History A Thouroughly Modern Car

1509 T
1866 A
2571 V8 miles a month
That's a lot of driving, no ?

 

The renderings are very different for sure!
Kind of like the menu board at Wendy's, the pictures are way different than what's really in that wrapper.

 

'35s are my all-time favorite car...I'll take a 3W..

 

Being 77 yrs. old, and a gearhead since I was 10 or 12, the old Fords of the 30s were still a common sight when I was a kid. Here in GA, the depression seemed to last way later, and people kept old cars running longer.
My Father used to tell me stories about the days before my time when he owned a '35 that he bought new. He bragged on how fast it was, but commented that the brakes weren't good, contrary to one of those ads at the first of this thread. Daddy was from a family that didn't fare as badly as some during the depression, he had a wholesale grocery salesman job with his Uncle's wholesale grocery business and used the car as transportation in his traveling salesman job.
I owned a lot of prewar Fords, but never a '35, mostly "A"s, and one '32, plus one '34. All but the '32 were basically stock as far as running gear and body.
Always had mixed feelings about the '35, what with a flat grill similar to a '34, but fat fenders and flowing lines like a '36 and later. Maybe if I had been around when it came out new, and hadn't seen the later cars, I would have agreed with the hype about it being so far ahead of earlier offerings. Now I'm more in tune with them simply as a logical progression between the sharp, angular lines of the '34 and earlier, and the smooth, flowing lines that began with the '35 and advanced more every year of prewar Fords. Had a chance about 12/15 years ago to buy a '35 coupe, but passed because I really didn't realize at the time how much 30s cars had increased in price and rarity as I had been away from the hot rod scene for quite a number of years. Now I realize that it wasn't a bad price.

 

I'm a big fan of 35's and helped my neighbor with a real nice 35 slantback a few yrs ago.. Have never owned one-have only done mainly 40's but know of a very nice 3 window project and have considered it as the next one I do.

 

http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Harry_Westergard

 

Looks like about a 2 inch chop. My 36 is chopped 2''.

 

MY 35

 

I wholeheartedly agree re:the front end treatment. After the outstanding '34 grill the '35 is just lopped off. Too bad it wasn't a little more"out there".

 

As long as it has two doors you can count me in, the three window has the most love from me. You said it right that the 34 was the last of the fenderless hot rods.

 

If you got into some heavy customizing, I think you could make a '35 work fenderless...



I'll take mine with the engine facing the correct way and driving the correct set of wheels.

 

Around 1994 I decided I wanted a '35 or '36 3W. I would have taken either one, but it happened that the best car I found was a '36:

While I was shopping, and even after I bought my car, I studied the many subtle differences between '35s and '36s, and came to appreciate the '35 much more than I had as a kid. I thought they were ugly ducklings when I first studied old Fords in the '50s.

I eventually concluded that the '35 design, with its snub-nosed grille, flared fenders, and wire wheels, owed a lot of its style to the '34. IMO it looks best when it's treated as a hot rod. Conversely the '36, with teardrop fenders and a pointy prow, is more predictive of the late '30s Fords and makes a better custom.

With that new appreciation for '35s, I saw several that really work for me:

Neat hot rod 3W, crappy photo


Dick Falk's spectacular tub


Louis Stands' great phantom Victoria

 

I love 35's. My 5w is my forever car even though I would like to own a roadster of the same year at some point.

 

I'm currently working on a '35 Deluxe Tudor Slantback. powered by a C3 headed 351 Cleveland/C4, 9 inch. If I had my druthers(and damn few of us have that luxury), a '35 Phaeton with a cammer would be my first choice. Nothing like a Touring Tub in my book.

 

I love my 35 Ford 3 window.