Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

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Farm Finds

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Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

Well, we closed the deal tonight on my wife’s great-grandpa’s Super Deluxe. It was a great conversation. The current owner bought it from his grandfather in 1958 (he still has the title that was issued to him at that time). He also has the original keys still in the leather “fob” that came from the dealer in ‘42.

I thought the car was parked around 18 years ago, but I was wrong. The current owner is going to think about it, but he pretty sure he parked it in 1970! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: He said he remembers running around 80 mph on the 45 mile stretch from his house in town to his dad’s farm where he grew up. Apparently it was a mechanically sound driver 52 years ago!

It’s going to be a major, long-term undertaking, but I’m pretty stoked about keeping this piece of history in the family and getting it back on the road! Thanks to those here who offered advice and encouragement in my last post.
 

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Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

Farm Finds said:
Well, we closed the deal tonight on my wife’s great-grandpa’s Super Deluxe. It was a great conversation. The current owner bought it from his grandfather in 1958 (he still has the title that was issued to him at that time). He also has the original keys still in the leather “fob” that came from the dealer in ‘42.

I thought the car was parked around 18 years ago, but I was wrong. The current owner is going to think about it, but he pretty sure he parked it in 1970! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: He said he remembers running around 80 mph on the 45 mile stretch from his house in town to his dad’s farm where he grew up. Apparently it was a mechanically sound driver 52 years ago!

It’s going to be a major, long-term undertaking, but I’m pretty stoked about keeping this piece of history in the family and getting it back on the road! Thanks to those here who offered advice and encouragement in my last post.
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Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

congrats! a rare year indeed and wont see another at a car show.

have fun with your new toy!
 
Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

Great piece of history, keep the barn updated as you bring it back to life.
 
Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

Do tell us what the chassis number is so we can see how close to the end of the '42 production it is.

Does anyone know the date of the end of '42 production?

PS Pete, please enlarge the Van Pelt production info. I never can figure it out.
 

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Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

Congratulations! Family car is a awesome thing. Big project, take your time and have fun working on it. The guys on here will surely help you with details.
Looking forward to following along on your journey!
Regards,
Chris
 
Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

Great project, looks like a pretty solid start. Btw what's with that dash? Good luck and keep em going!
 
Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

It looks like the previous owner kept it complete. The family heirlooms are always worth the effort to keep it in the family. My old 51 Merc Sport Sedan is such a car. They aren't worth all that much monetarily but they are priceless with sentimental attachments. All the 42 cars are rare no mater what the MFR date is. The production was only for a few months.

It looks like the car was a dark blue color but it's hard to tell. At least the corrosion looks to minimal as far as I can see. Those old plastic parts on the dash never could last long in the direct sunlight. They should be about the same as the 46 through 48 cars. A lot of parts interchange to those post war years.
 
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Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

Steve in Denver said:
Do tell us what the chassis number is so we can see how close to the end of the '42 production it is.

Does anyone know the date of the end of '42 production?

PS Pete, please enlarge the Van Pelt production info. I never can figure it out.
Click to expand...
504912
 
Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

The mandatory shut off date was February 22, 1942 but a lot of plants shut down before that date so they could tool up for their military contract obligations. Henry Ford offered some of the older closed down plant assets to the War Department which opened them for military manufacturing.
 
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Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

Steve in Denver said:
Do tell us what the chassis number is so we can see how close to the end of the '42 production it is.

Does anyone know the date of the end of '42 production?

PS Pete, please enlarge the Van Pelt production info. I never can figure it out.
Click to expand...

I'll check that out when I get it home. Where specifically is the number located?
 
Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

tom1948 said:
Great project, looks like a pretty solid start. Btw what's with that dash? Good luck and keep em going!
Click to expand...

Looks like the heat deformed all the plastic work? I'm pretty sure the windshield has been leaking for quite awhile, which didn't help.
 
Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

tom1948 said:
Great project, looks like a pretty solid start. Btw what's with that dash? Good luck and keep em going!
Click to expand...

rotorwrench said:
The mandatory shut off date was February 22, 1942 but a lot of plants shut down before that date so they could tool up for their military contract obligations. Henry Ford offered some of the older closed down plant assets to the War Department which opened them for military manufacturing
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That's good to know. I read somewhere that some production continued up to four months into 1942, but they didn't offer any citation regarding the source of that information. Any idea when production started on the '42 models? Is it like later cars where production might start some time late in the 4th quarter of the previous year so that there would be new models on the showroom floor January 1?
 
Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

rotorwrench said:
It looks like the previous owner kept it complete. The family heirlooms are always worth the effort to keep it in the family. My old 51 Merc Sport Sedan is such a car. They aren't worth all that much monetarily but they are priceless with sentimental attachments. All the 42 cars are rare no mater what the MFR date is. The production was only for a few months.

It looks like the car was a dark blue color but it's hard to tell. At least the corrosion looks to minimal as far as I can see. Those old plastic parts on the dash never could last long in the direct sunlight. They should be about the same as the 46 through 48 cars. A lot of parts interchange to those post war years.
Click to expand...

Funny... I was so excited to find the car that I didn't look too close at the paint! :D I'm pretty sure it was black.

Regarding the dash, is anyone reproducing the interior parts for these cars?
 
Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

Dennis Carpenter started his business making the plastic knobs that tend to deteriorate over time. They and several other sources will have the dash parts for a 21A car. Speedometer, clock, and instruments can be restored.

Interior upholstery kits are no longer available with the loss of Cartouche but some company may step in and take up that market.
 
Re: Closed the Deal on ‘42 Fordor SD

X2 on Dennis Carpenter for dash plastic components. NOS dash gauges appear on Ebay with some frequency. I've recently bought a NOS clock and speedometer for my 42 there. I should have an extra decent radio block off plate when you are ready.
 
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