Well, I am on my way to being the subject of an intervention. I dragged home another turd. About 2 years ago I saw some early iron peeking out of a garage that I could never remember seeing open before. I slammed on the brakes and turned around for a better look... "1938 ford Standard and a 1946 Ford (parking lights above the grille)". PLEASE, oh, PLEASE be coupes! As always, the owners were startled as I walked up. It usually only takes me a matter of seconds to pour on the charm and build some rapport.... and we became fast friends. The older gentleman was very friendly and more than happy to talk about his cars. Both 4 doors unfortunately. The '38 had been in storage since the early 50's. It was definitely a "survivor" having been down for engine work and never finished. The '46 was a mild rod (High School Hot Rod). Original paint, 3 layers of seat covers and a smallblock that appeared to have been installed in the 60's. The wife pulled me aside and explained that her husband was suffering from Alzheimer's/ Dementia. Their kids were preparing to sell the house, contents and cars while building the parents a new, smaller house. She also explained that she and her husband were leaving for Arizona that week. The kids were, of course, not very easy to deal with. I left my number, and even threw out a price. In the end, the house sold and the cars disappeared. Fast forward almost 2 years, and low and behold what comes up for sale online? You guessed it, the '38 and the '46. I would have preferred the '38 because it was a standard and basically a 10+ year old car (other than storage aging). But, in reality it needed a fresh frame up restoration/ rebuild. It was a 4 door standard and in ANY terms, not worth what they were asking to me. Also, not desirable enough for me to dump $20k+ and the time into building a rod. I am NOT a fan of 4 doors and they have ALWAYS been donor cars to me. Unless they are clean and run. Then, they can be FUN. To each their own. So, when the Son explained that the '38 was sold. I was kind of relieved. The '46 on the other hand was still available. As I remembered, the '46 was a driver and although stored probably 40 of it's 68 years, was a regular driver in the last 10 years. I grabbed a fist full of cash and drove down through rush hour traffic to see the car once again (this time in a storage unit). I have to admit, it didn't look as good as I remembered back on that sunny day (with Tom's enthusiastic stories about the car). The paint was about a #2-#3 out of 10. The interior was also pretty shot. Not to mention, nobody could remember the last time it ran. Compounded by the price. Just like everyone that has little interest in old cars, the family thought they were sitting on a gold mine. I explained that the car needed work, the '38 was the more valuable and desirable car, and that I had no way of knowing what the car needed. In the end, I decided to just pull the trigger. I KNOW that I paid too much for my cheap ass internal price guide. But, what the hell. It's a nice little car. Once I started to dig in and work on 'er......the original paint is actually not as bad as I thought. About 50% of it will come back to a solid 20 footer. The rest (fenders) is toasty, but should clean up to the point it all flows together. The interior is also not as bad as it looked either. Needs LOTS of cleaning and unfortunately the original upholstery is split in a few places, but should look OK once preserved. Overall, the car is 80-90% original. Most of the "Hot Rod" work done, was well done. She starts from the Ford column lock switch and push button. Windows, locks, etc all work. All lights work, horn, etc! Appears to be a VERY well cared for car. Should be a fun car to enjoy for a little while. And, I could probably sell the car for what I paid now that she starts up and RUNS! The smallblock (283 or 265) runs good! She's quiet, smooth and smoke free! I ran the numbers and it appears to be a 1958-1960 283...but having trouble finding the right info on the suffix ("OD or 0 D"). It has a cradle mount and I forgot to look for side motor mount bolt holes. The starter is a 3 bolt '55-'57 style to mate up to the adapter (sbc to early ford tranny). BTW, this '46 was originally a flathead 6. Lots of stuff to sort out. There is an ancient electric fuel pump, the starter is running off of a Ford style remote solenoid that bangs 3-4 times before the starter catches. The battery is in the trunk and cables have too much resistance. Have to push the starter button nearly through the dash to make contact..... and that's all stuff JUST TO FIRE HER OFF! Nevermind driving the damn thing! That's about it. Just picked up some #7 to try to bring back that 68 year old paint. Installed a spare pertronix I had laying around (points were shot), and a new coil. I have a pair of "Smithy's", some blue dots and early finned valve covers around here somewhere, we'll see where that goes..... BUT, She's registered and insured, so watch out neighbors!
Cool car, cool story... even better with the 10 buck discount! is the suffix part of the casting number or a vin prefix on the pad?
Cool! Good story too. Funny, after years of fordor disliking, I have managed a small list of cars that I could tolerate as fordors, and that happens to be on that list. not even sure why...
Well..... I have never liked 4 doors either. But, the "Roundness" of the back end of this one is ummmm.... Appealing! "I like big trunks and I cannot lie"! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Updates? Yes... Been busy. Got her running. The Rochester 2 barrel is backfiring, time for a rebuild. Clutch engages, goes into gear nicely.... Damn early Ford brakes are a hell of a lot scarier than I remember!!!!!! Started polishing the turd. Paint is coming back with some #7. That's about it ... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
The Jalopy Journal
