Featured Technical Please help me identifying a body, chassis, and value

Come on man, people just tryn'n to help...what did you think was gonna happen??? you post on a site thats anal a bout being pre 64, and trying to keep the 50's alive about a car that nothing is pre 64, and probley not even pre 2000,..wait till you buy the car, everybody that walks up...is it real???? car shows... is it real or a kit car...did you build it.... bla bla bla...

 

I ruined mine front and back

 

"I question the validity of this forum for anything fiberglass related, as the topic almost immediately goes to steel is real and a conversation breaks out about fiberglass vs steel. My question was on the identification of the body manufacturer and anything else that can be identified. I get a bit depressed each time I use this forum and throw my arms up and walk away saying, maybe I should just get another muscle car."
I see a muscle car in your future!

 

Do they reproduce Camaros and Cudas in fiberglass? Would you buy one?

 

You can bet your ass I'd take a fiberglass 32 coupe over a 32 four door sedan any day, in fact it reminds me of when I declined a trade of a driving hot rodded 32 four door for my hot rodded fiberglass t-bucket.
If you live in the rust belt you appreciate the non rusting qualities of fiberglass.
My 41 and 51 are about 1/2 and 1/2 steel/glass, that's the last thing I'm thinking of when I'm driving down the road !

 

Some muscle cars are reproductions too. New Cudas in steel are made.

 

traditional '65 and older American cars only per the posted rules.

 

Sorry to assist in derailing your thread, but it chaps my ass when someone pops in with the “steel is real” type comment.
Especially without showing their “pristine steel bodied car”, etc.

I’ll step off my (small) soapbox now

 

Nice MODEL A Sedan! Might look a lot better if you'da filled the hole between the tank and the body -- and painted them black like the fenders.

 

Thanks for the responses, many made me laugh, most seemed on par to me. I plan on driving the car a lot, and expect it to show use over time, and I don't care if that drops it value, or if the car drops in value in general. I didn't want to over-pay and have been watching 32 ford prices (glass and steel) for 40 years. IMO a fair price is in the low 30s range and that is what I intend to discuss with the owner. I was also curious about the body. I have owned some really nice muscle cars in the past, and never drove them due to fear of door dings and wear, I want to be able to really enjoy a hotrod, and I don't think I could do that with a high dollar steel car. I think the general consensus is in the low 30s.

 

First I’ll say I really like what you have found. A big plus for a full hood, AC, and the head and tail lights.
As a note in my area (SoCal) real 32’s have 2 values…. What the owner wants (because he’s old and can’t sell it) and what his wife can actually sell it for when he’s dead. Also an unfilled top is at least 10K+ more.
My concern is it’s paperwork for the state it’s in. A lot of shenanigans are out and about because of what Boyd Coddington did to the 32 Ford market place and true value.

If it’s 30K so be it, just think about you building it from scratch just as it is……can you do it for 30? It would be tough. My state includes the year it was first registered that my help you could also get the “vin” and pay $10 and get its history. I looked at a 65 Chevelle that had 6 owners in the last 3 years and only 1 the rest. Guy said it was from Texas but for 55 years it was in Connecticut. I passed.

Now for my price if it twice what I think …… walk away there will others… if it’s close to what you feel is fair…offer 10 less but try not to insult him. 5 under his price in cash will buy it for sure…. But he’s got to be realistic to start and you don’t give a shit what he paid unless he’s a flipper.

 

If the whole idea of hot rodding has become about the value of the car, I think we have lost our way. Maybe there are just too many "corporate hot rodders" these days. I am happy to be a card-carrying member of the @brigrat Wet Your Pants Club, and will put this forward........ 'glass is lighter, and therefore will be faster......

 

it is filled and painted gloss black. just got it in, not painted yet

 

Personally I think this car has to be under $30K to be a good deal in today's market. It looks like it probably cost $60K+ to build, but I've seen a lot of them for sale in the 30-40K range that don't seem to sell. BringaTrailer results is a good place to search for prices on cars like these, although I wouldn't go back more than a year in sales to use as comparisons, as the market has gotten pretty soft over the last year.

 

For $90k my Skechers are real and I will walk… Glass body price point is a much lower point to fall from at least, as about 150 people under 40 years old can tell you the differences between a model A and a 32 ford anyway. I can’t see the value of the steel body holding up for very long, especially considering I’ve already seen the market go soft on my 55 olds… and people my age were actually interested in 50’s cars before the meteor hit or whatever it was that extincted the cuffed jeans and wallet chains in 2014.

 

The details to ID the body maker are not on the outside surface, they are under the skin. I'd also mention that a bad builder can mess up the best body and a great builder can start with a thin warped shell and make something to be proud of.This is stuff like solid hinges and latches, fit and finish, ease of servicing and fitting other parts that will take crawling over it to make that judgement.
You have an idea of price and it's been confirmed by a couple posters. I will say that when the seller doesn't have much info, it lessens the value to me for 2 reasons; they are probably unaware and/or a flipper, or they have some knowledge but consider it negative so remain silent. I'd mention to the seller that without a history or build folder, it's at least 10% less. When a part fails, you are going to have to research it and check for mods before the purchase and repair. That is your time wasted because this info was lost. It also hurts you on resale.
I'd also say that any car you look at needs one more bit of research. That's what you want to change to make it your vision and the costs. This would be the total price paid, price of the parts and work to change it and the time it will take. You mentioned the engine being basic. If you want a detailed fire breather, it's going to be another 10-20K, plus the other changes (torque converter, fuel system, cooling system) to support it. Wheels and tires are a grand and up, depending on taste and tracking ability. Paint could be a huge expense and time suck. This is where the good purchase can sink into a money pit if it's not close to what YOU want.

 

Looks nice to me. I have a glass 34 3 window I built. I built the door hinges and hung the doors. I don't like the way the doors and deck lid shut, open and latch. Doesn't seem real to me. That might be my fault and I plan to fix this one day. My advice would be to make sure the doors and deck lid feel like there is substance to them. Otherwise it might feel like a cheap fiberglass kit car every time you get in and out of it.

 

oldsmobum, I agree completely, there is no doubt in my mind that the purchase of a fiberglass or steel 32 Ford will be lost money and the purchase must be rooted in something else.

The popularity of traditional hot rods and or street rods has gone dramatically down. I think it peaked 20 to 25 years ago, the street rods now look dated, traditional hot rods still carry the timeless look. If you go to the largest national car shows, like the Syracuse Nationals, it is heavily dominated by muscle cars, there are a small portion of hot rods there but nothing like it was years ago. I'm 57 and at this age and retiring soon I want to fulfill my life's dream of a 32 ford, I am fully aware it will drop in price due to less demand. People in the age group of 40 and less, don't know what a 32 ford is, even if you mention American Graffiti they still don't know. Family cars have more performance than hot rods these days, and modern gearheads have much higher HP expectations than 300. In the 50s age group, they "may" know what a 32 if they are into hot rods, otherwise they prefer a new Mustang or Corvette, or if they like to tinker, they think of Muscle Cars. All the gear heads I know in the 50 year old range are into modern muscle cars with power adders and tuning. That leaves the available market for interest in the 60+ year old range and shrinking. The 50 to 60 year old men I know don't want to mess with cars anymore, they prefer to fire up the new Corvette and have super car performance, with comfort, convenience, and fuel economy. It often falls back to what you knew as a kid growing up and what cars influenced you.

 

Total Debbie Downer. If you think that you are throwing your money away by buying a 32 Ford (glass or steel), does it really matter what brand the body is? Or even how much it costs? You say you are only doing it for the fun. Fun is priceless.

 

By the looks of the wide firewall band I would guess it to be a Kilborne body. They were well built and used a lot of steel reinforcement inside. They didn't have a shiny gel coat finish and did require a little extra body work.

 

There were a number of companies that did glass 32 3-windows. Outlaw, Downs, Hastings. Many of them glassed it a business card somewhere on the inner structure. You’d have to pull interior panels off.

 

what ever happened here....

 

Factor the cast front axle into your negotiation, and swap it for forged if you get the car.

The rear pan might present a clue in establishing the origin of the body. I don’t think many body manufacturers make them and I'm not aware of them being commonly available, but I could well be wrong.

Chris

 

The value of the car is determined by what's the most you'll give verses what the least he'll take.

 

Actually, that statement is not completely accurate. Those terms are often used for high dollar investment cars. That is the "buy in price" for an expected return. It is the price you are willing to pay for the expected "investment" return on your purchase and/or the expected enjoyment you believe the car is going to provide for you.

When we are talking hot rods, race cars, or customs, the actual value of a car is determined by how much you enjoy the car from the time it arrives in your possession until the time it leaves your possession. You are the person that establishes that car's value to you, and it is purely a personal value, not necessarily connected to the cost of the car.

The cost of the car is the difference between what you paid for it when you bought it, and how much you got out of it when you sold it, and how much you invested into it during your ownership (I am not venturing into the cost of time, while you own the vehicle). Those numbers are factual, and are often driven by a budget, at some level. The cost of the vehicle may or may not have any relationship to the value of enjoyment the person has placed on it.

Too many here want to use the "buy in" cost of the vehicle, instead of the enjoyment value it may hold for you while you own it, to determine if the vehicle is worthy of purchase.

From my perspective, the value of any hot rod is determined by how much enjoyment one gets from owning it, and using it in what ever way brings him the most enjoyment from it.
Its cost is strictly from a budget consideration, can I afford to enjoy it the way I want to, at the price I'm paying?

 

What happened is, the usual fiberglass points and counter-points were made, and the 12-post OP hasn't returned to the forum in almost a month. Perhaps he is out there enjoying the muscle car he talked about.

 

Some guys have loads of money to buy Henry steel and if they don’t have the ability to do the metal work they can afford to have it done. Others were born into the hobby and the bones of a car were available, or maybe they inherited finished rods. I have two steel Deuces and yes, steel is real but I’ve never turned up my nose at a ‘glass car.

 

Well sir, I am a '32 nut and have owned several over the years,both steel & glass, I have also owned a couple of Real steel 32 fordors and enjoyed them as much as any of my other steel or glass roadster & coupe.

I guess I'm not as hard core as some, fact is I like all hot rods & customs!

Glass cars may not be real but they can be real fun! HRP

 

Most of the local Deuce coupes are fiberglass. They look good and the owners appear to be enjoying them. My steel coupe is not as desireable so that made it more affordable.

 

Only Pay what you know you can resell it for or close and enjoy it for what it is .
I'd not be to worried about those who don't have a steel 32 think ( lile myself) and I'd not be to worried about what the few that do think if they don't approve either.
If you like it and it's priced right were you won't get hurt and can afford it go for it.
Better to have a good copy of a car you like than wishing you had a real steel one and never getting it ever .

On a much lesser scale / cost .
I'd like a steel 27 roadster body. I'm looking BUT in the mean time I'm building a glass Speedway body car to have fun with. If i ever find a deal on steel I'll buy it and sell the other.
Honestly with out a single Ford part likely on the car now I'm not to worried about it currently it will be a some what inexpensive toy .