Dave Doolin's 1932 Ford Pickup Takes Us Back to the '50s
April 03, 2020
As hot rodders, we’re all seeking the nostalgic feeling of the good ol’ days. For most of us, that means the 1950’s and 1960’s, and that’s exactly the era that Dave Doolin wanted to represent with his 1932 Ford pickup. Dave spent two years on his traditional hot rod project and performed nearly every aspect of the build himself, from the flawless body work and Pacific Gold paint to the black and white leather upholstery.
The only part of the build that he didn’t handle was the engine. It is a bored and stroked Ford Flathead, built by Jerry Smith, and it features Edelbrock aluminum cylinder heads, a Winfield camshaft and an Offenhauser intake with two Stromberg 97 carbs. A Walker radiator keeps the Flathead cool, and Magnaflow mufflers (installed by Troy's Mufflers) provides a great sound track. The hopped-up Flathead is backed by a modern five-speed manual transmission out of a Chevy S-10.
The truck sits on an original chassis, which is equipped with a dropped I-beam front axle and hairpin radius rods. Out back is a four-bar rear suspension, connected to a Ford 8-inch rear end. The suspension setup offers a great stance, which is enhanced with staggered tire fitment.
Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, hot rodders would use tires designed for an Austin, Anglia or Volkswagen on the front since they are smaller than most tires. Then, they’d use tires from a Lincoln or Cadillac for the rear, since they were bigger than most. This created the classic big-n-little tire combination that we all know and love.
To achieve the look, Dave used a set of our Coker Classic bias ply whitewall tires, with 560-15 up front and L78-15 out back. He mounted to our O.E. Chrome steel wheels, which measure 15x5 and 15x6 inches. The wide whites and chrome steelies really pop with the vibrant gold paint. Spider caps finish off the hot rod look nicely.
You can buy tires & wheels in a combo and they will arrive mounted and balanced and ready to mount to your vehicle. Check out our Tire & Wheel Combo Packages for popular vehicles.
