gould who was working for Dave prior to taking off to CA where he lived until his tragic, untimely death.  RIP to the finest craftsman I ever met..and the nicest, funniest guy.

 I was left with a completely stock, rolling 1932 chassis which I sold to fellow Ty-Rod, Dickey Evans who intended to put it under a sedan body he owned....if my memory serves me.  I do not know if he ever used the chassis.

 I sold the engine to a buddy of my sons.  He never used it.  The beautiful strong engine with chrome goodies is still in his possession.

 I gave away the new LeBarron Bonney rumble seat...to whom I forget.

 My car is now like the proverbial “dads old razor”...”has six new blades and two new handles...but he wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

 If I could undo all the changes I would gladly go back to the old, almost stock, resto rod.  It would be worth more than the 20th Century version of itself...and more fun.  Nobody uses the car now.  It sits, sad and lonely in my barn, almost never driven since being updated.  I had to give up driving so it will remain undriven.  My son Sam is the putative owner and promises to keep it in the family.