Thread: Dearborn Deuce

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There appears to be some confusion between the coupe and the roadster both named Dearborn Deuce. Both were marketed by Hot Rods and Horsepower out of back East. The coupe had some problems from the start, the metal was pretty wavy in the quarters, etc. I'm not sure who assembled that body but only a few were made. Some people say that calling the coupe "a piece of crap" was a compliment....I have only touched one so I cannot give an accurate report.

The roadster was assembled by American Specialty Cars in the Detroit area. The bought the stampings from Oakley and did the assembly including the soft top. They originally made 200 roadster bodies and then added another 100. The dies were made of Kirksite, a metal that is typically used in the auto industry (and aircraft industry, and others) for short runs. The dies wear faster so about 500 strikes is a rule of thumb limit.

After HR&HP (and whatever happened), Oakley took over the body assembly and continues today. You can buy the body still from them. Depending upon how many strikes Oakley has hit, the dies may or may not still exist....Kirksite gets melted down and reused for new dies when they wear out (all dies wear out, the material determines how many strikes a die can make).

There was a fiberglass rendition introduced a couple of years ago for the roadster with the hiding top but it is gone now....good riddance.

The American Specialty Cars guys have spun off to a new company called American Speed Company in Plymouth, Michigan and are making the 33 Ford roadster body....a really nice piece since they have taken all of their experience in building the 300 '32 bodies and incorporated that knowledge in the design of the '33.

Hope this helps.

mike in tucson