Technical Did Ford make a 49 hardtop!?............cuz i just bought one

as far as im aware 51 was the first year for came out with a hardtop but this 49 i just bought has me puzzled!

 

I love a good mystery. Can't wait to find out the story on this.

 

Wow! I was ready to jump all over this, but the details all point to '49. Look at the side trim, gas filler, trunk hinges, dashboard, etc. etc., etc. The only thing that hits me is that there is something funny looking with the windshield trim and the top itself. If I had to hazard a guess from just looking at the pictures, I'd say somebody grafted a '51 Victoria top on a '49 convertible.

As a shoebox fan, I wouldn't mind having it!

 

Not everything is as it appears........I tend to think Tubman has it right. Tony Miller's car above is a good example of mix-n-match.

It is a very cool car in it's own right and I think you found a real nugget there!

By the way, the hub caps are '51.

Ray

 

I agree with tubman if every one goes along with the 49 convertable if side windows are the same as the 51 Victoria. Deans photo really makes you think..

 

O/P. could you post the cowl codes on this? I think it would be interesting. Also, if it has a title, what year does that say it is? (If it doesn't have a title, I wish you good luck in getting one.)

 

does it have a convertible x member?

 

Firewall is different color than rest of car. Sheetmetal swap?

 

i will be picking it up tomorrow so i will know more once i get it up on the trailer.

 

Excellent question!

Ray

 

Look close at the motor shot on Pass side. Looks like a Vert X member just behind and headed inboard of the body mount. Also look at the Firewall same photo. Just right of the Oil Filter and left of the Horn relay there are 2 sheet metal screw holes along with Clean paint. That's where the Hyd. top pump motor was mounted. Then,, there is the Dash shot. I do believe I see the push pull handle to activate the Top Motor. Well done and for sure a Very Long time ago. No matter what, you bought a Way Kool project.
The Wizzard

 

also i just looked at the title and it says ''con'' for convertible for the type of car so its looking like an old school custom i found!

 

I think you done good. I have said it before, and I'll say it again : the '51 Victoria (though it was an "afterthought design") is the best looking of all the"shoeboxes". Please do the car with the respect it deserves. "50Fraud"'s car has always appealed to me.

 

What a very cool car to have found, makes your head swim to what you can do with this!!

 

Yes as said , very cool find . It would have been a lot of work to do the conversion as nice as this. So whatever you sure did good and trust you got it at the right price. Just call it a factory prototype and you are good to go. And you got a title!! Now spill the beans what are your plans? If you have had time to think it through yet.

 

Now all you need is some '49 hubcaps.

 

Be really interesting to learn the history like in who did the conversion and when. Appears to have been a masterful job.

 

Which makes you wonder why someone would let a car with so much nice work waste away?

 

.......So true.

 

It's very likely the car passed through other hands, maybe a few times, since first built. Subsequent owners, having no "sweat equity", could easily just see it as an aging car........nuthin' special. The fact that it looks so 'original' conceals the scope of the work it took to create it to an uninformed observer.

Ray

 

Last licensed in 1983, you would think someone would have tried to pry it loose from the owner before now. Might have been "I'm gonna fix that car someday" scenario. No matter what,interesting story here.

 

I'm partial to convertibles, myself. I think if it were mine I'd look for top bows and make it back to a 'vert. But it was definitely a really good job on the hardtop conversion.

 

what year on title?

 

Really cool find!

 

Unique, it always amazes me the "Finds" on here and the knowledgeable members that pick out the details to unravel the mysteries.

 

Is the rear package shelf behind the back seat metal under the cloth, or is it open for the convert top to fold into?

 

looks like I missed a good Wisconsin auction. where was it at? the one car in the background I think
I saw before but can't place it where. maybe closed to my cabin that I sold a few years ago. Mind telling us what else was there that is hamb friendly and what they brought? What else did you score?

anyways congratulation on your hardtop buy.

 

I'd try to age the the custom roof addition by the amount of colors and layers of paint.
If the roof has matching (factory) green paint (under the black), it's likely the Custom work (roof added) was very early in it's life, perhaps early 50's before the original paint aged and was easy to match.
From the looks of the green paint wearing through on the deck lid and peeling on the drivers quarter, it looks as though the car was repainted (black) only once-a long time ago before the rust started to come through.
Any evidence it was repainted green prior to wearing black?

FWIW, the roof paint looks to have weathered better than the rest of the body's black paint, leading me to believe the car was painted black, then the roof was added and painted to match a few years later.

Any dated lube stickers in the jamb? If so, are they over black paint (car was 'jambed' during repaint)?

Does the title state vehicle color? Was it updated to black? If so, perhaps a title search or old registration cards would reveal when it was changed. Perhaps you can find out how long the car resided locally in order to determine if the work was done locally or not.

Neat find! Should be some convert. top mounting provisions left over in the inner quarters.