When it comes to setting out to do something right from the beginning, us car guys know what that takes. It might be a slow and arduous process, but cutting corners to try and speed things up only ends up costing us more money and time in the long run.
Well, Gary Heidt knows exactly what building a hot rod is all about. Which is why he founded Heidt’s Hot Rod & Muscle Car Parts out of his garage back in 1985.
In the world of suspension components, the Heidt’s name lives on even though Gary has since retired but he assures us that we haven’t seen the last of him just yet. When Classic Recollections caught up with Gary to check out his 1932 Ford Roadster build out of his garage, we knew we wanted to showcase this gorgeous piece here on Rod Authority.
“In 2008, I had a lot of ideas I was kicking around. I started formulating a plan, going after a certain look I wanted. A lot of guys start from the inside out but I build from the outside in – I start with a look then build the rest around it. Naturally, when it came time to think of suspension, I did things differently. Traditionally, a ’32 Ford should have a dropped axle. My suspension components are an independent setup, which is what I installed on the car. A lot of guys say I’m breaking the rules of tradition and that may be, but if I ever built a car without my suspension on it, I know a lot of people who would want to tar and feather me!”
Under the hood, Gary has installed a 383ci Chevy V8, fitted with a Weiand supercharger along with a Muncie 4-speed trans and Hildebrandt rearend for some added performance. Gary states: “It’s got a decent cam, not too radical. On some recent dyno runs, it pulled 515 horsepower and 535 lb-ft torque, at 5500rpm on pump gas. It’s a street motor and something that will be driven. My wife says this is my ‘lose my driver’s license car’ and it’s very light with such a large motor, so we’ll see if that’s true or not. I do know, it’ll go sideways if I step on it.”
Knowing that he’ll have plenty of seat time in this ’32 Gary installed four-piston, Wilwood disc brakes at the four corners to bring the coupe to a halt. The Lombard Blue paint was applied by Island Lake, IL hot rod shop, Custom Classics, right after Gary performed some body modification on the rear deck lid.
“This year is the 80th anniversary of the 1932 Ford. A large group of enthusiasts are driving from San Francisco, CA and ending up at the Indianapolis, IN Goodguys show in September. I’m going to meet them in Lincoln, Nebraska and backtrack all the way to Indy.”
That’s not all the seat time Gary has planned as next year he also wants to head west and drive out to the 2013 L.A. Roadster Show, held in Los Angeles, CA. “This car was built for driving and that’s how I plan to use it – I don’t keep a trailer in my driveway!”
For more cool Heidt Hot Rod & Muscle Car News check out the Heidt’s Facebook page, and as always – stay tuned to Rod Authority for the coolest cars AND people around!
