[1]The Sachse Rod Shop [2] of Sachse, Texas, has used TCI Engineering’s [3] independent suspension, custom frame to form the platform of Rick Edward’s trick blue, ’32 Ford three-window.
A school teacher out of Lubbock, the Texas street rodder’s dad was responsible for initiating the ’32 coupe’s build, but sadly, he never got to enjoy the finished product. “We sold the body and chassis to Rick’s dad years ago,” explains Sachse Rod’s Mike Millsap. “He passed away, but Rick inherited the car and we did the final touches.”
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At that time, some of the crate motors that were available from Ford were just as powerful as their GM, ZZ crate contemporaries, and so it seemed a fitting choice for Edwards’ ’32, “That particular motor, at that time, was probably putting out between 350-400 horsepower,” says Millsap of the coupe’s 302 mill.
[6]When Edward’s early Ford custom first arrived at the Sachse Rod Shop, the car’s frame came in as a full rolling assembly with TCI’s independent front suspension, Wilwood [7] disc brakes and a 9-inch, Ford 4-link rear. The ’32 coupe features power brakes and an early-Vette style master cylinder.
[8]The motor and complete running gear also came in as-is, and were bolted into the coupe’s frame before its arrival. According to Millsap, Sachse Rod has done nothing to Edward’s Ford in terms of performance tweaks, but that has a lot to do with the fact that the coupe requires only so much power to get its jam on, “Those cars are only like 2,600 pounds, so they don’t need a lot of power,” Millsap explains. “The car rode and drove great!”
Aside from a strong construction and a streetable use of Ford V-8 power, Rick Edward’s ’32 three-window is a clean custom that enjoys a list of modern amenities. These include a 16-gallon gas tank from TANKS Inc [9], Ultra vinyl-wrapped seats from Glide Engineering [10] and a manual, rack-and-pinion steering column from Ididit [11].
[12]Also adorning the interior is a set of “Cockpit” gauges from VDO [13], and the early coupe’s fiberglass body comes courtesy of Gibbons Fiberglass in North Carolina. Sachse Rod Shop, by helping to complete this custom coupe, also helped to realize a father-son vision that would manifest into a super cool build, “We did probably 60-80 percent of the build,” says Millsap of the Ford’s construction. “The car has been gone for a while, and we finished it around ’09.”
It’s been a while since Mike Millsap and Sachse Rod have been in touch with Rick Edward and his candy blue, ’32 Ford, but since the car’s completion by the Sachse custom shop a few years back, we imagine that Edward has been enjoying what might possibly be among Sachse Rod’s greatest creations.
It was a collaborative effort, but Sachse Rod could not have completed the Lubbock local’s street rod without TCI Engineering’s superior chassis construction. Congratulations goes out once again to Rick Edward for completing a super sweet, street rod build. To you we say, “Happy Motoring!”
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