Home Workshop Project: 1941 Ford DeLuxe Business Coupe

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The law of averages says that at some point in the future, the supply of potentially solid older project cars such as this 1941 Ford DeLuxe Business Coupe is probably going to begin to dry up. It follows from this that the laws of supply and demand will mean that such cars will potentially become more expensive to buy with each passing year. That means that now could be a good time to invest in a project car, and this does look like a good one. Located in Logan, Utah, you will find the Ford listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set a BIN price of $6,000 for the Coupe, although it might be worth rolling the dice to make an offer.

How viable is this as a project car? It certainly looks pretty good. There are only some minor rust issues to deal with, and the owner says that the floors and frame are solid. The Ford is largely complete, with only a couple of very small trim pieces missing. While it does have its share of minor dings, there really is nothing much to worry about. There appears to be a crack in the windshield on the passenger side, but the rest of the glass looks like it is okay. The more that I look at the old Ford, the more that I think that it is a project that could be tackled by a competent person in a home workshop.

Once again, when we look at the interior of the Ford, it does appear to be largely complete. It will require a complete restoration, but it is great to see that items such as the rear “jump seats” which differentiate the Business Coupe from the Sedan Coupe are still present. Even the fold-down legs for the jump seats are still there and haven’t broken off, as many did. One item that is missing off the dash is the blanking plate at the top where the optional factory radio would have been fitted. Hopefully, a replacement can be sourced.

The news under the hood isn’t that great. The original 221ci flathead V8 engine and 3-speed manual transmission are both present, but that old engine may not be in the best of health. The owner did get the engine running a few years ago, and apparently, it ran pretty badly. It looks like he even went to the trouble of fitting a new carburetor, but the engine didn’t want to cooperate. It apparently has low compression, so a rebuild is going to be on the cards. In addition to that new carburetor, the car does come with a fresh gas tank installed, so at least any potential problems with the fuel system are being addressed.

My doomsday prediction about the supply of older project cars drying up hasn’t come to fruition at this point, and I don’t know when, or if, it actually will. The target will always move with each passing year. This old Ford is 78-years-old, and there will be plenty of people who will undoubtedly want to restore it. Just think, in another 78-years, there could be people clamoring to restore cars that we drive out of the showrooms today. Can you imagine someone in the year 2097 wanting to restore a 2019 Corolla, or a Golf, or a Lancer, or even a current Impala? I think that this old Ford is a better option.

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Comments

  1. geomechs geomechsMember

    The .41 Ford, kind of like the proverbial red-headed stepchild. Not nearly as popular as the ’40 models. Even the ’42 has more fans. However I sure wouldn’t turn one down if the price were right (for me). A guy in our club restored one and they still look good in restored livery. I’m kinda curious about the engine. If this one is original, it might be a Mercury block that has been sleeved down. I’ve run into this a couple of times now. You can go from a basic Ford engine to a Mercury just by knocking out the sleeves…

    Like 5
  2. bigdoc

    The big IF. If I had the money and If Utah wasn’t so far away.

    Like 2
  3. Dave

    By the year 2097 all of the electronic controls that operate modern cars will have ceased functioning. Amateur radios from 30 years ago are failing due to substandard solder joints and soldering techniques. I used to carry a spare ignition control module for my 1977 Ford F-150 in the truck because they would fail out of the blue. Back then even stores like Hills carried them but today that wouldn’t be so easy.

    Like 2
  4. Terry J

    Well, a bad 221 is probably an advantage. Helps eliminate the soul searching struggle between “restore as original” vs “put in a modern drivetrain and brakes”.

    :-) Terry J

    Like 5
  5. KurtMember

    When you rebuild one of these old flatheads it might be good to do the tranny and diff at the same time. Even if you kept the rebuild to just restoring to stock hp and torque the ancient gears, pads and springs couldn’t take it.

    Like 2
    • geomechs geomechsMember

      Yes, they all get worn out together. The transmission isn’t that hard to do and its tendency to slip out of 2nd gear can always be addressed ahead of time, instead of when you’re trying to enjoy the car after everything else is done…

      Like 0
  6. John P

    Likely just stuck valves.. easy to address by pulling the heads and intake—do that on a new car in your garage..

    Like 3
  7. Johnmloghry Johnmloghry

    I’ve never seen one with a back seat. Love this car although the grill layout is probably the reason for its low popularity. Nonetheless a very attractive car.
    God bless America

    Like 0
  8. John C.

    It’s amazing how much the prices differ between a 40 and 41. If this was a 40 the price would be way up there already. And opera coupes were rare too! Looks like a good start for a project.

    Like 0
  9. Pr. George Mercer

    Check out the Early Ford V-8 Foundation Museum in Auburn, IN for another 1941 and many other flat heads. About 8,000 members of the V-8 Club still have them in their “barns” and garages.

    Like 0
    • Jim M

      Yes I’ve been there, interesting place, lots of flathead V8 examples.

      Like 0
  10. TimM

    Sweeeeeeettttt!!!

    Like 0

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