Joe DiLoreto's 1932 Ford Cabriolet

Joe DiLoreto's 1932 Ford Cabriolet on the cover of Rod Builder & Customizer February 1958. The SCOT supercharger and twin carburetors on the 276 cubic inch Flathead V-8 earned the car its "Deep-Chested Deuce" nickname. Photo by Dave Fuller.

The opening spread of the "Deep-Chested Deuce" feature in Rod Builder & Customizer February 1958. The article was written by W. W. Higgins, with photos by Dave Fuller. The inset photo at the top right shows Joe DiLoreto with his cabriolet, wearing its white Orlon retractable top and hand-made chrome nerf bars.

1932 Ford Cabriolet owned by Joe DiLoreto of Havertown, Pennsylvania. Known as the "Dominant Deuce" by its owner and the "Deep-Chested Deuce" by Rod Builder & Customizer magazine, the SCOT-blown Flathead powered cabriolet was a regular competitor at local drag strips in the mid-1950s, and was featured on the cover of Rod Builder & Customizer February 1958.

The Build

DiLoreto worked full-time as a plumber and held a part-time job as a staff writer for Eastern Auto Ads, a newspaper that served as a clearing house for classified ads for custom, antique, rod, and classic car owners. He bought the 1932 Ford in rough condition around 1955, when he was 18 years old, and transformed it into a show and strip car. The build was completed around 1957.

The car was powered by a 276 cubic inch 1948 Ford 59A Flathead V-8 that had been ported, polished, and relieved. It had a 4-1/8 inch bore and a 3-5/16 inch stroke. Fenton heads gave it a 9 to 1 compression ratio, and it ran oversized valves, Melling cams, and Harmon Collins ignition. A SCOT supercharger fed 10 pounds of air pressure into the manifold through twin carburetors, giving the car the "Deep-Chested" nickname. DiLoreto ran the quarter mile at 106 mph.

The drivetrain used Lincoln Zephyr gears, a chopped 1941 Ford drive shaft, and a 4:11 rear end. Up front, a 1940 Ford column shift was combined with the 1932 Ford steering linkage.

Bodywork and Interior

The body was finished in a deep maroon lacquer applied by A-1 Motors of Philadelphia. A white Orlon cloth retractable top fit over chromed convertible top brackets that DiLoreto made himself. DiLoreto also hand-crafted the nerf bars, removable chrome roll bars, the special blower pulley, and the exhaust headers. Inside, he built a mahogany dash fitted with Stewart-Warner instruments. The car was equipped with seat belts.

Racing

DiLoreto was a member of the West Chester Pike Timing Association. According to his son Steve DiLoreto, the association was named after a two-lane road in Pennsylvania where members raced in the 1950s. DiLoreto called the car his "Dominant Deuce" because it usually dominated the competition at the strips. At the time of the magazine feature, he expressed interest in swapping the SCOT supercharger onto a reworked Chevrolet engine with a Posi-traction rear end.

Later History

DiLoreto owned the car from 1955 to 1961. According to his son Steve DiLoreto, he tracked the car down after a 35-year search and found it just five minutes from his house. The original body survived with some minor changes, but the car had been rebuilt as a modern street rod. As of 2026, Steve had a first-right-of-purchase agreement with the current owner's family, with plans to restore it back to its 1958 appearance if the opportunity comes through.

Magazine Features and Appearances

Rod Builder & Customizer February 1958 (cover and feature)