Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: Movie of the Week: 1937 Ford V8s speak for themselves! Continue reading the Original Blog Post
When I was a kid ( in the 1970’s) everyone used to say 37’s were ugly, I never understood that. They were pretty cutting edge looking and had similar features to the 36 Zephyr.
E.T. 'Bob' Gregorie design genius: Edsel Ford, very unlike his old man, had a real thing for European cars and their looks. He commissioned Gregorie to design cars for his own use with lines reminiscent of the European designs, but based on Ford production chassis, and called them “continentals.” Edsel also received the nod to redo the awkward appearance of a critical new car for Ford, the Lincoln-Zephyr, which in its original incantation from Briggs by way of John Tjaarda, looked tail-heavy. Gregorie rescued it with a clean, prow-first frontal treatment. At age 27, Gregorie was rewarded by Edsel with a vice presidency of Ford, overseeing all design work. To build a staff, Gregorie created a design school for trade students inside Ford, which produced a generation of stylists and product planners for the company. Coming off the success of the 1937 Ford, Gregorie was assigned to replace the Lincoln Model K, which had existed with little change since 1931. Over a Lincoln-Zephyr blueprint, he hand-sketched a two-door cabriolet. Edsel Ford was thrilled. The production car became the first Lincoln Continental, a car that almost certainly would have never been built at Ford without Gregorie’s gift of taste and Edsel’s protective persuasiveness. Gregorie’s encores were the first Mercury, the 1940 Fords and their radically wider replacements the following year.
Great looking 37! Please post more pictures of it? What engine and suspension? alittle investigation… https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Dick_Flynn's_1937_Ford_Coupe https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-family-heirloom.1089662/
Thanks for the kind words Petejoe… My Dick Flynn 37 Coupe is a historic PNW show car. It was originally built in the 1950’s, won multiple PNW indoor shows, and featured in Custom Cars, Rod & Custom, Hot Rod magazines (1960-61) — including Hot Rod Yearbook #1. I bought the car about 8 years ago and spent the past 5 restoring it. 90% of the original configuration remains in tact. Engine is the same hot-rodded 280+ 8BA Flathead and Mercury clutch/bell housing. I added 2x2 Stromberg mechanical set-up with Mallory mech dual point (from Bubba). Still has a 39 trans with Zephyr gears. Suspension is the original 37 leaf spring. I lowered the car 2-3”via dropped front axle and deleted leafs. Still has 48 Lincoln Brakes, combo lever / tube shocks, etc. Other custom details include; ribbed Fenton Shorty side pipes and dual scavengers run straight, Sun tach, filled hood sides, smoothed chrome 37 hubcaps, custom width 15” wide five wheels, etc. Also have an NOS pair of rare 16x5 Lincoln Rear wide five wheels that I plan to run someday. All of the original parts discussed in the magazine description have been re-plated / overhauled. Recently painted in Acrylic Lacquer. Still has it’s original Naugahyde interior / headliner. Radio delete. Runs like a top. I’m grateful to have it! Jg
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