1940 Ford Deluxe Sedan

38 coupe said:
To answer your tire question: most new cars sold in 1940 came with blackwall tires. Your car would have had 6.00-16 tires installed new by Ford. Blackwalls were common, whitewalls were extra cost option and are so common now people think they were the only tires sold. If you really want authenticity wait until you get the 40 Ford Book and follow the pictures and advice provided there.
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Thanks! I'm really excited to get that book. Reminds me of the recently published ford gpw Jeep restoration standards that was produced by the military vehicle preservation association, that thing is literally the ultimate Bible for gpw owners. I'm assuming this is going to be pretty much similar.

And yeah, I figured most likely the white walls were an upgrade option, but I do enjoy how they look. They add a highlight to an otherwise black car.
 
JayChicago said:
Maybe not. His car doesn't have a radio. Your big radio might block you view of the wiper control.
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That's good to know. I do indeed have a zenith radio in mine. It apparently works, but the buttons are physically broken so I need to take it out anyway to repair that.
 
Hi Warbird and welcome to the Barn.
Lots of helpful folks here.
There is a fellow in your state (Tom) that has, in my opinion, the most beautiful and accurately restored '40 Deluxe Fordor in existence. I know he lurks on the Barn from time to time. If there are questions no one else can answer with authority, well, he can :)

When ya get around to buying tires, might I suggest you go to 6:50 x 16"? They were an authorized option. In my opinion, they have a much better appearance than the otherwise 'skimpy" 6:00's.
 

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Kube said:
Hi Warbird and welcome to the Barn.
Lots of helpful folks here.
There is a fellow in your state (Tom) that has, in my opinion, the most beautiful and accurately restored '40 Deluxe Fordor in existence. I know he lurks on the Barn from time to time. If there are questions no one else can answer with authority, well, he can :)

When ya get around to buying tires, might I suggest you go to 6:50 x 16"? They were an authorized option. In my opinion, they have a much better appearance than the otherwise 'skimpy" 6:00's.
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Thank you! That's a nice look. The 'racing' wheels on it right now feel too small to me. So I'll look into getting that size when the rims I was given (I should be able to post photos/urls after this post, so I'll write another post with shots of the rims I have and the vehicle itself). Appreciate the suggestion.
 
Okay, finally can post some shots! So here's the overall shots of the vehicle.

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Inside:

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The Engine (it does have the original oil air bath, but it was off for these shots):

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And here are the rims that came with the vehicle (2 of four). They are painted black like the vehicle, and all have a Ford stamp with Kelsey Hayes 'KH', but they measure what looks to be 15x6?

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After a quick wash:

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The markings:

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19Fordy said:
Here is how you measure the width of a rim. Your black rims appear to be 15 OD x 5 in. wide Ford truck rims with a 5 x 5 1/2 in bolt circle made by Kelsey Hayes. Your stock 40 caps should snap on the "innies" bumps on inside of your rims. You measure the total width of the rim edge to edge and then subtract 1 inch. That gives you the size of the rim.
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Appreciate the link! So, mainly just off by an inch either way than the stock ones? I assume these would be perfectly fine to use once cleaned up and repainted even at the wrong size for a stock '40 Deluxe? Rather than dropping a lot of money (seems the 16x4s are rare), I think I'd rather just use these unless there's an issue with it.
 
that wheel looks like it might be a cut down 16" center welded to a 15" outer. seen that done before, but never understood why, since 15" merc & pick-up wheels were easy to find!
 
rustythumb said:
that wheel looks like it might be a cut down 16" center welded to a 15" outer. seen that done before, but never understood why, since 15" merc & pick-up wheels were easy to find!
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You may very well be correct. I see what appears to be a bead at the juncture of the center and the hoop on the back side of the wheel. That center has all the characteristics of a 1940/1941 wheel.

Coop

.
 
rustythumb makes a very astute observation. You can actually see the (home made) weld bead on the front of the rim between the center and the 15 in. outer". rim. I wouldn't use them and would be very surprised if they were not out of round.

Here's a informative link re: 1950 Ford rims. Open and scroll down. Pay special attention to the Green Rim with the big center hole.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1336079-help-with-1950-f1-original-wheel.html
 
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Since you need to find wheels why not look for 16" rims that take the original hubcaps? Ford used the 5 x 5 1/2 bolt pattern and "innie" hubcap type into F-100 era on half ton pickups. 4.5 or 5 inch wide will also work with your car.
 
Okay, this discussion of rims/wheels is going to take a bit of a turn now that I took the other four wheels out of the trunk/back. so I'm going to start a new thread and see what all I have. There's a mix of 15, 16, and 17 wheels it seems.
 
Warbird: be sure to replace that cloth covered fuel line on the firewall that feeds the fuel pump as that line often has cracks from old age and detriorates on the inside.
 
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[

- 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![/QUOTE]



Try this book.
 

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The dimmer switch should be on the left side of the dash underneath the steering column
And the rims would have a ford logo on them if they are originals
 
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