March 2021 • Photos by Eric Geisert & Tony Thacker
Presented by MicksPaint.com and USAutomotive.co.uk

Ten-second hot rods are no big deal today but 35 years ago, they were a BIG DEAL. 

Never one to be left out of a hot rod trend the late Pete Chapouris of Pete & Jake’s Hot Rod Parts embarked on the build of a streetable 10-second ’32 Ford Roadster influenced by Tom McMullen’s black-n-flamed, chute poppin’ racer.

Due to some self-imposed deadlines, Chapouris’ build time was just 90 days but they managed it in just 79. Unfortunately, as the build started in 1987 Chapouris got pneumonia and much of the work fell to his buddy Pete Eastwood.

While ‘P-wood’ built the frame, B&M supplied a blown 383 ci small-block and Craig Naff beat out the aluminum before John Carambia shot the Wescott's fiberglass body and Dennis Ricklefs flamed it.

Chapouris on the road in 1988 with B&M’s Jim Davis and Roy Brizio.

Chapouris took what became known as ‘Limefire’ on the road but on the strip it ran a best of 10.78 at 132 mph. Maybe not quite a 9-second car but pretty quick for a street-driven ’32 Roadster in 1987.  And, like Chapouris’ previous star car ‘The California Kid’, Limefire, which was actually a GM paint color that Chapouris liked, became an icon and one of ‘The 75 Most Significant ’32 Ford Hot Rods.’

Always moving forward, Chapouris eventually sold Limefire and for a time it was in the hands of Dick Spielman who commissioned Chapouris and sometime partner Bob Bauder to build a matching Lil’ Limefire based on a ’89 Harley FXR Low Rider painted to match by Dick Vail.

Around the same time as Chapouris was touring the Deuce, Louie Lopez was given a ’55 Chevy but it had been hit in the driver’s door and had a bent frame. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Louie sent the car to Jose Diaz’ Quality Automotive, Glendora, CA, where the body was swapped onto another frame and the door replaced.

Diaz also painted the car before striper Larry ‘Quicksilver’ Fator flamed it in the style of Chapouris’ Limefire. Fast forward almost 30 years and Lopez decides to ship the Limefire look alike to Jimmy Shine for some under hood upgrades. A 502 ci crate motor was juiced with four Jack Sacchette-tuned downdraft Weber 48IDA carbs on an Inglese intake. On the Johnson Machine Service dyno, the 502 made 521 hp at 4900 rpm and 622 lb-ft of torque at 3,700 rpm.

Meanwhile, out came the TH400 and in went a Tremec T56 Super Magnum 6-speed with a Hurst shifter re-located to the front position by Eric Skillman at Anaheim Gear. There’s also an American Powertrain Science Friction billet steel flywheel and a GM high-performance 11-inch clutch disc, while Drivelines Inc. supplied the driveshaft.

What is unusual on a car of this style is the spindle-mount front wheels that emulate the Halibrands of Chapouris’ Limefire. In this case they are 4-inch wide American Rebel Wheels adapted by Shine to accept Wilwood hats and rotors. He then fabbed spindle-mounted brackets for the Wilwood Dynalite calipers.

The number of hot rods that have impacted the sport in a big way can be counted on one, maybe two-at-most hands. Limefire and its siblings are among them.

Vehicle: ’32 Roadster ‘Limefire’
Current custodian: Greg Betzler

• Engine: 350 ci block, 400 crank
• Internals: PAW
• Output: 495 hp on Dick Landy’s dyno,
• Transmission: B&M w/4,000 rpm stall converter
• Shifter: B&M
• Headers: Limefire by Jake
• Rails: Just-A-Hobby ’32 Ford
• Frame work and roll cage: Pete Eastwood
• Rear axle: Halibrand quick-change
• Suspension: Pete & Jake’s
• Shocks: Aldan coil-over
• Aluminum work: Craig Naff
• Body: Wescott’s
• Paint: RM acrylic lacquer custom mixed by Stan Betz
• Painter: John Carambia
• Flames: Dennis Ricklefs
• Front tires: Michelin 15-inch XZX 165
• Rear tires: 31x16 Firestone (street) 12x16 M&H Racemaster slicks (strip)
• Wheels: Halibrand spindle-mount (front), 13x16 Halibrand Sprint (rear)

Vehicle: ’55 Chevy
Owner: Louie Lopez

• Engine: 502 ci crate
• Output: 521 hp at 4900 rpm. 622 lb-ft of torque at 3,700 rpm
• Intake: Inglese
• Carbs: Weber 48IDA tuned by JayCee Enterprises
• Pulley system: March Engineering
• Water pump: Edelbrock
• Alternator: Powermaster
• Headers: Hooker
• Exhaust: 3-inch 304 stainless tubing, Magnaflow 18-inch mufflers
• Trans: Tremec T56 Super Magnum 6-speed manual
• Shifter: Hurst
• Clutch: GM high-performance 11-inch clutch disc
• Flywheel: American Powertrain Science Friction billet steel
• Driveshaft: Drivelines Inc.
• Suspension: AccuAir
• Interior: Covina Auto trim
• Steering wheel: Budnik
• Air: Vintage Air
• Painter: Jose Diaz
• Flames: Larry ‘Quicksilver’ Fator
• Rear end: 9-inch Ford Richmond 3.25:1 ring and pinion
• Axles: Currie 31-spline
• Wheels: 4 x 15 American Rebel Wheels (front),
• Tires: 15-inch XZX 165 Michelin (front), 235/75R15 Michelin (rear)