Tag: 1939

You could add this Ford V8 from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? to your car-toon collection – Nik Berg @Hagerty

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A 1939 Ford 91A V8 featured in the 1988 blockbuster Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is up for auction online.Although all the animated action is set in Los Angeles, the film was actually filmed at Elstree Studios just north of London, and the V8 was sourced from a local owner.

The car crossed the Atlantic during the 1960s and was fully restored in the 1980s, spending time on display in a museum. When director Robert Zemeckis was looking for suitable cars for street scenes set in 1947 Hollywood the V-8 was in tip-top condition and, according the sales blurb, it remains so today. The owner has endeavoured to keep the car as original as possible although the Ford ‘flathead’ V-8 has been uprated with an Edelbrock intake and larger aluminium radiator. A stack of paperwork and original Ford De Luxe instruction book are included in the sale on auction site Car & Classic. Bidding only reached 15k and failed to meet the reserve.

“This is a Ford with a very special backstory, playing a key part in a movie that many will remember for its unique blend of actors – both real and cartoon” says Car & Classic’s Dale Vinten. “Today the car not only holds that appeal to fans of Roger, Jessica and Bob Hoskins but it also is a very original pre-war Ford that benefits from subtle upgrades to enjoy and show for many years to come.”The five-day auction starts on August 19 and the famous V8 is expected to fetch £20,000-£30,000. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? won three Academy Awards but who will win this star car?

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A 1939 LaSalle Convertible Coupe could cruise Hollywood Boulevard in style. Here’s how I’d build it – @Hemmings

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Some photoshopping shows just what I’m envisioning

[Editor’s Note: Photochopper Michael Sharp, whose work we’ve featured here before, thought he’d take a crack at a car currently for sale on Hemmings.com as part of our regular How I’d Build It series.]

Celebrities and actors driving customized cars is not a recent occurrence. Clark Gable once had his Duesenberg mildly customized. What if one of his fellow actors decided to do the same, but with a much different car? It’s possible that one of Gable’s peers, maybe Katharine Hepburn or Joseph Cotton, would have wanted something a little less conspicuous and more agile than a Duesey.

This 1939 LaSalle 50 Convertible Coupe makes for a perfect starting point. It may have been known as a lower-priced Cadillac, but General Motors didn’t cut corners with styling by Harley Earl. It’s too large to be made into a true sports car, but it could certainly be made a lot sportier.

I’d start with shortening it by removing the rear seat area, all sheet metal, and moving the rear fenders forward to just behind the doors. The windshield would be chopped several inches. The headlights and side hood vents would be eliminated by our next modification: sectioning the body 8 to 10 inches, which makes our subject much more alluring.

To avoid a pancaked look after the sectioning, I’d also narrow the body significantly. There’s no need for bumpers because it’ll be driven to movie premieres and the best restaurants, and will cruise through the Hollywood hills, not in commuter traffic. New headlights would be hidden in the fenders ala Cord, turn signals are behind the grill vents, the taillights are cut down, and rear fender skirts complete the extensive metalwork

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This 1939 Ford Deluxe Tudor is streamline moderne goodness that’s ready for the road – David Conwill @Hemmings

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It’s my personal opinion that the 1939 Ford Deluxe—specifically the Tudor two-door sedan body style—is one of the best designs to ever roll out of Dearborn. The pontoon fenders, fastback body, grille that looks like the bow crest of a Blue Riband liner, and even those industrial-looking wide-five wheels are all highly evocative of that moment just before World War II when a lot of 1930s trends reached their zenith. The style came back after the war, sure, but by then they were just placeholders for the futuristic designs everyone knew were on the horizon.

Ford’s 1939 iteration of its 1938-’40 two-door sedan body is the quintessence of the streamlined style of the 1930s and ‘40s. Additions like seatbelts, an electric fan, and an alternator will make modern drivers feel more at home.

This 1939 Ford Deluxe listed for sale on Hemmings.com, nicknamed Ruby by its current owner, retains its original 85-hp, 221-cu.in. flathead V-8; floor-shift three-speed gearbox; and “banjo” rear. It also features a lot of subtle updates to make operation feel safer on modern roads, or as the ad puts it, to make “an excellent ‘driver’” and a “dependable, beautiful car that you can drive and not just show.” In fact, it’s said to be “recently driven on a 1,000-mile trip.”

The 85-hp, 221-cu.in. Ford flathead V-8 was a legend in its day and is still very much up to the task of propelling the 2,900-lb Tudor. The seller says it “cruises nicely all day long at 55 mph.”

The hidden updates, or as we sometimes call “road ready” changes to classic cars, include radial tires that look like stock bias plies; a repaint of the original Garnet Maroon color with two-stage paint; a six-volt alternator and a 12-volt inverter to feed a power port for things like GPS and phone charger; tubular shock absorbers in place of the lever-arm Houdaille units; a rear anti-sway bar; dual exhaust with glasspacks (a great sound for a flathead, it’s worth noting); an electric fuel pump “for back up” controlled by a dashboard switch; LED turn signals and emergency flashers; a manually controlled electric fan on the radiator; sealed-beam headlamps; and a fresh overhaul of the hydraulic brakes (1939 was Ford’s first year for them).

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Taking The 1939 Mercury “Jersey Devil” For Its First Test Drive!!! – Irontrap Garage

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The “Jersey Devil” has a great running flathead, and a brand new dual exhaust, it’s time to refresh the brakes and take it for a spin! Steve works on going through the braking system that was actually recently replaced before the car sat. New wheel cylinders, a master cylinder and some rubber hoses and the braking system is good as new. Matt works on installing some new wide whites, and killer single bar flipper caps. Once back on the ground, Matt and Steve take it around the block for its maiden voyage!! A few more small projects to wrap up and we have ourselves a new daily driver!!

Open or closed? It’s Hard to Choose Between Ragtops and Wagons – Jim Richardson @Hemmings

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About 20 years ago I bought what I considered the ultimate classic, or at least, the ultimate classic that I could afford, and that was a 1939 Packard 120 convertible coupe. I had always loved the neoclassical Packard styling, and had always wanted an open model. And I must say, I still love it and very much enjoy slow Sunday drives in it.

But there are some downsides to an open car that I hadn’t reckoned on when I obtained it. For example, I purchased it about 400 miles from where I live in Southern California, and proceeded to drive it home with the top down and no hat. Big mistake. I felt fine while I was doing it, and loved the experience, but when I got home I was chapped and burned to a reddish purple from the neck up. Yes, I know. I was an idiot. Don’t rub it in.

You see, convertibles have their limitations. As elegant as my Packard is, it only accommodates two people comfortably, and it rattles due to all the top hardware. And with the top up, visibility is marginal. It is heavier and slower than a closed model, too. It was after that I wised up. My next purchase was a 1955 Chevrolet Beauville station wagon. It was in good shape with very little rust, but it needed some restoration.

I wanted a comfortable, roomy family driver in which we could do some long-distance touring, and the Chevy wagon seemed like the ideal solution. I got it for a fair price, which was about a quarter of what the convertible set me back, and it was essentially just what I was looking for. The Beauville was the Bel Air version of the station wagon, and this one had all the goodies, such as a push-button radio, windshield washer, and the rare original Saginaw three-speed standard transmission with Borg Warner overdrive. That is ideal because it allowed me to cruise at freeway speeds with the engine loafing along, and it gave me the control of a manual shift.

But best of all, it had plenty of room for five passengers to cruise in quiet comfort, and it had a fold-down rear seat that turned into a cargo bay big enough for even the luggage my wife insists on taking along. By today’s standards, it is huge. That’s because the car was built when Americans were moving to the suburbs in the 1950s, and buying ranchettes. Those were nice spacious ranch houses with big yards in which you could have gardens, and live a semi-rural life.

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Rust Free 1939 Mercury Coupe Hidden Away The Jersey Shore For 50 YEARS – Irontrap Garage @YouTube

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Back in 2019 we pulled out a 1939 Mercury Coupe that had been sitting in a swap for 50 or more years. Since we brought the “Swamp Merc” home Matt has been dreading starting such a labor intensive project. Thankfully we recently received an email from a viewer Padraic about his 1939 Mercury Coupe. His grandfather purchased the car around 1969 and after his passing the car was passed down to him. Padraic now lives across the country and has not driven the car since the 90s. Join us as we pull out of the cleanest original 1939 Mercury Coupes we have ever seen.

1939 Ford Rat Rod Makes Decrepit Look Stunning – Daniel Patrascu @autoevolution

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There is no carmaker out there with as much influence over the custom industry as Ford. The Blue Oval has been making cars pretty much since cars were invented, and that in itself isn’t spectacular. What is amazing is the fact that, unlike the products the competition had to offer back in the early days of the industry, its cars are much more present in certain segments.

Although not limited to Ford, the hot rod and rat rod builders of today do seem to have a soft spot for the Blue Oval machines of old. We talked about many such creations in January, as part of the Ford Month here at autoevolution, but there are so many other builds out there we’ll probably keep bringing them under the spotlight for a long time.

This February, we’re celebrating Truck Month, and there’s no shortage of hot or rat rods in this segment either. For today, we dug up something titled 1939 Ford F1 Rat Rod, presently sitting on the lot of cars being sold by Gateway Classic Cars.

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1939 Service Data Handbook – Ryan @JalopyJournal

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I was re-organizing my library last night and while moving a few books, this 1939 Service Date Handbook fell to the ground. Essentially, this was a publication that Ford put together to show new customers how to care for their cars in 1939. Obviously, this is basic stuff… but I love the way Ford arranged the data and thought you guys might as well.

In lieu of scanning the whole damned book (65 pages), I just scanned some of the more pertinent and usable things.

Fascinating stuff take a look

Madam X 1939 Cadillac Sixty Special – A Work of Art With a Great Back Story from Chip Foose

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Madam X 1939 Cadillac Sixty Special

The Styling Section, and Art and Colour Studio at General Motors were created, and headed by Harley Earl (1893-1969). From the late 1920s, and on into the 1950s Harley Earl headed the design evolution at GM. It was under Earl’s guidance that the utilitarian design of early automobiles evolved into rolling Art of the 30s, 40s, and 50s cars we love today.

The first car done in the Art and Colour Studio under Earl’s direction was for Lawrence Fisher (Body by Fisher). Earl asked for a 1927 LaSalle chassis on which he would build his design. The car would be of advanced design in that the chassis was lowered 4”. The design was aggressive, but not loud, the posts were much thinner than usual, and the windshield was two piece and formed a slight V. There was concern that the thin posts would not be strong enough, so the entire car was made of steel rather than the wood frame construction that was typical of the time. The interior wood decor was a work of art. When the project was nearing completion Earl was asked “What will we call it”? Earl thought for a moment…. Pauline Frederick, a popular stage and film star of the day, was starring in a show called Madam X, Earl had seen the show the night before, and dined with the young Starlet after the show. He said we’ll call it the Madam X

Read the rest of the story over at Chip Foose’s site