A Pinup (or Pin-Up) set of images with this rare ’32 3-window Coupe Deluxe (better known as the “Deuce Coupe”), Ol' Skool Rod by Bruce's Rods & Customs (334-677-7811), shot in a 100+ year-old garage, thanks to Saab Tire & Automotive for a hot rod magazine feature and cover. Article below.

images of Hot Rod, Rat Rod, Old School, Ol' Skool Rod, Classic Automobile, Car, Vintage, Retro, Beauty, Model, Pinup, Pin-up, Cheesecake, Glamour, Glamor, Bikini, Model, Photography, Birmingham, Alabama, 1932 Deuce Coupe Deluxe

Lil’ Bruce Coupe Text & photos © AdPix.Biz This is the famous ultra-rare ’32 3-window Coupe Deluxe (better known as the “Deuce Coupe”). It’s not blown or chopped or lowered or shaved. Thank Bruce and Dale for saving a beautiful slice of history. In 1932 Ford radically changed their successful Model A into a Model B. It was a bold move. They also boldly made two base models, a four-cylinder and an eight-cylinder. The eight-cylinder was actually the Ford Model 18. One version had five windows, and they made plenty. They only sold a few of the shorter 3-window version. It had these trick suicide doors and, by the 1950’s, rodders had learned how easy it was to make the 3-window into an ultimate hot rod. That unfortunately made the already-endangered Deuce nearly extinct. Bruce fell in love with 1932 Fords and hot rods as a kid. His friends were going for TransAms, but he was dreaming Deuces. He found a wife, Dale, that likes Deuces, too. That makes for a wonderful marriage. He first purchased a 1933 Chevrolet, but that just didn’t do it for him. Bruce continued to look for a ’32 at car shows and meets. He bought a fiberglass version, but still no satisfaction. Then a friend told him he had just purchased a real one from a former drag racer – it had been in storage since the 1960’s. Oh, and this friend wanted a fiberglass version. A deal was made and Bruce was blessed with a second wonderful marriage. This happened just before Christmas in 1994. As Bruce left for Florida to pick it up, Dale gave him a sweet kiss and a caution: Be careful, and call me when you have it on the trailer. He kept it in his body shop in its own special place. He’d look at it, dreaming of slick plans for it, leather interior and such, like others do. But that just never felt right. Bruce loved the history of the car. He’d sit in it and see that square roll bar – still there from one of its past lives as a drag racer throughout the ‘60’s – imagining the life it must have lived. Some mod dude added a vinyl interior in early 60’s – maybe another past life – but Bruce easily returned it to the original Mohair interior when he found it there beneath the vinyl.

The car has no patch panel anywhere. The original grill shell and fenders were later found in the machine shop where it spent a life. One day in 2003, after seeing an old hot rod magazine, it hit him just what to do. He decided not to chop or lower it. He wanted to keep it as close as possible to its history, but the frame was too far gone to be safe. He fabricated a 1932 frame; that took a month. Then he rolled the frame outside to let the weather work on it. Gotta have the patina match the car! Now things were rolling. Bruce’s hot rod buddies were getting excited. He started going through boxes of part he’d purchased at swap meets over the years. There was a set of E&J headlights – those just had to go on the car. That inspired everyone with a “look,” and speed picked up. The first motor Bruce put in it was out of his Dad’s ’57 Chevy. It had over 200,000 miles on it. When it went, a second one was donated to the project by Ray Herring because “he didn’t want to see Bruce down.” One of Bruce’s old car customers, Gerald Vinson, let Bruce have take-offs salvaged from his cars as Bruce worked on them. (Suddenly Gerald’s car parts needed replacing a lot more often, but don’t tell him.) So now they were cruising at speed, but they needed a finish line – they chose the Goodguys show in Tallahassee. Bruce worked on customer cars all day, pulling them out for a time each night to work on this one after hours. A group of friends that came to be known as the Alabama Gang would come over and lend a hand. While Bill Marlow was wiring, Bruce, Terry Dison, Brian McNeal, and Jonathan Wheeless were taking care of the rest of the build.

An Army advances on its stomach, and the most important part of any successful build is having enough food.  Steve was the chef. No one had to leave the build for a food break. Finally, it was all done but the icing. And that icing was adding aged lettering to the doors and deck lid, done by family friend Lori Stephens one afternoon in her father’s barn. Off to Goodguys! Bruce and Dale wanted an old skool rod that was dependable, and true to its history. They love driving it. Dale said “I want to see the world through the windshield of a ’32 Ford” – even a cracked one. They’ve seen 15,000 miles through that windshield so far, with plenty more to go. They drove it three hours in pouring rain to the photo-shoot. Did they have any troubles? “Nah, we just had to pull over and drill more drain holes in the floor.” Bruce beamed. Bruce and Dale also have an Old Skool home – they live in one they built up from a 1908 farmhouse they saved from destruction and moved to their lot. It’s filed with historical character. They loved the photo shoot with Gina – vintage outfits, hairdo, poses, and in a 100+year-old garage at Saab Tire.  It doesn’t hurt that glamorous Gina looks like the guys in the ‘50’s wished the ladies looked when they first started hot rodding Deuces. And she’s so sweet. Bruce and Dale hit the target: “This car is special. The patina? The history? We do not know ourselves, but wherever it is, people like it. It awakens memories for some and sparks dreams for others, and makes a few ask ‘Why?’ too!” Some ask what are they going to do next. “Nothing, just drive home. No need to change anything – we love it just the way it is.” They have thousands of more miles to go, as their Lil’ Bruce Coupe “Old Faithful” enters its next grand lifetime of adventure.