Deuce body "rumors"

The word is out that Hot Rods & Horsepower, makers of the steel repop '32 3 window coupe body, has folded. Supposedly a bunch of folks are left hanging out for bodies. Worse, the "roadster" they designed that had the fold away top, was supposed to go into production next month. Word has it they had gotten deposits on each of the first 100 units.:(

On a related note, supposedly Brookville plans to bring a steel '32 3 window coupe body to market by year end. If it is anything like the quality of the roadster it should be better than the HR&HP unit that never quite seemed to get it right. Target price is $20k.

Related prior threads: http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/sho...&threadid=1426

http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/sho...&threadid=1232

http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/sho...=&threadid=846

Thanks for the info, Bob. Sounds like a bunch of people lost their butt on this deal.

Bob,
Where did you hear this information. Not saying you are wrong but I just called HR&H and they said this rumor is not true at all. They said they are still set for production on all of there lines and nothing has changed. Can you let us know your source so I can research this further.
Thanks

spd,
There were a couple hot rod builders at the Portland Swap Meet who are well connected and usually reliable. If it's untrue, that's great, and that's why I put the word RUMORS in the headline. I think it would be prudent for interested parties, such as you did, to be very cautious and verify that they won't get hung out to dry. I've received a couple private emails that have indicated that perhaps the story originates from some of the California "Biggies" being very unhappy with the quality of the bodies and rejecting them. The bottom line should be: BUYER BEWARE!!!

Brookville 3 windows will be out sometime in 2005.

i think Dearborn will pull through, (i hope so) theyve been hurting (i think lack of sales) ive been wiping down a high gloss perfect bodied 72 year old 32 3 window since 1978 & ive learned the 32 lines pretty good in this time, i dont think the dearborn deuce is that bad, i see guys dragging rusted hunks & chunks of original 32 3 windows home & piecing them together, the nice clean thick new sheetmetal on the dearborns would be a treat for them! i watch guys pick pick pick those dearborns apart at shows & i can tell right away they know nothing!!! one dude has a 72 year old 3 window & picks that dearborn deuce all apart & i looked at his done real steel car, one sides flattened out like a pancake, looks like a small train got in a fight with it, one of his doors hangs open & he has it all smothered in billet stuff. id have to work my rear off to get that car back into shape.

i say pay up for the real gennie, pass on the glass, or pay a little less & drag a dearborn home!

Thanks Bob - looks like the Brookville is more than a rumour..

http://www.brookville-roadster.com/19323windowcoupe.htm

Some additional updating here.

As the title states, this thread was about a RUMOR. As it turns out, HR&HP is still going, and delivering bodies...........albeit late. Which is a whole bunch better than not at all!! Congatulations to them.

One of our buddies here, Mike in Tucson, just received his roadster body and indicates that he is generally pleased.

The coupe bodies are getting delivered as well, though I still am not impressed with the quality of the metal forming and finish. They had a couple bodies here last month at the GG deal and there are still a lot of waves, dips, and tapering gaps to deal with. Unless someone can find one of those exceedingly rare barn finds of a good original, this may still be a reasonable alternative when one takes a realistic look at resurecting a body with the bottom foot or so eaten away. No doubt these remain a high dollar deal either way if you have high standards.

Our Hot Rods and Horsepower roadster body on arrived in Tucson on Monday. General impression is very positive. The internal structure of the body is stout; you can tell that the design team included a Deuce roadster owner. The top is typical ASC....great design and implementation. Running the hand over the curves reveals quite nice sheetmetal surfaces....no ripples like some bodies have.

The top is really cool; folding it down takes maybe a minute. When up, the thing fits tight against the back panel. The only negative comments so far are regarding the height of the windshield header.....we think that the intended for the wiper assembly to go up there so they left a little more height.

The darn thing takes eight of us wimps to pick up off the skid. We are puttting it on a Hot Rods and Custom Stuff (Escondido, CA) frame that has the front rails curved upward 3 inches. The car sits with the front spreader 1.5 inches off the floor. In the picture, we are playing with tire heights vs the rear reveal...the picture has a 31" tall tire for reference. This car can go lower and it will.

Note that the doors are longer, the windshield moved back a little, and the cockpit longer at the back. This makes it really nice for a taller person. We will post more pics as progress is made if folks are interested.

Keep us updated, I for one am interested in seeing more pics as you make progress...

Dave Brisco

I think the guys at HR&HP just bit off more than expected at first. I have seen the roadster and was very impressed, however the coupe is not at all impressive. I know the hold up was because they wanted to get it right, and they spent a lot of money on tooling. Another RUMOR I had heard is that the "production" coupes are still being hand assembled the same way that their demo was. I still don't think we're seeing a full production vehicle.