 The ’32 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster that will be offered for sale at the 2016 Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction was built by volunteers in collaboration with L.A. Roadsters, along with students at the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts (AXC). |
A ’32 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster (Lot #3010) will be offered for sale at No Reserve at the 2016 Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, January 30, at 8:30 p.m. (MST) in Scottsdale, Arizona, and will be televised on Velocity. The car is a tribute to the ’32 Roadster that West Coast hot-rodding pioneer Bob McGee built in 1947. It was built by volunteers in collaboration with L.A. Roadsters, along with students at the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts (AXC)—a two-year program that gives students the hands-on training they need to enter the automotive industry. All proceeds from the sale of this car will benefit the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts at The Learning Centers at Fairplex in Pomona, California.
This tribute car is built around a Brookville Roadsters body and C-notched frame. Underneath is a Winter’s banjo rearend, SO-CAL ladder bars and shocks, Speedway Motors split wishbone, Vega cross steering box and ’40 Ford brakes.
The 24-stud ’40 Ford Flathead V8 motor is fitted with Navarro heads for an 8.0 compression ratio. It’s topped with a Weiand 2×2 high-rise manifold with two Stromberg 97 carburetors and Stellings air cleaners. The headers and exhaust are custom-built. Cooling is handled by a SPAL fan and Mattson radiator, while a Powermaster alternator takes care of charging duties. Behind the engine is a T5 transmission with a floor-mounted shifter and Cornhusker Rod & Custom clutch.
The body incorporates features that McGee combined into his roadster, such as the hidden hinge, three-piece hood, a filled and peaked grille, and louvers on the top and sides. It also features King Bee headlights, ’50 Pontiac taillights and Wheelsmith wheels. A Sid Chavers Bop Top with 2-in. chop lowers the roof. The paint is PPG Flame Red, applied at LGE-CTS Motorsports by AXC program leader Theresa Contreras.
Inside, the extended dash was custom built by Chris Comacho, housing five Classic Instruments gauges and Painless wiring. Like McGee’s original, the dash was painted in a maroon hue. The steering wheel is from a 1940 Ford, attached to a LimeWorks column. The driver settles into movable Glide Engineering bench seat covered in leather by Ron Mangus.