Great story Ryan.I to have a 39 deluxe that gets exercised whenever possible. SBC and 4 speed though.
Your story reminds me that I still have a right hand drive Argentinian 1939 Deluxe Tudor standing in my warehouse! It is a pity I can not use it as an everyday car because my boss wants me to drive an euroshitbox Peugeot 407 SW; and above that I do 40,000 miles a year!
Thanks for the update and for another trip into your head. I like the way you think. Great lead shot of the car.
alrighty then... the 39 sedan glass replacement ..????? chances are very slim that someone will try to grab your glass templates a second time in broad day light in public .. from a celebrity .. but if need be some one here will be with you through the whole process and ward off any evil doers .. and of coarse do a video either way .. have ya heard that them " fucker " people living in cardboard house's do not use card board for windows as much as they did a few years ago .. it will still be a old car .. it will just have clear glass . save the old stuff and make wall decor ... be safe be seen and see to it.... get the glass work done ... move on
Ryan, The Flathead sounds Great! As for the glass, it's not that big of a deal. The rear side glass takes mere minutes to install. The Windshield and rear window are fairly easy, just use a strong cord and some Vaseline along with a buddy to help hold the window in place as you pull the cord from inside the cabin. Make sure your buddy doesn't apply pressure or in any way try to force the window in while your pulling the cord or the glass will break. -Let the cord do the work. . Not sure about the 40 but in 41 the windshield absolutely has to go in/out from the cabin side. I think that is unique to the 41-48 though so your 40 would be fair easy with glass being installed from the hood side. On my 41 I had the local glass shop cut me some automotive glass (using my old glass as patterns) , it was about $10 square foot so not at all expensive. You can also go with tinted glass, bronze tint is amazing on dark cars. Cost shouldn't be more than $12 or $15 per square foot. Use privacy tint on your rear side and 60% bronze is fine for doors and windshield (it 'sounds' darker than it is). Bronze tint reflects a warm golden hue as you look at the car. This is more or less the same as how your paint reflects a warm bronze tone at sunset (just like in the pick you posted). I did all the glass in my 41 B coupe for less than $100. It was the rubbers that cost big money. .
I don't drive my '40 everyday but did manage to put right at 5K miles on it this year. I made a conscious effort to drive it more, especially in-town errands. It gets as good (if not a little better) gas mileage as my late model truck. Now that winter is upon us, I'll drive it less but it won't be put up for the winter. Life seems to slow down a bit when I drive my old car. It's a catch 22 at times though. I love driving my car but it does seem to go downhill fast the closer I get it to a daily driver. I try to take the best of care of the ol' Ford, but things still happen.
People wonder why we have a passion for this old stuff...just watch the video clip and if nothing stirs, call Bliley's Funeral Home and have them come pick up your body, 'cause you must be dead inside. Nice read this morning, Ryan. You made my day. And people wonder....
I know it's not HAMB friendly but I have daily driven a 65 Ponitac Star Chief 4drHT for the last 3+ years here in Iowa. It starts just fine at -15 and has a kickin heater. I drive between two fairly small towns and I get waves every day. Carmak Riverside, Iowa
He's also part of the reason my drives so well. Danny was a good sport about answering my annoying questions when lowering my car.
I loved reading this! Thanks for sharing your experience and views. Kudos to anyone who puts their money where their mouth is when dealing with this old iron. I like the car, dug the vid, learned some truths (over the MANY flathead wives tales!) and got a load of inspiration for my own mildly massaged stocker. 12,000 miles is awesome, and makes you someone who knows something about your subject. Keep driving the thing, and good luck!
I loved follwing the rebuild coverage and it was great to watch the video of you drivin' down the road. The flattie sounds great! My hat's off to you for continuing to drive the '39 as your daily! Awesome car, Ryan!
Man you get up early. It was raining outside this morn? Save the new models for the better half and drive the old ones I say. That video's like "Ridin w/ the King". Happy New Year. Let's fix the glass.
Mileage. Before the new motor I was getting between 16 and 18 miles per gallon. I think it's a little worse now. Safety. How do you mean? I think it's a pretty safe car. I mean, as safe as a '39 can be. It stops great and handles predictably. I built a "latch system" in the back seat that allows me to put my kid's seats in. I drive them to school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To be honest, I get a little nervous about that. It's only a five mile drive and it's just down a little country road... But I still drive like an old man when my kids are in the car.
Ryan, driving safe and keeping your eyes open and actually paying attention is by far the safest thing you can do for the kids in any car. Driving a new car like most idiots do is no where near as safe, airbags or not. Airbags and anti-locks don't prevent stupid and careless.
Seat belts I guess. When I was a kid, we'd all ride around in my dad's Model A with no seat belts on... but after seeing some pictures of these old cars all wadded up, and hearing stories of people getting killed in them... It scares me to think about driving around in an old car without belts with my kids. Then I think about me getting in a wreck and getting killed... which I don't really worry about until I think about my two boys... For me, some of the fun is knowing you're riding in something half as safe as a new car! Weird, but a little danger never hurt anyone... Haha.. oh, wait... maybe it did. You know what I mean. Anyway, I was just wondering if you put some belts in the car... Other safety gear, I was thinking what other things a guy could do that wouldn't screw up the originality of an old car... I was thinking brighter tail lights and headlights. But to me, that stuff kinda screws it up too. I like seeing an old car with dim lights driving around at night... it's just too friggin' cool... But then, there's all these other crazy fuckers driving around that I worry about. Sam
If I were in the city, I'd be different... Hell, if I lived in the city I don't think I could drive the car every day. I would be a wreck... But the country is different. Every thing is slower out here. Safety hasn't really concerned me at all.
I drove my 40 for 2 months straight this summer and then the weather was getting too bad. AKA salt, brine, and sand. My daily commute is about 80 miles plus. I have a big list of improvements for the car now, one of them being power brakes. Mine has a radio but no wipers. You have to love rain-x! One other thing I love about these cars is you can have the windows down while driving in the rain and very little rain gets inside.
Ryan - a great article and I really enjoyed the video and music. I had parked my project car and been driving my wife's (oh the horror!) Highlander. My little Rambler started up just fine this morning in 38 degree temps, and burbled along for an hour and a half ride on back roads. I know a '65 Rambler is no where close to being cool - but I had a great time driving along with the vent windows open, one hand on the wheel, one arm draped over the bench seat, occasionally shifting the three-on-the-tree. I need to look a lot more closely at older cars, and go back a decade or two from mine. But your article inspired me to burn a little gas and drive some two-lane back roads in a 45 year old car. Thanks.
My last experience with an old car as my only transportation was the '29av8 I drove to high school and the first 2 years of college. This is in Michigan and it didn't have heater, Can you say "hard core"? Like anything........you adapt. Looking at your video I'm thinking the '48 F1 will make a dandy daily when it's on the road, again, here in Michigan. The '32 does daily duty most of the summer but I wouldn't think of using it in the winter. Too much torque, positraction, and snow/ice just isn't a healthy combination with the condition of our roads and the quality (IQ) of the drivers around here. Haven't heard anything about your Rehr-Morrison powered '38 for some time. You didn't sell it did you? Frank
Nice story, but you know: Sometime in 1939 someone just put down some money and was driving that car around and it looked like everyone else's! LOL