History 1932 Ford Cabriolet informal registry with body #; how many are still around?

According to my research, they made 5,962 V8 cabriolets and 429 4 cylinder cabriolets. 6,391 total.
I wonder how many are still around and still have body number tags? If body tag is gone, let's use a substitute body tag number of UNK-xxxx where xxxx is the last 4 digits of the vin number. We don't need to necessarily share owners' names unless they wants to but I think it would be interesting to share at least the current state where located.
My cabriolet was originally a three window coupe. The owner's buddy found a cabriolet body in an old storage area of a very old Ford dealership and passed it to the owner who switched the bodies in the early 1950s. Mine has a body number tag of 127-4239 assigned by Briggs Mfg. I'm guessing it was the 4,239th body built but it's purely a guess.

Here's the car at present:

A friend in GA has had one forever and he told me there were less than a dozen at the big 50th 1932 Ford gathering that he attended some time back. He said he knew of 4 in his area of GA and there were 4 in the Spokane, WA area in the 40s and 50s according to a book on Spokane Hot Rodding by
John Gunsaulis; my cabriolet being one of them.

I'll start the 1932 cabriolet informal registry:

127-4239 Smithfield, VA


Include a picture of the car and body number if you can.
Thanks,
Al

What about just posting pictures of 1932 cabriolets where you find them and networking might lead to finding the owner for body number infomation?

How many are still out there?

I think we ought to also post the repop cabriolets as well; just to gather them all together for reference and fun. Somebody with a repop 1932 cabriolet will have to share how those bodies are identified at the factory; maybe GLS-xxxx for fiberglass and STL-xxxx for steel reproductions.

Any interest?

 

A quick list from the HAMB Cars for Sale section lists about 18 1932 Ford cabriolets but I'm sure some of those are duplicates.

 

Great idea, Al. Good luck going forward with this registry. We may need to bump this up occasionally.

 

^^Thanks, Don. I don't know if fellows want to play but I thought it might be interesting to try. I started an effort many years ago to run down all of the 1936 Ford convertible sedans. I was trying to find out just how many they made of each body style... early ones were slant backs and later ones had trunks. Apparently nobody recorded when they switched styles. Of 5,601 produced we found 83 slant backs and 125 trunk models. The highest slant back model had body id tag of 2324 and is in NC. The lowest trunk model had body id tag of 2497 and is in CT. Somewhere in that range they switched body styles. Met some great people with that survey that continues today.

 

....and maybe that's the best thing to come out of an effort like this.

 

I would check with M.A.F.C.A. and M.A.R.C to see if they have a registry.

 

A few additional cars for Canada and rest of world

 

Bump for Monday morning... I know I don't have the only 1932 Ford cabriolet on the HAMB.
Come on fellas and share your cabriolets and whatever stories that might go with them along with the body id tag number if you still have it.
Thanks.

 

Work in progress

 

^^^Make your pictures larger by hitting the "full image" button before the "reply" button..^^^

 

I dont have one, but I know of 3 in the spokane area.

 

My buddy in north Jersey (morris county) has one, however I have lost touch with him and don't know if he is on the HAMB

 

JimSibley, I read about those in the book on Spokane Hot Rodding. Got any pictures of any of them that are more current? My car is from that area and I think the owner was fairly prominent in that area for his flathead motor building skills. Dusty Rhodes knew him well and was responsible for finding the cabriolet body.
This one belonged to a good friend of Doug Turnwall, who owned and built my car:

This is a relatively current picture. I've spoken to the current owner who bought it from Doug pal's estate if my memory is correct.
Please feel free to share more recent pictures of the other 2 still in your area.
Thanks for chiming in... that likely is the only way we're gonna eventually get a meaningful registry.

 

Mine does not have a body tag.

 

Miles, how about sharing a picture of your cabriolet?
Thanks,
Al

 

Mine has carpet over it and curious to see what it is. I also have another body and parts that has a low number if I recall..

 

Guys ,you Cab. owners notice the chrome windshield
PO did some nice work . The windshield is removable .

 

Traded 5-6 years ago for my Henry 32 cab—-car came from Florida—he brought car from New York(traded my nice 39 Ford truck,was moving driving,registered—for the 32 as a roller—-no engine,trans,roller wheels,tires,no top,old paint.) Built hot rod flathead,5 spd,Halibrand wheels,painted,upholstered, new top—nice looking,performing, daily driver hot rod—-raced car several times—ran 80 mph in 1/8 mile with track prepped 3:89 locker. Interesting part was vin number. After the Star was the letter F18xxxx—-found out thru the hamb F stood for rt hand drive. Dash looked original because 2 holes on pass side where steering column would have bolted up and on drivers side no evidence of any holes. So,that proves it was originally rt hand drive. F18xxxx—-F for rt hand drive,18 for v8, and then only 4 digits for remainder. Being 75 years old,was ready for a change—-had 7-8 early fords(over a 60 year period) prior to the 32 cab. The car was sold about 11 months ago to a hamb rodder in New Zealand. He was excited to find it was an original produced rt hand drive. Have over 60 years experience with flatheads. Keep 4 completed motors to rotate in and out of my daily drivers. Flatheads Forever!!! John in s.Texas.

 

originally banger, 40 engine installed pre 1950 before it was driven from N.J. to NorCal.

 

When I first saw that image I wondered if sometime in that cars past the windshield had been cut off. I’ve seen Deuce Cabriolets in old photos that had suffered that fate because someone wanted more of a roadster appearance.

 

I can get a pic of one of them, because it is literally right down the street from me. The other is a friend of mine in sand point idaho, which is about 30 minutes north of me. The pic you showed is a close friend of mine. Small world huh?

 

^^Small world, indeed! I've talked with your friend a couple times. Ironic that the previous owners of the two cars (mine and his) worked at the same place and on the same shift for many years and both cars were often seen together according to what history I've been able to discover in talking with others. Al Pharness supposedly knows the history of my car well but I can't seem to get him on the phone... we did speak once but were interrupted by some utility workers that has shown up in his driveway... if I remember it correctly. He said he'd call right back but it's been a long time now and others told me that he was in the process of moving so I likely got overlooked... and I fully understand!
Any chance you might know Al, too?
I, and I'm sure many others, are waiting for any pictures and/or body numbers that you find.
Thanks greatly,
Al

 

btt
I know somebody has a tag on his cabriolet. If reproduction glass, or steel; use GLS or STL prefix plus last 4 of vin number.
Thanks,
Al

 

Well, so far our registry of 1932 Ford cabriolet body numbers has one:

Briggs body number
127-4239 Al Casteen Smithfield, VA

I know there are more with a body number and there are certainly a number of reproductions in steel and fiberglass. Come on, fellas, and share some information and especially some pictures; even if we don't have body number info for the car.

I went back and reread the Spokane Hot Rodding book to verify that it mentioned 4 32 cabriolets in that area long ago. Like everywhere, cars got passed around; often with the latest owner adding his own tweaks to make it his own. One of them was owned at one time by Art True and got a track style front grille shell and many other changes. I think Buzz Storch owned another of the cabriolets in that area. Those two, plus the green one above and mine would be the four I guess... if mine had already had the body switched to a cabriolet by then...around 1952.

Chasing history is fun but often doesn't go too quickly.

Thanks for the responses and interest thus far,

Looking Al

 

My 32 Cabriolet steel henry body, owned for 40 years! Redid it during covid!
A real 50s car when i got it! Floor and wheel wheels torched out! windows welded up! Rear roll pan lead and brass! how it looks now!

 

^^^WOW! Great example of making it your own!
Tell us more about the drivetrain and how you did, or redid!, the interior.
Thanks for sharing,
Al

 

Custom built chassis , by myself, all Aluminum LS 5.7 converted to carburetor
with 6 speed. 9" ford rear 456. All aluminum interior custom built hood and grill