After spending more than 15-years in hiding, this 1935 Ford 3-Window Coupe has emerged in surprisingly good order. It runs and drives, and apart from a repaint at some point in its life, it remains remarkably original. It would make a great base for a restoration project, or the next owner could choose to undertake a few minor tasks on the vehicle, and then drive it largely as it currently stands. Located in Silverado, California, you will find the Coupe listed for sale here on eBay. With bidding now sitting at $29,000, the reserve on the old Ford has been met.
The owner of the Coupe emphasizes its rust-free status as a Californian car. He backs these claims with a decent collection of photos, and they all look very promising. The panels look to be very straight, and as well as the floors and frame appearing to be solid, the Ford appears to be free of external rust problems. The white paint that the car currently wears isn’t original, with the car having received a repaint from what appears to be black at some point in the past. This repaint doesn’t look like it was completed to a particularly high standard, because there is plenty of evidence of bad masking when you give the vehicle a careful check. Having said that, it does remain presentable, so the Ford could be used as it currently stands. The external trim and chrome is all present and is generally in reasonable condition. There are a few pieces that are showing some bubbling under the chrome plating, but none of these pieces are beyond restoration. One thing that will require replacement is the windshield. This has been badly damaged while the car was in storage, and driving the car with it in its current state is not bound to be a particularly pleasant experience.
The Coupe retains its original mechanical configuration. This means that under the hood you will find a 221ci flathead V8 engine and a 3-speed manual transmission. With 85hp on tap, the Coupe would have been a pretty spritely performer back in 1935. If the claims are correct, then it remains pretty decent today. After its extended hibernation, the owner has undertaken work to get the car up and running once again. He says that the engine is a bit noisy until it warms up, but that it is then nice and smooth. The car also drives quite well, while the clutch and transmission are smooth. He does say that the Coupe will still require some TLC, and given the fact that it has been sitting for so long, I would be subjecting it to a thorough mechanical inspection before I contemplated taking it out on the open road.
The owner states that the interior of the Ford is all original, and while it is serviceable, it would be very tempting to treat it to a complete restoration in the near future. The door trims are showing the sort of staining which is very common in Fords of this vintage. The headliner has deteriorated quite badly, and while you aren’t likely to find it hanging down around your ears anytime soon, it is showing some rot that would be irreversible. The cover on the seat has a previous repair and is also looking a bit moth-eaten in places. The dash generally looks quite good, but it isn’t clear whether this particular car was fitted with an ashtray, or with the optional radio. Given the fact that they were both designed to fit in the same spot in the center of the dash, owners could only choose one or the other. With no obvious signs of an antenna on this car, then I suspect that it is the ashtray that is missing from the dash. One pleasant surprise is the condition of the wheel. It appears to be free of any obvious cracks or problems, but I do suspect that it has been restored at some point.
This 1935 Ford Coupe raises an interesting issue with these cars. They have always been a firm favorite with both the custom and street-rod fraternity because they have the right body style and stance to respond well to being chopped, channeled, and generally customized. It is this favoritism that raises this issue because while it is pretty easy to find a significant number of 1935 3-Window Coupes for sale today, finding an original and unmolested example is a real battle. If you can find a clean and tidy example, then figures in the vicinity of $40,000 or more aren’t unprecedented. Having said that, it will be interesting to see what the final sale price on this one turns out to be.
What a beautiful old car that needs to be preserved in current condition 👍👀
I luv old Fords with flat heads…
Probably as much as Bonnie and Clyde did as written in letter to Mr Ford.. 😍
I’m the owner of a modified car (bought that way) – but firmly believe that when something like this survives unmolested, you leave it that way.
What about the 32 3-Window in front of it? 35 seems to be a very nice car, lots of things to make the owners claims,seem to be true. Could be an easy restoration, not cheap, even as nice as it is, the cost is almost the same. You could argue a simple cosmetic restoration, maybe but I don’t think its that nice, once you started you would be on a slippery slope not to get carried away and spend too much money. I just think at 29K plus ,you better like it allot!
she’s a honey
will the seller throw in the dash clock he also has for sale on eBay?
My uncle in Gastonia, NC found one just like that in Arizona with 800 miles on it back in the 70’s. had shipped to NC it still had it’s first set of tires on it. He did change the tires but left the car alone. I do not know who ended up with it. He had several great cars but family was not interested. Just like mine. I have a 1950 Ford two door sedan with it’s original tires in place with 16,000 miles just sits in the garage. The old car guys are dying off for sure.
I paid $300.00 in 1948 for my dream car. A black 1935 Ford 3 window coupe with Kelsey Hayes wire wheels and after market dual pipes. The owner held it for me for 3 months while I earned the money working all summer in eastern Washington wheat harvest.
Jack – you have to tell more of that story! Any pictures? What else was on the road in your town to cruise Main with? Did you end up trading it in on a new ’54 Mercury maybe and regretting the trade for years?
My step-father and mother drove a ’36 Ford 2 door trunk back that he bought new in1936. Washington blue and because he was a perfectionist exactly like it came off the showroom floor. In 1949 new cars were becoming available without paying a dealer blood money to get on the order list so they ordered a ’49 Ford Custom club coupe w overdrive. The dealer wouldn’t take their car in trade (too old) so I sold my ’35 to my cousin and bought the ’36. I have never regretted the passing of the ’36 but have always missed the ’35. JL
That is a “don’t ever modify me” type of car! Do a little interior work and enjoy doing the Sunday sunny cruises.
Had a ’35 five window that I bought from a retired North West Mounted Policeman in 1965 at age 16 for $250. Original dark green paint. Wire wheels.
Drove it and managed to hang on to it until the early 90’s when I sold it for $1,700 because I wanted to buy a topper for my pickup. Color me stupid.
Come home to Daddy! I love this beautiful piece of art. She belongs in my shed.