Some folks explain evolution as the concept of the survival of the fittest, while others argue that it is the discernible path through genetic inheritance that carries strong traits forward. But either explanation works well for a new breed of Deuce roadster: the 32R from Voodoo Hot Rods.
The entire composite body is made of epoxy carbon/Kevlar, but some of the black and gold twill material can be seen in transmission tunnel and inner door panels. Note there is no visible door latch slot in the door design.
Very few original hot rods from the ’40s and ’50s still exist in their original form today, but over the past few decades thousands have been created and cloned to replicate what went before. And, while it’s safe to say all hot rods share a common ancestor, every once in a while you get a new branch on the tree, which is exactly what you have here.
While at first glance the Voodoo Hot Rods 32R looks like another Deuce roadster, the closer you look, the more you find that is different. After hot rodders have spent decades fiddling with 80-year-old technology, the 32R is brand new in two important areas: the body and the chassis.
The 32R is the first epoxy carbon-fiber Deuce body to be made and offered as a production vehicle. Design wise, there is no mistaking this as a ’32 Ford roadster, but one that has been tweaked. Over the years there has been a lot done to modify a ’32 Ford roadster, and many of those best designs and ideas have been incorporated into the baseline 32R.
Multi-layered, sandwich-core construction provides a rigid but lightweight body. The rear of the cockpit extends more toward the back of the car compared to a stock Deuce roadster, which provides 4 more inches of legroom.
The cockpit has been extended (4 inches of legroom gained) and the wheelwells have also been raised. Among the laundry list of options available is the choice of either a stock cowl with vent or smoothed off for non-stock (DuVall, and others) windshield layouts.
Out back a faux gas tank is tucked in close to the body and an optional rear valance panel fills in the space between the rear apron and the gas tank. There are a handful of additional options (including a notched rear roll pan for quick-changes or a one-piece hood top), but painters will love the fact the bodies come de-seamed and basic bodywork complete, with all sections covered with a 2K epoxy primer.
Builders will also appreciate there is no need for beefing up the chassis, cowl, or cockpit sections because of the substantial tubular chassis already in place but hidden out of sight under the skin. And all the custom tricks you’d typically want to use (and sometimes compromising comfort in the process), such as bobbing this or kicking that, are already designed into this chassis. Looking more like a NASCAR frame than one for a hot rod, Voodoo Hot Rods wanted two major points covered when designing and building their unique chassis: strength and rigidity.
Though high tech in its purpose and design, the bodies can be ordered with the windshield cowl ridge, exposed door hinges, and cowl vent in place. Under the cowl is a tubular steel structure that allows easy mounting of the windshield, brake master cylinder, and steering column.
Besides raising the wheelwell openings on the body (which allows 32-inch wheels to fit properly), the chassis is set up with a lower ride height (4 inches lower than repro Deuce frames), and the exhaust can be routed between the upper and lower rails so nothing hangs down below the chassis. And the fact the company constructed both front and rear full-travel suspension capabilities into its design, you get a ride similar to a new factory vehicle rather than the buckboard approach some hot rods have with their 1-inch shock and spring travel.
The triangulated and crossbraced framework also provides other benefits, such as a cowl base structure that allows you to bolt on traditional windshield stands as well as providing a place to mount both the brake master cylinder and the steering column.
With this construction method these bodies weigh about 200 pounds less than their fiberglass or steel counterparts. The goal for the company is to build a 2,000-pound Deuce highboy roadster, which would produce significant power-to-weight ratios.
Fabrication time for the home builder to create this extra but needed framework is virtually eliminated with the 32R and, with time equaling money, customers will be able to get into their finished cars quicker. This, coupled with the fact the body is de-seamed and primed with a 2K epoxy primer, bodywork and paint prep time is drastically reduced.
Voodoo Hot Rods will be building only 10 bodies the first year, 20 the next, and limiting production to a total of only 32 individually numbered vehicles. There is a lot more information on the 32R on the company’s website (www.voodoohotrods.com), and in an upcoming issue of STREET RODDER the magazine will be taking one of the Voodoo Evolution 32R cars out to the track and putting it through its paces on a standard slalom course as well as with brake and skidpad testing. We’re looking forward to doing just that and, if the 32R lives up to its promises, we might be looking at a whole new breed of hot rod here.
