Every car for sale online should have a write-up as detailed as this 1946 Ford Super Deluxe in Parkersburg, Pennsylvania. It’s on eBay with a current bid of $1,7250 with the reserve not met. Unfortunately, the photography is not as comprehensive as the write-up! We featured this one back in 2020, which you can find here, when it was listed on craigslist with a $6,900 asking price.
This is a classic barn find, but it’s not Tom Cotter’s Cobra in the Barn. It’s a fairly pedestrian vehicle, a basic flathead-powered four-door Ford of the kind that was in every driveway in the immediate postwar years. But it’s in very good condition, considering it’s been parked since 1988 (in a metal building with a concrete floor).
It’s out of the elements but hasn’t been moved and there’s “30 years of dust and grime on it, and, yes, plenty of dust, cobwebs and other dirt in the interior.” But since when have those things deterred a barn hunter? The story goes that the car was pulled off the road for a mundane reason—it needed a new wheel cylinder. Now it needs all four of them. The wheels are frozen (a tow might loosen them) and the radiator is leaking, but the current owner (who’s had the car for two years) did put a battery in it last year and the motor turned over. The odometer shows 91,000 miles, likely original. That’s a lot for a car of this period, possibly indicating an engine rebuild is needed (if it hasn’t already had one). There are no engine shots.
The body looks solid and all the trim is present and looks good. But there’s some rust—with the worst being in the front inner fender supports. The running boards also have the tin worm, and the chassis is surface-rusted. The vendor says that the doors, hood, and trunk are all solid.
The interior is all there, but some of the glass is cracked and the passenger front window doesn’t wind. The seats look OK—what you can see of them. One door panel was ripped and stitched back together. The Pennsylvania title is clean. Altogether, it looks like a car that could be fairly easily be made drivable, then repaired gradually.
The history of these Fords is interesting. Ford stopped producing the 1942 models after the Pearl Harbor attack, but it had a lot of body panels left over. These spares went into the virtually unchanged 1945 (34,439 made, with Harry Truman getting the first one) and 1946 models.
There was so much pent-up demand that half a million orders were received when Ford launched its “There’s a Ford in Your Future” marketing campaign. The V-8 was the 239-cubic-inch 59A flathead that had been in the 1939 Mercury. It produced 100 horsepower. The ’46 models were distinguished from the ‘42s by a new horizontal grille and some rear chrome trim. There were more colors available, though this one is in basis black.
Super DeLuxe Fords like this one got an upgraded dashboard with red numerals and a chromed speedometer needle over a black background. An electric clock was standard. If the price doesn’t go up too high before the reserve is reached, this could be an excellent fun project that won’t require a bank loan. I see a historical plate out back, and a collector frame. Maybe this car was enthusiast-owned before it was put away, which would be a plus. Would you hot rod it or leave it stock?
Seen worse come out of a barn in North Dakota, two weeks later it was in driving condition. These old Ford’s are tough.
Don’t try to con me, Biff.
This is the exact car is what most likely caused the addiction ,I have suffered all my life with. My dad bought this exact car (make and model) in late 1946, I was going on 4 years old. When we went anywhere in the car, I stood up in the middle of the front seat ,with my arm around by Dad’s shoulder. I know, not exactly safe, but remember this was 1947 and we weren’t on the 101. As I looked out over the dash and hood, I apparently listened and asked him about all the other cars, I saw on the road. It seems I had some sort of fascination with cars. By the time I was 6 or so, I could name every make model and year, of every car I saw. It became my parlor trick and no one could explain , how I did it. I didn’t even know. From then on my life was cars, cars and more cars. However, I always had a special attraction to 46 Fords, I just loved the car, I was riding in. My dad hated it ,he said it was lemon, needless to say , I didn’t understand that, I was a little kid. He didn’t own another Ford until I was in college in 1963. He bought a new Ford Galaxy 500, and I bought a 1934 Ford coupe, he had several Fords after that and I still have the little Ford Coupe. I have also had a lot of other cars including several fat fendered Fords. I have also become a card caring member of the 4-door Haters Club. There is an exception to everything, if I could have the Black 46 Ford 4-Door ,just like my Dads, I would probably keep it forever ,just like my 34 coupe. Then, I would have proof of how I came to be afflicted with this lifetime condition ,of an absolute obsession with cars.
My brother – gone now – bought one exactly like this – used – as his first car. Made for romantic riding with girlfriend scrooched up next to h9im. Cop stopped him once and suggested he use both hands. He said he had to keep one hand free for driving. LOL I personally had some wonderful nekking times in back seat woowoo
He could have steered with his knees
This car, while not for everyone, is a dandy! I looks like it’s all there and could be brought back to life fairly easy. A mechanical once over and a hot soapy bath would most likely do the trick.
What a fun ride just to get back on the road and enjoy getting it converted to 12v and some other safety upgrades and you will have a nice driver
Well I guess I was in the same club with Joe about 4 door cars, but somewhere along the line that changed. I think it might have been when I bought a 65 Lincoln Continental 4 door back in the early 70’s.
Now this Ford model was seen all the time when I was in grade school in the 50’s.
Four door is okay with this. I’d rather have a 47 convertible but the money is right on this one at just over $3000.00 right now. A lot could be done with this car without breaking the bank. Someone pull the trigger before I find a place to put it please.
Fill with kids and head for the roadside ice cream stand! What a great cruiser, get that flatmotor running like a swiss watch, fix the brakes and mechanicals. A set of duals with smitty mufflers!!! Affordable fun. Good luck and happy motoring.
Cheers
GPC
Were the 46’s left over 42’s I didn’t think that any new cars were built between 42-47!
Just about all of the car makers re-warmed their 1942 models for 1946, ’47 and ’48. It wasn’t until 1949 that new designs showed up.
Cars of this vintage, in this good of shape, are so rare and hard to come by unmolested.
I would clean it up, do some safety updates and other cosmetic changes.
Put it on the road and drive it.
I am not a Ford man, but GM.
Lynn, , There has always been confusion about this,especially with Fords. !942 was a departure from 1941’s, but not that much , 1941 to 1948 have always been referred to as Fat-fendered Fords. Although the 41 looks the most different. !942 was unusual as they stopped production before the year was over, because of the war. No new cars were built for the consumer in 1943,44 and 45. The 1946 Ford was basically a 1942 with cosmetic and trim changes, the same for 1947 and 48. However unless yo really know what your looking at, and its not the title, a 47 and 48 are almost impossible to tell the difference. When you really start looking at the differences it, becomes very apparent, Henry changed the cars for one reason only, and that was, to make the manufacturing cheaper. Everyone after the war wanted a new car and that gave all the manufactures, a licence to steal , until 1949 when almost all of them re-tooled for a newer design. It is a little more complicated than that, but this is the basic short version.