During the thirties, Ford was in a cycle where bodies changed every few years, and you could always count on a refresh in the second year of that body. While the 1935 Ford managed to look far more expensive than its low-cost lineage would suggest, many believe that the 1936 refresh is even more gorgeous. This 1936 Ford five-window coupe for sale on eBay in Phenix City, Alabama will make for a fine example when the next owner completes its restoration. While it is far from being presentable at the moment, this assemblage of parts and pieces is rather complete and many of the hard-to-find items are there. With a $15,500 asking price, is this prewar Flathead Ford priced correctly for the work that needs to be done to get it back to its former beauty?
The car you see here is believed to be from the same seller as the 1936 Ford Cabriolet I previously wrote up on Barn Finds. According to the eBay ad, the seller began picking up automobile projects starting in his forties with the idea of completing them upon retirement. As is sadly the case with so many folks, his health has become an insurmountable obstacle now that he has retired. I am sure it is rough to have your hopes crushed by forces out of your control. This situation also makes us look at the projects in our garages in a different light.
This 1936 Ford, like the cabriolet, was purchased by the seller from a gentleman in Ohio in 2005. That gentleman had his eye on the car for a long time and ended up purchasing it from the widow with the intent to resell it. Instead of leaving it alone, this flipper sanded off a large part of the paint to demonstrate the quality of the original steel body. He believed that sellers would see the bare steel and see how little effort it would take to make it perfect. Pause and reflect upon that logic for a moment…
Fast forward to 2024. The car is still in a sanded state (with a red oxide primer overlay), and some of the parts have been removed, but are assumed to be in the building. According to the seller, the grille and front fenders are not original to the car. They are described as in “fair to good shape.” Maybe the passenger side one is, but the driver’s side fender looks like it was on a car used for student drivers at a school for the blind. Looking at the rest of the panels and body reveals a car that is very restorable and mostly complete, but not in wonderful shape. A welder and some skill will come in handy.
In the ad, the seller states that a close look at the gauges and woodgrain dash reveals a coupe that has spent most of its life indoors. That may be true, but the picture of the floors above reveals that this coupe did get exposed to the weather. That may have been from a leaking cowl seal, door seals, or the rotting out of the roof insert. Reproduction floor pans are available if you want to cut the originals out. Or there might be enough left that a good patch in job would be sufficient. Much of that would depend on what the buyer wanted to do with the car.
This is the kind of car for someone who wants to build up a 1936 Ford coupe their way would want. If you do a little research on The Great Race, which is a yearly rally for vintage cars, you will see that Ford coupes of this vintage are a popular choice to travel halfway across the country. This multi-day rally is stressful to vehicles and drivers, and Fords are popular because they are easy to find parts for, durable, and modifications for drivability and power are straightforward. Serious competitors would take a car like this, restore the body and chassis, install a hydraulic brake setup, slap in a newer Flathead with a beefed-up cooling system and drivetrain, and head out.
If it were mine, I think that is what I would do with it. Maybe not enter The Great Race but build the car up tough. The goal would be to have a good-looking coupe I could jump in and drive across the country in with little fuss. This coupe is a good starting point for that. Hopefully, it falls in the hands of someone who will build it up and not chop it up or part it out.
What would you do with this 1936 Ford coupe? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Well stated Jeff, but I think the asking price is a bit high for what you get. Lot of time and money ahead to reincarnate this one.
“The Great Race” I remember, was the hilarious 1960s movie, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood, and a few others, let’s see how many remember that one.
Probably too much money for this ole buggy, but we’ve all seen a lot worse for a lot more. It could be a beauty when completed, if it ever gets completed
I remember that movie well. But in regards to the car, it does nothing for me. Too old, lacking in any modern conveniences, and too far gone.
I remember the movie- especially liked Hezekiah, Natalie Wood in bloomers and the bit on the iceberg! The other memorable flick from those days was “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” in much the same vein!
I remember it, one of my favourite movies, love the pie fight, lol.
And Natalie Wood, mmmmm
Showing my age, lol.
traded a ’03 Springfield sporter 30/06 for a 36 like this with a 53 merc flattie when I was15 yrs old ! Mech brakes and all was fun to drive to high School in West Texas. Traded it in on a ’51 BelAir HT with a 303 Olds Lasalle trans and Poncho rear those WERE the good old days
Turned a 303 into a 311 high compression Olds with a laSalle transmission behind it in one of our ’53 Sudebakers, Only street transmission in those days that would get you to 50mph in first gear. Bet that Chevy was fun and yes,those were the good old days.
In the mid 80’s my father restored a 36 5 window like this. Painted it Washington Blue. His dash was painted the same blue, never seen wood grain dash like this in these cars. I do recall the bodywork was much harder on these because everything was round (no block sanding). Took him a lot longer than other cars he did.
Days gone by not worth restoring maybe 20 years ago not now
The boat has sailed on big buck coupe heaps. 30 years ago probably. Today, unlikely. The generation for these is fast evaporating and there is little to no interest in stuff like this in other parts of the globe. Nothing more than a collectors garage warmer conversation piece.
Way overpriced. Most of the folks that can relate to prewar Fords are dead or dying daily from old age and nice restored or rodded drivers can be bought at high profile auction for the same money (or just a little more). For example, presentable older restoration Model A Fords now trade regularly for around $10K and I’m talking roadsters, not just the 4 Dr sedan
Well now, aren’t you just full of blue skies and sunshine, my wife tells me everyday I got one foot in the grave, now there’s guys tugging at my other foot lol