Features The Pinnacle of Early Ford Engineering...

I couldn't agree more, It also doesn't hurt that a 39 deluxe is one of the most beautiful cars Ford ever made.

 

If you allow movement out into the rest of the Ford Family, might I propose the '40/'41 Lincoln Continental as a genuine contender??

 

Not so sure a T5 would work at all in a tailpipe. Great read. I love that '39. They're classy cars stock! Lower it, bigs n littles...DONE!

 

Sounds like you found the sweet spot.

 

Your ramblings are so much more interesting to read then my ramblings. I've often considered using a classic as a daily driver. Living in P.A. I'd feel guilty has hell subjecting a nice classic driver to the shitty winter roads here. The thing would be junk before to long. In the nice weather portion of the year, I drive my classics as often as possible.

 

Although a few years newer, but with that same 30's technology, my lowered 46 coupe also drives, steers and stops like a dream. Rides quiet and smooth. They (late 30's-early 40's Fords) really are good cars

 

ramble on, I LOVE '39-40 Fords also,
Heck I like any ford, Just lookin' at em, WITH right wheels , tires, stance..

I told my wife I would keep my "40 tudor, if I could only drive it up and down the driveway with an extension cord. THAT wife's gone, '40's gone. LIFE HAPPENS..

 

To this, when I first purchased my bone stock '35 slantback, I drove it as such for a very little amount of time. What I did notice was how nice and smooth the ride was but that didn't matter to me at the time. I was bent on modifying the hell out of it. Bigger flathead, juice brakes, open drive to a 9" with parallel springs, big n littles, drop axle etc etc.
When done the first thing I noticed was......the ride had changed. Not just some....but a lot and not for the better.
I didn't give the stock setup it's credit. IMHO, that spring forward and aft combo is the cats meow for riding comfort.
Henry had something for sure!

 

-while reading your post, had Ramblin' Man by the Allman Brothers band playing in back of my mind

 

You have yet to enjoy a squarebird Ryan! However, I agree, the '36-'48 cars are roomy enough for a 6'5" guy like myself, and yet they still feel like a hot rod. I have never had a (completed) '28-34 but I imagine that they are even more fun due to the power to weight ratio.

 

"For about three years, I drove a ’39 Ford sedan every single day – rain or shine. And to me, this was the pinnacle of Ford engineering and design. "

Fixed it for ya'.

My literary teacher used to tell us to base our written contents on the first sentence, supporting the last. The story reads the same, if all ... in the middle of said, first and last sentence is removed, leaving only the beginning, and the end statements.

I'd say teach' would be crushing ❤ on you Ryan. The work, has indeed passed her test. Merry Christmas dude. Love, Mrs.Raynes. ( ... oh, and this guy ! )

 

the Bay Area sucks for commuting in an old car. two tiny tail lights and cool mirrors you can't see out of, along with blind spots old cars have sucks all the fun right out of it. it is getting almost as bad on the weekends.

 

I'll have to disagree with you about the drive-ability of "shoebox" Fords. Now, maybe it's because the '49's aren't the best example of the breed. Do you remember Ford's 1950 advertising campaign? They touted the 1950 Ford as "Fifty Ways Better for 1950 ", and by 1951, they had it all figured out. I have had a 1951 Coupe since 1987 and have used it as a daily driver (in the summer) most of that time. I find it to be perfectly friendly in that role.

I don't know about '39 Fords (never having owned one), but in the mid-90's, I decided I was going to upgrade from the '51 to '36 3-window. I bought a moderately well done restored example out of Texas and proceeded to make my dream car. You know 276" Merc with all the goodies, a rebuilt '39 box with NEW syncronizers and later gears, '37 steering, '39 brakes; the car I have wanted to build since I was in high school. It turned out pretty well too; I drove it for the next 5 years pretty much all the time in the summer. Then, a local guy made me the proverbial "offer I couldn't refuse", and down the road it went. I may be the only guy here that has no regrets about selling a '36 3-window, but I don't miss it one bit. If I have to put my finger on it, there were two major problems with that car. The first was a lack of interior room and the second was the fragility and difficulty of repair of the drivetrain. The engine made plenty of power and quite frankly, the rear axles weren't up to it. After I broke and replaced the second one, I was pretty much done with the car. I know I could have upgraded the transmission and rear end, but that's not what In had been dreaming about and planning for over thirty years. As good as that engine ran, it was frustrating to have to "take it easy" whenever I went out. I have a bunch of pictures and five years of good times. Oh yeah, I still have the '51 and drive it every day, weather permitting. A couple of years ago, the stock engine started making a funny noise, so I replaced it with a '51 Mercury with a set of fitted Edmunds heads, a Rochester 2GC, and a Mallory dual point. The car is even better now, probably because of the increased torque from the current engine. The only thing it needs is the overdrive transmission and associated parts I have sitting on the shelf.

Ryan, It looks like you're not the only one who can't stop typing!

 

"...and (even when rebuilt) the brakes are atrocious in comparison. So bad, that I did something I NEVER do… and put disc brakes on the damned thing....."

Yep, the early '60s Ford trucks had truly terrible brakes. I bought a '67 from a guy, ran decent and the owner swore it had new brakes. First time I put a load in it, I had multiple white-knuckle stops. So much so that I was positive it needed new brakes... The damn thing these skinny little brakes shoes (1.75" wide IIRC, and the PO hadn't lied to me; they were near new!) that weren't even as large as found on a medium-size car. They worked 'OK' when empty, but put a load in and you damn well better pay attention....

Ford finally upgraded the brakes in '68.

 

One word: Shocks! I was amazed at the difference that new shocks make on an old vehicle! (lowered ride height dosent hurt either.

20170917_195115-01 by FIFTY2 posted Sep 29, 2017 at 9:12 AM

 

I'm with you on the T-5,the T does not stand for TRADITIONAL

 

I get looked at funny for driving old stuff. I worked for years at a shop that repaired European cars. I drove a 49 GMC then a 63 Ford Uni. Both were inliners with 3 on the trees. A customer once asked my boss if he paid me enough because of the 'crap' that I drove. After working on Porsches all day it was nice cruising in something that I didn't have to worry about. Plus the simpleness on the old points, drums, manual everything was cool. I now have a 'new' truck, 67 f100 that I drive when not driving my bus, 64 B600. I enjoyed nearly 10k trouble free miles on the bus this year. My wife keeps sending me pictures of newer trucks all the time, I'm just not interested in one now. You folks with new stuff may have power everything and AC but I have zero payments on this junk. Life just seems to slow down a little behind the wheel of an older vehicle, its kinda like therapy.

 

Your 39 must drive way better than my 35. Mine makes me hurt after 3 hours in the saddle.

 

I live where the snow flies so winter driving is out of the question ( not because I can’t rust check the cars and keep them clean but restards are more retarded when the snow flies)
My 53 chrysler with fluid drive trans was one of the best driving cars I ever owned

I know not HAMB friendly but my 69 Lincoln Congo was awesome also ( pwr steering, pwr brakes, cruise control , power seats, ac, pwr trunk , rear defrost etc. Etc ) had every power and luxury option as a modern car. Lowered with better tires drove like a dream

I had lots more but those two stand out as cars that easily can drive in modern traffic with no issues and look cool and have fun with all at the same time !!

 

I didn't see any rambling at all. Thank you for posting the thread, I needed to read it. This has been a void in my life for the past few years. This could be my New Year's resolution to get back into driving a Kustom or a Hot Rod on a daily basis. I only live 12 miles from work and not much traffic so I have been blessed to have the ideal situation to drive something kool. Since high school I drove my 235 six banged '55 Chevy 4dr to School, College and work. I enjoyed it. It's kool therapy and nothing beats having a bad day at work and driving your car home. Kool way to unwind. I had to drive it because that is what I could afford. I miss those days, it was a lot of fun.

 

Ryan,
This setup looks interesting and much more reasonable than a box change.
No first hand experience though.

http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eB...3&pm=1&ds=0&t=1501105856000&ver=0&cspheader=1

 

https://m.ebay.com.au/itm/1949-51-S...ring-Linkage-Upgrade-Conversion-/162511546156

 

Boy, I never had any problems with the brakes or steering on my '51 ever. I just get in and drive it with no second thought whatsoever. In my opinion, the brakes perform as well as any car I've got under normal circumstances. The feel? Well, they require a little more leg, but since I spend a bit of time driving a couple of Corvettes with 4 wheel discs with no power assist, it doesn't get to me at all. I think that the secret with these cars is that they have to be in tip-top condition. Mine was a well cared for 61,000 mile original that I went through completely when I got it. I did it in 1987, so maybe I had access to better parts than guys do today.

As to handling, well, you got me there. When I finished the car it had all stock suspension. To say it sat a little high is an understatement. (One of the local street-rod guys asked me if I ever got a nosebleed driving it.) About ten years ago, I installed Aerostar springs in the front and de-arched leafs in the rear, along with a set of quality matched shocks. This dropped the entire car about 2 1/2". Also, (sorry Ryan), I added a set of Coker Classic radials. I think the car handles just fine now; before the changeover, I approached every highway cloverleaf with a sense of dread.

The final factor again, is maintenance. At my age, I think I could handle changing an axle in my '51. If I had a banjo, I think I'd find another hobby.