Lynn Yakel's 1932 Ford

Lynn's coupe next to Monte Monroe's 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe. The photo was taken at Monte's house.

Lynn's Coupe in front of Montebello High School.

Lynn's Coupe at the Hot Rod Exposition held at the National Guard Armory in Los Angeles, California in 1950.

Lynn's Coupe as it appeared when it was featured in Trend Book 102 Hot Rods

Lynn tuning the engine on his Coupe during an El Mirage event. Photo from Fawcett Book 109 Sports Cars and Hot Rods were Lynn's Coupe was featured as the 8th fastest Hot Rod

Lynn behind the wheel of his Coupe at El Mirage in 1950

Lynn's coupe with chromed wheels.

Bruce Olson's 1932 Ford 5-Window Coupe of Beach, North Dakota. Bruce bought the coupe in 1954, after seeing the featured story on Lynn's coupe in Trend Book 102 Hot Rods. "I wanted to build it as close as possible to Yeakel's car - flathead and all" said Bruce in a letter to Rod & Custom magazine editor Pat Ganahl. "I really liked a pumped flathead, but my dad thought I should consider an overhead. The final decision was either a nailhead Buick or a Hemi. I picked the Hemi, and it has had one in it ever since." The first version of Bruce's coupe was completed in 1955.

1932 Ford 5 Window Coupe owned by Hutters car club member Lynn Yakel of Montebello, California. Lynn's coupe was chopped 3 1/2 inches and channeled 6 inches over the frame. The stock grille and radiator were sectioned in order to fit the lowered body. For a cleaner appearance, the body had the cowl vent, shell and deck lid molded in place. The roof was filled using a steel plate. Whitey Clayton of Clayton Metal Shop made a 3-piece aluminum hood with 132 louvers punched into it for Lynn's coupe. In addition to this, he also reworked the side moldings on the car so that stopped just short of the hood side panel separation. Yakel's coupe was done about the same time as Bill NieKamp's 1929 Ford Model A Roadster, and Lynn remembers seeing Bill's roadster under construction in Whitey's shop. Up front the coupe sported a fully chromed and dropped 1932 Ford axle. Tubular shocks were mounted on special spring shackles. A Halibrand Quick Change gear box was mounted in the rear. The 3.78 gears were reduced to a 3.19 final drive ratio intended for street use. The center section of the Halibrand Quick Change was chopped to fit the '32 frame and bolted to a special tubular cross-member. The rear spring was lengthened and re-arched to clear the other components. The 1946 Ford wheels were pressed out 1/4 inch in order to clear the body. The stock brakes were replaced by hydraulic binders from a newer model. Kenny Smith did most of the body and chassis work on Lynn's coupe.

When Lynn's car was featured in Fawcett Book 109 Sports Cars and Hot Rods from 1950 it was powered by a 1939 Mercury engine bored to 3 7/16 inches and stroked 7/16 inches, giving a displacement of 312 cubic inches. It had Evans heads, a three-carburetor manifold, Laughton diecast pistons and a specially ground camshaft. Valve seats were 30-degree and adjustable tappets were used. Ignition was a Lincoln Zephyr conversion featuring dual coils, separate points and condensers, with vacuum advance can removed. At 5,000 rpm that version of the engine developed 225 brake horsepowers.

An innovative design on the car was the use of dual gas tanks, used independently. One tank held 10 gallons and worked off the fuel pump; the other was a 5 gallon tank that supplied fuel by pressure. The two tanks were run together into a three-way aircraft valve.

Lynn's Coupe was upholstered in imitation leather. The dashboard had a tachometer, speedometer, oil-pressure gauge, ammeter and gas gauge.

Lynn clocked the car at 128.02 mph at Bonneville in 1950, and 112 mph in second gear at the Rusetta meet. With modification he hoped to challenge his class record.

Lynn's coupe has been unseen for decades, but it is rumored to exist. According to one of Lynn's good friends, Ron Kellog, Lynn last saw his coupe in the 1960s. The engine and other parts were missing, and the current owner was trying to sell it for $ 450. Another story tells at the end of 1952, Lynn sold the coupe but found it again in 1956. The coupe was then stored in a private garage directly behind Jerry Eisert's auto repair shop in Montebello, California. The car was painted metallic green and had some minor damage to the body. Lynn's good friend Earl Monroe believes the car was owned by Jerry or his partner Bill at the time.

Magazine Features

Hot Rod Magazine September 1950
Fawcett Book 109 Sports Cars and Hot Rods
Trend Book 102 Hot Rods