MY LITTLE DEUCE COUPE

Well I’m not braggin’ babe so don’t put me down
But I’ve got the fastest set of wheels in town
When somethin’ comes up to me he don’t even try
Cause if it had a set a wings, man I know she could fly
She’s my little deuce coupe
You don’t know what I got

 

The Beech Boys song by Brian Wilson was released on October 7, 1963. It climbed to #4 and stayed on the charts for 46 weeks. The song must have stayed on Roger Greiner’s mind for 41 years, as that’s how long it has taken him to get his own little deuce coupe.

Roger is a long time Waynedale resident who attended Elmhurst High School (Class of ’57). He joined the Navy and afterwards picked up a job at Zollner Corporation. He recently retired and decided to have a 1932 Deuce Coupe built to his own specifications.

To accomplish the task he went to Barry’s Street Rod Shop, and talked to shop owner Barry Dunlop.

Barry has been building street rods for 30 years. He grew up on the northside of town and attended North Side High School (Class of ’60). His shop is located at 8105 Franke Road. Barry has been at this new location for 2 years. He has a three-man, one-woman shop and he works on street rods older than 1948 and an occasional muscle car.

Barry began working on Roger’s Little Deuce Coupe project last October and the car was finished in June of this year. I talked to Barry last Thursday and asked him what kind of engine he put in Roger’s new car. “It’s a Ram Jet, fuel injected 350ci by 350hp Chevy. The transmission is a 700R with overdrive. The electrical is an ENOS black box wiring panel from California and the dash is a Dakota Digital.”

 

Just a little deuce coupe with a flat head mill
But she’ll walk a Thunderbird like it’s standing still
She’s ported and relieved and she’s stroked and bored
She’ll do a hundred and forty with the top end floored

 

Roger said, “I could have chosen a lot of different cars, but this is the one I wanted. The parts came from all over the country. The frame is from Michigan and the gas tank is from California. The body is fiberglass so I won’t have to deal with rust, and instead of chrome, I went with all stainless steel. The headlights are original style 1932 Ford High-boys and the tail lights are copies from a 1950 Pontiac.”

Roger says it rides a bit rough and seems to find potholes, but the ride is what he expected it to be.

 

And comin’ off the line when the light turns green
Well she blows ’em outta the water like you never seen
I get pushed out of shape and it’s hard to steer
When I get rubber in all four gears
She’s my little deuce coupe
You don’t know what I got