| Timmmy | -- 05-21-2021 @ 10:56 AM |
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Hi everyone, my name is Haydn and I just joined the forum. I am hoping to find out more about my recent barn find here in Detroit. I was told by the owners son (his father passed away around 5 years ago and was a hoarder), that he believes the car is a 1946 Ford Tudor, which aligns with the big grille. Here is the story I know so far….. The car had been in a 2 car garage for at least 40 years, as the owners son who is in his 60’s remembers sneaking into the garage when he was a kid and he pretended to drive it. When I found the garage that was part of an estate sale a friend happened upon, my friend called me and said there were two old cars in the garage. I went and took a look and the entire garage was packed floor to ceiling with stuff, furniture and all manner of…stuff. I couldn’t see much other than the very back of a 65 Mustang, and the top rear 1/4 of the Ford. I made the guy an offer on the entire contents of the garage mostly sight unseen, much like the show ‘storage wars’, and he accepted. When it came time I cleared out the garage and got the 2 cars back to my shop in Detroit. After some jet washing and investigation, the Tudor is really interesting. The back window has ‘Car In Tow’ in red tape and it had towing lights on it. Up front there is a flat tow A-frame still attached. It has an Alabama license plate on it. My guess it was towed from Alabama to Detroit and put in the garage and that was that. Now the really interesting part, when I got the hood open I saw something I did not expect, a Buick Nailhead with a generator on a 6v charge system I believe. In the drivers side front windscreen there is a ‘Getz Geared’ sticker. Under the dash are some very old school aftermarket oil pressure, temperature gauges. I managed to find the stamped number on the drivers side frame, close to the radiator and after some wire brushing and brake cleaner I believe it reads 1818375 (star) {or maybe I8I8375 Star} . So my first question is can anyone decipher anything about the car from the frame number. Clearly I cannot check the engine number as someone swapped in the nail head I am guessing in the 50’s or 60’s. Thats my story so far, here are some pictures and I hope the community here can help me figure out what this thing really is. Thanks Haydn
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| kubes40 | -- 05-21-2021 @ 11:24 AM |
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It appears to be a '46. If solid, a $500 (tops) parts car. If that Buick turns freely, add another few hundred. Mike "Kube" Kubarth
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| trjford8 | -- 05-22-2021 @ 7:58 AM |
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It appears to be a '47 or later as the '46 has the parking lights above the grille and I don't see them there. The front fenders appear to have the '46 trim and the rear fenders and hood appear to have the later smooth trim. looks like a mix of parts on it. The dash gauges from what i can tell appear to be the later '47-'48 style. The mustang, although I can't see it, is probably worth a lot more money in today's world. This message was edited by trjford8 on 5-22-21 @ 8:05 AM
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| therunwaybehind | -- 05-22-2021 @ 8:57 AM |
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I think it would be a mistake to treat this body as a parts car simply for the bottom edges of the fenders and the body. Being from South it has no perforation as a 46 Ford in Detroit would have. The other thing is the rear wheels. I'm going to look closer but definitely not 16 inch Ford of 41-48. Look at how the knobs to hold the but caps are outside the rolled sort of ring rather than inside a sort of bowl with depressed center. As for the "nailhead", be careful to spinup the oil pump before turning it over with ,the starter to avoid a "spun bearing", which would have been native to the 59AB flathead. I have seen this on a Pontiac repaired with shim stock and also a later Wildcat/Riviera 430. The carburetor looks like a Carter WCFB 4 barrel. The front and rear wheels are both the same. ?? not 15 inch Mercury as I had on my car. Ford pickup? The 322 Loadmaster in the 56 Chevrolet big truck was a Buick. Buicks had torque tube drive in the 50's. I would look under it next. Read the text on the tire sidewalls looking for x15. Does it have a solid front axle? Last seen in 1948. The chrome strips on the 47 are below the crease and on the 46 above the crease. This would matter to use the existing holes. That's not a Ford radiator from the flathead era with one set of inlets/outlets blocked of. The right side (looking forward/passenger side) fender apron is cut away to clear the generator. Looks like pre-1939 manual floor shift Ford transmission and both clutch and brake pedals. This message was edited by therunwaybehind on 5-22-21 @ 9:38 AM
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| Timmmy | -- 05-22-2021 @ 9:51 AM |
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Great insights, thanks! The car is basically rust free other than some surface rust. My intent is to 'restore' it as a 50's/60's hot rod/racer and use it. I need to get it on a lift, but I have two other projects winding up that are in the way, so hopefully in a week or two. I did look underneath and it does have a torque tube still. The only real rust I have found so far is on the edges of the drivers side bolt in floor panels, other than that its super clean. A few bumps and dents here and there, including a big one in the roof I will try to pop out. I'll clean it up a bit more and get better pictures. Oh and I have all the trim, It was in the back of the car, along with a gallon of that red paint thats on it.
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| Timmmy | -- 05-22-2021 @ 9:52 AM |
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Thanks for the feedback, appreciated. It does have the parking lights above the grille, the left on is missing though and there's a dent right there. I will clean up the dash a bit this weekend and get more pictures posted. Cheers Haydn
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| therunwaybehind | -- 05-22-2021 @ 5:56 PM |
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The red paint only goes on the 1946 trim. The trim on the running board and rear fenders is 47-48. Trunk?, hood? grille?
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| Timmmy | -- 05-23-2021 @ 8:11 AM |
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Morning everyone. I took a bunch more pictures and added them to the same album here. [url]https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0zJ8GySPJRBnts[/url] Any more insights would be greatly appreciated.
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