Technical What would you have done different?

Me and you both brother

 

Hello,

In 1960, when I first made an offer on a "Salmon Pink" 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, it had a 348 Chevy motor that sounded like it could beat anything in the parking lot of our local hot spot. The drive-in restaurant parking lot in Bixby Knolls (Two places) were the gathering spot every weekend. It was the hit of the night as it was just finished the night before and driven to the parking lot the next day. The offer was in relation to a small sign on the window of the sedan delivery. That 348 motor was similar to our 348 in the 58 Impala.

But, as we all admired the sound and look of the 40 Ford Sedan Delivery, the owner wanted to sell it due to his mistake in the middle of the night while mixing and painting. We all know how those late night sessions go when trying to meet a finished project. But, his was the finished paint.

The original color was supposed to be a Racer Orange, but ended up a Salmon Pink. in the middle of the night, after finishing the spray, it looked Racer Orange. The local street lights and the parking lot lights made it Salmon Pink. He did get tired of his friends calling it Salmon Pink. So, the small for sale sign was on the window when he cruised into the gathering in the drive-in parking lot.

No one offered any amount of money for a sedan delivery. Possibly, because it looked mean with black rims and a small hubcap. I am sure it reminded them of the local milk delivery and/or the TV/Appliance Repair trucks that showed up at everyone’s door in an emergency. So, I was the only one that made an offer. My bank account was dictating the offer and he soundly rejected it. Then after several weeks of the same offer, he relented and said sold, but with conditions.

He wanted to keep the 348 motor for another drag racing only, project and would put in a Flathead motor in its place. Then he would accept my offer. The rest of the driveline and rear was the same as he built it. All he had to do was to make new motor mounts and the rest would stay the same. A 37 LaSalle transmission and Ford rear end came with the sedan delivery.


Jnaki

Now I was the owner of a low powered form of surf transportation that I needed. It was just right for me. The Flathead was reliable to the extremes and started in all kinds of conditions and places. So, it was a great purchase.

If I had the extra money, I would have told him to keep the 348, but even after purchasing the Flathead powered sedan delivery, I could have dropped in another 348 or a smaller SBC motor. Hooked up to the existing set up that most hot rod people were using at the time. But, time taken away from having the most fun in a long time with the surf trips, the road trips all over So Cal made the purchase and underpowered Flathead fine for me. My pocket book thanked me for not running it dry.

But, thinking all along while driving the fast, modified, 58 black Impala was night and day away from the sedan delivery. The current (at the time) way of thinking during our surf trips was that it was freedom and no amount of time or project can take that away. So, I wish we could have put in a larger, faster motor, but it was time well spent and my surfing skills improved tremendously.

The hot rod adulation from our friends was still outstanding with the fun we had in the sedan delivery. The new form of adulation came from being in the sedan delivery when we approached the line outside of the local So Cal surf movies at various high school/college auditoriums. That made it worthwhile, despite being the slowest form of transportation on the road, besides a VW van.

Just thinking about the sedan delivery with a 348 motor or any SBC motor would have been the pinnacle of teenage transportation. A fast hot rod for the local beach episodes and long road trips with the power to back up an encounter we came across. “Wouldn’t it be nice…”

 

I wanted an East Coast deal, channel but no chop. Wanted to keep the radiator in the stock location for proportions. Nobody told me a T has a very low cowl. Been scratching my head for a couple months now. Guess it's not getting channeled.

 

I had a 53 Ranch wagon and I think the hot ticket was 54(?) Olds lenses. Less frumpy looking.