Hot Rods Let's have our own 87th anniversary event for the 36 ford...

Here's my old truck from an adventure a few years back.

 

From a few years ago. I haven't changed anything except replaced the BBC with an LS2. I will eventually change the wide whites for black walls and do something with the wheels.

 

Here are pics of the 5W as a highboy!!
I actually drove it about 25 miles back to my house from my storage area with a pal following me.
He said we were getting some real looks from some folks!


You can see the chopped one sitting in the garage without fenders, too.
I had 36 Ford stuff scattered everywhere for awhile!
The things we do.
I think I've got a picture of the car with the glass fenders from the chopped car painted black somewhere but haven't found it.

 

Here's my 5 window. The body is a late '35 with '36 fenders. I'm putting together a 59AB for it right now...hopefully I'll get it on the road this summer.

 

My first 36 Ford was a chopped 3W coupe that had the decklid leaded in and had 4 59 Cadillac bullet taillights and a SBC with 4 speed and Corvette rearend when I got it.
After I had made the deal for the car and had it home, I found out that it was originally built by a friend I had made over 4 or 5 years of annual treks to the hills of VA around Harrisonburg to see the leaves changing colors in October. We went as couples and drove our hot rods. A leisurely trip up on Friday; stopping along the way to see a few sights and keep our lady friends happy. That evening we would have a toddy and walk to the great restaurant that was a part of our motel for dinner and then some late story telling, and a bit of sipping, until late evening.
The next morning, the guys were off early to breakfast at a quaint diner and the ladies slept in a bit and then went antiquing all day... sometimes it was necessary to rent a van for their use and we boys were glad to do it.
The guys would then make the rounds of junk yards and we had a few pals up there that usually had one or two cars or trucks that might be for sale. My friend owned one of the junk yards and gave us free reign after a few visits with a few guidelines that we'd proven we would honor enthusiastically. We often argued about prices... he wanted us to pay less and we felt we should pay more! Fair deals are the best deals... especially if it leads to getting to explore a junkyard for over 20 years.
Back to the story. I got the car which needed a few things to make it roadworthy again as it had been sitting for awhile. There were just a few weeks before we were scheduled to go to the mountains so I, with help from some pals, managed to get it up to snuff enough I hoped to drive it up to show my friend.
He had last seen the car in 1968 when he sold it to a fellow in our area and he'd kept it ever since but had considerably modified the car by adding the chevy driveline, etc.
Here he is with the car in his yard in 1984 when we drove over to his house Friday night... we couldn't wait until Saturday to show it to him! All the guys knew him well and were eager to see his reaction.
To say he was pleased is a big understatement.


His wife used to drive the car as their daily driver. She, too, was very happy to see the old Ford again as evidenced by this picture taken of the happy couple as they sat in their old coupe. Their grins were ear to ear!

Priceless to me.
They later gave me some old pictures of the car in the 50s.

Here's my pal with his trendy paint job.
Another view with his daughter, I think.

Later he painted it black.


Pretty neat to get such documentation of the car's history.

The Corvair frontend that was in it when I got it laid down one day so I replaced it with a narrowed Nova subframe that worked out real well and the car rode and drove great.
He gave us a tour of his shop and showed us literally right where he chopped the car and leaded the deaklid and cowl vent. Lead bars were still on the shelf!

 

Another fabulous story, Al. A true history lesson of Hot-Rodding in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I love it.

 

Thanks, for the great story. To me this is what Hot Rodding is all about. Also I love the coupe. Ron...

 

These pictures are from our 2014 trip to Harrisonburg. First picture is a great take on two different approaches to getting a 36 cabriolet. My buddy, Bobby, built his car from a seriously challenged 3W coupe and I bought mine.

Here is picture of a stop to check on progress on another 36 being built.

The building behind the wagon is the actual workshop.

Cool shop, ain't it? Guy builds his own metal working tools. Skills are off the chart!!

 

Here's another 36 that passed through Bobby's hands. It was running when he got it but it was much better after he fixed and tweaked the many things that make a car work. He drove it over a year, maybe two, before it got away.


Bobby has developed quite a reputation for finding and fixing patina vehicles but he seems to have fallen off the wagon lately as I think everything lately came with shiney paint!
Good paint or no, Bobby always makes them useful drivers at a minimum and usually much more. I've travelled with Bobby to York many times and many times it was a different vehicle that he'd freshly built and not just tweaked.

 

Was hoping to have this done for it's 80th birthday this year, but things aren't looking too promising.
Maybe its 85th....

Bear

 

Bear,
I've gotta say what is done looks great!
Keep workin'
Al

I'm pleased to add two more 36s to the thread that belong to my pal Fred in Walla Walla, WA.
I want to thank Fred for passing along the pictures and I am pleased to report that both cars are restored and driven.


Both are beautiful cars and well maintained.

 

I'm the current caretaker of Al's old green cabriolet. It's a great old car with a strong 21 stud flathead. I did have the original heads and dual carb intake polished this winter so the engine bay really shines.

I'm also (finally) assembling my '36 5w. It is a local car that was in a barn for 40 years (pic in my avatar of its emergence. It will have a 59a and a T-5. I keep toying with putting my Olds rocket motor in it, but that seems like too big of a step backwards... Who knows...

One of these days, I'm going to talk Al out of his '36 deluxe pickup.... He seems pretty happy with it for now.

 

^^^Mike, I'm glad that to see that you are enjoying the old Ford and have spruced it up considerably. Congratulations! It is only through fellas building and preserving (and improving!) old cars that we ensure that folks to follow will get to enjoy the cars (and trucks!) as well.

I think you will love the flathead and T5. Once you master that on the 5W, that would be my next project for the cabriolet! Of course, you could just purchase a Mitchell overdrive and leave the rest of the cabriolet driveline in tack. I'd be torn between the fun of driving the 5 speed, after a lot of work and dollar investment versus the weekend task of just replacing the torque tube. Today, I suspect I'd get the Mitchell and be riding... ten years ago, the 5 speed.

Thanks for the picture update on the cabriolet. That car was a lot of fun to drive for me. Great memories of riding with my granddaughter at Christmas with the top down. Here's a picture but it would have been MUCH better if I'd thought to include the granddaughter! Sorry. Sorry for me as well.



Mike, if you've already told the story about the emergence of your avatar, please post the link so we can all check it out. If not, please share it with us right here. We love a good story.

Keep working on the 5W and keep posting updates so we can follow along... and harass you to keep workin'!!
Daily updates?

What else are online car buddies for?

 

I was VERY close to buying a Mitchell for the cabriolet this past winter. I waited too long to call and found that the delivery time meant the car wouldn't be ready to drive this spring. Maybe next winter if I get the coupe all together. That was a really fun weekend trip for my wife and I to pick it up.





Here is a link to my 5W. It's taken some time, but the body and paint came out beautiful. I struggled to pick my favorite version of Washington blue.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-barnfind-36-5w.746759/

 

^^^Mike, thanks for the prompt reply with the link to a really neat barn find... and extraction!!!
Like others have said, unbelievable without the pictures. Thanks for recording the event and sharing it with us.
The story is just too cool.... you lucky dog!
Keep workin'
Al

 

A fellow in Durham, England shared these photos of the 3 window he is putting together:

Under construction to get the roof filled:

Later as it is coming together.



He originally intended a more traditional build but had a great TCI chassis "in stock" so one can certainly understand using what you have on hand... I think that approach is an absolute truism regarding being "traditional."
Most of us do what we can with what we have and can locate for reasonable prices.
Dang car is really looking good!
I do want to ask about that second story parking of what looks like a project!!
Thanks for sharing and I look forward to further updates.

 

Wow that phaeton...

 

^^^I agree it is an outstanding car but I think you are referring to a convertible sedan which looks a lot like a phaeton except that its windshield is fixed and doesn't open and it has roll up windows in all the doors. We've been surveying surviving 1936 Ford convertible sedans for 15 years or so and we've found almost 200 surviving cars. 120 are the later trunk model which they switched production to sometime during the year. The rest are of the slantback style and have the spare tire mounted on the back of the car and there is no trunk.
Convertible sedan slantback style:

Convertible sedan trunk style:



The convertible sedan is to the phaeton what the cabriolet is to the roadster... they have fixed windshields that do not open and they have rollup windows in all doors.
That concludes convertible sedan 101.

 

It has always amazed me just how many different body styles Henry built during the 30's. It was like he was trying to cover every corner of the market. Sedans (2drs, 4drs, Victorias) Coupes ( Sport Coupes, 3w, 5 w,) Roadsters, Cabriolets, Phaetons, Convertables, Steel top pick-ups, roadster pickups, station wagons,,,,,,,,,,,,,,DeLuxe and Standard models of most. What have I missed or forgotten??

 

Yesterday at the volunteer fire department pancake breakfast fund raiser. The firetruck is the town's first fire truck, a 1938 Ford, that was purchased used in 1939. Really neat to still have the old warrior and in such great shape. Don't know the origin of the truck's nickname... "Maude."

I had to beat a hasty retreat to my garage when it started sprinkling!

 

Al, Who owns this sweet little Model A? Have any close-up pictures of it?

 

My pal, Bobby (BobbyBuilt), just got this one together and on the road. Drove it to Goodguys in Raleigh without incident.
From another angle:

I believe it is flathead powered with a 5 speed.
Look for it at York... directly across from main doors to main vendor building... in second row of cars with a tent with a "2 story (vented)" tent. My cabriolet will likely be there, too.

 

That's a interesting question..............just how many body styles did Henry produce in 35/36?

 

There were even two versions of the Cabriolet, the Club Cabriolet with a roomier interior with some sort of rear seating and yet another (I believe with a shorter roof and no back seat) that could be had with a rumble seat. I think it may have been called a Sport Cabriolet. It really is amazing that so many different models and variations of these models were available. Maybe Al or some of the other '36 aficionados can help us here.

 

...................Thanks, Al. Will look for it for sure at York. I really like it.

 

My newfound pal in England with the in process red 36 3 window sent some pictures of the chassis.
Very nice!



How about that 32 3w in the background?! Also, note the chassis' STACKED against the wall!
Don't know where pictures were taken but it was certainly well equipped and had some great eye candy in the background.
WOW!

 

Sedan Deliverys, Club Coupes (37/38) and Converrable Sedans.
There was a coupe with a pick up box in the trunk area built only in 37 I believe.

 

I think they are all in there but not sure just how many. Cool picture to me.
Anybody with more details? Looks like 15 to me.

Fordor in front.
Roadster and phaeton next.
Middle of third row is convertible sedan with 3 window on right and 5 window on left... I think.
Cabriolet is directly behind the convertible sedan in the back row.
Someone more familiar with the photo might fill in some of the rest.