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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 1938 Ford front sheet metal

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 1938 Ford front sheet metal     supercub 05-11-2010 @ 8:24 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 17 Joined: May 2010 I know of a 1938 Rumble Seat Convertable that was disassembled years ago. The front fenders are saveable, but the grill and hood are not. Will a 1937 front clip fit this body, or do I have to go to 39. I thought there was some simularity between the 37 and 38 front fenders. If that were true I could save the fenders, and shop for a 37 grill and hood etc. I assume that with a 39 conversion I will need a entire front clip. Is there any hope? Thanks Terry.. TomO 05-11-2010 @ 9:15 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7261 Joined: Oct 2009 There are just enough differences in the 37,38,39 bodies to make any change like you propose difficult. You will have to make modifications to any year change parts that you buy. I would shop for a 38 DeLuxe hood and grill. A good internet search for parts is available at http://www.ownster.com/index.cfm?type=Parts Tom supereal 05-11-2010 @ 12:00 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 I agree with TomO. 1938 was an odd year, as the recession caused Ford production to drop by one-half. There were only 4,702 DeLuxe convertible coupes made that year, and used the "heart" shaped grille, and the slope-nosed hood with rounded corners. This makes for a rare and valuable car in an unusual year, but a candidate for a long and expensive "treasure hunt" for parts. If your front fenders are restorable, finding "just" the hood and grille will be somewhat easier. There are lots of repro grilles and hoods for '37 and '39, but none that I know of for your '38. Good luck! 37RAGTOPMAN 05-11-2010 @ 4:37 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1969 Joined: Oct 2009 You will have to change the complete nose,HOOD HOOD SIDES,GRILL the 37 and 38 fenders are different, slightly,,37 fenders should bolt right up to the cowl, firewall and where the battery go are the same, and the dash is very different, and the bumers and guards are different,and some other parts,maybe the steering wheel, and the dimmer switch is different,38 had a foot control, the 37 used the light switch rod, you should buy the 37 38 FORD Parts Manual , it has the 2 of the bodies and you can compare the 2,to see what you can do, maybe you should put a want for the 38 parts maybe someone has them, and it all comes down to which body style you like best and how authenic you want the car to be , it will have 38 serial numbers, this is something you have to consider if you were to sell it, it might better to keep it original, might cost a little more, but worth it in the long run, hope this helps. KEEP ON TRUCKIN 37RAGTOPMAN, maybe you will be 38RAGTOPMAN ??? Stroker 05-11-2010 @ 5:27 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 I think you will find that the 37 fender profile is different enough that you may have to fill some holes and re drill in order to match. I'd also be concerned about the cowl cut-away for the side panels, as any difference there would require finding 37 lower cowl sides. 37RAGTOPMAN 05-15-2010 @ 10:19 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1969 Joined: Oct 2009 according to my 37-38 FORD BODY PARTS LIST, by the pictures it looks like they are the same minus the stainless trim on the top of cowl, 1937 had non while the 1938 did, this might be a problem,to make it a 1937 you would have to fill in all the holes in the 38 body, or go the other way, and there is no way to add the stainless trim to the 1937 hood and make it look original, this parts list also says on the front cover, Body Photographs APPLY to both model years, hope this helps 37RAGTOPMAN I would pay the price and go with a 1938,in the long run would be easier, even if you have to buy a running 1938 sedan,or a good parts car,to get what you want and then part the rest out, if you bought a good running car you would have extra parts, to complete the project, lets see some pictures of your project metalart 05-19-2010 @ 2:21 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 14 Joined: Nov 2009 Hi Terry, Unless I have missed something in all your replies, I believe the firewall for the 38 standard and the 37 are the same. The 38 deluxe firewall is slightly different. Good luck. Neil.

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