Jack Dunning has, in his words, “never been much for hot rods,” but his longtime friends and restorers Glenn and Randy Hatcher are—and they eventually convinced Mr. Dunning to build the sort of hot rod that would appeal even to a devotee of “dead-stock” automobiles. The idea was to construct a ‘hi-boy’ roadster exactly as it would have been seen in California in the 1950s, with no modern tricks or folderol.

The basis of the project was a high-quality correct chassis and accurate ’32 steel roadster body, both from Brookville, immaculately painted to concours standards and fitted with a roll-and-pleat interior facing Stewart-Warner gauges. Underneath was fitted the driveline from a 1939 Ford, with the V-8 dressed up with the best reproduction speed equipment, including Offenhauser heads and intake manifold, three Stromberg 97 carburetors, Fenton headers, and Smitty mufflers. Since Mr. Dunning only uses the hot rod for cruising around town, two of the carburetors are blocked off, though he notes that they could easily be made functional for a true high-performance experience. The car uses the original Ford’s brakes and steering box; as with his stock restorations, Mr. Dunning believes they were well-engineered and still work beautifully when properly sorted. Turn signals were carefully fitted for modern traffic.

Accompanied by a properly fitted top, this has been a fun vehicle for local drives for Mr. Dunning, and he hopes that it will be equally enjoyed by the new owner. It provides much the same experience as running an exciting period hot rod would have back in the 1950s and is ready for any number of local shows and cruise nights.