Johnson's Hot Rod Shop (JHRS) completed the chassis for MeKenzie Murphy’s 1932 Ford roadster in a vibrant shade of magenta. For contrast, many of the suspension components were painted black rather than chromed.
There’s an old saying that beauty is only skin deep—but nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to hot rods. For those who appreciate the meticulous mechanical execution of a hot rod chassis, that is beauty, too. To prove the point, we look at what’s under the skin of MeKenzie Murphy’s 1932 Ford roadster, built by Alan Johnson and the crew at Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop (JHRS) in Gadsden, Alabama.
One of the many custom pieces on Murphy’s roadster is the aluminum air cleaner shaped like the Offenhauser rocker covers on the small-block Chevy.
Johnson created the equivalent of a seismic event that rocked the hot rod world in 1993 when he rolled on the scene in a remarkable 1937 Ford cabriolet. The craftsmanship and attention to detail caught the attention of everyone who saw it in person or on the pages of the many magazines it appeared in. The buzz that car created helped give rise to JHRS opening its doors in 1994.
Framerails for the roadster are reproduction 1932 Ford from Shadow Rods. Made from 11-gauge steel, each ’rail is produced in two pieces to facilitate easier shipping and handling; they are also available fully assembled.
Since its inception, JHRS creations have won the Ridler award, Goodguys Street Machine of the Year, too many to count Pro’s Picks, along with others. While the cars turned out by Johnson and crew have included traditional hot rods, muscle cars, trucks, and even Bonneville racers, they all had one thing in common: scrupulous attention to detail and execution. A perfect example of the shop’s capabilities is the 1932 Ford highboy built for Murphy that won Best Street Rod at the 2024 Triple Crown of Rodding and was featured in the Dec. ’24 issue of Modern Rodding.
The new framerails were secured in the JHRS frame fixture to be boxed. In the rear, the framerails were notched for axle clearance and bobbed as the gas tank was moved from the frame to inside the trunk.
Often referred to as the “Pink Roadster,” the foundation of Murphy’s magenta masterpiece is built on Shadow Rods framerails, which JHRS boxed before installing one of their own laser-cut flat front crossmembers, a tubing center X-member, and a Model A rear crossmember. During this process, the roadster’s wheelbase was stretched by 2 inches, from 106 to 108 inches. Many of the chassis components on the roadster are JHRS production items, which will soon include front and rear springs. JHRS is currently developing a variety of products in their new Hollywood Spring & Axle line. Like the original Hollywood springs used in the early days of hot rodding, these new versions will feature the distinctive tapered leaf design known for providing a smooth ride and a consistent spring rate; we’ll bring you more information as it becomes available.
Up front, a dropped axle, JHRS flat front crossmember, and a reversed-eye spring get the car low. The crossmember was moved forward 2 inches to lengthen the wheelbase and installed at an angle to match the axle caster. Note the framerails were notched for spring clearance.
Another new development at JHRS is the recent acquisition of Walker Radiator Works, which included tooling, equipment, and proprietary manufacturing techniques. Under the new name, Johnson’s Radiator Works, the goal is to continue providing the best copper and brass cooling systems.
The roadster’s rear axle housing is held in place with JHRS aluminum ladder bars. Made from 6061-T6 aluminum, they are available in eight styles, including Hot Rod Hole Shot, Dog Bone with holes, and Raised Lip Oval, to name a few. The rear spring will locate the housing laterally.
While there are many options to choose from, one of the most eye-catching features on this roadster’s chassis are the JHRS Kinmont Safety Stop Brakes. These are faithful visual replicas of the rare and highly sought-after original Kinmont Safe Stop Brakes. These unique disc brake conversions for early Fords are tough to find and extremely expensive if you are lucky enough to discover a set. JHRS has combined the look of the original Kinmont’s with modern internal components. The front brakes feature Wilwood calipers with vented rotors, while in the rear, there are drum brakes.
To provide torsional rigidity, a tubing center crossmember was added to the frame. The advantages of this design are the strength and ease of routing exhaust.
Along with the custom modifications made, a variety of JHRS “signature” components can be found on the chassis of Murphy’s award-winning roadster. These parts blend tradition and technology, including aluminum radius rods and ladder bars, unique steering components, like the one-of-a-kind tie rod/draglink arrangement, dropped steering arms, combination headlight and shock brackets, and Kinmont brakes, with even more to come. What’s really cool is that you can also have those very same parts on your car thanks to JHRS.
Up front, the roadster is equipped with JHRS aluminum radius rods. They fit standard Ford-style I-beam axles with a standard 2.25-inch perch boss and have the correct caster angle built-in.JHRS aluminum radius rods are designed to have the tie rod run through the front set of holes, which requires the cross-steering system to use a single-eye steering arm on the right side. Caps for the pivot points on the frame are not shown here.This is how the JHRS steering linkage works—the draglink from the steering box connects to the tie rod rather than the right spindle. The JHRS steering arms are investment cast 304 stainless steel steering arms for 1937-1948 Ford spindles, available for 4- and 5-inch dropped axles. Note the use of a steering damper.In the rear will be a Model A spring from Johnson’s own Hollywood Spring & Axle, which will be used to clear the polished quick-change. The long JHRS ladder bars attach to the center crossmember and can be used with transverse springs or coilovers.The JHRS Wide-Trac sway bar has wide mounting points on the chassis to eliminate virtually all body roll. The unique stainless steel sway bar endlinks were designed to look like those found on early Ford Houdaille shocks.This chassis is a classic example of form following function; the design combines strength with simplicity.The Murphy roadster’s radiator from the new Johnson’s Radiator Works is among all the other components produced in-house.The beautifully detailed recreations of Kinmont brakes on Murphy’s roadster hide modern disc brakes up front. Also noteworthy are the JHRS front shock and headlight mounts investment cast from 304 stainless steel. They’re available as cast or polished.Tapered leaf springs, this example with reversed eyes, are currently under development at the new Hollywood Spring & Axle.Kinmont repops on the rear complement those on the front; they feature hidden drum brakes. The Model A rear spring is a Hollywood Spring & Axle prototype. Note, the shackle angle is incorrect because all weight is not yet on the chassis.The finished chassis is painted body color and features a polished stainless steel exhaust system using Borla components.
Kinmont Brakes Then and Now
By Ron Ceridono – Original Kinmont Photos Courtesy of Jay Fitzhugh
The original Kinmont brakes available as an update for Fords used a stationary circular plate (similar to a clutch pressure plate) mounted to a backing plate while the friction material was attached to the rotating “drum” that included cooling scoops. A hydraulic cylinder mounted to the backing plate pressed the circular plate against the friction material, the car came to a stop, and flat strap springs retracted the pressure plate when the brakes were released. According to our friend Jay Fitzhugh, who has painstakingly researched Kinmont brakes, they proved to be a noticeable improvement over stock Ford hydraulic brakes and were also very reliable.
Today, original Kinmont brakes are extremely rare and expensive. Still, JHRS offers their version of the Kinmont Safety Stop Brakes for those who want a vintage look with contemporary performance.
When JHRS decided to introduce their Kinmont brakes they elected to duplicate the look of the originals while updating their effectiveness by using a modern disc/drum combination.The JHRS Kinmont complete front brake kit fits 1937-1948 Ford spindles and bolts on with no modifications. The billet aluminum hubs are available in three patterns to fit most wheel configurations.Up front, the new Kinmonts use a 10.5-inch vented rotor with a four-piston Wilwood caliper. The drum cover and backing plate are precision cast and available in natural cast or polished finish.In the rear, self-adjusting 10×2.25-inch drum brakes are hidden underneath the Kinmont casting. Front and rear brake kits are available in Ford 5×4.5, 5×4.75, 5×5, 5×5.5 bolt-circle application only and the rears fit New Style Torino bearing flange with a 2.50-inch axle offset.The JHRS disc and drum covers are duplicates of the original design; note the air scoops for cooling.This is an original Kinmont backing plate from Jay Fitzhugh’s collection.The pressure plate pushing on the friction material can be seen from the “wheel side.”The original Kinmonts used these unique wheel cylinders to move the pressure plates.This is where the wheel cylinder would mount to the backing plate; it would push out, forcing the pressure plate against the friction material.Here is an original Ford hub with a Kinmont drum attached.
