by Michael GolubiewskiProduction Editor
‘Wild Bill’s’ hotrod
“Wild Bill” Gamble of Scranton loves to work on his cars every day.
“Three or four hours a day — everyday — I’m out working in that garage,” he says.
His hard work definitely shows in this week’s Ride of the Week, a 1932 Ford Street Rod Gamble built from a kit himself. This car is known as the “holy grail” of hotrods. Better know as the “Deuce,” the 1932 Ford has always been a popular American icon. Ricky Nelson drove a 1932 Ford Roadster on the popular 1950s television show “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” (1952-1966), and the Ford was the car featured in the title of the Beach Boys’ hit song “Little Deuce Coupe.” And in the 1973 movie “American Graffiti,” it was a yellow 1932 Ford Roadster that blew away the 1955 Chevy in the famous drag-racing scene.
The 1932 Ford changed the automobile almost immediately from its inception nearly 80 years ago. It combined the simplicity of the earlier Fords (Model Ts) with a lean, handsome body that was designed by Henry Ford’s oldest son Edsel. The 1932 also introduced one of Henry Ford’s most important contributions to the automobile world: the affordable V8 engine.
Gamble’s Ford features a 350 cubic inch, 8-cylinder Chevrolet engine that has been bored out to 355 cubic inches. This makes his Ford capable of producing 325 horsepower. Gamble installed a nine-inch Ford rear end on his racer. For the exterior, Gamble chose the paint color PPG Lexus Maroon, which fades to black at the front of the car.
The most notable exterior design are the flames that frame both sides of the hood near the grille. Gamble made the hood himself out of Formica and cut the flames out from a pattern
The 1932 Ford is not the only hotrod Gamble owns. He also has a 1964 Chevrolet Corvette and a purple 1931 Ford Street Racer. He is also working on another project, which he says he will share with Weekender readers when he finishes it, which will probably be next spring.
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