Here is my story, if nothing else its a great perspective. In 1973 I bought a '32 5w sight unseen because I had wanted one since my early teens. The car had been described to me on several occasions and with each telling I wanted it more. Finally met the owner and it was NEVER going to be for sale but he added my phone no. to a list of seven others who said they had the money.......waiting. Fast forward 10 years(to 1973) I get a phone call. The car is for sale, the guy needs the money within 24 hours or it goes to someone else. I'm broke but just finished a totalled '73 Grand Prix for my wife. I grab the title and head for the bank. They loaned me the money as the GP was free and clear. Took my truck and trailer and picked up the car I had not seen in person before. The car was rust free, been painted Corvette Honduras Maroon, had a new 270 hp 283 with a new Borg Warner 4 speed/hurst shifter, all 4 unrusted undented steel fenders and recovered runing boards, 8 curved glass SW gauges in the origional dash, a mouse eaten black r&P interior, a'57 Chevy rearend mounted to the origional cross spring, chromed headlight bar w/Deitz headlights, and the most perfect grille shell and hood I've ever seen. No Randy it wasn't a 25 louver hood (the shame of it all). I loaded the car and the back of my pickup with extra parts and headed home after handing the man $3,000 cash. I didn't tell anyone for over 6 years what I paid for it as I didn't want anyone to tell me what a fool I had been. There were a couple of 5w's in the area for $1,500-$2,000 at the time but I gambled and waited for this one just on the description of some that had seen it. FOOLISH? Maybe, but I got a pretty decent '32 and it will never leave my shop as long as I'm alive. I only wish I had been able to pick up the other two, which were far better than anything I've seen posted here and were complete. "You never pay too much for a '32 or '32 parts, however you can buy them too soon", I'm living proof. Frank
Old Fords will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no old Fords.
hey 37Kid, get a lot of pictures I would be happy to give you my honest opinion. here are areas to check out that are pretty important and easy to look over: firewall/firewall feet, b pillar, b pillar brackets to quarter window wood, u channel brackets in the upper coupe corners (hard to find), garnish mouldings all 7, bottom of b pillar tab to crossmember, inner trunk drip rails, entire subrail, door hinges
Yeah, that's the 5W that Plowboy bought in Indiana, I bid on it, just too damn cheap I guess. I sat in at the auction, and made vroom vroom noises Rich
Don't feel bad, in 1974 or 5, I had a fellow cc member give me a 32 roadster about same condition and I ended up trading it for some model a parts I needed. Doors were welded shut, trunklid etc. I don't typically share this story since it makes me sick to think about it!
I bought this crappy old hot rod '32 3W body with a lead chop for 11K and got a rough decklid. I sold two '32 5 Window bodies that were very rough, ex-roundy round cars, for $6K. I would get real and step up because like everyone says '32 never go DOWN in value it just depends when you buy them.
I can say that I cried when I saw this body for sale...it was sold before I ever saw the post. Congrats you lucky bastard!
Those Brookville roadster quarters have been used on a 5 window before. I ran across an article on a build where the owner used the roadster quarter panels to replace his coupe quarters. I'll try to find the article. He did some trimming on the roadster panel so he could splice it in under the small side window of the coupe where the top meets the quarter. At some point, he made a cut on the new quarter so as to have the new rear corners at the below deck panel. It looked really good. The car ended up with the little flare over the rear wheel fender recess like the roadsters have. That was the only give-away. Don't sweat for one minute about that body you bought ... man, you got a deuce!!
This may be sacrelidge, but after reading this thread, I'm kinda' glad I'm not into 32's that much. I love the way they look and all, but my preferences turn to '50 Olds fastbacks, DeSoto adventurers (Hemi's of all ilk), Hudson Hornets, and shoebox Fords (my first High School car). THese things are starting to get crazy expensive, but nothing like the 32's. Good for you guys that are saving stuff that most people wouldn't consider building. Maybe it's got something to do with what we did back then. I remember buying several solid '34 Coupe bodes for $10 to $15 in the early sixties; never had an oppurtunity on a '32. I guess I'm just lucky. The Tubman
Hey, they are just overrated Model A's.....at least thats what my non-Deuce friends say!! Until you look at it and figure out if you have the ability and money to build it, only you can decide that its for you. But $8000 doesn't sound out of line and you can probably get it for less than that, but not $2000! I have let two bare rough 5W bodies go for around $4000-$5000 and I wish I still had them, even though I still have 3 left! That's why I call it the Deuce Disease! here is my best Deuce Deal ever, about 10 years ago I gave $16K for this amateur restored, never patched, running V-8 53,000 mile original built in St. Paul, MN. <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Our Old Car Collection</td></tr></table><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Our Old Car Collection</td></tr></table> This 5W sold for $26K at an auction in Minnesota last summer. It was a pretty straight car (excuse the cell phone pics). <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Mike Devriendt's $26,000 Deuce 5W Coupe</td></tr></table><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Mike Devriendt's $26,000 Deuce 5W Coupe</td></tr></table><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From Mike Devriendt's $26,000 Deuce 5W Coupe</td></tr></table>
Plowboy said that I responded to the AD less then 30 seconds after it was posted. I actually just got done PM-ing HotRodDrummer of Ionia Hot Rods saying that I" know as soon as I cut up the frame that they built for me I was going to stumble upon a '32 that I could afford". I sent that PM and refreshed the opening HAMB page and there it was. I kind of think that it was destiny. Sorry about swiping it out from under you.
heres a bad pic of what i started with, minus the deck lid and lower panel, but id had doors and a cowl 1k 6 years ago, some thought i was crazy, now i have a whole car, they dont think im so crazy now. its not as nice as it looks in the pics but its a little better than when i got it. JEFF
I have an OT truck that I am selling just pay for the sheet metal and body work that I am going to need on my 5W. I am sort of glad that I kept it around long enough to sell and use the money on something tangible. Roadster quarters look awesome!!!
for reference, I paid 8k for this (body and bondo only). everyone laughed at me for sure. After some time, a few bucks to Brookville, and some help from friends much more talented than me it looks much better. when I was looking I kept hearing about nice ones for 15K etc etc, but I never managed to find one. no matter how bad they are worth saving. nice work Titus, a fine example of what can be done with a little vision and some tools.
Shit!!! This thread is getting me itching to get started. I am loving all these shot of 5 windows being brought back from the dead. I need this to get motivated for when I start. Now given I probably will not start for something like 6 months or so and even then it will be slow but I like to dream of the possibilities that can ensue.
The one I started this thread with? I haven't seen it yet I'm in second place, just waiting to get the call if number one passes. I get the feeling every coupe photo on this thread is better that the one I'll be looking at.
The Jalopy Journal
