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Watch This Hot Rod Get the Revival It Deserves
The process of finding an old hot rod, learning its history, restoring it, and then driving the wheels off it to multiple events is scarcely a simple endeavor. Its takes years of effort and work, to say nothing of the investment. Every once in a while, though, you find a project that you get to see from start to finish all in the span of a cup of coffee. One such project is this 1932 Ford known as the DeLorean roadster, because it was once owned by Jack DeLorean, John’s younger brother.
Of course, you are only along for the ride, not doing the work yourself. How could one seriously get a car restored in a tidy 33 minutes? Well, when you edit all the work into nice time-lapse chunks like IronTrap Garage did, it makes it look so easy.
The story started back in 2020 when Matt Murray saw an eBay listing for the rotting roadster, and drove west from his home near Philadelphia to go pick it up. The rescue mission was certainly not boring, as the car was stranded on a nearly rusted-solid vintage lift. After battling that, the car was loaded up and taken home, where the real work began.
Murray began by cutting out the rusted portions of the body, replacing them with solid steel. The chassis got the attention it needed, and then he dropped in a proper flathead V-8. Some fabrication was required to make the Columbia two-speed rear end fit and work properly, including shortening the torque tube and driveshaft by two inches and creating a linkage to shift the axle.
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The final result then was driven for a summer of road trips to events far and wide. From the car’s first life, which Matt learned about on a phone call with the original owner, to the second life of driving around Pennsylvania and beyond in 2024, this car proves that a ’32 hot rod is just about as timeless as it gets, and one well worth the effort to get back on the road. We’re just glad we got to enjoy all that effort from the comfort of our couch. Good work, Matt!
What a cool video. I appreciate the lack of drama during the build. Great snapshot into the life of a rod and the current owner.
Sweet ride. Another one saved. Cars like this are where less is more.
The raw visceral feel of a true Hot Rod is like no other and conveyed very well in this presentation but you’ll never really know without experiencing it for yourself.
Very cool video of watching the car get rebuilt to run again.
Fantastic! And like he said, cars like these are never finished. There is always another tweak or improvement.
I’m a Chevy guy, but the 32 Ford is a classic by any definition.
Great story