WarbirdPhotog
Senior Member
Hey everyone, first-time poster and first-time 1940 civilian car owner. I just picked up a 1940 Deluxe Fordor Sedan a few days ago and brought it home. Needs a bit of work, has been sitting for some time and the fuel pump failed, but otherwise has been kept in good shape in a garage. Only 30k miles, and everything is pretty much original except someone put racing wheels on, but it came with (apparently) the factory wheels which are in the trunk. I'm the fourth owner of the vehicle.
I'm no stranger to vintage vehicles, as I did a complete frame-off factory restoration of a 1944 Ford-built GPW Jeep. But, the world of vintage civilian vehicles is a bit of a new one for me, so I'm learning along the way and had a few questions I hope some of you might be able to help out with. Apologies in advance!
- What was the size of 'stock' factory wheels? And how can I best check that they are, indeed, the factory wheels? The beauty rim and hub caps are gone, so it's just the rim and tires. I assume the tires for this would be white wall Firestone 600x16 - 3 1/4? I'm not looking to be judged, so I just want something that looks right and handles well on Southern California streets/freeways.
- I have a 1940 Ford dealer show album book which details this vehicle. In it, one of the features says a dimmer switch for the instrument lights. But I can't seem to find it. Where was that located?
- There's also mention of a windshield wiper knob, to adjust the wiper speed I assume? Where would that be?
- There's an issue right now with keys. I have the ignition key which works fine, but the passenger door lock is jammed to the point I think it's unusable. I tried tinkering with it, but it's not budging, even with WD40. So I have to be very careful I don't lock all the doors. I got a new passenger lock to install, but it has a different key than the ignition (of course). Is there a way to match the keys? I know the trunk is a different key than the ignition/door which didn't come with the car, so it's always unlocked. Is it easy to replace just the lock inside the handle of the trunk?
- The instrument panel came with a chrome bezel face and no glass. Looking at stock shots, it seems it should have a plastic bezel face with line decorations on it and glass behind that. All easy to get, but wanted to confirm that it's stock and that this chrome one is not a dealer add-on.
- Any good detailed books out there I could get started with that really breaks down the vehicle and what it should look like? I have an original 1390-1940 Ford/Mercury parts list with the exploded diagrams which will help. But anything with a lot of visual reference would be great.
Thanks everyone!
I'm no stranger to vintage vehicles, as I did a complete frame-off factory restoration of a 1944 Ford-built GPW Jeep. But, the world of vintage civilian vehicles is a bit of a new one for me, so I'm learning along the way and had a few questions I hope some of you might be able to help out with. Apologies in advance!
- What was the size of 'stock' factory wheels? And how can I best check that they are, indeed, the factory wheels? The beauty rim and hub caps are gone, so it's just the rim and tires. I assume the tires for this would be white wall Firestone 600x16 - 3 1/4? I'm not looking to be judged, so I just want something that looks right and handles well on Southern California streets/freeways.
- I have a 1940 Ford dealer show album book which details this vehicle. In it, one of the features says a dimmer switch for the instrument lights. But I can't seem to find it. Where was that located?
- There's also mention of a windshield wiper knob, to adjust the wiper speed I assume? Where would that be?
- There's an issue right now with keys. I have the ignition key which works fine, but the passenger door lock is jammed to the point I think it's unusable. I tried tinkering with it, but it's not budging, even with WD40. So I have to be very careful I don't lock all the doors. I got a new passenger lock to install, but it has a different key than the ignition (of course). Is there a way to match the keys? I know the trunk is a different key than the ignition/door which didn't come with the car, so it's always unlocked. Is it easy to replace just the lock inside the handle of the trunk?
- The instrument panel came with a chrome bezel face and no glass. Looking at stock shots, it seems it should have a plastic bezel face with line decorations on it and glass behind that. All easy to get, but wanted to confirm that it's stock and that this chrome one is not a dealer add-on.
- Any good detailed books out there I could get started with that really breaks down the vehicle and what it should look like? I have an original 1390-1940 Ford/Mercury parts list with the exploded diagrams which will help. But anything with a lot of visual reference would be great.
Thanks everyone!
