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Collector Cars/Street Rods For Sale
 Affectionately known as the 32Vette, the sale or trade of this gorgeous 1932 Chevrolet five-window coupe is the sad part of the otherwise happy decision I've made to take a long-term position with the New Zealand Agency for International Development in Wellington, New Zealand. I'll be gone for five years and I don't want to see this car suffer the inevitable consequences of that long separation. This car is in the resto rod genre as you can tell from the photo. The fenders are fiberglass--the heavy, thick kind. Although the original steel fenders, like everything else, were fine, the decision to go with fiberglass was dictated by the width of the Corvette independent rear suspension (IRS)-an unusual feature of this car. In addition to handling like a sports car, I wanted the right look, with the tires inside the fenders. To achieve that and also to accommodate the wide track of the Corvette IRS, it was necessary to use wider rear fenders. The running boards were custom cut to fit exactly. Perhaps the best example of the extraordinary workmanship is the '32's filled top. Some people accomplish this with lots of body filler. For this car it was accomplished with wheels and lots of pounding, filing, welding until perfection was achieved-a true piece of metal working art. The engine is a fresh 300 hp Corvette LT1. A new ECU controls the factory EFI. The wiring is new throughout. The car starts quickly, regardless of temperature, runs smoothly and doesn't need tinkering for altitude the way carburetors invariably do. The transmission is also Corvette 700R4 shifted by Lokar. The dash is a 1934 Ford pickup unit with custom machine turned insert and all new Dolphin gauges. The front suspension is by Kugel-best and most expensive in the business. A specialty shop in southern California that uses brass underplating-again costly but worth the price--did all the chrome work. The interior is a black, pigskin-like material. Not leather but softer, warmer and also cooler. It has power steering and power brakes, new custom aluminum radiator, air conditioning and heating, power windows. Tires and wheels are new. Disc brakes all around are, naturally, also new. The floor is custom cut and welded steel plate. The same heavy plate, standing upright, was used behind the seat from side to side and from floor to rear window, effectively sealing the cab from the trunk, to achieve a quantum leap in structural rigidity and interior noise reduction. There are no rattles and squeaks. In addition to the stiff frame and extra steel plate, we used a new high tech ceramic coating called Lizard Skin liberally throughout the interior. Traditional sound-deadening material was then laid down with the upholstery on top of that. The result is a very quiet interior for a street rod. Naturally, this material adds to the weight with the result that when adding everything that went into the car it weighs four hundred pounds more than the original but the Corvette engine and low first gear of the 700R4 don't seem to mind and the ride quality is terrific. The frame is the original Chevrolet that was in perfect unmolested condition. It was dissembled, cleaned to bare metal, boxed, checked to be certain that it was perfectly square and true, then painted with POR15 and then again with an epoxy black by the same company. Every body panel was carefully and thoroughly examined and fasteners replaced with stainless steel. Body panels are razor straight, and the gaps are true, correct and the lines match up. The paint colors, pale yellow and gray, are both from the Chrysler Crossfire model. Every body panel, doors, hood, etc. was painted separately and then carefully re-assembled. Paint was color sanded and then clear coat was applied. This was a work of love and a work of art- old style craftsmanship with new style materials and technology. I know everyone talks about quality and this isn't the only quality rod out there by any means but it just isn't like most of the others you see in the under $50K range. If you are serious and want to talk or receive additional photos or tell me about your trade, please write and I'll give you a telephone number Information Email: donholsinger@gmail.com |
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