Fred Steele’s 1932 Ford Roadster
In the 50’s, Fred Steele was one of the most respected hot rodders not only in New England, but throughout the country. Steele built this stunning roadster between 1951 and 1953, winning first place at shows like the Hartford Autorama and earning numerous cover stories about the car. When discussing New England hot rod legends, Fred Steele’s name is always in the conversation. While many hot rodders use a 32 Ford as a starting point for their builds, Fred Steele’s car still stands out from all others, even 70 years later. Fred owned the car and kept it in its original condition for five decades, and we thank the current care takers, 3 Dog Garage, for lending this spectacular chopped and channeled roadster to us for this exhibition.
Unlike some hot rodders of the day, Fred’s parents were thrilled he was building cars instead of causing trouble, and that encouragement helped him do his best work. Fred originally bought this roadster body in 1952 for $25, spending hundreds of hours of his time building the car to what it is today, and he did not look past any minute details. Steele clearly had an eye for what looked attractive and emphasized that everything needed to proportionally relate to each other for the car to look good.
Perhaps the best example of Fred’s vision can be seen in the front radiator and grille. Fred called around to a handful of Boston radiator shops until he connected with Beacon Auto Radiator, near Fenway Park. The shop agreed to make Fred a radiator using a stock ’32 top and bottom tanks, but with enhanced cooling from a special core that cooled stationary LeRoy air compressor engines. The final cost for the radiator work was $200, which was a substantial amount of money for a teenager at this time (remember – Fred originally bought the body of the car for $25!) Fred cut the grille shell down to match the radiator very carefully, and welded it all back together, making it appear almost stock size in relationship to the lowered car.
On loan from 3 Dog Garage, Boyertown, PA
Specifications:
Engine: 1948 Mercury 296 C.I. V8
Engine Modifications: Harmon-Collins Dual-Coil Igntion, 4 Carburetor “Sharp” Manifold, Edelbrock heads, Chrysler valves, Iskenderian Camshaft, Weber 11 ln. flywheel, Friction Master clutch
Body Modifications: Chopped 4 ½ inches, Channelled 6 ½ inches, Dropped axle, Paint and body work completed by Collision Service, Ayer, MA
Paint: Mixed 1955 Ford Purple and 1954 Desoto Purple
