The Grasshopper was the creation of brothers Larry and Mike Alexander, whose Detroit garage, Alexander Brothers Custom Autos, became one of the most acclaimed custom automotive shops of the 1960s. Unlike such self-promoters as Barris, Bailon and Jeffries, the Alexander Brothers relied on the quality of their paint and metal work to do their talking for them. The result was a thriving business whose creations included 'Chili' Catello's 1932 Ford Three-Window “Silver Sapphire” coupe, which graced the cover of Hot Rod Magazine and became famous as The Beach Boys' “Little Deuce Coupe”; the “Alexa”, built to Harry Bradley's design for the 1964 Ford Custom Car Caravan, and the “Victorian”, a 1955 Ford Crown Victoria named to Car Craft Magazine's Top 10 in 1960. The brothers originally built the Grasshopper 1931 Ford Model A pickup in 1958 to serve as the company truck, but as they added one custom touch after another it became the shop’s rolling advertisement, eventually winning many show awards, including Best Paint at the 1958 Detroit Autorama. While subtle by Alexander Brothers standards, the custom work they performed on the Grasshopper was quite extensive. They chopped the top 2.5 inches, swapped the original fenders for 1929 pieces, replaced the bed and front grille with 1932 units and incorporated 1942 Dodge headlights. A 1951 Ford flathead V-8 was installed and the truck finished in its prize-winning Glade Green paint. With the decline of the custom car craze the Alexander Brothers closed their shop in 1969 and went their separate ways. They sold the Grasshopper to an Ohio man who continued to show it until he sold it to pinstriper Don “The Egyptian” Boake of Dayton. Over thirty years later, Don Boake sold the truck back to Mike Alexander so he could restore it in time for the 50th Anniversary of the Detroit Autorama in 2002. Alexander replaced the original frame with a reproduction 1929 chassis and had Motor City Flatheads prepare a 1948-vintage unit with gleaming Offenhauser finned high-compression heads, an Edmunds high-rise intake manifold with dual Stromberg 97 carburetors and modern electronic ignition. The original 1939 Ford transmission gave way to a Ford C4 automatic. Alexander credits his old friends the Gaffoglio family, Bob Hedrick, and Kenny Pfitzer of Metalcrafters, Inc. in Fountain Valley, CA as crucial to the restoration. They restored the bodywork and laid down the Grasshopper’s striking new Sikkens Emerald Green enamel paint. Paul Hatton, who did the original tailgate lettering and pinstriping, reprised his work, and Little John, also of Fountain Valley, reproduced the truck’s original Green and White pleated upholstery. The rest of the details, such as the handmade instrument bezel, 1950s Chrysler gauges and banjo steering wheel were all retained. A particularly delightful feature is the beautifully polished oak floor in the pick-up bed beneath the white hard tonneau cover. The restored Alexander Brothers Grasshopper 1931 Model A pickup proved as big a sensation at the 50th Anniversary of the Detroit Autorama as it was in 1958. Instantly recognizable as an icon of the American custom car craze period of the 1950s and 1960s, the Grasshopper will add prestige to any collection as a significant example of the customizer’s art. HIGHLIGHTS
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Before they built the Dodge A-100-based Deora, one of the most famous customized pickups of the 1960s, the Alexander brothers of Detroit built another pickup, though for an entirely different purpose. Intended to serve as their shop truck and parts chaser rather than as a turntable queen, the Grasshopper nevertheless collected its own share of show awards and accolades, and later this month will cross the auction block. Not long after brothers and Army veterans Larry and Mike Alexander quit their day jobs to start their own customizing shop in 1957, the two decided they needed a shop truck that would double as a rolling billboard and calling card for their services. So they bought a $100 1931 Ford Model A, filled the roof and chopped it 2-1/2 inches, added 1929 Model A fenders, installed a filled and peaked 1932 Ford grille shell and mahogany-lined 1932 Ford pickup bed, and sprayed it all in Glade Green Metallic, a hue that led to its nickname as well as to a Best Paint award at the 1958 Detroit Autorama. While the brothers kept the drivetrain rather sedate – just a stock 1951 Ford flathead V-8 backed by a Ford three-speed manual transmission – they did lower it with a dropped front axle and modified rear crossmember and spruce up the interior with green and white tuck and roll and a homemade gauge cluster using 1950s Chrysler gauges. How long exactly the brothers kept Grasshopper – and whether they actually used it to haul parts for their business – isn’t clear, but it appeared to remain on the show circuit through the next couple of owners, the latter of which, Don Boake of Dayton, Ohio, removed the drivetrain to update it sometime in the late 1960s, but never got around to finishing the project. He reportedly claimed he’d only ever sell the Grasshopper to one or both of the Alexander brothers, and his wish came true when, in about 2001, Mike Alexander came knocking, looking to buy the pickup. Mike then commissioned Metalcrafters, Inc., in Fountain Valley, California, to put the Grasshopper back together again. The customized body remained in good shape, but Metalcrafters had to replace the chassis with another 1929 Ford frame. This time, they went with a 1948 Ford flathead V-8, bored and ported and fitted with Edelbrock high-compression heads and dual Strombergs on an Edmunds intake manifold, backed by a Ford C4 automatic transmission and Ford 8-inch rear axle. Completed in time to show at the 50th anniversary Detroit Autorama in 2008, the Grasshopper then sold at RM’s Icons of Speed and Style auction the following year for $143,000, exceeding its $80,000 to $120,000 estimate. Since then, it’s been listed on Hemmings.com for $110,000. |
Alexander brothers’ 1931 Grasshopper Ford Truck
