Been generally looking for a driver quality HAMB type car. So I went and looked at a 1935 Ford 5 window coupe with a rumble seat. The car is somewhat stock and somewhat hot rodded. The interior is original in fair shape but needs a headliner and roof insert. The exterior was repainted sometime in the 80's I guess and has some issues with peeling in spots but overall is shiny and looks ok. It has fiberglass fenders. The car was rewired with a basic wiring kit and converted to 12v with a chrome GM type alternator. It has a 1948 flathead that has Offy heads, Fenton headers and a 4 barrel intake. It has a new Edelbrock carb with some weird tall spacer. Suspension, trans and rear axle all look stock and it has some chrome smoothie wheels but will need new tires. Floorpans and sheetmetal looks good. There are a couple areas that I see some small bubbling like from rust but overall it seems like a solid car. The car is not currently running, but the engine will spin over and sounds normal. Also it has juice brakes, but the master cylinder is junk. It looks like it was "built" sometime in the 80's. The owner bought it in its current condition with the intentions to get it running and driving. He bought an engine gasket set and some other parts and fixed a few things but thats about as far as he got with it. He had a small stroke and is selling some of his cars and collection. He is a super nice guy with mechanical experience and I think he was buying and flipping cars for a while. My intentions would be to make it run and drive, fix up the interior and try to somehow touch up or blend the paint where its peeled off. Not sure what I would do for a carb because the Edelbrock looks like crap. The unknown is the engines internal condition and I would probably start with pulling the heads to check the bores and valves. So with this general description of the car and its description anybody have a fair guesstimate of a value for it?
This is one of those deals where photos would be really important. There are a lot of 35/36 5 window's for sale with a huge range price-wise. From your description, the car I see in my head would be $7500-$11,000 but pictures would tell the story better than words. ironandsteele.com
That looks much better than I was imagining and it's also a '36, not '35. Mid-teens would be a reasonable asking price. ironandsteele.com
Agreed…Mid teens would be a great price for starters. But get ready to spend that much getting it roadworthy. Especially with an unknown flathead…Nice car.
A lot of subtle things, but the main/general ones are different front end/grill, the fenders have a slightly different profile, 1935 has external horns, etc. The other thing that divides them is desirability, 36's seem to do slightly better. ironandsteele.com
The Anglia was sold. I need to research the differences between 35 and 36 to know what to look for. As for the title he has a Missouri title not in his name. He said that was what came with the car and he didn’t transfer it because he didn’t want to pay the sales tax. The title was the first thing I asked about and the last thing I told him was my concern. I am going to call the tag office this morning to see what they have to say. He said he would get a vin verification done with a law enforcement officer and also provide a bill of sale. I am not sure what’s required to get it legally done in my name? He claims to have done this with other cars and it hasn’t been a problem but I don’t know.
Have him get the title transferred to himself BEFORE you buy it from him. Tell him you’ll pay the extra $100 for the fees. Looks like a $12,000 car from where I’m standing, unless you are sugar coating the rust conditions.
I'm not sugar coating anything. I believe the car was painted sometime in the 80's. It looks like they used something like a type of high build primer, because where it has come off its thicker than just paint and primer. But the car looks really straight, like they built it up so that they could block it off. The rust that I found is along the bottom edge of the tailpan in one area and the bottom back corner of the drivers door. It is small pea size or smaller bubbles. The cowl vent area is solid but does show some signs of rust in the trough but nothing rusted thru but the gasket is also hard as a rock and degraded. He has the front mat out along with the seat bottom and the pans look good with no patches. I cant get the mat out in the rumbles seat area, but I lifted up the seat bottom and looked under it and back towards the tailpan the best I could. Also looked at the part under the roll down rear window that handles the water and that all looks good along with the sides of the opening. The roof opening where the rubber seal goes is rusted in areas of the inner "lip" not the painted body. Its probably going to need a new wood kit along with the top material and gasket. It has fiberglass fenders all the way around and they look to be very high quality. The underside of them are really smooth like they where layed up with mat and not chop. He mentioned the brand and I recognize it but forgot. It looks like when it was built that someone took the time to do a good restoration. Looking at the underside everything looks stock and solid, but it also looks like it was painted or undercoated when it was built. The doors and rumble seat close and latch good, and the windshield area is also solid with no rust. He replaced the front glass and the chrome trim around it but still hasnt put the rubber seal back in. Its by far not a perfect car but seems solid. I'm looking for the best car that I can afford with a realistic budget. I want a good driver with at least a 10' or closer paint job. I can turn wrenches all day long but dont want to do paint and body work. I am also looking for a car thats either running and driving or as close to it as possible. I do not want a project and do not want to start tearing the car apart. So what would an estimate on its value be if it ran and drove like it should with a clear title and registration? Basically if I wanted to sell it in 5 years and didnt want to be upside down in it.
Just got off the phone with the local tag office. Basically he needs a title in his name to sell it to me to be legal. The MO title was last signed in 1979 which was probably when the guy he bought it from purchased it. So its a no go no matter how good the car is if he doesnt handle the title situation.
Also when "Googling" pictures of 1935 and 1936 Ford 5 window coupes the grilles seem to be different. The grill on this car mostly matches pictures of a 36. Did they have different options?
You could easily be in 7-10,000 engine rebuild range if that engine is a boat anchor and you’re vested into replacing it without a Chevy engine. The prices already provided are fair since you can’t drive this thing down the road as it sets. I like 36’s. If I was in the market, I’d take a good look at this one. Where are you in Florida?
I'd suggest researching and buying a paint thickness gauge. Basically a magnet with some markings to determine how far below the surface the metal is. It will give you a better idea of what condition the main concern (body) is. As for the rest, it sounds like this is being treated like a short term lease, not a long time ownership. If you can get in and out of the car at roughly the same value, what would be your upper limit of investment? Is there specialty financing for what you are trying to do? How much can you spend during ownership and feel you were happy with the cost? There's reg, insurance, upkeep, minor repairs and changing things you dislike. Taking it to get serviced and detailed is more money than DIY. It's not how most here view car ownership. That doesn't mean your way is wrong, just that we tend to have more passion for the particular vehicle and do a lot of the work ourselves. A marriage, not a fling.
That car is a 36. If he is selling it as a 35, and the title says 35, then walk away. I lower my price estimate by at least a thousand because of the fiberglass fenders, and another thousand if it needs new wood in the body.
It would be a cash purchase. I just like to have an idea when I buy something like this what could I get for it when it comes time to sell it. It might be 5 years or 20 years. I am a total DIY and have the shop and capabilities to do most anything. So repairs, insurance and maintenance is all understood. If it looks like it could go forward with the title situation rectified I will look for one of those gauges and plan to do a more thorough inspection if hes agreeable.
I did not look that closely at the title or vin# since he didnt have it titled in his name. Basically told him I would pass on it if the title work couldnt be legally done. I am guessing its a 35 on the title as thats how its presented. Past that I treated it like a good hour to take a look at a cool car and gain some more knowledge. Its not the first car I have looked at and probably wont be the last at this point. The center wood "bow" is not original and looks like it was poorly made out of some unknown species of wood. The others seemed to be original and made out of oak.
Since it's got fiberglass fenders it could have been fitted to the car, as could the grille. Not sure I'd hold much weight to identifying it by those things. The title is an issue as I doubt he's going to pay taxes and title fees just to be able to sell it. Not sure about your state laws, but not all states require a bill of sale to transfer a title. But what they do require is the owner's name on the title to match the signature releasing their interest in the car. So if you can find the owner named on the title this might still be a workable deal. The titled owner could make this all go easy if he's cooperative. And even if he's passed away his heir might be able to give you a copy of a death certificate, and sign off on the title.
Well, that sounds like you are more HAMB style. Sorry if that came off as exclusionary or jumping to conclusions. It sounds like you have a better idea of what you are looking at, too. I'd still say if you aren't super tuned into the exact model, it would be a good idea to see if there's a local rodder or restorer, club or another means of getting a second set of eyes on it. At least watch a few videos of the cars to pick up nuances. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpAKgnejN0E The gauges run from under 10 bucks to 250 plus. Videos comparing them are out there, too. https://www.ecosia.org/search?method=index&q=paint+thickness+gauge There was a post a few years back where a guy was looking at a car and had a classic car PPI done. He posted a picture of the report that had the thickness plotted on a picture of the car. The bottom quarter of the body had plots every few inches, the top where rust isn't as likely was 4-6 inches apart. I can't find it right now, but that would be a guide for a check.
So fenders, hood and grille will swap between years? I believe the original owner passed away and the seller bought it from his estate. I am sure he would probably be unwilling to pay the taxes and whatever is necessary to get it titled in his name just to sell it to me. I can ask him regarding the previous owner and if his heirs are still willing to do anything with the paperwork. Not sure what Florida does in this case. I could ask if he would be willing to go to the tag office at the time of sale to make sure it could be done.
You will have to dig a bit deeper into FLA laws on this. https://www.flhsmv.gov/safety-center/consumer-education/buying-vehicle-florida/ It's common in bargain cars to have title issues like this. It's also a bargaining point. If you have to do more, it should cost less. He was lazy about it or he's a sidewalk dealer. Here's a basic article about it. https://www.autohitch.com/jumping-title/
I had a '36 that needed front sheet metal in 1960. The only complete set I could find at the local scrap yard was from a '35 and bolted right up, so they are interchangeable. Open the hood and look at the sides of the cowl. IIRC, 36's have a big "X" stamped on the side for reinforcement; 35''s don't have it. Also, check the body right above the top rear corner of each door; 5-window coupes have a tendency to crack there.
It is possible this is a '35 with '36 front clip and fenders, that can be done. In Wisconsin, as long as it has a title, it can be transferred, but if the title has an issue, it's a nightmare. I'd want to know 100% what was up with the title and be guaranteed you'll be able to transfer it into your name smoothly before I did any kind of deal. I feel like this is a car a guy would ask $18K for and settle for $15K, if the engine turns out to be good and it just needs brakes and tires and tuneup stuff, some touchups, you could turn it into a $25K car with only a few grand and a 100 hours or so of personal labor. But if it turns into a can of worms, you might shoot past that price pretty quickly, very hard to say. A very pretty car, well worthy of a resurrection. The fiberglass fenders hurt it a lot though, like that probably easily shaves $3K worth of value off of the finished product. It's fine if they don't bother you, but definitely will be a liability for resale later.
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