About a month ago I get on the HAMB and the "featured thread" that opens up is about a 32 Ford 5W show car for sale. Since my first 32 Ford was a 5W coupe I decide to take a look and to my surprise it is my first 32 Ford build still looking mostly like I sold it in 1978. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1932-ford-5w-coupe-60s-steel-show-car.1213984/ The car in my avatar in the same car...pictured as it was the day I bought it. I have often wondered what ever happened to the car after I sold it to a guy in Valparaiso, IN for $8500. I never saw or heard of the car ever after the day I sold it. I have had contact with the current owner and he told me he bought it from a guy in Illinois who had known about the car being in storage for a long time. That would explain why it is still so much the way it was when I built in in the early 70s. I also want to be sure to say that the fellow selling it is a very nice person and fully honest in my opinion. I have no issues with him and am only posting this thread as a story of interest about a car from the past that has reappeared. Here is the history of the car that I know about it. I bought it for $1800 as a hot rot rod made in the 60s from a guy named Ron Tholen. He was in a drag racing club called the Coachmen. The car was purple, all steel, not chopped and not channeled, with a rolled rear pan and bobbed rear fenders and a louvered hood. It had a small block Chevy adapted to a 39 trans with a 40 Ford rear-end, dropped axle up front with 40 brakes, stock firewall painted white, chrome garnish moldings, stock bench seat. When I got it I updated the chassis adding the Volvo disc brakes, 327 engine, trans and rear-end and drove it for a year as a purple highboy. I drove it to my first Nationals in Memphis as a purple highboy. I later stripped the body and painted it Hugger orange lacquer in my garage. I had a biker friend flame it (barefoot) in that same garage. I later got the flames pinstriped at an outdoor car show. I had another friend upholster the factory seat in black tuck-n-roll and I did the door panels and headliner myself. I remember chroming everything I could possibly chrome back then. So maybe that is where the "show-car" in the seller's title comes from. But I never built it as a show car. I have to say to my surprise the car still looks very good. Here are some pics I still have of the car when I built it in 1970-72. Most of these pictures are pictures of original photos taken in 1970.
Cool story. Glad you found out what happened to it. Are you thinking of perhaps trying to get it back?
Awesome! Cool to be able to share the history, and get to see your car again. Sent from my Pixel 3a using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
That's a great story Paul. Funny how cars go through changes and sometimes come back.Had to be a surprise to see it surface.
Don, I considered it for about 30 seconds. My biggest motivation to buy it back would be for my son Scott who was 2 years old when I sold it. While I was tempted briefly, the truth is my "active" hot rodder days are over with. I still enjoy being in my garage but now concentrate on much smaller short-term projects. My wife and I collect old children's wagons and I enjoy working on those.
Hi Charlie! Yeah was a real shock and I could not believe it still had my paint job on it. That's not the same SBC, wheels are different, interior is way worse IMO although dash and steering column are as I built it, and I think the pictures of a 32 from the 50s is not even the same car. Hope you are doing well!
Great story!! I wonder where The Peter Beater is nowadays. It was my first 'real' hotrod. Sold it in 2009 (IIRC) and it changed hands a couple times real quick and *poof*...gone. Maybe one day it'll reappear. Anyways, Neat story about a really cool car!
Everything has its time. "To everything turn, turn, turn There is a season turn, turn, turn And a time to every purpose under heaven" The Byrds
I think I saw that coupe for sale on Craigslist maybe a year ago or so (probably when it was still in Illinois) and thought it had the bones of a late 60's early 70's build. If I didn't already have my own 60's renegade '32 I mighta bought it. It's cool to see some more history of it surface.
Neat car and story. That photo of it in flames, wearing Cragars looks like a page out of 1001 Custom and Rod Ideas magazine. Dig the classic wagons!
Hey Paul, I guess the 32 market is pretty slow as the car is still here, just couldn't bring myself to do it over so we got another one and that project is going well. The guys are having a good time working on it so it in a way it is still accomplishing the goal. You did a helluva job on this car and if it doesn't sell it may yet get worked on but I won't change the look. We have another chassis if we decide to work on it and it will go back to your original configuration with a 327 and three pedals. Thanks for the info you supplied when the car first arrived.
Another picture I stumbled on with my wife and son at a rod-run in Ft Wayne, IN. That is my dad's 37 sedan delivery to the right of us.
Cool story and a way cool car. If I got it I don’t think I would change much. Being a 70’s kid.jmho. Snowman
Looks like my old coupe sold on ebay for opening bid of $30K. Maybe it will show up again here on the HAMB?
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