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Stored for 35 Years: 1938 Ford Super Deluxe

1938 Ford Super Deluxe

This 2-door Ford coupe is located in Belmont, New Hampshire and is for sale here on eBay where spirited bidding is up to just over $3,000 but the reserve hasn’t been met yet. This great old flathead has been stored taken apart since it was moved from New Mexico at least 35 years ago. The engine has been made to run but there’s still an obvious large amount of work left to do. I really like the lines on the front of this car; you see a lot of 32-34 Fords, and a lot of 40 Fords, but I can’t remember the last time I saw a 1938 model. The seller tells us that the car was stored disassembled and “dry” and it has been resurrected to the point of starting the engine.  There is no front seat, but most of the rest of the hard stuff is there. The seller also speaks of there being no paint but a lot of “patina” – I call it rust – but it appears there are few holes, if any. Would you restore it, run it as-is, or turn it into a street rod?

Comments

  1. Avatar Grant

    If it is as rare as you make out, why would one want to destroy it by tarting it up like an old hooker in fishnets and heels!?!?!?!

    Like 2
  2. Avatar Ed P

    This car is to complete to do anything but restore.

    Like 1
  3. Avatar Chris in WNC

    soda blast the sheet metal, paint it with satin finish.
    repair the mechanicals as needed (stock) and DRIVE IT…….

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Tim

    Way too good to butcher and hot rod. Easy restoration. Light surface rust on bare metal is a non issue.. Can hardly be called rusty, it’s just minor oxidation. Nice find, I hope the buyer chooses to restore original with the flathead. That engine is hard to beat.

    Like 1
  5. Avatar geomechs Member

    1938 was a recession year that hit the auto industry pretty hard so there weren’t all that many cars of any kind built that year compared to others. Definitely a restoration candidate, and after looking at the pictures, that means a complete restoration. Do the work yourself and it won’t be all that expensive. I see that it has a 24 stud engine which could still be an original although ’38 was a transition year where the 24 stud was phased in during the year; I have my doubts. Someone has installed sealed beam headlights which may offer an improvement in lighting over the originals but loses its originality. Repro units work much better than the originals so I’d go with them. All in all, a great car to return to its original glory.

    Like 1
  6. Avatar Bill Parmenter

    Oh wow!! a 2-door Coupe !
    are these worth more than the 4-door Coupes ??

    just wondering ……….

    Like 0
    • Avatar justin

      The 4dr coupes are what you need to look for. They are RARE and worth more when found as no one made a 4dr coupe!!!

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Bill Parmenter

    Oh wow!! a 2-door Coupe !
    are these worth more than the 4-door Coupes ??

    Like 0
  8. Avatar charlie

    Headlights off a ’40, to get the sealed beams, ’38 and ’39 in Ford and Chrysler (and some others) were streamlined into the fenders and really “smooth” looking. Install the right lenses with modern bulbs behind them, and you can go.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Jack R

    It just needs a SBC and a 4-speed

    Like 0
  10. Avatar JIM G.

    Back in the day (1950 era) I drove a 1939 Ford Standard which for all intents &; purposes was very much the same as the 1938 standard, on a collecting job for a finance company. It was a high mileage car, but it endured the rough miles I put on it on a daily basis with no breakdowns.That old flathead “85” just kept on perking.

    I would restore this car to “Like new” condition so that future old car “buffs” like us could appreciate it.

    Like 1

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