1939/1940 Ford convertible sedan

F

Fancy Dancer

Junior Member
I have just purchased this car; it is titled as a 1939 s/n 184989374 and body number 2559. But it looks mostly like a 1940. Wheels and brakes, front end, dash, column shift. The only 1939-type appearances are the rear fenders, and there are no quarter windows on the front doors.

Do I have the result of some hyperactive body shop guy who spliced two cars together?

I would appreciate any guidance. Thanks!!!

Dan Snyder
 
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I thought 39 was the last year of the convertible sedans. A lot of the front sheet metal interchanged so 40 parts might be on your car. The brakes might have been changed to get rid of the wide fives, again these were interchangeable

Your vin number should tell you of the year?? Isn't the 18 the year id?
 
Milt/Las Vegas said:
I thought all 40s vin#s started with I85,the 5 must indicate 40.
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Vin #s for 1939 started with 18-4661001 and ended with 18-5210701. Ford did not make any 4-door convertibles for 1940 and only made 3,561 of the convertible sedans for 1939. I have seen quite a few '39's with '40 sheet metal on them. They are nice cars. - Dennis
 
If your body # is 3561, I would guess that that is the last one Ford Built because 3,561 Convertible Sedans were built in '39, the last year of production for the Convertible Sedan in the Ford line. As GM noted, Mercury built a Convertible Sedan (very small run) in '40 however, nothing body wise is interchangeable between the Ford & Merc. We have owned a ’39 Ford CS for twenty years, our cars body # is 1507. I’d love to see some photos of your car, if you can post them, please do. Vic
 
Fancy Dancer said:
I have just purchased this car; it is titled as a 1939 s/n 184989374 and body number 2559. But it looks mostly like a 1940. Wheels and brakes, front end, dash, column shift. The only 1939-type appearances are the rear fenders, and there are no quarter windows on the front doors.

Do I have the result of some hyperactive body shop guy who spliced two cars together?

I would appreciate any guidance. Thanks!!!

Dan Snyder
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You would not have to be "a hyperactive body shop guy" to make the changes you describe. All that you mention are bolt on things.
 
In my experience, it was and continues to be very popular to update 1939 ford to 1940 Fords. Many items like headlights, dashes, fenders were changed for styling(Dash) and upgrades (sealed beam lights). Some things are more difficult, windshield wiperes above the windshield. A convertible is hybrid of both. I would think a floor shift would be a good indication of a 1939.
 
Here are some photos of my CS - obviously a work in progress!
 

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Fancy Dancer, neast car. I have two (2) 1939 Ford Convertible Sedans. One is body #2557 and the other is body #12. Body #12 for sale. This car date codes to 1938 manufacturing and is 100% complete and 100% original. Very interesting history for both of these cars.
 
And...all 221 inch Ford serials from 1932 through 1942 begin with "18", the designation for the engine series.
The large number following is just a sequence number, a certain range of which numbers correlate with the 1940 model year. There was an 18-1 serial number!
All '40's fall into the 5 millions, but the 5 doesn't mean anything except as part of the sequence, and 5's overlap into both 1939 and 1941.

VanPelt's excellent site gives numbers:

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_serialnumbers.htm

...so dig down to your frame and figure out what your chassis actually is.
Car has column shift, so if it is still on a '39 frame the original serial is gone with the '39 trans, but it was repeated on the frame rail.
And yes, really neat car!
 
That's a great idea, making a '39 into an otherwise nonexistant '40 convertible sedan.
There was a west coast retactable hardtop that was changed into an Edsle by chaging fenders & rear quarter panles,etc. I have also seen a "Cadillac" ElCamino.
 
I believe that the front fenders are '40, as is the front grill (a '40 deluxe). Also, the shift on the column indicates a '40, as the shift for the '39 was on the floor. I also believe tha the body is a '40 because the wipers on below, not above the windshield (as it is on the '39), although this may be just a pecularity with convertibles. Of course, the hood has been "altered", as it looks neither like a '39 or '40.
 
Some DMVs used the manufacture date and NOT the model year date. When doing the paper work. I could be a '40 built in late '39.
 
Fancy Dancer said:
Here are some photos of my CS - obviously a work in progress!
Click to expand...
Well it has to be a 39 as no 40 CS's were built. The serial number on the frame next to the steering gear will tell you about when it was built. The car has added 40 H/L buckets and bezels, 40 nosed hood and 40 deluxe grill, 40 dash and column shift and transmission. The fenders are the same for both years.What year taillights does it have? I would think that a person going to all this trouble would use 40 T/L's. It probably Was done years ago and he must have had a parts car.
It would be a neat car to use as is, but to return to original would require a parts car.
 
NEAT car! I love it. Good luck with getting it back on the road... it's too neat a car to keep in a garage all the time. We all should strive to get them out and share them with the rest of the world. Folks love it and you will too. Go get 'em! Al
 
You got yourself a real nice piece. If it's a 39 there were only a couple thousand made. I heard somewhere that "5" 1940 Sedan Convertibles were made for the 1939 World's Fair. Man, if the one you have is one of only 5 made you have a real find.
 
As a kid I ran a 40 Merc Convertable sedan. I loved that car. I could seat 10 girls in the thing! Daddy passing and Vietman got in the way, but I dreamed of finding that car many a night while incountry. After retiring from the USAF,I found that specific car happily residing in another man's garage. I am very glad it wasn't destroyed.
clem
 
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