As hot rod and custom enthusiasts, we’re all aware of the lineage and prowess surrounding the 1932 Ford. Even those who are new to the culture get a quick lesson–reverence towards the Mercury in the custom world is the same affection hot rodders share for the ’32. Whatever your preference, 3-window, 5-window, or roadster–this timeless classic is the poster-boy representation of hot rodding in our day and age.

From the salt flats to the streets, and to the shows that dot our calendars annually–everyone knows a ’32 when they see one. A couple of months back we had the pleasure of shooting model, Emily Sherer, alongside a midnight blue ’32 5-window owned by Old Farts Car Club member, John Angelo. We recently got in touch with John to get a more in depth view of his car and to learn more about the owner himself.

John is a contractor based in the town of Moreno Valley, California. Being part of the Inland Empire and furthermore, Southern California, he is surrounded by no shortage of fellow enthusiasts that flock to the bounty of classic car shows throughout the year. He and his club’s own events are also a source of pride and excitement since Old Farts shows are geared towards the restoration of Riverside County. John is an avid hot rodder that uses his passion to give back to his community. What better way to make the most out of one’s car than that?

Every enthusiast has a past that we’re dying to know about. Whether it was through their own discovery, trial and error, or a passion instilled by someone influential to them early on in life–the dedication that it takes to be in this hobby is what makes it so critical to learn about a person’s past and what makes them tick.

“Well my uncle Frank gave me my first ’32 when I was around 15 years old. It was a high-boy type and actually, some of the original parts from that ’32 are on the ’32 that I have today,” John explained. He continued, “That car that my uncle had given me was channeled and it sat kinda like the American Graffiti car, it wasn’t all together like that, but it had that style.”

Eventually, John ended up selling that first ’32 to his friend whom he’d acquired his current ’32 from. John’s buddy had helped put a couple things from his uncle’s ’32 onto the second one, including hardware such as the door handles.

Though the ‘32 John’s uncle had given him has undoubtedly traded several hands since then, as it was eventually sold by his friend, we’ve seen stories of original owners being reunited with their rides, even just to glimpse it–who knows maybe he’ll catch site of it one day.

Fast forward to 1974, the year that John acquired the ’32 that we see before us today. Talk about a love for your ride, John has owned it for over 40 years.

“I had built this dune buggy back in the 70s and I ended up trading it to my buddy for the ’32. It was all apart at the time and it took me eight years to put it together. I traded for it in 1974 and in 1982 I put it on the road for its 50th birthday.”

Fifty percent of the build was handled by John. With the other fifty percent, he had the help of his late friend, Chas Morrison, who according to John was, simply put, “a super fabricator.” In return for his good friend’s help, John, who believed very much in the barter system, built Chas his own garage.

Upon getting the car put back together and mounted back on the original frame, John took his car down to an old shop, Beverly Hills Automotive, where he took his old frame rails down, had them mounted to the jig, and eventually reinforced with some custom crossmembers.

John mentioned that his favorite part of the car was the frame itself. We can’t blame him, when you build your own car and give it new life, it’s often times the artwork and craftsmanship that unfortunately gets covered up and unseen that have a special place in your heart.

While some car clubs are highlighted by having a good time and just hanging out with the guys wrenching and shooting the bull, not only do John and his club do that, they are also dedicated to the betterment of the county they live in.

“We’re very involved with Show-N-Go in Riverside. A few years ago we also redid the Evergreen cemetery.” The Evergreen cemetery, or Evergreen Memorial Park, is a cemetery in Riverside, California with a recorded first burial occurring in 1872. The cemetery became the resting place for many historic figures local to the area.

John continued, “Our club tries to do a lot of donations in order to help rebuild something in the Riverside area each year.” His club recently held the 18th annual Reunion and Car show at the American Legion Post No. 79 off Fairmount Park and Lake Evans in Riverside. “We’re working on rebuilding that, putting new windows in it, and just updating the building. You know, we’re from out in this area so we try to do things for the Inland Empire.”

Needless to say, John and his buddies in the Old Farts Car Club sure set an example of the influence and ability to do good that being part of a car club offers. We’d like to extend our thanks to him and his club for their donations that go towards the constant improvement of the county and the community as a whole.

Moving on to his gorgeous ride that we had the pleasure of shooting in the foothills of Moreno Valley–in the rear you’ll find an old Pete and Jake four-link suspending a rearend out of a ’66 Ranchero. The rearend runs 3.55 and was shortened to take two short axles. John wanted to offset the rails so that he could run bigger tires out back. A coilover setup rounds out the rear of his ’32.

In the front, John runs a bell tube axle for a nice lowered stance giving it a four inch drop. ’65 Mustang disc brakes have been swapped in which John had built the caliper brackets for. The stock transverse leaf spring rounds out the front end.

Spinning the Ranchero rearend is a ’66 327 ci with fuel injected heads, Edelbrock manifold, Holley carburetor, Doug Thorley headers, and an Isky cam. John’s motor is mated to a TH350 transmission outfitted with a shift kit. Reel driveline out of Pomona, California provided the connection.

The rich paint color is native to the 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo while John’s fenders sport a  subtle contrasting black. John wanted to express his special thanks to his late friend Gormo who was responsible for laying down his pinstriping. “He was a long time friend and an all around great guy,” said John. He also extends his thanks out to his friend Dwayne Casteloes for his hand in painting the ’32 as well as stepping up to the task of bodywork.

This ’32 is classy in terms of maintaining its originality. John really captures the essence of it with its original body, frame, and accessories such as handles, headlights, and taillights. According to John, the only modification aside from reinforcing the frame rails with some custom crossmembers was cutting down the splash apron under the radiator in order to accommodate his ’32’s lowered stance.

Moving to the inside of the car, John went with a gray velour that was inspired from the material found in 80s Cadillacs, “I went with this material–it was what we were doing in the 80s.”

A set of timeless Stewart Warner gauges tell John everything he needs to know about his ride when he’s in the driver’s seat.

In closing John was asked what advice he could give a young guy who wanted to get into the hobby. He had this to say, “Build it yourself. It took me eight years to put this one together and it’s worth it. Plus, you know the car, that’s the thing. If it breaks down I know the car.”

For those who have or will ever run into the perils and stresses of building a project car, John had some words of wisdom pertaining to the subject matter as well, “Like I said, it took me eight years to put it together. If you get frustrated [with your project] just push it in the corner. Don’t sell it. Let it sit there for a year, six months, or whatever and get back on it.”

Definitely some very real advice as we know most have run into their fair share of snags that could blow out the fire of even a motivational speaker. The principle remains–stay dedicated to what it is you’re passionate about and the payoff is timeless. The eight years that it took for John to recreate this ’32 and put it back on the road is nothing compared to the 40 years he’s owned it and the memories he continues to make along the way.