Projects The rising prices of 33 34 Coupes

Anyone else noticed that maybe its the Rolling Bones factor or the recent discovery of more historic lakes chopped cars but Model 40 coupe prices seem to be rapidly esclating whilst 32 prices have stagnated or decreased. Maybe the 33/34s are just catching up but they are becoming increasingly harder to find at affordable prices. Even though I've owned two 32s I always thought the Model 40s looked better, maybe more folks feel the same way now?

 

Seems to me that they have been up in price forever.

 

I totally agree, they have always been pricey here in the Sunny South. HRP

 

One of my favorite change over years. Always priced a little higher , but look at those lines.

 

Oh the joy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Too high for my wallet.
Unless I sell two to get one.
Always been on my bucket list.

 

I think they look a lot better than a 32, can't afford either one but if I could it'd be a 33, 34. I hate when they put a 32 grille on them.

 

Heck I think I sold 5 to buy my 34 3w, and it was a pile of junk. then you sell off some more so you can shovel the money into it

 

owned my 33 for a while, and still in sticker shock when i look for parts

 

In my experience, 33/34's have always been more costly than 32's and a bit more expensive to build. Price a chrome 33/34 grille compared to a (painted) 32. Cost of admission is (and always has been) staggering, especially if you're going all steel, full fendered with chrome grille and vulcanized running boards ( like I am).

Also, consider the fact that SAR is no longer producing Steel 33/34 3/w Coupes, leaving that option gone, whereas Brookville is making Deuce 3/w Coupes and UP is making Deuce 5/w Coupes. This leaves the buyer of a 33/34 Coupe with the choice of buying a finished car or a rarely found decent body. Even old, hogged out stock car bodies are sky high. Then there's Sedan to Coupe conversions. Ton of work and no matter how well done, never hit the bullseye 100%

 

Well I just bit the bullet when I bought my '33. After looking for a year it actually made more sense to buy a well built, running car (even though I knew I'd take it apart and start over) than a "project car" with no undamaged panels and many missing parts. After selling the unwanted bits the outlay wasn't much more than one of those and I started with a legal, registered vehicle with a straight body, perfect grille, quickchange etc. It's currently getting a 3 1/2" haircut and being brought from fifties style into the sixties, which is more my cup of tea (or mug of ale actually).

 

I guess I never really looked at prices of them too hard as was happy with A's and a couple 32s along the way but now I'd love one have been surprised a little with prices. Best not miss out on the next one that pops up

 

No way I could just go buy a 33-34 coupe but I made my mind up I was going to the very top of my bucket list. {I HATE that phrase!} I sold junk at swap meets, worked extra hours, conned my bodyman buddy to put my crappy jalopy racer body in the back corner of his shop for 8 years of Tuesday and Friday nights, piecing the body together from other bodies and some S.A.R. sheetmetal as I could afford it.
I was not to be denied. I made my mind up to have a 33-34 coupe.....nothing less. Turns out the only parts I used from the original jalopy racer body was the door jambs and the back 1/2 of the top. Everything else was sourced from the HAMB classifieds, swapmeets or some of the guys around here [Thanks Lowell Kimball] who deal in old ford shit.
To make a loooooong story short, I worked on something to do with my 34 every day for 9 and a half years. I am living proof if you really REALLY want one of these coupes, you can make it happen. I am so glad I stuck with it those years. The car isn't nice but I've driven it to the HAMB drags in Joplin [from Omaha] twice and competed.
I'm just some guy like you guys...nobody special. If I can do it, you can do it.

 

Once you buy the body and frame its just like building any early Ford jalopy. Especially if you use all early Ford parts like I do its basically all the same parts be it a model A, T, model 40 or 32.
Theres been a pretty complete 33 or 34 sedan in the classifieds for a while now for under 4 grand. Buy your ass a set of roadster quarters and cut and weld to you got a chopped to hell 3 window.

 

The rising prices on everything and a lot of junk out there people are asking over rated prices.


I JB weld almost everything the rest I use bubble gum.
Life is to short to do it right the first time

 

Rocky,
I would beg to differ,,,,,,your 34 is very nice .
I always admire your avatar pics,,,,,and the pics where you have it parked somewhere always caught my eye .
Look at it,,,,,!
I don’t know what engine you have,,,,,but I am certain it is great .
It has a QC,,,,great stance,,,,wheels are just right,,,,,all the right combinations.
I even like the paint,,,,,nothing special,,,,,but it suits it .
Because it is low key,,,,not over the top,,,,is what makes it more appealing to me .

Man,,,,,I would trade with you in an instant,,,,,,,however,,,,,I don’t have anything to trade,,,,LoL .

Tommy

 

Rocky you sure under sell your car and Adam your coupe is one of my favs! You are right too, once you get past the initial sticker price for a body, grill and frame, costs are all pretty much the same.

 

Yes, they are pricey to buy/build but they make some cool cars.
Mine has taken forever it seems.

 

I've never noticed them going up. They've always been high priced, and to me one of the best looking 30's cars ever designed. If they weren't so spendy I'd own one too. I'd have to sell both of my cars to get one, and I just can't let them go.

 

I couldn’t afford the 2 34 coupes that I was offered at a good Australian price some 20 yrs ago( about the same as you guys are paying for a good body now in the USA) but jumped on the worst Aussie 34 roadster body 3 years ago for 4K,with enough parts parts to build 2 rough roadsters but still a bargain in Oz, cool ain’t cheap...34s are through the roof down here... but they are the prettiest early ford in my eyes

 

I have a 32 3w my Buddy has chopped 34 5W . There is a huge difference in the size of the tin . It is the progression in auto manufacturing . Personally I like the 33 34 3W with a hot rod chop . The 32 is a one year off , and just says killer hot rod also . Prices have gone nuts on any good tin anymore . I could not afford to purchase my own car in today’s world . I was a lucky sole to stumble into a deal many years ago .

 

I paid 6500 for this pile 13 years ago. It's hard to tell but there are some really good parts in that pile.

 

I also paid 6500 for this pile last year. It looks great in the pictures but is actually a giant pile of shit. Purchase price did not include the old guy.




-Abone.

 

17K for this one in 2015. She was a street rod rescue project. Lots of hidden atrocities had been done to this poor girl. If you think the wheels are bad you should have seen under the hood. I would get thrown off the HAMB if I showed you.

 

14K for this one in 2017. Pretty decent little car but she had been a hot rod in the 60's which is code for horrible butchery was done with a torch.

 

The price of 1933-34 Ford coupes is relative to your pocketbook. Years ago when I was working and could afford it, prices weren't too bad. now that I am long retired, 19 years, Prices are way out of my price range. I remember back in the early 1970's my partner and I had a channeled 1934 Ford coupe body and frame with out a deck lid, we couldn't sell it for $ 400.00. We put a $ 25.00 deck lid on the body and it sold for $ 700.00. People are strange.

 

img010 by harpo1313 posted Feb 16, 2010 at 10:40 PM

img011 by harpo1313 posted Feb 16, 2010 at 10:40 PM

I started with this.5 grand, and that was 30 years ago

 

I listed and sold my 34 5 window last fall (on the HAMB) and it was pretty decent not perfect. That coupe has 33 doors and I never worried about it. I am pretty sure it was going to be a street rod at some point in it's life. I kept my cobbled 33 5 window to continue building. Basically my 33 is a pile of mix and match conversion. Not pretty but I don't care it is my way.

 

I know this might mean much to some but to me they do.
1. They are bigger...we are bigger.
2. The wife will ride in a coupe especially if it has AC.
3. They look as good stock as chopped to me.

 

"Man,,,,,I would trade with you in an instant,,,,,,,however,,,,,I don’t have anything to trade,,,,LoL "

Tommy.....Thanks for the nice words. If you really REALLY want one of these cars, sell your prostreet car or better yet, start building a 'glass bodied car piece by piece. If I hadn't bought an old steel jalopy body, I'd have bought one of those 3 window chopped glass bodies with the A-posts leaned back...salt flat style. Sure would have speeded things up in my case.