I see a lot of 33/34 ford to coupe conversions, but not 32,s . Is this done? Common? There’s a nice four door for sale in oz , well priced. give me pros n cons, examples, looking to build a chopped five window buying replacement quarters ,decklid? Thanks johnny
The quarter windows need a lot of work to look correct. Roof too. I’ve seen a few that failed and truth be told, I wish they were still a fordor.
I suppose it could be done, but like it has been said, 32 Fordor quarter windows are bigger than a 5w so you can’t simply shift them forward.
if you have the skill, and background with metal Fabrication go for it. if nothing else wil learn the do's and don't of Hot Rodding
With availability of United Pacific 5 window sheet metal this conversion is made much simpler. I know it's not only a financial thing but also the challenge. There are failed efforts at various conversions behind shops and garages around the country. Why not sell the 4 door and put the money toward saving a derelict 5 window body. They show up frequently and for the most part are priced right. With help of Andy's Restoration I saved such a body and turned it into a 6 figure car.
A buddy of mine had one that went from fordor to 5-window coupe. The build was documented here, but not sure I could find it.
I thought 32 sedans, Tudors and mordoors, were the new cool? I can see converting 33/34's as the coupes are so nice and the sedans kinda awkward, 35/36's too, but not so 32's. Might just be me? Chris
I'm not sure if you are looking at a 4 door body or complete car but if it were a complete car I'd be getting the chassis the way I wanted it and driving it with the 4 door body pretty well as is while I found enough of a 5 window to build my dream body. Then pull and sell the 4 door body when the coupe is close to ready to set on the chassis. I've been looking at 32's for a while and there is what appears to be a nice 3 window that is 90% HAMB friendly 75 miles down the road from me that is for sale but a bit out of my price range at the moment. As much as I like about that car right now a sedan sounds more practical for what I want to do with a hot rod. That is long road trips including visiting friends and family memebers who will probably want a ride and it is hard to take two other people out for a cruise in a two person car.
We have a few 2 seater 32s, but as our family grows thoughts change to hmm it would be nice to have a 4 seater for the rest of the family. In other words sell the 4 door to help fund a coupe.
Thanks for the replies!all reply worthy but Murf great to hear from you,and Guthrie that’s well proportioned, and inspiring.Im keen to see more of these, There’s a little more to this floating around in my head. In Australia five windows don’t pop up for sale often and are heavily priced due to shipping from the states. I have shipped over some cars, last couple have been expensive due to customs pulling containers for inspection ect.so I’m reluctant unless a great deal surfaced. I imported a great chopped four door 34 from Juarez Mexico ,sat in a mates joint in El Paso for a while as well before I brought it to Oz with the intention of doing a coupe conversion, everybody that saw the car loved it as I got it together but nobody wanted to take it off my hands to stop me butchering it. In the end I too agreed to cool to butcher , so it’s a slow burn build for now. so stubborn ass me. I imported another pickup from the states I went on the hunt for 34 junk to fill it up and make a coupe body, big shoutout to Rich Dudley who sold me some quarters and even drove them down from Colorado to a mates In Utah.it’s coming along and I’ll be happy to start with a dirt track style car for dirt drags ect with some of my flathead gear ,collected over the years. Still a long ways to go but happy that it will happen, couldn’t find a good l/h roof section or couple of other bits but it’ll work and the four doors saved….for now from me.So this four door 32 is a nice option for my next build, I’m not a fantastic builder or fab guy but that’s what I enjoy the most. Here’s some pics of the four door I couldn’t cut up, the coupe I’ve scratched together before and now, and this 32 sedan body, I’m interested in,but I reckon I can cut a stock height 32 sedan for some reason without guilt, the seller seems to be rebodying his chassis . Yes I admit hands are kinda full but I intend to tinker n build well into my retirement in a few years .Is there anymore 32 sedan to coupe conversions out there to help me decide or builds from junk too Johnny.
I am not sure of the market for 4 door sedans in Australia. I am in California. I decided I wanted one about 30 years ago. Looked all over for about 10 years for something. Seems they all got bought up to be used for parts (usually the running gear). As people aged they became more popular and that drove the price up. That looks like a nice body be sure you know what it is worth before you start cutting. I would think hard about building it as a 4 door. Charlie Stephens
I've had a couple of complete 4 door bodies that looked like yours, I got $15K out of each several years ago. If I were to do it again I'd take a look at the 4 door built by Keven Roberts in Toledo and put my efforts into the 4 door body with a hard chop and slam it to the ground, either highboy or full fendered. Another really kool full height low boy 4 door is the John Hall Ardun 4 door from Shadow Rods in Michigan. Nothing wrong with a 4 door if done right.
I did a '33 and have all of the pieces to do a pretty decent '34, and I'd have no problem cutting up that blue sedan if that's what I had available and if I really wanted a coupe. One thing that made my '33 job much easier is another HAMB member was nice enough to trace out the opening of his stock height coupe quarter window, and also make a template of the rear roof shape behind the quarter windows, which were an excellent guide, and I've saved them to do the '34 when I'm ready to dig into it. No matter what you decide to do, if that sedan body is priced right, I'd grab it right away. They don't come up for sale very often in the US, and I have to believe that's 100x as true in Australia. We're hot rodders, damn it. Nothing is too sacred to cut up to make something else, especially a bare 4 door sedan body.
ive decided to leave the 4 door 32 sedan alone, hit the classifieds and see what i find. thanks Johnny
Hello, I am amazed that anyone would think of cutting up a nice 4 door 32 or even a 34 sedan, in any stage of the old car. If one is starting with a fairly rusty part body, it is still the same. The value of the completed project might get "ahhs and oohhs," but it is still a cut up project and not an original old Ford product nursed to completion. So, that is a choice one makes. But, these days, family touring is a major part of road trips. If everyone is involved, then more family fun is also involved. Plus, there is more room to be had in a 4 door sedan than a smaller coupe of any kind. Jnaki At one time my wife and I loved driving around in a two person 327 powered Ford Sedan Delivery. That notion was from our beginnings due to me driving a single bench seat red 1965 El Camino when we met in college. As we spent more time together in the single bench seat El Camino, we began to see our lives merging for the future, with similar ideals and ways to see things along the way. But, we were a little on the anti-social portion of society. We wanted to be left alone to have fun being together and experience our own lives, the way we chose. So, the two seat sedan delivery play an important part for both of us as a way to continue the learned "togetherness" conversations and time spent on the road trips that were a big part of our lives. But, when “someone else” came along… (our toddler son later on, used to say as he came running toward us in the house or wherever… “Here comes someone else…”) we realized we needed a larger car for all involved. A coupe was out of the question. Then as years moved on, so did our hot rod choices. Then as our granddaughter came around, we were told not to buy a 4 door 40 Ford sedan for easier access to the back seat. The constant in and out of a small toddler into the certified car seat location was a little hectic. The front opening doors of a 4 door sedan seemed to be easier than our station wagon's, "go around rear doors". So, we considered a 4 door 40 Ford sedan. Our son told us that “they” would feel safer if we continued to use our well protected station wagon instead of an old hot rod. So, that was that. YRMV
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