| As a teenager, Ron Lancto asked his Father (Arthur Lancto) if he
could have the 1932
Ford Coupe that had been placed in the "junk lot" at Eastside
Auto Parts (a business owned by Ron's father). Ron's dad said "if
you can get it to run, you can have it."
Here is a photo (click
here) of what the car probably looked like in new condition.
Only 24,148 of this model car were made. Below is an artist's
sketch of this very popular and famous 1932 Ford "Deuce" Coupe Three
Window.
Ron took a part of one junked car, then another, and
then another and put then into his car -- until finally the '32 Ford
Deuce Coupe began to run. The photo at the top of this page is my
dad (Ron Lancto) as he got that car to run and he began to modify it.
Wow, Ron was not only a hit at school having his own car, but also at
several neighboring schools and local teenager events.
Ron wasn't satisfied with just having a car that ran,
he tinkered with it and modified it. He made it run better and
faster. He "chopped
and channeled" the body of the car. Eventually Ron became one
of the early members of a local Hot Rod Club in the Flint, Michigan area
called "Gear Grinders" (click
here, to read the history of Gear Grinders, along with a notable
mention of Ron Lancto and his '32 Ford "Deuce" Coupe.)
Ron said "you had to build your own hot rod and know your car inside
and out to be accepted into the Gear Grinders. They would ask you
about the engine, transmission, rear end, the body, and of course the
modifications that were made. They could tell if you built it
yourself, or if you had someone do it for you."
It was in this '32 Ford Coupe that Ron met and dated Beverly
Middleton. They married in June 1954 and took this hotrod on their
honeymoon. Eventually Ron sold this car for $600 (without the
engine) to put a down payment on their first home at 3408 Dakota Ave,
Flint, MI. Ron put the engine into one of his race cars. The
following are more photos of my dad and his car. Enjoy! |
