'36 Ford Phaeton early '50s hot rod

Here are current pics of my father's 1936 Ford Phaeton that he bought for $400 with his paper route money back in New York in 1955. It is his first car, and he still owns it to this day. My brother has stripped and painted the frame and firewall. Our good friend Bill Monteleone out of Lake Elsinore, CA installed a floor pan from a '36 sedan my dad has dragged around since he found it at a yard sale in the '70s for $25.

The car originally ran a full race 301 flathead and held the B gas record in Texas in the early '50s turning 90 or better in the quarter mile. That's what my dad was told, so I dunno. Yes, I know that is a huge flatmotor. It ran four carbs originally.

The car was purchased new by a nurse in Texas, then rodded in 1951 by a young man in the Air Force in Texas. He installed and raced the 301 Flatty, and dropped axle with '39 juice brakes. The car also had an Auburn dash at one time, but my father installed a stock '36 dash back in the later '50s. The guy who owned it before my dad planned on chopping the car, and for some reason cut the roof bows down the middle.

After my father bought it in 1955, he drove it to high school. He joined the Navy in '60 and his sister's boyfriend somhow got a hold of the car without him knowing and had a fire in the engine at the beach one day. To put the fire out, they threw sand on it, and the rest is history.

My grandfather installed a stock '46 59AB flatty for my dad while he was away in Japan. That is the motor in the car today. It does have an original '50s Edelbrock Super dual intake.

All of the mechanicals have been gone through and either painted or powdercoated. The rear end has been switched from 4:11 to I believe 3:05 or something like that. Our good friend Dan Krehbiel did the rear end.

I will dig up my father's old '50s pics of the car and post them later. Enjoy these for now...

 

Tuck and Roll done in '56. The rear seat was done in '56 to match the front seat which was done in '51. The front has unfortunately deteriorated, except for the kick panels.

 

My father would like to put the original leather stock interior back in when the car gets painted. If so, I am going to modify the '56 T and R to fit over a foam seat and put it in my '34 Ford truck hot rod that I plan to build down the road.

 

engine and firewall

 

Kinda dirty and dusty. My brother did a great job when he painted this stuff...

 

more

 

We're just waiting to buy some Edelbrock heads. We ran Red's tube headers...

 

some more


The car now has a stock '39 front end. Not sure what happened to the dropped axle.

 

I love to watch my dad shriek when I tell him that I am going to put a Packard grill, chopped Carson top, '40 Chevy headlights, skirts, and ribbed bumpers on it. It would look kool though. I am still trying to talk him into lowering it again like it was in the '50s. He says it was too low. He likes to brag about how loud the car used to be with its blown out Belond mufflers.

By the way, do they still make Belond, or BeLond mufflers? Not quite sure on the spelling there...

 

Cool Story!!! 35/36 Phaetons are one of my all time favorite cars. Don't know why, They just are.

Paint the car??? Change the interior???? Why???? There are not many cars that have survived the years without being changed. It's cool the way it is!!!!
Clark

 

what a cool car!reminds me when i was a kid,used to get cars for 50-100 bucks.a real keeper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

That's awesome! It would be a shame if it were returned to stock height...

Is that motor red or chevy orange? I can't tell on my computer.

 

WOW!! What a story. I'm impressed that your dad has kept it all of these years. the car not only has history, the history was written by the CURRENT owner. I wouldn't change very much other than making it safe to drive, but who am I to suggest anything, it's your dad's call.
Please post more pictures as it gets to completion, and definitly take pictures of the first drive.

Frank

 

Very nice. Thanks so much for sharing the cool story. I wish I could make my money now days buy something like this. SWEEEEETTTt

 

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That's awesome! It would be a shame if it were returned to stock height...

Is that motor red or chevy orange? I can't tell on my computer.

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The motor is the most beautiful shade of red. I can't believe how orange it came out with the pictures. My post on chopped 49-51 Fords on the hamb has a picture of my 350 in my shoebox that is the same color red. That might give you a better idea of the color in real life. It is not at all orange in person.

I'm gonna post some old school pics now...from the '50s...

 

July, 1955

 

I took pictures of old pictures in order to post these, hope they come out good...my scanner ****s.

 

Flathead!!!!! I'm not sure, but I think this is the '46 motor. It does have the Edelbrock Super that is still with the car today...

 

more...taken in front of my grandparent's house in upstate New York in the '50s sometime...

 

more, my friends...

 

My dad in the p***enger seat and my grandfather on the day it came home, July, 1955. It had rained, and my dad had to keep wiping the windshield off as they drove.

 

Maybe sombody could lighten up that last one for me... If so, thanks in advance. Here's my dad in the mid '50s... Dig the fake Caddy Sombrero look alike caps on the rear.

 

more...enjoy.

 

more...enjoy.

 

Oops, posted that one twice there...here's more.

 

Front with an unknown bumper guard. It was on there when my dad bought the car, but it does not fit the '36 Ford bumper. Kinda kool anyway... Notice the parking lights on top of the East Coast required sealed beam headlights. My dad had the parking lights removed later in the '70s and filled in.

 

I figured you guys would enjoy seeing some other cars my dad has owned back east and over here in California as well...I'll start with his '49 Merc Convertible.
Bought 1960 for $365.00 running a '56 Olds engine with triple carbs, stock Merc 3 spd., Car was painted Saphire blue and White with some primer spots here and there. Had either '58 Biscayne taillights or '50 Pontiac; my dad can't remeber. Car was originally built in either '58 or'59 on the East Coast.

 

nice car man cant wait to see it in its former glory

 

My dad's '59 Chevy convertible. Bought in 1964 and paid $750.00 in Long Beach while stationed out here in the Navy. Totaled the car later and junked it.

 

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