Cars with a backstory always stir up interest, especially when that story reaches far back in time. It can be a story about the car, its owner, places the car has been, who road in it, etc. That being the case, here’s one with a story, a 1935 Ford Cabriolet roadster, located in Silverado, California and available, here on eBay for $15,000, no bids tendered so far.
According to the seller, this Ford made the California trip that Bobby Troup sang about in his hit song, “Route 66” in 1966, traveling from Chicago to L.A. with the owner’s eight-year-old son along for the ride. No word regarding the purpose of the trip but I bet it was a pretty neat experience. Not long after its SoCal arrival, this roadster went into a garage in Cosa Mesa where it was disassembled and it has remained in a disassembled state for the last 54 years.
Well, this much is safe to say, this Ford didn’t remain in that Cosa Mesa garage the entire time it has been slumbering. The rust is extensive and the seller admits as much, “The lowest part of the body floors have rust issues.” The seller continues with, “The outer body behind the doors, at the bottom and the rear pan has been compromised and will need exterior metal. ” Well, that’s an understatement as this image shows the passenger floor is essentially missing – it wouldn’t have happened if the car was stored indoors. OK, so this is the sort of problem one encounters with a car of this nature and age and there are restorers who have taken on bigger challenges. The pictorial provided by the seller is appreciated, it paints a pretty complete picture of this Ford’s condition. The seller doesn’t specifically mention the frame but it would be reasonable to assume that it may need work too.
The seller mentions that this Ford does not have its original fenders and the ones in place are in rough shape. He further states that he would need another Ford to acquire the correct fenders. He does mention, however, that he has the bumpers and brackets. One of the neat features of this Ford is its rumble seat. I can’t imagine traveling a long distance at speed, packed into that small opening, but it is a great nod to the past automotive design. Unfortunately, the floor pan there will need attention too as it is showing signs of perforation. The folding top is present, but as would be expected, it needs to be replaced. The folding top frame is in place, however.
We have somewhat touched on the interior already and as is visible in this image, it’s pretty well trashed. The instrument panel is intact, gauges and steering wheel are present and accounted for and there is a “radiohead” in place but the radio itself is gone. The seat frame is still where it belongs, no telling if it is of any use or not. The entire interior environment will need to be completely redone.
Under the hood was a flathead V8 engine but it’s long gone. It would have been a 221 CI variant good for 85 HP and spinning through a three-speed manual transmission. The tranny appears to still be in place so that’s an advantage if the new owner wants to go for an original-style restoration. Since there is no engine, it opens up the breadth of what can be installed without the guilt of tossing out the original flathead motor. Sure a flathead can be reinstalled, stock or modified, but so can a small-block Chevrolet and I gather, a Ford Windsor too.
On the surface, this roadster looks like trouble. Yes, it needs a lot of work but it’s in such a condition that it is easier to envision a hot-rod or resto-mod without the nagging thought that it should have remained stock. Of course, a stock restoration is not out of the question either – the world’s your oyster with this Ford! My initial thought is that the price may be out of range for what this roadster is. I say that as this Ford it has been listed for three and a half days with no bids tendered so far. It would be special to put this Ford back together in some form and take the reverse road trip back to Chicago, though Route 66 is mostly out of question anymore. So what do you think, is this Ford Cabriolet worth saving, and if so, what ‘s the best direction to pursue?
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