| randyjohnson1 | -- 07-08-2017 @ 8:19 AM |
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My 47 is the early facelift version - I've also heard called the bullnose version. In the 1941-48 Ford Book for restoring, there a series of running changes with their dates of change in appendix D (pages D-3 and D-4. My car has all of the changes listed up to "friction vent window latch" (3/24/47) Here's the question... It has the holes in the front bumper guards for the bracket which was listed as a 4/01/47 deletion. The holes for mounting the bracket are there, but the bracket is long gone. I have seen original advertisements (drawings) that show my car's configuration, no hood ornament, with the new for 47 bumper guards and the bracket that goes between the guards underneath the license plate. I have never seen one in person or for sale. I believe my car is supposed to have one since the mounting holes are there. I tried using a 1946 bracket, but the length is wrong because the bumper guards on the 46 are narrower and therefore the bracket is too long. Does anyone have any info on this bracket that I could use to make or find one? Was there a part number? It appears that they were only used for the period roughly from 3/24/47 thru 4/1/47. I attached a picture of one of the holes.
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| supereal | -- 07-08-2017 @ 1:42 PM |
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I suspect you may have a station wagon bumper, or a '41 type, as the spacing of the bumper guards is wider than other models. If you have the Club's 41-48 book, you will find information on bumpers and part numbers. I have a late year '47, and there was a front guard when I got it, It fastened behind he guards. I suspect it was some kind of after market guard, perhaps dealer installed. Ford was famous for "running changes" without notice, and after WWII the demand for new cars was very high, and the factory used anything on hand to keep the line rolling. The 41-48 book is a treasure chest of these facts.
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| randyjohnson1 | -- 07-10-2017 @ 6:34 PM |
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Thanks. The references I made were from the book you mentioned. I do have the correct bumper. The bracket or bar I'm asking about spans across the bottom between the bumper guards, like a 46. Anytime you see an ad from early 47 with no hood ornament, the bar is shown. My car has no hood ornament and holes in the bumper guards, I'm just missing the part that spans across the bottom between the two bumper guards.
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| randyjohnson1 | -- 07-10-2017 @ 6:36 PM |
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Here's one of the ads.
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| MG | -- 07-10-2017 @ 9:41 PM |
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See attached picture
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| MG | -- 07-10-2017 @ 9:42 PM |
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Another....
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| MG | -- 07-10-2017 @ 9:42 PM |
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and, another....
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| supereal | -- 07-11-2017 @ 12:30 PM |
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I consulted the book "Famous Ford V8s" by the late Lorin Sorensen. It shows the front bumper bar as early as 1942. It was still present on the early '46 models, but disappeared early in '47, and not shown on any cars thereafter Photos of the assembly line shows no bars after April 1947, and a full page shot of the "new" Sportsman convertible is minus the bumper bars.
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| randyjohnson1 | -- 07-11-2017 @ 5:30 PM |
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Does the Sportsman have a hood ornament? In the ad I attached on my previous post, it shows the newer bumper guards with the bar (and no hood ornament). Since the bar was dropped shortly after the bumper guards were updated, but not at the same time, and since my front bumper guards have the holes, I believe it is reasonable to believe that there was a small number of early facelift fords made as the ad depicts. Maybe I'll never know for sure, but I'll tell you that the holes look "factory", not drilled. Why would my car have the holes where the bar would have been? Maybe the bumper guards were manufactured with the holes, but then the bars were never introduced into production because plans changed. I believe these bumper guards are interesting evidence to consider for the 47 facelift enthusiast.
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| len47merc | -- 07-11-2017 @ 6:02 PM |
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Does your car have the original window glass in it? Or at least one of the side windows? If so, what month do the 'bugs' on your glass indicate your car was built? Just another bit of data that may help you sleuth this one out. Fwiw Steve
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| migger45 | -- 07-12-2017 @ 12:39 AM |
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Subscribing to this nice project!
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| randyjohnson1 | -- 07-12-2017 @ 8:29 PM |
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I had to replace all the glass - might have a piece of the original lying around. This VIN is an early number.
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| len47merc | -- 07-13-2017 @ 4:37 AM |
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Appreciate your dilemma. My '47's serial number actually falls into the very late '46 range though the car was completed in Jan '47. Date codes on the speedometer, radio and clock were all from Dec 23-28, 1946, and the window bugs on the original glass show completion in Jan '47 which is what the car is titled as. This time period is tough given all the running changes that were not crisply implemented across each plant on the dates shown going all the way back to mid-'46. Parts to be obsoleted were used up, new parts implemented early in some plants, some cars a hodge-podge mixed-up jumble of everything. Suggest you reach out to the '46-'48 Technical Adviser as well as possibly authors of the 'Book' - I had to do this on multiple issues to obtain documentation and endorsement of the running changes that did not match the dates exactly given I ultimately planned on submitting the car for Rouge judging. Sounds like you are wanting to get your car technically correct, at least on this issue, so again, suggest you reach out to them for advice. Have to agree with you - those holes do look to be factory. Were it me I'd look in to supereal's station wagon & '41 references first to see if the dimensions of the spacing correlates to your bumper - if not, I'd make the contacts. Steve
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