Has anyone ever contemplated building a Three (3) Window Forty-Six, Seven, Eight Ford Coupe? I know a Forty has been done, as has a Fifty. I have a Forty Eight and the idea seems doable, even if it would create a lot of metal working problems. I'm just curious if anyone has thought it out, attempted it, or actually done it? I'm curious to know what other people think: good, bad, or indifferent. I know it's off-the-wall but I like three windows. Even the fifties Plymouth and Dodge versions look cool to me. So why not a Forty Eight?
I think it would be great as long as some planning were done to make it look as it came from the factory that way. I have seen failed attempts that were out of proportion on other cars and they can look like hell real quick. The only 46-48 I remember ever seeing just had the rear side window welded shut, which does not really count as "turned into a 3 window". Go for it and post pix as you do!
I've never seen a '46-'48 Ford 3-window. But FWIW, when Pete Chapouris took Steve Stanford's sketches and built Billy Gibbons' "Kopperhead" '50 Ford 3-window, he had to make some pretty extensive changes to the door frames and sail panels to make it flow. http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/42141_1950_ford_five_window_coupe/
No reason it wouldn't work especially if you have the short door Ford Coupe rather than the long door Sedan Coupe model. I guess filling the quarter window and slanting the B post forward and the door top ala the 33-36 3Ws would do the trick. The roofline on early 3Ws was essentially the same as the 5Ws but had those tapered door tops. Done well in factory style without chop and you could hve some folks wondering every time you drove by!
Heck, yeah! Go look at his personal info page, and click on threads started by geoking. His 3 window coupe is a very balanced design. The design of the '41-'48 Fords and Mercs isn't one of my favorites, but this is a good looking version just the same. Nice job!
Here's a 1946 from my photo archive that was made into three window. Do not have any more info on it. I like it.
Wow, indeed! The turquoise three-window is exactly what I wanted to see. I've asked geoking for more details on his, and took a look at noname's. I was living in Pasadena when the Billy Gibbon coupe was in progress, and hung out at P-Wood's Garage. He gave me one of his narratives on how it was done. So I guess I've carried around a mental image, even after seeing the photos, ever since. Post-war Fords are an acquired taste, and I figure the problem we all have with them is that Ford carried over an older style --- '41 & '42, and attempted to make it appealing to returning GI's. It certainly has elements of a tank and a bomber in it, and is big as bus. Just the opposite of a Jeep. Nothing wrong with that; I've owned my share of them and want something smaller, more like a Forty, but not. And, seeing what can be done has lit a fuse. I have one in my shop and intend to collect up doors and other stuff I know is needed to transform it. I want to thank everyone who responded. And, I will try to document my build and share it. And, if anyone has more pictures, or has done one and can give me more ideas, I'm still open to suggestions. Carl
While neither one is an A roadster, and they may be as "big as a bus" but they are lighter than people think. A '69 Camaro z/28 weighs 3,296 lbs. A '46 Ford coupe weighs 3,170 lbs With it's original, heavy flathead. Empty space doesn't weigh anything.
I have photos of this one that I stole from the HAMB, and I can't find the thread I took them from. No info on whose car it is, the files are labeled "longdoorshortroof_coupe". Someone did an amazing job (although it starts to look like a '47 Dodge IMO)...
Man these are sick!!! Does anyone know if these are long doors? I'm wondering if I could pull this off on a 47 Merc coupe No luck on Geokings link to photoshow anyone got more details of these chops?
It seems the examples shown are a combination of a short roof business coupe body with the longer coupe sedan doors, moving the lower "B"pillar back and reworking upper door and "B" pillar to slant configuration. A short door business coupe with just slanted "B" pillars would not work visually , IMO. And that is essentially what prewar ford 3 window coupes were anyway. 5 window models used 4 door front doors with a quarter window and the 3 window models used longer two door sedan front doors with no quarter window. Before some purist points out there were slight differences in the doors, I am aware of the that, but slight differences aside, that's what they were in general dimensions.
Yep, that's geoking's coupe. I tried to cut & paste the link to his build thread, but you can look him up under "Community", "posts started by". This looks a bit thinner through the C pillar than the blue/primer example above. Also, note the shaved or re-shaped drip rail makes this one look smoother, where the other drip rail becomes a very noticeable feature.
"Does this conversion make my butt look big?" My opinion, George should have left the drip rails. (see how 'Factory' the car looks otherwise? The steel wheels and caps bear testimony to the car's pedigree...) All in all, an amazing transformation. I see pure magic in this operation.
I have been visiting both George's build and noname's. They have a lot to behold. So impressed with what is possible, and the extremes that can happen when a person works relentlessly to create something wonderful, I went out today and traded up another coupe for sheet metal and whatever else it may offer in my own build. I won't go into the details, but my friend with whom I traded is going through hell because of recent zoning laws passed in the town where he grew up and his family lived before he was born. After a tornado hit the town, the city fathers, if you can call them that with a straight face, 'got religion' and passed a series of ordinances that make even invasive species a liability for the land owner. This in Alabama, that historically has been pretty laissez faire about many things pertaining to automobiles but, now, it appears these local politicians are taking cues from the Third Reich in how they do business, with threats of fines and imprisonment that to this old man seem unreasonable in the extreme. I'll keep you posted on getting the 'parts car' out of a growth of privet that all but obscures it from view. Plus, I want to thank all who have posted good stuff on here. The links are great; and, I do enjoy reading and looking at pictures. I intend to save a few of those that shine a light on methods and processes that had me stumped when I was thinking things out on my own. Unless, of course, anyone objects. Carl
The Jalopy Journal
