A ’40 (Coupe) to Freedom

There’s been a lot of talk about ’40 Fords in the hot rodding world recently. For a body style that recently turned 75, they are capable of looking damn good when approached the right way. I’ll openly admit that my taste for these sorts of things leans towards the outlandish (my mind always screams “straight axle!�? more often than it should), but in the case of 1935-1940 Fords, that just doesn’t seem like the path I’d take. This is mainly due to the long wheelbase, as compared to something like a ’40 Willys. So if the nose isn’t going in the air, what’s the best way to set up a ’40?

You see, I don’t have an answer to that question. But I do have a strong example of one way to do things. Enter Dick Miner, a hot rodder from San Diego, California. Even before he got his hands on the 1940 Ford coupe you see above, he was interested in going fast. Nine years prior, he took home sixth place at the Soap Box Derby Nationals in Akron, Ohio. After graduating from gravity-powered racers, Dick decided to dig into a ’40 for triple-duty.

In order to be competitive on the street, strip and in car shows, he pulled the coupe’s flathead and swapped in a 1953 Chrysler Hemi. The motor was treated to a hot cam, ported heads and a Cragar four carb manifold. A quartet of Strombergs with chromed frogmouth scoops rounded out the cramped engine bay. While at the dragstrip, Dick installed a magneto in the place of the stock ignition setup.

Underneath, the ’40 remained relatively stock with the exception of some paint detailing and the installation of a custom rear sway bar. I’ll wager that the ’39 transmission and banjo rear didn’t hold together very long with the big Chrysler between the rails. When things stayed intact, the coupe was capable of 110mph blasts down the quarter mile.

I’d imagine that the most alluring aspect of Dick’s Ford was the paintwork. Sprayed in a custom-blended Sierra Gold, the coupe features white pinstriping throughout. To compliment the shimmering finish, the interior was stitched in maroon and white Naugahyde with additional ‘striping and brightwork.

As a whole, Dick’s 1940 Ford brought the total package. From the full Moons, wide whites and piecrust slicks (a little-seen combination these days), to the painstaking attention to detail throughout, it’s easy to see why it netted a two page-feature in Hot Rod, April 1961.

It’s likely that the ’40 saw much more time on the strip and at car shows than it did on the street, but I believe there are a number of elements that would just as well today as they did back in the early 1960s. It’s cars like this that serve as excellent sources of inspiration, regardless if you’re taking in something big or small. And at the end of the day, ’40s like Dick Martin’s are the ones worth taking about.

—Joey Ukrop

Photos by Bob Hardee, HRM, April 1961