If this isn’t a period hot rod, I don’t know what is! These Ford Coupes have always been popular with the customization crowd, with many receiving V8 upgrades. This is the first one I’ve seen with the Oldsmobile 303 though. So why an Olds and not a flathead V8, it is a Ford after all? Well you see, the 303 in it’s lowest performance trim still produced more horsepower than the flathead Ford. No details on when this hot rod was built, the seller does state that it’s been sitting since the ’70s though. You can find it here on eBay in Neosho, Wisconsin with a BIN of $3,800, but at that price you won’t get the engine.
I’m never a fan of when seller’s hold parts of their car ransom. They might as well just say, “if you don’t give me what I want, then I’m going to destroy the car’s history, so pay up!”, and I’m not alright with that. I get the situation this seller is in, they overpaid either for the car or for the parts they are including, but that’s how the game goes sometimes. These cars might be popular, but this one is quite rough and is going to be expensive to restore, no threats will change that fact.
Hopefully, they can be reasoned with and someone can give this project a chance at seeing the road again! I really do think it would be a fun one to take on. Fixing all the rust will be a pain, but it always is. If you can do the work yourself and get the Olds running, you would have a sweet little street machine! The seller states that the 303 is tight though, but hopefully that means it still turns over and not that it’s completely seized up.
As cool as this Ford is, I see a lot of work to be done here. If you don’t mind rolling up your sleeves and getting a little dirty, you could build it into the hot rod of your dreams. And if you don’t mind finding a different engine for it, this could be a killer deal. Of course, I would try to get the seller to leave the engine alone purely on principal. So what would you do with this Ford?
This seller needs to pull this auction until he can get his pricing straightened out. He is confusing any potential buyers.
Olds motors were a relatively cheap way to get some extra power. The thing that the builders didn’t bargain for was the starter being on the left side.
This car looks pretty rusty. I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be more economical to get a repro body, custom chassis and build one that way. I’d need to have a closer look at it.
Price is without the engine, the body would have to improve to suck, this is one for the books, you are going to need big pockets to do anything with this mess, plus now you are going to need a motor. Forget it and keep walking!!!
You’re looking at the car I drag raced my last two years of college. 303 Olds out to 311, Crane cam, Dodge truck 16 spring clutch, ’39 gearbox with a dorm closet full of spares, no limited slip, huge Carter 4-barrel, ’56 big valve heads. Was a good car until the factories started building real hot rods. As you see this one… lots of work, would not buy it without the engine, fun on the street.
Cool story. Any old pics?
This Specific car or one just like it?
Did you buy it built like this?
Had a hot rod circa 1971. ’29 Model A Coupe partially built by a friend, and languished for years so I bought it (for $250) and finished it. It had the classic ’49 303 Olds and the 4 speed Hydro. Solid drive train but VERY WIDE & HEAVY and though 160 horsepower was a big number in 1949, it wasn’t by 1971, and that cast iron Hydramatic weighed as much as some engines by that time. I eventually put in a 327 / Turbo 400 out of a 3/4 ton Chevy pickup, then a new “Targetmaster” 350 crate engine. Of course the 50’s – 60’s upgrade to the 303 was to bolt in a later 324 or a 371 ( a J2 tri power if you could score one) or the mighty 394. THAT engine was the final version of that engine series ending in ’64 and was a very hot set up in early Olds coupes and was an easy swap. I did have a ’52 303 4 barrel intake. Cadillac and Olds built the first modern V-8s in 1949 and also the first 4 barrel carb engine in ’52. :-) Terry J
Sold for:US $3,800.00
[ 7 bids ]
Does anyone know what happened to this car or anymore info about it or the buyer?
I believe this may have been my grandfathers car that he built in Minnesota when he was in his 20’s
Please contact me at ChristopherJMcKelvey@gmail.com