It isn’t clear just how long this 1939 ford DeLuxe Coupe has been in the possession of its current owner, but I suspect that the answer might well be “a long time.” In fact, this car served as his daily driver when he left high school, so it seems to have served him well. I have to say a big thank you to Barn Finder Greg F for referring this wonderful survivor to us. The Ford is located in Elk River, Minnesota, and is listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner is asking $25,000 for the Ford, and while this appears as though it might be negotiable to a point, it might also be worth paying the full asking price, as you will see.
The Coupe appears to be solid and straight. The owner claims that it is rust-free, and the black paint has a nice shine to it. There was a dent in the passenger side front fender at one point, which the owner repaired around 30-years-ago. He says that this repair is okay, but that it could be better. However, it appears that if a buyer is willing to pay the full asking price, the owner might be willing to include a NOS replacement fender that he has. There are a few trim pieces missing off the car, but the owner has sets of both ’39 and ’40 headlight bezels, along with some bumpers, and these will be included with the car. In addition, there is a significant supply of parts that the owner would be willing to include if the buyer is willing to pay full-price for the Ford.
The interior of the Coupe presents quite nicely, and I do believe that the majority of the trim is original. I suspect that the seat has been fitted with a new cover at some point, but items such as the door trims display the sort of wear that you might expect from a well-preserved classic of this age. The dash looks good, and apart from the visible wear on some of the trim items, the only other real wear is on the wheel. This isn’t severe, and unless the next owner is seeking to achieve perfection with this car, I would be inclined to leave the wheel exactly as it is.
Powering the Ford is the venerable 221ci flathead V8, with shifting duties falling to a 3-speed manual transmission. With 90hp on tap, the ’39 Ford was quite a sprightly performer for the era, and the beauty of these was that it wasn’t hard to extract improved performance from these flathead motors if required. The DeLuxe has been parked for a while, and even though it has had little use recently, the owner says that it starts easily. However, given its recent activity, it will require a thorough check before it could be considered to be roadworthy once again.
The owner of the ’39 Ford DeLuxe Coupe believes that it would take little work to bring the car up to show quality, and the supplied photos would seem to support this claim. Even if that wasn’t the ultimate goal of the next owner, it doesn’t look like it would take a lot of work to produce a car that would be an enjoyable classic to drive on a regular basis. Having fun in a classic car? That sounds like a fine idea to me.
Beautiful car but in way to good of shape to cut up or restomod!!
Yep your right TimM clean it up and show it off. Great find. Hope it finds the right new owner.
I’d almost be temped to build a replica moonshine hauler out of it. It would remain mostly stock and I wouldn’t do anything that couldn’t be reversed.
If it hasn’t been done already, maybe install 1940 hydraulic brakes. Otherwise, it’s mostly done already. Just needs a few cases of Mason Jars in the trunk and a toggle switch that turns the tail lights off. Maybe a bolt on speed part or two and that would be it.
I believe this was called a business coupe, no back seat, open to the trunk, some companies offered pickup boxes that slid in the back and yup, it was the car of choice for rum runners. I think Junior Johnson used a car like this for his exploits with runnin’ shine, before his racing career. I read, ’39 was the 1st year Ford had juice brakes across the board. They were the last company to do so as Henry never trusted them. It was rumored, some rum runners were pushing over 300hp with their flatties and a Columbia 2 speed, steel bars instead of shocks, to reduce sagging, radios were in their infancy, cops couldn’t catch them. You know, that sounds like fun!
Denver heads would be a great start.
I owned a 39 Standard, and I think that just by changing the design of the front fenders and hood, the deluxe became 10 times the looker of the older styling of the standard.
The way I would do the car, would be to restore the body to pristine condition and warm up the engine using period hot rod pieces, such as a duel manifold, dual exhaust, better rubber, shocks etc., without changing anything that couldn’t be easily undone.
I would love to have this car, and if the underside looks as good as the body, I believe it could be worth the listed price.
Bob
As has been said, restore it and drive it. Whether taken back to original condition or add a little to it, if it’s reversible then not a big deal.
Good looking car and I’m sure someone will enjoy it a lot. Always liked a good running flathead, they had a distinctive sound to them.
Great to see a car with all the original pieces still on it. Clean it up, fix what doesn’t work and enjoy it.
I’ve got a soft spot for these cars, love the banjo steering wheels and the overall shape, style, design of the body. Add to that the flat head v8 and three speed with overdrive what could be better? Power steering by Armstrong, a/c by open window, power brakes by strongfoot.
My clutch leg not being what it once was would get a workout yet what a wonderful experience to drive this around the neighborhood. I’m not currently in a position to park this in my garage but I sure wish I could.
God bless America
Nada says this is around 16 grand with top price for excellent around 25 grand.
Nice car but over priced.
Listings on Craigslist are useless
Thank you Greg F. I’m the owner of this survivor and yes, it was my high school car and yes its original paint and yes the interior is all original, even the seat upholstery. I was recently introduced to this site and was thinking about posting here so thank you again Greg F. Oh by the way, I do have all the trim pieces as well..just didn’t put them back on before pictures were taken
This car makes me droooool!!!
Is car still available ? What is the least amount that you would accept for car ? Where is it located ?
I live in South Carolina, so I must consider shipping.
I took the car off the market for the winter and will re-list it in the spring. Don’t ask me what is the least amount I would take for the car. If you want to make me an offer, I can do one of three things. I can tell you hell no if its a rediculous offer, accet your offer or counter. I also have thousands of $$ of parts, many NOS that may or may not go with the car as well.
Brad
Why did you take it off the market? People still buy cars in the winter. In fact, this is the time of year people in the South are able to enjoy their classics. I’ve never understood this seasonal mentality when it comes to cars.