Have you ever heard the idiom “salad days?”  It has its roots in Shakespeare’s play Anthony and Cleopatra, and it generally means one’s heyday.  If you are a Flathead Ford fan, we may be experiencing those salad days.   Prices on desirable Flathead Fords seem to be on the wane and a wise buyer can easily find a bargain or two.  Take for example, this 1941 Ford Deluxe coupe auctioned through Walther and Hawkins Auctioneers in Cambridge City, Indiana.  This maroon Flathead is in nearly one piece, has a solid body, and could likely be made presentable and drivable by the average enthusiast.  With bidding currently sitting at $4,550, is this a great opportunity to snag a prewar Ford coupe?  Thanks go to Mark S. for this subtly hot-rodded Ford find!

If you are interested in a prewar automobile, you would be hard-pressed to find a better choice than a Ford.  Due to Ford’s almost mythical popularity among Americans who grew up in that era, the brand has always been an exceptionally popular choice for both restorers and the hot rod community.  From the simple, but reliable Model T, to the elegant Model A, and the famous Flathead powered cars that followed, this popularity meant that a disproportionate number of Fords were saved.  It also meant that the availability of aftermarket parts and club support is on a scale that dwarfs that of other makes.  While it can be argued that Fords of a particular year may or may not have been the best choice for consumers, they are a great choice now if you want to restore and maintain a prewar car.

Narrowing it down, real bargains can be had if you are willing to look outside the classic 1932-1940 Ford category.  1941 through 1948 Fords were some of the bestriding and most useable of the Flathead era.  By this time, many of the bugs had been worked out and hydraulic brakes were standard equipment.  Of particular note are the coupes from this era.  While they are handsome by today’s measure, the legendary 1940 Ford coupe draws the most admirers and the most money from collector’s pockets.  Everyone wants to pretend they are running moonshine late at night on Georgia 400 with revenuers hot on their tail.  1941 through 1948 coupes are just as fun to drive.  They just don’t cost near as much as their predecessors.

When Ford updated their styling for 1941, the result was a car that didn’t quite measure up to the beauty of previous years.  What Ford did deliver was a car that was much more modern and would eventually carry the brand to 1948.  The 1941 front-end styling was kept for but a single year.  Just as it wasn’t a showroom favorite so many years ago, Ford collectors have never embraced that year’s styling either.  The car you see here is an opportunity for someone who either likes that particular year’s lines or for someone who wants a very good car to fix up and enjoy that just happens to be affordable.

The ad has next to nothing regarding a written description of this 1941 Ford.  What we know is only what we can discern from the photographs.  Those photographs reveal a car that exhibits little evidence of corrosion damage.  The maroon paint is most likely not original to the car, but the color is correct.  Looking closely reveals orange peel in some areas and some rather sloppy prep work.  Looking beyond those imperfections, the usual places that rust through such as the bottom of the doors and the quarter panels show no evidence of rust or bondo.  If the paint was poorly applied, you can bet that the bodywork would be subpar as well.

Looking inside the trunk area reveals one of the more curious aspects of this coupe.  Its restoration seemed to start from the inside and the work moved out from there.  Restoration work has taken place inside the car as evidenced by the can of paint, the fresh finish on the panels, and the removal of the panel separating the trunk from the passenger area.  The headliner and seat upholstery may have been replaced as well.  Coupes of this era are prone to trunk rust due to the slowly sloping sections where the trunk meets the rest of the body.  The trunk rubber eventually deteriorates, and hard rains can overwhelm the gravity-assisted drainage and soak the interior areas.  This is not helped by the usual mess that one finds in a trunk.  Anything that can soak up moisture does exactly that and tends to supercharge the corrosion process.

The other interesting aspect of this coupe’s life is the presence of subtle modifications and speed parts.  The magnesium-type wheels are not what the coupe rolled off the assembly line within 1941.  Their identity is a mystery.  If any readers know where the former owner might have found this set of wheels, please let us know in the comments.  Under the hood, the engine block looks to be correct for 1941.  From there, the former owner added a coil conversion plate, Offenhauser heads, and a rare two-carburetor manifold.  Notice that the carburetors are not centered.  They are set back because of the unique position of the generator on Flathead Fords.  More common aftermarket intake manifolds center the carburetors.  Their design relies on the generator being relocated and are generally regarded as more efficient.  There is no mention as to the engine’s internal condition, if it runs, or even if it turns free.

As a whole, this wouldn’t be a bad investment if the price doesn’t move much and there are no big surprises.  It is not a show car and is pretty mild for a hot rod.  However, it is a good entry point into the hobby for someone without a lot of folding money.  That person could count on having access to a strong national club (Early Ford V-8 Club of America), available and affordable parts, and a good design that will last for generations with minimal care.  The blemished areas can be repaired, and the car is presentable as it sits if your definition of presentable is good enough for the Saturday night cruise-in.  Hopefully, this neat little coupe finds a good home.

Do you think we are in the “salad days” for cars like this?  Do you think this coupe is a good buy if the auction ends for less than $5,000?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.