RON STETTER: 1932 – 2023

Ron Stetter passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 91 on March 18, 2023

This ’32 three-window coupe was built in 1952 by Ron Stetter in his garage in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a four-year stint in the Navy. It remained in his care and remained virtually unchanged since the day it was finished.

The car is an excellent reminder of the creativity, resourcefulness and ingenuity that typified so many of the young hot-rodders of the postwar period. Pennsylvania law at the time required fenders, so Ron fashioned the two fronts from spare-tire covers and adapted the front fenders from an abandoned truck for the rears.

He chopped the top and channeled the body using a homemade cutting torch and ran his welder using power from a generator powered by a Model A engine. The car was powered by a bored and stroked Ford flathead V-8 with three Holley carburetors.

When Ron retired to Orlando, Florida, the ’32 went with him. It has recently returned to its Pennsylvania roots here at 3 Dog Garage, where it can be enjoyed by new generations of hot-rod enthusiasts.

Ron Steller died peacefully in his sleep during the evening of March 18, 2023.