Customs 1936 ford 3 window custom... survivor?

I traded for this '36 3 window a few months ago after seeing it up on a trailer at Pate. I got it from a guy from Oklahoma City, he said that some guys in town had seen it bombing around town in a blue and white paint job, but I never heard any more. It looks like the dark blue paint is over white paint over original black. There are remnants of white interior with a blue package tray inside.

A little background on the car that I can tell - it looks like the work was done by two builders. Builder 1 (clean work) - chop, garnish mouldings, filled roof, filled decklid
Builder 2 (messier work) - 1940 ford front end, 1949 cadillac dash, 1940 buick grille, possibly 1949 cadillac rear fenders.

The chop and garnish moldings are very well done, no visible seams and finished in lead. All of the glass is cut down and fitted in the frames and the windows are still operational. There is weatherstripping on the doors and lots of undercoating inside and out, even under where the Cadillac fenders were. The top of the cowl is 36, belt line down is 40. At some point, someone chopped out the front half of the floor and fitted 1x12s in, in place of the steel. They are cut carefully, but I'm not sure why. There's no evidence of the car being channeled.





I have looked through the Custom Car Chronicle website several times and the early magazines that I have, and have seen similar custom touches, but nothing that seems to be a perfect match. It seems to be influenced by early dry lakes cars with the chop and then later customs like the Jim Chapkis '40 and the Jimmy Summers' '40 merc.





when you look at IMG_3870, there is a rusted spot on the hood where a badge was once installed. It's around 1"x3" - I don't think it was a Ford badge, think it might have been a customizer's tag?

Here's a quick mock up with the Caddy fenders - I think they were cut down if they were used. These are not from the original car, the PO pulled these and they happened to have the same patina in the same colors.



I'm still figuring out what the plan for this is, but I know it will be a few years in the making. It will get either a hopped up flathead or 331 caddy - I've collected parts for both. A shiny dark paint job is in the cards for sure. I think I'm headed back toward stock '36 rear fenders and skirts unless some pretty convincing photos surface of the Caddy fenders looking good.

If anyone has seen this roaming the midwest or, probably California originally, please let me know. I'm moving forward with the build, but it's always fun to find out if someone has some history on a car, especially one with so many unique features. Thanks!

 

Sounds interesting, unfortunately I apparently don't have permission to view the pics.

 

Oops, should be fixed now. First post trying to use the media albums instead of photobucket.

 

I say congrats and go back to the 36 ford stuff. Only because I love 36 fords.

 

Looks like an interesting piece of history. Good luck in your research.
Definitely would get some revisions if it were in Smithfield but you do what you think is best.
Congratulations.
Keep workin'
Al

 

That's really got a great early look. Maybe some 40 rear fenders would be a plan. The Caddy fenders must have looked pretty grim.

 

...if that were mine, I'd go back with stock 35-6 fenders(grille/hood) all around, with that nice chop it'd look awesome, but it's your car so good luck whatever you decide,...cool old piece.

 

What a great early Custom.
Hopefully some old OKC guys will recognize it and provide details.
For the early incarnation, I'd agree it may have been chopped in CA.
The feature that stands out is that the chop didn't retain as much of the leading lower door glass opening curve as most 35/6 chops do. It's also got a healthy cut which all will make it easy to ID if there's an early photo of it.
Hopefully Rik Hoving will recognize it. Check early dry lakes photos and Don Montgomery books.

 

Only, and I say only, if you found it to have been built by a famous OLD builder would I keep the rear/front treatment. Go back to '36 stuff and start from there. Great find however!!. Tim

 

2nd this

 

Why would you want to undo all the old kustom work to make it look like every other chopped '36?

 

I'm for going back to 36 myself all old looks aren't always good looks .But as it's yours do what makes ya want to getter done .Roger

 

Those cad quarters would have to go historic or not they just make it an abortion. The rest of the car is pretty cool and worth working with. I know nothing of the history on it though.

 

Thanks for all the thoughts guys! I'm not planning to change the front end, the chop or the parts of the interior that are still there - I really think this has the best of two great Ford designs with the '40 front end and '36 3 window body. I love it.

The caddy fenders are a fun diversion, but I'm pretty sure I will bring the rear back to '36. Or '40... that was an interesting idea...

I picked up a parts car this weekend for the floor, rockers and fender beads, hopefully get to start welding in a few months. In the mean time, I'm hoping someone has seen something in an old magazine or on the streets of OKC.

 

It would be cool of you could find a pair of Zephyr rear fenders, they would extend the rear without butching the shape of the car.

 

I was thinking along the same lines as PnB, make the rear extended to make it sleeker. The Cad rear fenders look like crap. It needs to flow smoothly down, not up. Zephyr rear fedners are probably hard to find, but go along the general shape like they have, even if you end up customizing something like 40 rear fenders.

 

Hi nobuckets - Good score. Congratulations. I saw this car at Pate as well and really liked it too. Here is a picture of a car that looks like yours only with the Cadillac fenders on it. I cut this picture out of the magazine about 15 years ago and saved it. I always wanted to find the car because of the great chop. I never seriously thought it still existed. When I saw it at Pate I was shocked. I seriously considered buying it but I only have a one car garage with a car already in it. Good luck with your quest for uncovering more history. I hope that there are some old paint colors maybe in the door jambs that have not weathered away. I know several more people that I will ask about it.

 

I wonder if a "continental" spare used to fill the space created by the Cad fenders.

 

I'm with James D on this one. I think if you shorten the Cad fenders but arch them a little higher to match the shape of the body then they would flow better. That would be a really unique and cool custom car IMO. Put the picture on the Photoshop thread and ask them to try these changes.

 

Nice work on finding the photo, it'll be interesting to see how this one ends up!

Sent via carrier pidgeon & smoke signals with the HAMB App

 

That has to be one of the prettiest chops I've seen on a 35-36 3w. I'd love to have it, and the Cad fenders would get lost on the trip home...
Sam

 

Ditto.

Rich

 

Terry
You are probably spot on with the Continental kit on the back.

its a long shot but maybe someone up at the Starbird museum in Ok knows something about the car. I would bet that it is a good place to gather information an about any old mid west custom.

 

Karl! That's really really great! I knew someone on here would have some info on the car and wow - look at those fenders. This gives me something to go on - thanks!

I think the car looked so rough at Pate that it scared a lot of folks away. Maybe you and I were the only crazy ones to see past all the junk on the trailer and imagine what it could be. Thanks again for pulling that photo out, I ordered my own copy off ebay just now!

Ken

 

The holes are still present for the mounted spare below the decklid, so I think you guys are right.

I'm going to follow up with the Starbird, great idea. Hopes won't be high, since the R&C guys didn't recognize it in the 70s, but still fun.

Ken

 

That is one badass chop! Not so sure I'm sold on the rest of the ' kustom touches', but I've always been a fan of the stock '36 lower body stuff -never really got why anybody would want to mess with perfection...

Bear

 

If the Caddy fenders were shorter it might work for me. The pulled up close to the door bubble is fine, but there's like a foot too much of them at the rear.

I could see a nod to them by using the Cad taillights with some '40 or other fenders on it, though.

 

I ran across this photo by accident but the front end treatment caught my eye. The magazine is from 1959 and is a "little book". More pieces in the mystery of your car.

 

April issue 1960

 

convertible sedan has a 39 deluxe or 40 standard hood. the 36 has a 40 deluxe hood.