It's no wonder the steel Brookville stock-height '32 three-window body has almost instantly become one of the hottest products in the street rod aftermarket. It's not surprising when you consider what a beautiful design it is and just how awesome Brookville's quality is. Moreover, it's also no wonder that demand has been tremendous; in fact, as of today, Brookville has 160 bodies pre-sold. However, therein lies the rub. The wait for a completely assembled Brookville three-window is anywhere between 12 and 24 months, depending upon when the order was placed. Now, we all know that all good things take time, but when ya wanna Deuce, ya wanna Deuce-and pronto.
There is a way around the wait, and that's to buy the coupe parts individually and assemble the body yourself, which will work well, for the small fraction of us with an abundance of street rod-building talents, that is. Nevertheless, where do these options leave the rest of us average Joes? Well, it either leaves us with a pile of valuable parts that we have a minute chance of assembling successfully, or with a nearly two-year wait for an assembled one from Brookville that we know will be perfect. It also leaves us with a stock-height coupe with an un-filled roof, as well. Not the ideal situation for those who'd prefer a nicely chopped and filled hot rod, that's for sure.
Alas, all is not lost. There has been a recent development that will go a long way to rectify this bump in the road to hot rod heaven. Metalworking craftsman Bobby Walden and his handpicked crew at Walden Speed Shop have come to the rescue-of both the consumer and the overworked assembly craftsmen at Brookville-and are now offering hand-assembled Brookville three-window coupe bodies for those who can't handle the current wait. Plus, those who take advantage will not only know that the finished product will be flawless, but it'll come with the renowned Walden Speed Shop Chop and meticulously filled roof for which Bobby Walden is famous.
We recently had the chance to witness one of the Walden/Brookville coupes go together and were amazed, but not surprised, at how awesome the chopped version is. We weren't surprised because we're fully familiar with Bobby's meticulous craftsmanship, but the chop and fill are just so perfect that it's amazing. Anyway, in one of those rare moments where we could get both Bobby and Melinda torn away from their chores at the shop, we asked them to fill us in on the whole concept of the Walden/Brookville Deuce, and here's what they told us:
"This idea came about many months ago when we were sitting around brainstorming on ways to expand our business. We already do full restorations and have our product line with our roof inserts, doorskins, and hubs. So, we decided to expand our line of doorskins, continue working with Jake (Jim) Jacobs on his new venture, Jitney: Hop Up Parts by Jake, and then we thought about Brookville-Brookville and us together!
"It seemed like our two companies would make a great partnering of talents. We obviously pride ourselves on detailed craftsmanship, innovative thinking, and superior products. Their motto is expert craftsmanship, quality, excellence, and expertise. We have built our businesses on the same beliefs, on shared values. Moreover, we're both metal people. We specialize in sheetmetal shaping and they specialize in sheetmetal products. It just made sense, and we felt there was a void in the market.
"We wanted to take their panels and expand on what they offer by taking it to another level-and the chopped '32 three-window coupe was born. We have taken Brookville's high-quality panels and used our detailed labor to come out with this new beautiful body that people can buy as a product straight from us. This is the first (and only) all-steel '32 Deuce with a chopped and filled top made with Brookville panels on the market.
"There are lots of traditionalists out there who only want stock, and they can go straight to Brookville for their stock assembled bodies. Yet, there are a large number of people out there who are looking for the customization that we can offer as a finished product.
Bobby Walden is a perfectionist and has spent untold hours fabricating and refining a fixture that ensures that each and every chopped coupe he constructs is dead-nuts on. Here you can see Walden's fixture and the beginnings of a body (the side rails and floor supports).
"We thought it would be easier to chop one as it was being built, rather than chop it after it was built. So, we get the body components and assemble, chop, weld, and fill until it becomes what you see here.
"After much brainstorming on the perfect chop, we decided to model our Walden Speed Shop Chop after the Doyle Gammel coupe, which also has a 3-1/2-inch chop in front, and a 3-inch chop in back. We are definitely happy with how things have turned out. Our relationship with Brookville has proved to be an excellent partnership, and we hope to be cranking these things out from here on forward."
So, sit back and take an inside look at what we shot at the Walden shop. Meanwhile, keep your eyes peeled for an in-depth look at the Walden Speed Shop Chop in a future issue.
Benefits of the Walden/Brookville Coupe
* It collapses the normal time line for the customer to get a finished chopped Deuce (no more waiting for a stock version, then taking it to another shop to get it chopped, and then buying an insert and filling it themselves).
* It's a guaranteed meticulous fit and finishing of each body.
* The bodies are built on a custom jig with patterns for every cut, ensuring each body will be the same level of perfection as the first.
* It looks badass.
