When I shot Todd Porter's 1932 Ford 3-window coupe I wondered to myself why so many of the cool '32s are black. I really didn't have an answer, for I never really thought about it before. Serious hot rods are black, since it seems to be more of a tradition dating back to the beginning of the movement when this particular car was commonly found racing in the dry lakebeds of California. Then another side of me believes it has more to do with the image of the bad boy delinquent roaring down busy city streets in a very loud and fast car--women and children diving for cover while the local law dogs attempt to maintain peace and order. That is the old movie stereotype that plays in my mind, but it could simply be that most of the old cars available for purchase were black and performance parts were paramount to a shiny new paint job. I personally prefer the Hollywood explanation, but to each his own. Since I haven't really answered the original question, let's get on with the real details about this traditional street rod.

Dedicated car guys, like Todd, always have a list of potential projects and rides that will outlive them by decades. This particular ride is number five in Todd's list of "potentials" after previously owning a '66 Chevy Nova prostreet, '29 Ford Roadster, '36 Ford Sedan Delivery, and a '62 Chevy BelAir station wagon. Todd had been building a 3-window coupe in the back of his mind for several years and he just had to have one! The mental car was simple; it was black with traditional flames and with an oh-so-right look. The real life version achieves this look with a '32 Ford Coupe American Glass body with several mods. The cab was stretched 2-inches and the top was chopped 3-inches for a radical custom look. A '32 Ford radiator grill shell was added as well as spreader bars front and rear. 1934 Ford commercial headlights and 1939 Ford taillights take care of all the lighting duties. PPG black paint and traditional flames finish off the exterior details.

As with any traditional street rod, the engine compartment is exposed which helps to facilitate cooling while showing off the power plant that pushes this puppy down the road. A GM 350 crate motor is used which includes flat top Speedpro pistons, GM Pink Rods, Cloyes double roller timing chain, Reed Cam, Edlebrock Tunnel Ram, and a single Quick Fuel Holley 750 drag race carb. The exhaust exits through a set of Flowmaster 40 series mufflers and all the power remains in check with a 1967 Turbo 400 transmission.

The chassis is a stock model that has been modified with a triangulated four bar system and a Pete & Jakes 6-inch dropped I-beam. A Ford 8-inch rear end was also added to supply plenty of power to the ground. Wheels consist of 15-inch Coker steelies up front and 16-inch steelies in the rear, with Firestone whitewall rubber meeting the road on all four corners.

The interior's upholstery, stitched up by Gunther Finney of Clarksville, Tennessee, continues the traditional look with a chopped set of Pontiac Fiero seats covered in black leather with charcoal metalflake inserts. This theme also carries over to the door panels, too. The dash contains a set of Stewart Werner gauges that monitor engine stats while a Mooneyes steering wheel, capping off an Ididit steering column, helps to keep this coupe going in the right direction. Finishing off the bad boy look is a skull shifter.

ESM has a thing for traditional rods and this is a sharp one indeed. This is Todd's fifth ride on his list and we are sure jealous of that fact--especially when one compares the previous rides he has owned, which reads like a list of America's most wanted cars!

My question is what will ride number six be like? Hmmmm...

Shout Out: "Thanks to Billy Joe Porter and Billy Loatwall." -Todd Porter