How many times have you Ford fans wished you could find an original ’32 Ford like this Model 18 sedan? Wearing original paint, and in very solid condition, this may very well be the ’32 of your dreams. Found by the seller in North Carolina under a car port, the seller is asking that the car remain “absolutely original” and that it shouldn’t be chopped up for any reason whatsoever. Only 24 hours into the auction and the price has risen to $15,000 with the reserve not met. Find it here on eBay out of Houston, Texas.
The flathead V8 appears to be well weathered, but it is complete. The seller has not tried to turn this engine over, but claims he is treating the engine with Marvel Mystery oil. Going into further detail the seller says there is no coolant mixed with the oil. Otherwise your guess is as good as mine as to the condition of this engine. The transmission will shift gears, but the steering box is “locked up” preventing this classic from steering. Also a set of 49-50 Mercury wheel are currently fitted to this Ford but a set of wire wheels are included with the car.
Although the wire wheels are included, I would have chosen not to store them inside the car. The interior is difficult to make out, but the seats are interesting in their multiple layers of covers. The red and white covers are the most recent, beneath those are green covers, and beneath that appears to be original upholstery. It would be interesting to see the condition of the original upholstery. The door panels are upholstered in the most recent red and white, and feature Mercury door handles and window cranks. The dash and gauge cluster look pleasantly original and clean, although is appears an aftermarket speedometer has been added. Overall the floors appear solid, but there are a few holes around the pedal area. The headliner is sagging, but there is no roof panel currently installed, although the bows are present.
What is so exciting about this Ford is the body’s condition. There is surface rust present all over this vehicle, but there is almost no rot to speak of. The seller claims there to be no rot, but the bottom of the driver door is a bit questionable. Although for an 85 year old car, this Ford is very solid with minimal rust concerns and some original paint present. Beyond the surface rust the seller mentions there is one dent in the passenger fender the size of a quarter. This may certainly be one of the nicest surviving unrestored ’32 Fords out there. Would you honor the seller’s wishes and keep this ’32 Ford all original?
What’s with the the big rust on the bottom of the doors. Very cool car
Hi Robbie, clearly, at some point, this car sat outside, and water collected on the inside of the door bottoms, and it stayed there the whole time you were growing up.
Robbie it actually looks like that is mud on the bottom of the doors not rot. Don’t understand why people don’t want to remove dirt from an old car??? Clean it off and show an accurate picture of what you have especially if you are trying to sell something online!
I have owned two of these. I would not chop it up but a mild traditional rod is exactly what this car needs to be. It is not original now with Mercury wheel sand aftermarket headlights.
If youre going to sell it on the open market, you don’t get to tell the buyer how he gets to use it.
Very nice! If it came my way it would get the whole restoration business then it would be driven and enjoyed. Too few of these left to do anything else but make them original. Of course that original V8 can be a bit temperamental. I’m a little skeptical of that carburetor. The shadow over it makes it hard to identify but it doesn’t look like the Detroit Lubricator that it is supposed to have. A Stromberg 48 2bbl that was used from ’34 to ’36 would definitely run it a lot better than that original single barrel.
My uncle bought one just like this brand new in ’32. My dad was only 7 years old at the time and he was absolutely fascinated with the cigarette lighter; it was the first one he’d ever seen.
chop it up
LS3…right? Lol
Save yourselves the time and effort… This just came up on the market in my area…
https://utica.craigslist.org/cto/6065899751.html
Current ebay bid is over $20K — the one you show is a much better deal.
Thanks Andy, this would be much better to chop since you don’t have to worry about all the rust falling on you. Always better to RestoMod something cleaner. :)
wow. that’s pretty. almost makes me want one.
Nice find Andy R !!
“Oh, sure, pal, we’ll keep it original”,,,,sucker,,,I had a friend many years ago,( 70’s) that bought a ’54 Chrysler from the original owners. It was yellow, and spotless. The sellers insisted he take good care of “Gertrude” (or whatever they called It) or he couldn’t have it. He assured them, he’ll take of it,,,well, he took care of it alright. Beat the crap out of it, blew up the flathead 6, put a hemi in it (twice, hemi’s were dime a dozen then) and ultimately junked it. I always thought, if those people saw what he did to that car. This will be resto-modded, which is fine, and the folks won’t even recognize it.
Once it’s sold the new owner can do whatever they wish with it. Keeping it as is for the “AS FOUND” crowd would make it a very uncomfortable driving experience. Then, based on Andy’s post, a total restoration would mean financially, you’d be upside down by quite a bit. So how to go with this one, given the current bid level, is a tough decision.
The best way to keep it original is to be selective about how you sell it.
eBay is not the best choice for that goal by a longshot.
It should be advertised in the Early V8 club magazine only if you are serious about keeping it away from street rodders.
Great car for the person who enyoys the restoration process, but if your goal is a nice restored driver, the Craig’s list car is clearly the way to go.
I read a story in the V8 Times where a guy was buying a ’35 3-Window coupe. The terms were: No butchery-no hot rodding. The buyer constantly reassured the seller that his intentions were genuine and honorable. However, while they were writing up the sales and preparing to transfer the title, the guy let it slip out about what a great street rod it was going to make. The seller promptly tore up the papers and showed the buyer the door, no doubt with some special instructions.
The buyer has every right to do with it what he wants; however, he should be honest enough to state his intentions right from the start. I know I’d be pretty upset if I sold one of my cars to a person who assured me that he was going to look after it and maintain it in stock condition then, before the ink is even dry on the papers, starts to chop it up. It wouldn’t be so much chopping it up; it would be lying about it to close the sale. We get enough of that from some certain politicians…..
New owner can do what he/she wants with a vehicle, once it’s new owner has title.. It’s rediculous to think the original owner should have any say in how vehicle remains…It’s property, once relinquished, butt out.
Great find!
To get a 32 back on the road in any way that you like it is what’s most important . This is my 32 Tudor I had bought back to life by Tommy Caruso (pictured) . He really knows what he’s doing .
On the road and at a show after 50 years …
Dear seller, the only way to make sure this car remains “as is” is don’t sell it. Period. (just let it slowly and painfully rot away as it is currently). Selling cars allows them to live again and be enjoyed by others. Being a seller is “letting go”.
Fortunately, there are many many cars out there and many ways to enjoy them and share the fun.
Actually bought my 39 deluxe coupe of on of my dad’s friends…..never had any thing other than a flat head in it – he said – I’ve got no problem with that….that sound is different ya know……..
One of the big motivation to restomoding a car like this is the ease of getting parts off the shelf. It also makes them easier to drive and more likely to be seen on the road, but you will not get that back in time driving experience. I think there is nothing wrong with up grading things like brakes and drive line but please put in a Ford 302 in it not an SBC and a top loader Ford trans. I believe that we have guite enough SBC hot rods I think an all Ford restomod would be much more tasteful especially if it is original looking. JMHO.
And the Lord spake unto His servant Marshall, saying, speak unto the children of Barn-Finder-el. Thus saith the LORD:
“There shall not be found among you any that buyeth restorable vintage vehicles and chopeth them up and turneth them into hot-rods or rat-rods. It shall be abomination unto you. But if any among you committeth these abominations, the elders of all the vintage vehicle clubs of all the earth shall cast him out of their online presence, and stone him with stony virtual glares of disapproving purists, until he seeth the error of his way and repenteth of the abomination which he has committed, or disappeareth from their online presence forever, whichever cometh first (see dealer for details). For I am the Lord of Vintage Vehicles, the Ancientmobile of Days. Thou shalt keep my beloved vintage vehicles pure, for I am pure, lest I smite thee with the plague of unrestorable rust, a tempest of rodent infested interiors that no man approacheth unto, and a deluge of mechanical failure of all your souped up unoriginal hotrod or ratrod engines, and all other unoriginal mechanical componenents, that no man can repair.”
But Marshall, the servant of the Lord, saith unto the Lord, saying, “But Lord, what if any buyer promiseth to keep an ancientmobile pure,but then goeth out and maketh it into a hot rod or a ratrod, though he chopeth it not up, nor doeth any other irreversible abomination? But instead he keepeth all the original parts, and doeth nothing to the vintage vehicle that cannot be unabominated? Shall not the Lord be gracious and have mercy on a vintage vehicle hobbyist who has erred, but who also has spared?”
And the Lord said unto his servant Marshall saying, “The Lord of Ancientmobile’s is gracious and merciful and full of pardon, for all those vintage vehicle hobbyists who commit no irreversible abomination against my beloved restorable vintage vehicles(but if any vintage vehicle be rusted, roasted, or wrecked, that is, a hapless, helpless, hopeless “too far gone” vintage vehicle, and it be turned into a hot-rod or a rat-rod, the Lord will have mercy on his soul. For in this case, it shall not be an abomination unto the Lord). But if any would receive the inheritance and the birthright of the Valhalla Vintage Vehicle Restoration Hobbyist Hall of Fame, The same must commit to the way of righteousness, which is pure original vintage vehicle restoration, or at least the parting out of those vintage vehicles that cannot be restored. I am the Lord.
From the book of Levintageous
And the devil smiled and said “Pass me the torch”.
Hahaha, Marshall that was priceless. Have you ever seen the “Holy Hand Grenade” scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail by chance?
I just now saw it on YouTube. I can see the distinct connection there! Of course, I saw the movie when it first came out, but the Lord’s servant hath not the perfect recall memory of the Lord his God 😜😮😎. Oh Lord, I think thee for “YahwehTube”! Amen.