Ah, 1946. World War II was finally over and a new era of prosperity had dawned in the USA. With the war effort wound down focus could shift back to the manufacture of domestic consumables. Most car manufacturers had either slowed the development of new cars, or they had stopped completely as they focused on matters military. So when production ramped back up, initial products were cars like this 1946 Ford Deluxe which were an evolution of the Ford from the 1942 model year. This survivor can be found listed here on eBay. Located in Wimington, Massachusetts this little post-war classic is being sold with a clear title. With a BIN price of $8,900 but the option to make an offer, this could be your entry into the world of classic cars.
A black car with red wheels! How can you possibly go wrong? This is almost enough for me to stop looking right now and slap my cash on the table! In case you hadn’t noticed, I do have a soft spot for that combination on older cars. I have to say that I like the attitude of this seller. He says that the car looks great from 20 feet, but that a closer inspection reveals that there are areas that need touching up. Rust and rot don’t appear to be a major issue. There appears to be some light rust on the left rear fender between the fuel filler and the tail-light, but nothing really significant. The paint still exhibits quite a nice gloss and the trim and chrome appears to be quite good as well.
The interior is by no means perfect, but it is serviceable. Personally I would be throwing a blanket over those seats because they just look plain wrong. The door trims look tired and the seller states that there are some minor issues with the headliner near the rear window, but he has been using it as a daily driver until recent health issues have forced him to put the car on the market.
The dash looks in reasonable shape as well, but not everything is operational. The gas and temp gauges don’t work, along with the radio. The windshield wipers are also slow. On the plus side the starter wiring and under dash wiring are all new. The seller states that the glass is also in good condition and that the windows wind up and down as they should. The seller has also gone to the trouble of renewing the weather seals for the doors, along with those for the cowl and trunk. There is some wear on the wheel, but to me it just adds character to the car.
Mechanically this little survivor appears to be quite a strong little beast. The seller states that the “Motor runs 1000% great” and that the transmission shifts perfectly. The car also sports a recently rebuilt carburetor, along with new rear axle seals, new brake master and wheel cylinders, new rear brake lines, new tires and a new battery. The only thing that jars for me under here is the addition of an aluminum radiator and hoses. To me they look out of place, but if they improve reliability and protect that little flat-head engine, I’d be prepared to live with it. As I’ve already said, the owner was using this as a daily driver, so reliability was essential.
Confession time: I think that I may be in love, but please don’t tell my wife! In all honesty I am really quite taken by this car (not that you’d notice!). If you are looking for a classic car that you can just jump into and drive without worrying about paint chipping or excessive mileage, then a car like this is hard to go past. This is by no means the cheapest ’46 on the market, but it’s not even close to being the most expensive either. Some people catch the classic car bug and find the experience isn’t what they hoped for because of the added work and worry. Some people catch the classic car bug, go out and buy a car like this and have a ball.
Even though I am in Australia I think it is a fair buy, I do have the number plates to go with it to as I had a 46 coupe for a while, the plates read PRE 047 :)
In the US we talk about the mileage on any given car. In Europe, do they talk about the Kilometerage?
And another thing, if Coconut oil comes from coconuts, and vegetable oil comes from vegetables, where does baby oil come from? That is all.
Love it.
For at least three decades I’ve had the opportunity to engage younger enthusiasts about getting into the hot rod slice of the hobby. A frequent question has been something like, “What’s the cheapest way for a guy on a low budget to get in?” Most often I’d suggest finding the nicest ’46-8 Ford they can afford. I would caution them to stay away from the six cylinder versions. Not that the engine was bad, it just killed the value of the car. I personally think one of these with the right altitude, dual exhaust, nice wheel/tire combo, and clean interior would make for a fine mild hot rod. To my eye they look good, and the one’s I’ve driven have had a good ride if not cobbled. Alas, the market place has never embraced the desirability/utility of these as I have……..which is why they’ve always been some of the most affordable early Fords.
I’ve been watching this one since last weekend to see if anyone would bite on the apparently modest price. So far it doesn’t look like it. Couple things working against it are too many doors and a goofy interior that’s also edgy. For the patient shopper a nicer car of similar vintage and operability can be found for close to the same money. Demand for these may be comparatively low, but the fun factor could be just right.
What does $9k buy you these days anyway not much. You could do far worse than this car. If you bought this same car in worse shape for half the money it won’t take you long to be at this price and then some. I think that this price is fair and this is a pretty honest car and seller, I just hope the next owner will take care of this little gem.
I love the car, but c’mon…who on earth uses a ‘46 Ford as a daily driver?? Buy a 2012 fusion for the same price, and save the ‘46 for the occasional sunny day drive.
Back in the mid 60’s, a friend of mine got a black 2 dr ‘$6 sedan from his Mom when she upgraded to a ’51 Chevy ( with Olds tail lights, no less ! ) He replaced the tired flathead with an early Olds V8 -a ‘ 51, if I recall correctly. Over time, he channeled the body, cutting the bottoms off the front fenders to clear the ground.
He ended up with Bugeye Sprite seats because they had to be that low to see out of the windshield and prevent the driver’s head from hitting the roof.
The car wasn’t a low rider, just had an aggressive stance- the rear of the car was only channeled about 1/2 as much as the front. The front springs were replaced with ones that lowered the front of the chassis about 3 inches from stock. The cool thing was that all this work was done on a gravel driveway
using a home built A frame, and in a one car dirt floor garage by a high school kid, mostly working by himself, but with the help of some friends when more hands were necessary. He had to wait almost 2 years from when he got the car before he was old enough to drive it. It looked pretty good with the original paint and some baby Moons on the stock rims, but when he put on a set of ET
5 spoke mag wheels, it was an instant classic.
First off, Jett I have had several 46 to 48 Fords as daily drivers, I love these cars and Uncle Bob is “dead on right about them.” He mentioned the 6 he is right again unless you want to put a small block in ,with a six its less work, because of the radiator location, in fact I have even used the stock 6 radiator without any changes. The outlets are even the same. The conversion to a small block Chevrolet is so east,that I have told people, if you put the car and the engine together in the garage over the weekend they will almost mate on their own. Before all the purists start their rants, I have had these cars as drivers, with flatheads and small blocks, and they were both great. Finally I am the president of the “4-Doors” hater club, but the 46 Ford, is the exception. Also note the 46 to 48’s all look alike until you study them closely, and you then you will notice, the 46 is the way better car
I learned to drive in this vintage Ford that my Dad had as a second car in 1957 or so. The block cracked between valve seats and he couldn’t afford to repair it☹️
These flatmotors ran hot, so I’m assuming the aluminum radiator was installed to help ‘er run cooler . great way to get into the car hobby!!
Good luck to the new owner!