I have been out of Hot Rodding for years but I am looking to get back in. Can anyone help me with what I might have to pay for a real steel 32 3 window that is a good driver or project? Any one know of any for sale? Thanks Steve
Going from my friends say that have one and my personal experience on offers on mine. Anywhere from $45 k to $65 k. And they didn't sell them cause the money goes fast, but the holy grail is very, very hard to find. Good luck , I hope you find one. G-man
Actually the top end is around $150K but in the unrestored original or old hot rod condition, the above figures are correct IMO of starting out around $40K and that is without fenders and hoods. Good luck as it took me a long time to get a car that I could come up with enough money for. Finding the good deal is a tough row to hoe.
For a driver in steel it's got to be at least 50k. Mine has 130k miles and numerous mechanical rebuilds but I wouldn't part with it for double that.
One just sold in our town for $19K, All steel 50's build and no rust. You need to keep looking and you will find a deal. The car is now at Hollywood Hot Rods for a makeover. I have seen them sell for a lot less than $4oK but they are not primo.
For $19K, I would have to see it to believe it. That's an almost impossible find to me. The guy was sure lucky who got it.
I would like to thank everyone who has posted here and given me advice. I still have a couple questions for the 32 Ford guys. How much does it take away from the value of a 32 3 window if it has been channeled? How much less if front fenders are fiberglass? and do Brookville fenders increase the value and what would the difference be between Brookville and original fenders? How hard is it to put a channeled body back up on the frame? Thanks Steve
The closer to original the more the value. Hot rod ford guys love to tell ya how few repop parts they needed. A channelled car hurts because alotta guys that can afford to chase these cars are getting up in the years and channelled cars are tougher to drive and get in and out of. The ease of unchanelling usually depends on the quality of the job that was done in the first place. There are some UGLY channel jobs out there, remember alotta people building hot rods back in the day were kids and they used the torch rather liberally. Regardless unchanelling is a sizable job that the average weekend tinkerer can't do. You also havta account for the repop flooring and bits and pieces that can add to the price quickly. Fiberglass fenders that were common in the 70's and 80's due to the unavailability of nice originals and the absensence of steel repops do certainly not help the value but are seen as an easier fix theses days and won't particularly drive down the price of a car that's solid and original in other areas. Brookville fenders do add to the value but once again original is still the king. The next or current owner always wants to tell ya Henry Ford fenders at all four corners... JohnnyA
Got a phone number to talk about your car. My friend is looking for a 32 3w steel car thanks G-man 325-212-1737
Every once in a while, we get the clueless who wanna spout off...lol. "Faster"? It doesn't only have to do with how fast they go. It also has so much to do with history...tradition...soul. Besides...have you priced a reproduction steel '32 3W? Btw...hot rodders don't "fuck" with originals...they work with them and give them love. Show some respect. floorboardinit...your coupe kicks ass. Nailhead too! Awesome. If I was in the market, I'd be at your door. Good luck cubdriver55.
When people walk up to me to see my 3w, the first thing they ask is whether its steel or not. The second question is whether its original steel or not. Its expensive to answer yes, as they don't drive any better than non-originals or even look better. Its just a good feeling to have an old original Ford and like one guy said, you have to have respect for the guys who work hard to save and restore them. If I had it to do over, I would pay the extra money for the original, its so neat to own one. Hang in there, you will find one.
I want to thank everyone again for their help. I did find a car and I brought it home today. It is an older build from the 70s. It is far from perfect but the paint is very good for 40 years old. Good solid body and many original parts. It is channeled the width of the frame in the back and 2 inches in the front. The back fenders are original but were reworked to fit the channeled body. They were also widened by 2 inches. The running boards were custom built to fit the rear fenders and all the work seems to be good quality. The front fenders and grill shell are fiberglass but it came with a new grill shell and insert and 2 Brookville front fenders. The front end is Must2 but old style where the fenders had to be cut so I can not put metal fenders on until I have replaced the front end. Power is a small block chevy with a 471 blower a 350 trans and a 62 vette rear end. I would have preferred a non channeled car but these cars are hard to find so sometimes you have to take what you can get. Thanks Steve
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