Garry Kelly’s 1932 Roadster

As Told to Gary Osborne

Photos by Gary Osborne

After the success of the Model A, Henry Ford was looking for something new to keep the competition at bay and increase sales. His answer was the flathead V-8 in an all new car. In 1932 the new models were released to the delight of the dealers and the general public. One of those models was the Roadster which helped start a whole generation of automotive hot rods.

Garry Kelly owns just such a model. He had been looking for a car that fit the category of American Automotive Icon and this was exactly what he purchased. He bought the car in September 2007 from a dealer in Minnesota. The dealer had said that he had purchased it from someone in Connecticut. The car itself was manufactured between May 23 and June 3, 1932.

The car had previously been restored but needed a few things to spruce it up. It was a nice driver but Garry was looking to do a little more. For the engine, he removed the heads to inspect the block and pistons. All was in good shape. He rebuilt the Detroit Lubricator Carburetor because of some slight rough running.

Now that the car ran and drove well he looked to the body. The color wasn’t quite the correct ’32 color so that was redone in Brewster Green. The interior was refitted with LeBaron Bonney upholstery and a new top. He replaced all the fasteners on the chassis and repainted it. The car came with 25 louver hoods which were from later production. Garry wanted the earlier 20 louver hoods for the car so he traded some other parts with another NIRG member who had a pair of the correct hoods. Also, while making the repairs on the car he had the radiator gone through. While doing this, he found a tag attached to the radiator from Hollywood, Cal. He’s not sure if the car spent time out West or just the radiator.

The car has always been a faithful runner, but last year it was the year for electrical problems. The car kept draining the battery. Garry changed the battery, went through the starter, generator, and cut out. The car kept acting up and while driving about a block from home it completely died. He knew he had a serious problem and went at it again. Ultimately it was found that the starter switch had a direct short in it that kept draining the battery. After this repair the car now runs like a champ. We all know how much fun electrical problems in a car can be!

The car is a beautiful example of a 1932 Roadster that Henry would be proud of. Hopefully, we’ll see the car at some of the NIRG events this year.