UPDATE: We just uploaded a few videos of the car to our YouTube channel. Bidding ends shortly though!
A while back we had the opportunity to help a family sell a couple of Jaguar E-Types. We quickly found new homes for those, but there were a few mores in the collection that needed sold. This first one is a 1933 Ford that’s been done up as a hot rod. It could use some freshening up, but all the hard work has already been done and it has a very cool look to it. It’s currently located in our shop in Boise, Idaho and is listed here on eBay with no reserve!
The steel body appears to be stock and is in good shape with no visible rust. The green paint is a single stage job that is starting to show its age. As you can see in the photos, it presents very well. There are a few cracks, scratches, and dings, but you have to look hard to find them. The suicide doors open and close as they should, but the hood could use some adjusting to line up correctly with the grill.
Inside you’ll find grey button tufted velour and wood-look trim. Again, it presents well, but could use some attention. A few of the buttons have popped loose and the carpet could use a deep cleaning. Sitting behind the modern steering wheel and column you will find a mixture of old and new gauges. The underfloor battery box could use a lid, but it really shouldn’t take much to get things looking top notch in here.
We don’t have full history on this car, but we do know that it was used regularly until the owner passed away recently. The chromed out Chevy small block V8 roared right to life when we turned the key and it runs very well. Power is sent to a Ford 9″ rear end through an automatic transmission. It could use a full tuneup and a good cleaning, but besides a small coolant leak, we couldn’t find anything major.
The big billet rims sure look cool, but without power steering they make low speed maneuvers a chore. Personally, I think this cruiser would benefit from power steering and power brakes as those are the only areas that seem to be lacking. I’m not sure what frame is under there, but it has a pair of leaf springs in the back so it doesn’t appear to be stock. It’s obviously been lowered too. No problems underneath that we can see beside a loose exhaust hanger.
This is an older build so there are a few things that need attention now, but that could just be a good excuse to change a few things and make it your own. Be sure to check out the photo gallery and feel free to ask us any questions you may have. This Tudor Sedan could be left as-is and used as a nice driver or it could be turned into a full custom or racer. What route would you take though?
Really cool car, it needs a Ford flat head V8 power plant.
Jus saying! 😎
No Twisted Bowtie, I think the guy the put the Chevy Power Plant in it was correct, everybody know a Ford runs better when powered or pulled in some cases by a Chevy. Heck my Reese Hitch cover say remove for pulling Fords, I even have a tow strap that says Ford Power Assit!!!!!!!
RIFLMAO!!!!!!
Have a Nice Day!!!!
same thinking
From the looks of the starter mounting it has one of G.M.’s cast iron powerglide transmissions. That’s quite a heavy choice for the drive train. A later model transmission with an overdrive would make this much more of a highway cruiser.
sorry, guys, personally I think it is overdone, and those ” rims” would be the first to go
Overall I like the car but I agree the wheels have to go. Butt ugly wheels. On the bright side you could probably sell them and have enough from the sell to buy a less ugly set of wheels.
Seller got the year wrong on the listing, at least BF corrected it.
It has a lot of potential for the right price.
There are a lot of differences of opinion in this hobby and that’s what rounds it all out. Someone decided to use the SBC and that is entirely up to the builder. Myself, I’d have kept it in the family. A SBF would’ve fit while a warmed over flathead would’ve slipped right in. Some would say that the Chevy has a lot more power for its size. But I don’t know if you’ve ever had one of these up to 100. Once there you’ll likely be satisfied with 65 to 70. I notice that there are some who like those thin little bands of rubber on those oversized hoops where others would put regular wheels and tires. Take rims like that down the roads out west and you’ll end up with wheels shaped like a Stop sign.
Hi geomechs, it seems the wheels definitely cross the line between young and old. Very popular, I think they look ridiculous, but honestly, we weren’t much different.( except, we spent on the whole car what these wheels probably cost) Like you say, they make like the look, but I’ve seen more than one of these sitting at the side of a particular bumpy road ( on broken concrete streets in big cities) with a center punched rim( and flat tire) and shops offering ” Custom Rim Straightening”. I just can’t figure out why someone would use SBC’s in everything.. What, no Chevy’s to restore?
Those wheels are totally mingin’. D.
You had me till “SBC” (and I actually could this time) but nope. Chevy motors go in Chevys.
I miss the Barn Finds that featured barn finds.
Hi Arthur, I believe many share your views.( at least 6, which is more thumbs up I ever get, not that I could care less) I think we have to be realistic, apparently, there are just so many real barn finds out there,( barns are disappearing fast in my neighborhood) and the site has morphed into just “Finds”. I really like the site, and as new writers come in, they bring their own imagination with them on what to post. They take tips, so scour your local CL ( if you have time), and send one in if you find an actual Barn Find. What’s great is you never know, especially with Scotty G., ( who is doing his real job for now) what is going to pop up.
Arthur, we are just trying to help the family find a good home for it. While their father was still driving it until he got sick and passed away, that’s been a little while ago. It had been parked since that time and when it arrived at our shop it was covered in dust and leaves from being stored in a pole barn. It might not have been left to rot in the barn for decades, but I would consider it a barn find all the same.
I like the cars I don’t care where you guys find em!
Keep up the good work, the complainers can always find a site that they think is better.
I find the exquisite interior very attractive and am impressed that the car is in such excellent condition. That Chevy engine gives it a real heart beat and leaves Elliot Ness and all you teetotalers in the dust.
Ditch the wheels. Some people sit on their taste.
I love it must the way it is. 65-75 is good enough 4 me. If I want to go faster I’ll take out my 1960 Pink Coupe DeVille or any other car I have. With all the people who have flooded the state it’s hard to maintain 60 on the freeway where every fool is traveling about 3/4 of a car length from the guy/gal a head and if you leave a whole car length in front of you, some yahoo will slip over from the slow, cross the next two lanes before squeezing his/her Pinto in front of you and then immediately slows down. If you want to find good, straight, near empty roads in Oregon you have to go several miles east of Bend. Ticket prices are ludicrous–15 over is met with a ticket close 2 or over $400.00.
The way I look at it, Getting this worked around to my taste wouldn’t cost much more than restoring an unmolested ’33: Swap the SBC out for a Flattie with manual transmission, lose the wheels/tires (I’m a 15-inch wheel kind of guy), dump the upholstery and steering wheel for equivalents I like, maybe some fresh paint….
That’s what you do with hot rods.
I am surprised it is not listed for sale here?
My thoughts exactly!! As soon as I saw the “Listed on EBay” my first thought was, why are they listing on EBay and asking everybody else, to list with BF?!?! I was offering up a vehicle for BF to sell and was at first told, “yes, it will fit our site, just send in some pics”. Sent them in, never to be heard from again……..?
Maybe they cannot get themselves to answer themselves?!?!?! Too funny!!
Hi Todd,
The family asked us to list it on eBay for them, we tried to get them to run it as an auction right on Barn Finds, but they just weren’t sure about it. As for not getting back to you about your listing, sorry about that. The only thing I can think is that either we missed your email and it got buried in our inbox or that it went to our spam filter. Can you try sending us another email, so we can figure out what happened?
Thanks,
Josh
I agree with most of the comments, the wheels just don’t work for me, and being an older build, some changes would be in order. The thing I don’t get and it is kind of funny, but I am so tired of it, can’t people just let it go. That’s this SBC engine thing the SBC is probably the most common engine swap on the planet, I have had Hot Rods with Flatheads , SBF, and SBC. I have had a 34 5-window for over 50 years, started out with a worn out modified flathead, then a nice stock 40 Merc Flathead, then a SBF very small a 260″, then a totally built 48 Merc 286″ 33/8* X 4, a Merc crank. pretty much the ultimate flathead! A few years ago, I burnt a piston on a trip to Calif. It now has a 350 SBC, that looks like a 327. The point is I had everything in the car, plus lots of other cars, with various power plants, and what is the big deal, I liked them all for different reasons , and I get so tired of peoples bias over engines, most of them have probably never owned a flathead, there great, but not all fun and games, it take an effort to really keep one going , not like later small blocks. Pick the drive train according to how you plan to DRIVE the car.
Lots of complaining about the rims. They are too much for my tastes too, but instead of just pointing out the obvious, why don’t we all provide some good alternatives? That would be a more constructive use of the comments. It would give potential buyers some ideas and would make the tone of the site a lot less whiny. Thanks guys!
Good point, Jesse. I thought I mentioned my preference but I obviously left it out. Guess that goes with commenting using a cellphone. I’ve seen lots of these with OEM styled wheels from places like Wheel Vintiques and they look great.
I’m not a fan of huge rims and no sidewall either but they seem to work quite well on this car! If it where mine I’d keep them on there.
I’d like period spokes and disc brakes. Daily drive it in season.
Here’s my feedback on the wheels. They are easy to change and, as mentioned above, the billet ones could be sold and the money put towards the purchase of a new ones. Personally, I’d go with a set of these: https://www.cokertire.com/wheels/hot-rod/hot-rod-wire-wheel-primed.html
Paint them black and slap on some chrome V8 caps. I’d go wider than stock, but would mount up some bias ply look tires. Something like the car referenced here: https://www.cokertire.com/blog/big-little-tall-skinny-hot-rod/
Jesse, you have good taste, although I am over wire wheels myself, I did so many different ones years ago, and realized, they are hard to clean, difficult to balance ,and almost impossible to paint. And back to your good taste–good taste is very expensive, you selected high dollar wheels and tires, but the truth also, is the right tire and wheel combo, sits the bar for the rest of the car, with the right stance and color you have a winner!
I love it. The wheels look like a street fighter showing his teeth.
I’ve never been a fan of a leaky roof. That rust would be a very big concern to me.
Two more cents here. The wheels are of the current trend,I think the fill the fenders nicely, but myself, I would go with cream colored Kelsey- Hayes type wheels. The interior however, I would reinstall back in grandma’s travel van, and go with tan, pleated bench seats. Beautiful car though that I would be happy as is.
Well l have to say the wheels and tires are pretty, but they don’t fit the car. If they would have used a older set of American Racing Style mags ,and or maybe s/s Cragers,it probably would have looked better , even if they used 16-18 inch wheels .The tires are probably not right either. This car needs some tender loving care for sure. Whoever buys this car will also have to update everything interior ,gauges ,wiring harness, steering column, steering wheel ,air conditioning, brakes,power steering, power brakes. Let’s not forget paint resale red ,and or a better looking color.l could be wrong but grey on grey will not sell.l can not see 15-30k.At this point maybe 5-10k ,because this car needs so much more to be done to it.
I love how everyone thinks they know what this car needs. Do any of them have any money to actually buy cars? I found this car for the owner before he died. It took two years to find one in the condition he requested. It was originally from Cali and then brought to Idaho 3 years ago.
Thanks for chiming in MAG. Can you fill us in more on its history and what all has been done?
The transmission was gone through by economy transmission in Boise summer 2016. They put the small dent on the passenger running board. The motor was redone 2014 right before he bought it. He owned it 2.5 years and drove it maybe 200 miles..
Mag, can you confirm what transmission the car has?
We just filmed a short video of the car and took it for another drive. I noticed there is an exhaust leak near the driver’s side manifold and can confirm that those rims are too much for this car. I’m not talking about looks either. Without power steering, those things make turning a real chore. That said, it is a really cool looking car and with a little work could be a really sweet driving one too! The engine has a lot of power so little things like the wheels and brakes need to be addressed in order to have a more balanced package.