early 1939 deluxe coupe???

J

jeff47wl

Member
Are there early 1939 ford characteristics?
I recently purchased a 1939 ford deluxe coupe, and it has what would be a 1938 ford trunk handle and the hood latch have two catches/latches one on each side of the radiator to hold a rod that is attached to the underside of the hood and rotates as the hood handle is pulled to unlatch the hood. The paper work staes first sold i 1938.

jeff
 
March 1939 seems to be the cut-off date between early and later 39's.
Because of the ongoing labour disputes at Briggs and Murray, Ford bought a lot of the previously out-sourced work back in-house. Early 39's front fenders have ( or had ) a more concave area between the grille and headlight opening. Your hood catch is the earlier type. Later ones have a single hook in the centre. Also the rear fenders on later ones were attached by removable clips rather than spot welded ones.Your 38 trunk handle is incorrect. Get a copy of the EFV8 Club's 38/39 book. It has all that information in it.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your reply swoopNZ,

also, on the hood at the front by the nose latch there is no FORD DELUXE emblems on either side of the hood latch. I see no holes for emblems either.
Did emblems come on later 1939's??

I will try and upload some pictures
jeff
 
Have a look inside the hood.You should see where the holes were.
Probably covered over on the outside by body filler when painted last.
 
jeff47wl said:
Are there early 1939 ford characteristics?
I recently purchased a 1939 ford deluxe coupe, and it has what would be a 1938 ford trunk handle and the hood latch have two catches/latches one on each side of the radiator to hold a rod that is attached to the underside of the hood and rotates as the hood handle is pulled to unlatch the hood. The paper work staes first sold i 1938.

jeff
Click to expand...

The trunk handle was more than likely replaced at some point in this car's past.
While Ford did use some parts from previous models, they would not use pieces that would easily be identified as "last years".
 
added pictures of trunk handle, hood emblems and hood latch for early 1939 ford coupe.

jeff
 

Attachments

  • P1080985 (1).jpg
    P1080985 (1).jpg
    63.6 KB · Views: 322
  • P1080963 (1).jpg
    P1080963 (1).jpg
    66.2 KB · Views: 323
  • P1080966 (1).jpg
    P1080966 (1).jpg
    73.5 KB · Views: 321
This thread has taken an unfortunate turn. The OP (Jeff) is obviously proud of his new acquisition, as he should be. The ‘39 Ford Coupe is right up there among the most beautiful of Ford’s creations. Jeff is seeking information on its original details and I’m sure we all applaud that effort.
Jeff, welcome to the fold, you’re already more of a Fordophile than the previous owner of your ‘39 Ford ever was. The info you seek and much more can be found in the EFV8CA publication “The 1938-‘39 Ford Book.” You’d be welcome to join the club also!
 
Jeff, looks like you have pretty solid sheetmetal which puts you ahead of the curve. If you are new to early Fords, almost every year has "early", "most of the production year" and "late" features which can be challenging if you are looking for either the "early" or "late" parts that identify the car as such. As others have said, the EFV8 38/39 book is well worth buying since you have a 39 deluxe. Many people (including me) think the 39 deluxe is very near, or at the top of early Ford styling influenced by Edsel.
 
From the pics, the body seems to be in excellent shape . . . now if we could just get him to remove the SBC and build a really nice flathead for it. We have patience . . .

All kidding aside, welcome to the Ford Barn and congrats on your 39' purchase. Over time we will all attempt to get you to return the drivetrain to a flathead - so you'll have to put up with us nudging you along the way! LOL
 
I agree with the '39 DeLuxe being at the top of early Ford styling. That is why I will make one suggestion : Get rid of the '40 headlights and get some stockers back in there! Even before dealing with the SBC (you can always keep the hood closed).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top