Vanderbilt Cup Races

MotorTrend has posted this wonderful article on Mike and Sean Tucker's 1932 Ford.

I even got a shout -out as a "rare-car collector."

Enjoy, 

Howard Kroplick

This Retro-Modern ’32 Ford Was Built by Preston Tucker’s Great-Grandsons

Deuce with odd mods turned all-new, old-school hot rod by the heirs to a unique automotive legacy.

Scotty Lachenauer Writer Scotty Lachenauer Photographer

March 2, 2023

While attending the Race of Gentlemen in 2018, identical twin brothers Mike and Sean Tucker were casually browsing an online automotive marketplace over breakfast. "Somehow, we just stumbled upon an interesting '32 Ford that was up for grabs," Mike told HOT ROD. The boys soon realized that this Deuce was no ordinary, thrown-together jalopy hurled before the masses in the hopes of receiving a few random offers. This was a legit, Henry-Ford-steel ride, and a veteran hot-rodder's longtime project; it was a solid car, but one designed and executed to suit the current owner's eclectic taste.

"Though the Ford wasn't built the way we would have done it, the Deuce did have all the major building blocks of our dream hot rod," Sean said. "Another plus was the fact that it had plenty of room for improvement and space to add our own personal touches, which was important to us."

By the time they had finished breakfast, they had established a plan. They contacted the seller, Tom Hewitt, and the groundwork for the purchase was laid out. Before the guys knew what hit them, they were the proud co-owners of a classic Deuce with copious amounts of hot rod history behind it. Game on, folks!

Preston Tucker Family Tree

When you're born with Tucker as your given name, that's going to be noticed in the classic car hobby, and once people find out that you're the actual descendants of Preston Tucker—world-renowned entrepreneur, mechanical genius, and top-tier automotive visionary—eyes are going to be locked on everything you do. Fortunately, Mike and Sean were raised under the umbrella of the Tucker legacy, and are fully versed in its robust history. "We grew up in the car hobby and we were very young when we first learned about our great-grandpa and his Tucker 48," Mike said. "I don't think it all set in as something unique and special until the movie came out. Tucker: the Man and His Dream was cool, and something you don't take for granted, but the car and its lore were always kind of there with us. We were just eight years old when the movie came out."

These days, the brothers do a lot to maintain that legacy. They provide technical and historical documentation as well as NOS and remanufactured parts and parts assistance to Tucker restorers, including CAD and 3D-printing. They also help track down and preserve memorabilia used by the company or its dealers, produce models, T-shirts, and other items to grow the Tucker brand, and support several live events where the Tucker story, and the technical facts and stories of the cars themselves, are presented to a variety of different audiences.

Rebuilding With The Idas

Being entrenched in the hot-rodding scene in addition to their work with Tucker, the boys have gotten plenty of experience both designing and building vehicles over their 40-plus years on Earth. Luckily, their own mental library of hot rod knowledge would come in handy, as this particular 1932 required a little bit more than just persuasion to become the hot rod they knew they needed in their lives.

Beyond their own knowledge bank, the Tuckers also called on an ample support team of hot rod brethren with whom they have become close over the years. The Ida family is one such valuable resource. Sean put it this way: "We met Bob and Rob Ida back in the early 2000s. The history between the families goes way back, as Bob's father owned a Tucker franchise in Yonkers, New York. We have become close friends with the family."

The Idas are extremely well-informed about the Tucker 48, having helped restore several examples over the years in conjunction with the Tucker family, including model number 1044, owned by rare-car collector Howard Kroplick of Roslyn, New York. They have also built one-off tribute cars for customers with the blessing of the Tucker family, one of which was featured in HOT ROD's March 2020 issue.

Coming Up With A Build Plan

Once Mike and Sean took delivery of their new hot rod, things were quickly put into motion. "When we started out, the current state of the Deuce was not so great. It leaked everywhere, the shifter was shot, and the steering was broken. It was also an amalgamation of several decades of hot rod parts and trends." The good news was that it was an original steel body with a killer 409ci powerplant. There were also a number of outdated parts, ranging from the chrome wheels to a steering wheel and set of brakes from an '80s Monte Carlo. "We wanted to build a traditional hot rod, so we had our work cut out for us," Mike explained.

What To Keep, What To Replace

One thing that the guys liked was the color of the Deuce. "We wanted to keep the paint, while getting rid of the checkerboard firewall it came with. Once we pulled the engine, we immediately repainted the firewall white. That helped with the overall look but caused other issues. By comparison, now the exterior paint didn't look so hot," Mike said. As a result, the brothers sent the car to Ida Automotive in Morganville, New Jersey, where Rob took the 1932 under his wing. "The Deuce needed some help. I did some metalwork on the panels, correcting the trunklid and rear body panels, and chopping the garnish moldings. I then color-matched the exterior to the paint on the frame," he said. "Once the '32 had that amazing Ida paintjob, and it all looked cohesive, we moved on to the next big step, which was the suspension," Sean added.

After looking over the chromed suspension, the Tuckers decided that much of the build was reusable. They kept the front axle, along with most of the running gear. The Monte Carlo disc brakes were scrapped in favor of Wilwoods up front, hidden behind a So-Cal Speed Shop finned drum kit. "Now we had the power of a great set of modern brakes up front but still had the sex appeal of old-school finned drums. We were going to drive the snot out of this green machine, so we needed some real stopping-power," Mike said. Out back, a Ford 9-inch was installed along with a set of drum brakes from a donor 1972 Ranchero. Sean noted, "We always wanted to keep that leaf spring out back. Staying within the confines of a traditional build was our goal, so no coil-overs were used on this Deuce. Our mantra was to keep it simple."

Reworking The Drivetrain

Mike and Sean both loved the big 409ci engine up front, as it just reeked of hot rod goodness. "We are big fans of the Chevy 409—I mean, who isn't? It was the perfect engine to power our Deuce. It's power and beauty in one jumbo package," Mike said. The engine was quickly disassembled, cleaned, and rebuilt with many of its original pieces, but with a little added kick. It started with the original early-1964 block, heads, and intake. The rotating assembly consists of the stock crank, Eagle H-beam rods, and forged Icon domed pistons pushing out a healthy 11.5:1 compression.

"The valvetrain is built mostly of Comp Cams parts. The camshaft is a custom grind with a super-lumpy idle that still keeps decent drivability. The lifters and pushrods are from Comp Cams, and we retained the solid lifters for that cool sound," Sean explained. The springs are also from Comp Cams, and are paired with the company's Ultra Pro Magnum rocker arms. The valves are Manley, and those righteous valve covers are a vintage set from Offenhauser. "They give this Chevy engine that period-perfect look," Sean said. Mark Bitner from Bitner Automotive in Trenton, New Jersey, did all the engine assembly work.

Fuel-delivery duties were assigned to a pair of four-barrel Edelbrock carbs that were "backdated" by the Tuckers. They are fed by a Melling mechanical fuel pump. Sanderson lakes pipes with built-in baffles and turned-out tips keep this Chevy-powered beast loud and proud. This big 409ci powerplant is backed by a built Borg-Warner T-10 transmission. "We finished all this goodness up with the help from hot rod drag-master, Bob Ida. Who else would you want to work with on your hot-rodded 409? Nobody!" Sean said.

Refreshing The Interior-In 3D

With the drivetrain in place, the last big push was the interior. They knew exactly who they wanted: Mikey Lippincott of Mikey Seats in Eastampton, New Jersey. The man himself took on the project, and he had the perfect blank slate upon which to work his magic. "I built the seat from scratch. I covered it in Relicate black leather and used some original Mercury upholstery I was saving for accents on the skins. I wanted to do something original, so I drew on some killer '60s designs for inspiration,'' Mikey explained.

From there, the original garnish moldings were put back in the car. Sean designed and 3D-printed the custom shifter knob, which helps this ride get through the gears. The column was replaced with one from LimeWorks Hot Rod Parts, and the guys installed a 1940 Ford steering wheel to keep things headed in the right direction. Sean took on the challenge of rewiring the '32 and did it with vintage cloth wiring wherever it was visible. "I think it just adds another cool vintage touch."

Tires And Wheels

The Tuckers finished up the Deuce with some tasty treats. Vintage Halibrands for the rear and American Rebel front wheels were selected, both shod in vintage-style tires. The headlights were removed for a set of 1934 Ford commercial lights, held in place by brackets that Sean also 3D-printed. The painted windshield frame was changed to chrome to add a little sparkle to the build. They swapped the mechanical clutch linkage for hydraulic, and an aluminum radiator and electric fan assembly were added to help keep it all cool.

What's Next For The Deuce?

Once finished, this green machine was immediately put to the test by the brothers, logging test-drives through the Pennsylvania countryside. "We had to chase down some gremlins along the way—engine, trans, rear—and we tried hard to make it a usable car that would be consistent. Now that it has been gone through, it's a wild animal! You know the story—huge engines in little cars. Great fun, but by today's standards, it is still kinda scary," Mike admitted.

Plans for the Deuce are to continue backdating anything that is modern. "I sourced a pair of original Halibrands for the front. The carbs are next, and then we might rework some of the suspension," Sean said. "The car has flaws and it is certainly no trailer-queen. We drive the snot out of it, and that's the way it should be. Hot rods were made to be driven and this Deuce gets plenty of use. We could not have completed the project without the help of people like Bob, Mikey, Russ Montelbano, Artie Wright, Mike's son, Ty, and especially Rob."

Watch The Full Episode! Winter Road Trip In A Topless Deuce Roadster

On season 3, episode 2 of HOT ROD Unlimited, Thom Taylor drives a channeled, topless Deuce roadster in the dead of winter from Nashville to Los Angeles, encountering what you would expect in the middle of winter: ice, rain, cold, frost—did we mention cold?? Watch the roadster slip, slide and spin 2,000 miles as Thom takes Interstate 40 through eight states and 70 degrees of temperature change, taking breaks for burnouts, breakdowns, bad weather and junkyards. Sign up for a free trial to MotorTrend+ and start streaming every episode of HOT ROD Unlimited today!