Dave Stuckey's Lil' Coffin

Lil' Coffin is a 1932 Ford Sedan built by Dave Stuckey of Wichita, Kansas. Dave bought the car in 1954 from Warren Wilhelm's dad who owned a car lot on South Broadway in Wichita, Kansas. The car had perfect body and fenders. The first night Dave owned the car he removed the motor, transmission, fenders, hood and grille so that he could channel it. He then took it to General Welding, the company where he worked after school, and channeled it 9 inches. At the same time Dave also welded in a straight front cross-member, mounts for the radiator, split the wishbones, mounted a flathead motor and put hydraulic brakes on the car. While building the car, Dave began working part time after school for Darryl Starbird at his Star Kustom Shop. The first version of the car with a sectioned '32 grille shell was finished in 1956.


Over the years, Dave continuously made changes to the car in some way or another. In 1958 Dave put a 1940 Ford dashboard in the car and built the rear fenders, which were built completely with rods as the understructure and tubing to form the wheel wells. This structure was then covered with formed sheet metal which was brazed to the outer tubes. A grille was molded into the rear end and fit with special nerf bars. A couple of front pans from a 1953 Studebaker were used to form the lower rear-end of the body. Dave used 1930 Ford Model A front fenders and formed the running boards from sheet metal. Bill Tumbelston helped Dave form the front nerf bar using a 1958 Edsel grille shell as form. The nerf bar held the headlights which were 1959 Harley Davidson units. Exhaust pipes were incorporated into the fenders and running boards. Once completed, Dave painted the car with a Titian red 1956 Buick color. Dave left out the black while mixing the color, and replaced this by 246-0887-H. The color was shot over a yellow tint mixing lacquer. Frank Turner did all the interior work on the '32. The car was upholstered in red and white Matlasha fabric imported from Belgium with silver threads sewn into it. The dash was filled and reworked for Stewart-Warner instruments. The doors were opened via solenoid system. The car had several different engines during its first years. In Car Craft November 1960 the car is featured with its original grille and a 1954 DeSoto engine. The car was bored 3 13/16, equipped with larger valves, Isky camshaft, J. E. Pistons, Grant rings, reworked heads with 11 1/2: 1 compression ratio, Crower Manifold, four Stromberg 97's, Mercury clutch and 1939 Ford transmission and rear end.


A new grill shell similar to the Ala Kart was built with the help of Roger Hatchett, who also worked at Star Kustom Shop. The shell was restyled with chromed bullets. King George, a pinstriper from Lawrence, Kansas pinstriped the car.


The name "Lil' Coffin" came from a girl in Dodge City, Kansas that thought the car looked like a little coffin because of the interior.


After Dave opened his own shop in 1960, he began to rework the Lil' Coffin. He sectioned the car 4 inches, reworked the top to make it cantilevered, and cut off the front fenders to move them forward. He made a new grill sporting a tubular arrangement, changed the rear grill to match the one in front, moved the motor back and installed six carbs on the motor. The firewall and dashboard were changed, the doors were turned around, the interior changed and four bucket seats were installed. The car also got a handgrip steering wheel. Dave was running out of money at the time, and decided to sell the car to his good friend Larry Farber. They agreed that Dave would finish the car so Larry could show it. Larry was going to take it to California where George Barris had lined up shows for him. Dave changed the front seat to a bench seat, put a tonneau cover over the rear seat, and had Frank Turner re-do the upholstery. White Naugahyde covered the seats, while the carpeting was gold. Dave painted the car candy wild cherry. Larry took the car to California and showed it there at various shows such as the 1962 National Roadster Show.


People from Monogram saw the car at the National Roadster Show. Jack Besser the president of Monogram decided that they just had to have the car. They contacted Larry, and a deal to sell it to Monogram was made. After showing the car for a while, the paint had been damaged and Monogram sent it to Star Kustom Shop for a new paint job. Dave Puhl who was working for Darryl Starbird at the time painted the car. Monogram had bought the car to make a model of it, didn't want anything on the car to be changed, only a new paint job and a touch up.

Monkey Ward Delivery

Darryl Starbird bought the Lil' Coffin from Monogram in 1967. He stored it for a couple of years before he decided to put it back on the show circuit. Darryl restyled the car into a sedan delivery. He dubbed the car the Monkey Ward Delivery, and toured the show circuit with it for several years.


Fabulous Phaeton

In 1980, Darryl decided to get the 32 out of storage and restyle it again. He now turned the car into a street rod. He returned the body to the Lil' Coffin look, but he fit it with a removable padded top. The car was painted in Candy red paint, and featured an all leather interior. The car made its debut at the 1981 NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. After that show Darryl toured the country with the car. While unloading the car from a semi trailer, a leak in the fuel line ignited when the car started. The car burst into flames, and Darryl managed to jump out of the car.


Darryl put the damaged remains back in storage until 1992, when he decided that he wanted to make a 90's redo of the car.


Lil' Coffin

February 20, 2009 Darryl Starbird debuted the restored version of the Lil' Coffin at his annual Darryl Starbird's Exotic Car Show Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Darryl has restored the car back to its 1962 version.


The Rumors

In 1992 Rod & Custom Magazine published the story Nine Lives by Darryl Starbird. In the story Darryl claimed that he built the Lil' Coffin. These rumors have been around for years, so Dave Stuckey decided to stand up for himself and tell the true story about the Lil' Coffin. This story can be found at his website: www.davestuckeyslilcoffin.com. There is no doubt that Darryl Starbird worked on Dave's car. Rod & Custom April 1992 shows pictures of a young Darryl hand-forming the rear fenders on the car. So I guess the big issue is who did what, and how involved each person was in the build.


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Lil' Coffin II

The Lil' Coffin II was built by Ron Englert and Ron Kilmer as a tribute to Dave Stuckey.


Magazine Features

Custom Cars October 1959
Custom Rodder January 1960
Custom Cars March 1960
Car Craft November 1960
Custom Rodder February 1962
Rod & Custom November 1962
Hot Rod Magazine May 1963
Customs Illustrated September 1963
Car Craft October 1963
Popular Customs Fall Issue 1965
Popular Customs February/March 1966
Rod & Custom August 1991
Rod & Custom April 1992
Hot Rod Deluxe May 2009



http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Dave_Stuckey%27s_Lil%27_Coffin

In 1954, a young kid behind the wheel of a channeled '32 Ford Tudor came storming down Mt. Vernon Avenue in Wichita, Kansas. As the Ford passed the train tracks it slowed and made its way up to the doors of the Star Kustom Shop. The shop proprietor, Darryl Starbird, noticed the channeled Ford from the corner of his eye and made his way out to greet what he thought would be just another run of the mill customer. As the kid climbed out from the car Darryl hollered, "What can I do for ya?" The kid replied, "My name's Dave Stuckey and I'm here to see about a job." Dave had moderate skills with welding, bodywork and customizing, but his eagerness and enthusiasm to craft his talent was immeasurable. It didn't take long for Starbird to notice, so he decided to give the kid a chance, and gave Dave a part time job, which he worked after school got out.

Over the next few years Dave soaked up all that the Star Kustom Shop had to offer and perfected his skills. It wasn't too long before Dave was working side-by-side with Starbird as his right-hand man. Although he punched a clock on customer cars, building his '32 was always at the back of his mind. During downtime Darryl would lend a helping hand and help Dave work on the '32. Eager to see his dream unfold, Dave would burn the midnight oil after the shop closed, striving to give his Deuce that perfect look. Over the next few years the once fenderlesss, channeled and Flathead-powered Tudor would receive custom rear fenders with dual '53 Studebaker pans, Model A front fenders, custom running boards, a one-off Ala Kart-styled grille shell with chrome bullets, '40 Ford dash, a Buick Titan Red paint job with gold scallops, and of course, that classic DeSoto 331ci Hemi.

Another key element the sedan sported was the white and maroon Matlasha (a fabric imported from Belgium) interior, which a female onlooker said made the car look like a little coffin. The phrase seemed to strike the right chord, and the once car-with-no-name was dubbed, Li'l Coffin. The finished product then appeared on the cover of the November 1960 issue of Car Craft, and was also featured in Cars magazine's spread on the Star Kustom Shop's Best of '59.

In 1960, Dave parted ways with Star Kustom Shop to open the doors of Stuckey Kustoms in Wichita, Kansas. With him he brought his '32, and began what has become known as the "Wildest Deuce Ever Shown." The first order of business was to section the body and bring the beltline down to just above the rear wheel wells. Next, Dave reworked the cowl with '58 Merc headlight bezels frenched in with bullet accents. The DeSoto engine, mated to a '39 Ford transmission, received two more Stromberg carbs and was sucked up into the cowl to make way for a new one-off sleek nose decorated with six streamline tubes. Under the nose sat a '37 Ford tube axle with custom spring pockets. The most notable change, and defining touch, was when Dave reshaped and altered the roof to a unique cantilever-style top with a mid-mounted chrome roll bar for support. Inside, the car received a new dash with floating gauges, a custom steering wheel and four bucket seats (the bucket seats were later replaced with the bench style seat with tonneau cover). The car was well on its way to wowing the show circuit; only problem was Stuckey had run out of money to finish it. At this point Larry Farber enters the story. Larry purchased the car from Dave, but part of the arrangement was that Dave would finish the car for Larry to show. True to his word, Stuckey completed the '32 and Larry set out to show it to the world. From here the car went on to grace the cover of Rod & Custom in November of '62, and be featured in countless other publications.

In the early Sixties Darryl Starbird was head custom consultant at Monogram Model Company. During Darryl's tenure with Monogram they turned six of Darryl's full-size cars into models and contracted him to build one-off creations of his design for the company, lend his designing hand to a number of kits, and of course, act as a consultant. Monogram president Jack Besser told Starbird they were in the market to bring out a knockout kit based around a rod. Before the last word rolled off Besser's tongue, Starbird knew just the car that would stir a craze in households near and far: Stuckey's Li'l Coffin. Following the lead of their head custom consultant, Monogram purchased the car, and had Darryl freshen things up after the show circuit had taken its toll on the Deuce (on an ironic note, Stuckey was once again working for Starbird when Monogram dropped the car off for a little lipstick and rouge).

In 1967, muscle cars were in full swing and custom one-off creations, like the Li'l Coffin, were considered yesterday's news. The Li'l Coffin was of no use for Monogram, being that the public was after factory-styled model kits, so they gave Starbird a call and offered him the chance to buy it. Because these "nostalgic" rods had little to no value at the time, Starbird couldn't refuse the bottom dollar offer. Not only did the cars of this style have no dollar value, they didn't have much of a shelf life with the general public either, therefore the Li'l Coffin fell to the wayside like so many other rods and customs, and was restyled into something completely different. Darryl's first of many reincarnations of the Li'l Coffin was dubbed The Monkey Ward Delivery. The car was outfitted with an all-new nose, GMC 8/71 blower and a sedan delivery-styled upper deck. In 1980, Starbird went on to restyle the car once again, this time as a dual-cowl phaeton with a Jag IFS, Corvette IRS, dual-carbureted Chevy 350 and lift-off Carson-style top. Tragically, this version was short lived due to the fact it caught fire while unloading. The car, with Darryl in it, nearly burnt to the ground. Like a broken record, the car was once again resurrected in the early Nineties with, yes, you guessed it, a new look. This time the car received a full-bodied tilt nose with an aluminum grille nestled up front. Also new to the scene was a lift-off hardtop with a full-framed windshield.

Jump ahead to 2007 when nostalgic rods and customs are no longer outcasts in the hot rod world. Seeing where the movement is headed, Darryl once again decided to break out the torch and re-work the Li'l Coffin, only this time, put it back to Stuckey's original model car design. First up, the updated chassis needed to take a trip back in time. The original pickup points for the Deuce's underpinnings were still traceable, therefore Darryl was able to place a new '37 Ford axle and split wishbones in the appropriate position and maintain the original wheelbase. Once in position, Darryl crafted the custom spring pockets with coil springs and shock mounts. At the center of the Deuce 'rails lies a custom-fabbed stabilizer bar, which connects to the '37 axle keeping the frontend assembly centered. A '48 Ford quick-change rearend, converted to open drive, was relocated under the rear with split wishbones.

Next up came the daunting task of locating a DeSoto 331ci Hemi. Once one turned up, United Motors, in Wichita, Kansas, and Darryl's son, Cliff Starbird, overhauled it and topped it with six Stromberg 97s, just like Stuckey intended. Starbird was only able to scour up one of the original intake manifolds; therefore he turned to Eelco to duplicate a set of new manifolds. Stuckey had the original headers for the car and was glad to send them off to their rightful place. However, the exhaust pipes that flow so fluidly with the running boards needed to be recreated. Backing the Hemi is a Ford three-speed tranny with a Hot Heads adapter plate.

It was then time to put things back to the iconic look of the Li'l Coffin. From the beltline down, the car maintained its original persona, but from there things needed to be re-worked. A good starting position was the cowl. Starbird had to make the oval opening with handmade bezels, in the vein of the Merc bezels, and decorative bullets. Although the front fenders were left intact over the years the nose was long gone. Therefore, Starbird constructed a replica of the nose out of 1/2-inch steel conduit and sheetmetal. Inside the concaved nose rests six streamline tubes, and directly behind that is a custom-made radiator, by US Radiator.

The rear fenders were also intact, but the distinctive look of the dual '53 Studebaker pans were out of sight. Being that Stude pans aren't a readily available commodity like yesteryear, Starbird mimicked the Stude look using steel tubing and sheetmetal. Inside the newly-fabbed pan rests streamline tubing. Behind the tubing is an oval piece of Plexiglas painted translucent candy red, which acts as signals and taillights.

The heaviest task at hand was the cantilever-style roof. Being that the last form of the Li'l Coffin had a lift-off top, Starbird had to once again make pieces of the car from thin air. After sifting through piles of old car parts, Darryl stumbled across the original roll bar. The roll bar was installed and the roof was built accordingly. The outer portion of the roof is all metal, while the inset is a steel tube skeleton with Carson-style padding. With things back to Sixties status quo, Darryl sprayed the car in a patented Starbird House Of Kolor custom mixed Candy Apple Red over gold. Lastly, the American Racing 15-inch Torq Thrust rims wrapped with Coker whitewalls and cheater slicks were thrown in the mix to set things off just as the picture on the model's box depicted.

Under the cantilever-style roof rests a new bench seat, once again crafted by Starbird, outfitted in pearl white Naugahyde with gold Frieze by Walt's Upholstery in Mulvane, Kansas. Gracing the dash is a one-off replica steering wheel and floating gauge pods housing Stewart Warner Lifelines. The tonneau cover out back is upholstered to match the seats, and the entire underside of the roof is masked with tuck-n-roll pearl white Naugahyde.

Still something was missing. The car was never intended to have a skeleton stand next to it, but when Monogram threw the skeleton in the model it immediately immortalized the Li'l Coffin. One such fellow who stills remembers his first kit, is Jerry Glenzinski. To show his appreciation he finished off the look of the car creating a life-size skeleton to lean against the car, just like on the model's box.

Who would have thought what seemed to be an ordinary encounter between two hot rod enthusiasts 55 years ago would turn out to be the starting point in a long winded history of just another '32 Ford Model B. But then again, when you add ingredients like Stuckey, Starbird and Wichita into the mix, nothing is ever a "just another" custom car or hot rod!

Rod & Custom Feature Car
Darryl Starbird
DelawareCounty, Oklahoma
Li'lCoffin- 1932 Ford Sedan

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Little Coffin , St. Paul car show 1963