Have you ever looked at a classic car and your bank account and realized that the two aren’t compatible? Yeah, me too. That is the dilemma that I face with this 1932 Ford Model A Coupe because as much as I would love to park it in my garage, my bank balance tells me that it’s not going to happen. However, my loss could be your gain because the owner has listed this gem for sale here on eBay. It is located in Sherman, Connecticut, and while the bidding has been pushed to $36,655, this figure remains short of the reserve.
The story behind this old-school hot rod is sad, but one that is all too common. The car was a previous owner’s pride and joy, and it appears that he cherished the Coupe. Sadly, he passed away, but the family couldn’t bear to part with it. Therefore, it sat in a barn for an incredible 12-years until the seller stumbled upon it. The family relented, and the seller revived this Ford and returned it to a roadworthy state. What he discovered is that this is an all-steel hot rod. There are no fiberglass components, and that steel appears to be in excellent condition. The builder treated the body to a 2½” chop and then mounted it to a tubular chassis. It seems to have survived its time in storage rather well, and it presents beautifully in Dark Green Metallic. The color is so rich and deep that from some angles, it looks to be black. The paint holds an impressive shine, while the panels appear to be as straight as an arrow. One of the things that attracted me to the car was the flame job that a previous owner has applied. These are subtle, and in my eyes, it looks pretty classy. I also applaud the decision to run steel wheels with hubcaps and trim rings because it adds to the period-correct feel of the exterior. There is no visible rust, and the owner doesn’t mention any issues in the listing. The trim, chrome, and grille look flawless, while the glass is crystal clear.
You never thought that you were going to lift back the hood on this Model A and find an unmolested engine bay, did you? The previous owner put some thought into the drivetrain configuration, and it holds the promise of an entertaining motoring experience. Powering the Coupe is a 383ci Chevy stroker V8 that has been breathed upon. It features Dart heads, roller rockers, a Crane cam, an electric fuel pump, and a kill switch. It isn’t clear how much power this eight now produces, but it should be enough to get it up and moving when the driver buries the right foot. All of that power needs to find its way to the road, and it does so via a 4-speed T-10 manual transmission and a Winters Quick-Change rear end. Interestingly, the car comes with an extra gear-set if the buyer wants to swap the intermediate gear ratio. I had a Winters Quick-Change in my race car, and changing the gears takes about 15-minutes. It requires little more than some spanners, and the beauty is that if the new ratio isn’t correct, swapping back is a breeze. Winters produce a vast range of gear-sets, allowing the owner to tailor the car to their needs. The seller purchased the car several years ago and returned it to active duty pretty quickly. That means that potential buyers aren’t buying a recently-revived barn find. This old Coupe is a tried and proven product that is ready to be enjoyed immediately.
The interior of the Coupe continues the old-school theme, and it presents superbly. The seats and other upholstered surfaces are finished in a combination of Dark Brown and Tan, and I can’t spot any flaws or problems. The floors wear a dark brown carpet in good order while a retro-style wood-rimmed banjo wheel performs steering duties. The retro-look continues with the gauges, and these look clean and crisp. A CD stacker is concealed in the trunk, while a welcome touch is the builder’s decision to include cruise control.
The more I look at this 1932 Ford Model A Hot Rod, the more I find to like. It seems that I’m not alone because there have been eight bids submitted on this classic. Vehicles like this pose a challenge because determining what they might sell for can be difficult. There are many variables to consider, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the bidding reaches $40,000 before the reserve is met. There’s still some time left on the listing, so the bidding could intensify as it draws to a close. I hope that the car goes to someone who will continue to appreciate it, and I’m not ashamed to say that I will envy the new owner. Would you feel the same, or do you intend to become that new owner?
Interesting… Never heard of a ’32 Model A. My 5 window was a ’32 B designating a 4 cylinder engine vs. the new V8. The V8 powered car my friend had was a ’32 Ford, nothing else. My car wound up with a ’48 Mercury V8, dropped axle and hydraulic brakes. Either way, this is a very nice car.
Not a Model A
Ford stopped production of the Model A in early 1932 with the end of the 1931 Model Year vehicles. A 1932 model year car is either a Model B with an updated version of the 4 cylinder used in the model A or a Model 18 with the venerable Ford flathead V8.
This car has the 1932 grill and body, so it started life as a Model B or Model 18. The V8 emblem on the headlight bar suggests Model 18, though that could have been swapped.
Technicalities aside, it is a beautiful hotrod. Too bad it isn’t running a Ford engine though… I like them all stock, but if I were going to hotrod a 32 Ford I’d put a later flathead with some cool period-correct bolt on speed equipment.
Denver heads and six one-barrel Stromberg carbs?
I would remove the top and fenders and put in a Ford 4 cylinder eco with manual trans.
Nice ‘rod. The way they look alone is worth the price, especially since this one is in fine shape. And it has just a little more power than it did from the factory! Too bad I don’t have $40k burning a hole in my pocket.
Get rid of the little boy bowtie and make it all FORD again. I’ll take it away for $50.00 and get rid of the chevy engine for free.
In something like this that bow-tie needs to come out and preferably a Flat head or at least a Ford V8 installed. When I see a cross brand engine I completely loose interest.
I agree with the others that say it should remain all Ford. I realize it’s common for people to put Chevy engines in these old rods, but still……
Something for the hot rod crowd. To me it’s just a mess.
I wonder how much it costs to make it right hand drive.
A flathead with the performance goodies of the day added and the stance should be raised in the rear but otherwise would leave it as is.
Tort,
What needs to happen with the stance is, depending on the wheel size front to back, I’d go with a smaller/shorter front tire wheel combination and a slight suspension drop in front, which would give it a nice rake. That’s all that I’d do to it. Would love to own it but at this point no cash.😵💫
Looks like the builder was going for driveability (cruise control) and a raked stance does just the opposite, especially with a chopped roof (visibility). Having a second set of (shorter) front wheels for show or cruising is an easy fix.
Thank you Oddball! Model 18! There are almost zero ‘bad’ ’32 Fords as evidenced by the bidding! Get off the Ford/Ford thing. Old hotrods have chevys because Ford didn’t have the mental agility to see the market place for engines and oil pump/ pan conversions so they could participate! Then we can point out the Suburban for 50 or so years before Ford noticed THAT market? C’mon man!
Well if chevy has so much mental agility as you say, how come they overlooking extended cab pickups until 1988. Ford had them way back in the mid 70s.
I lose all interest when I see another bellybutton small block Chevrolet engine in a ford. Shows an owner that took the easy way out and isnt very creative. The sbc is so generic that at one time you could buy a 350 chevy engine at my local true value hardware store. Boring…..
Totally agree. When Chevrolet came out with the V8 in 55, that was the go to engine for swapping and performance, and it continues on to this day. Now a Buick mill would also look good in that engine bay.👍😃
$$$DING$ Money car! Try to find a 32 5 window.
Nothing wrong with a Chevy in a Ford. If you’re going to talk like a purist, what are you looking at a Hot Rod for? It’s not near as expensive to build a Chevy as it is to build a Ford and back in the day, a Chevy was the best bang for the buck… just like now. The flames need to go away…Nice overpriced car.
“Built Ford Tough” with Chevy stuff.
Needs the Buick mill. And forgget the chopped top. These cars are small enough