1949 Ford Custom Club Coupe
While it's the TV custom car builders that gain wide notoriety, think Foose, Gas Monkey, Kindig, there are hundreds if not thousands of others around the country doing great work. From their small shops, they are fabricating body parts and other components and melding them with an artistic flair that often results in one of a kind creations, sometimes via commissioned work, and other times out of the need to creatively bend metal and stretch materials to satisfy their calling in life.
For consignment, a 1949 Ford Club coupe showing 54,881 miles which are not actual. Johnny Cash's Cadillac would be put to shame by this Ford which has a grille from a '48 Olds, bumpers from a '49 Plymouth, hubcaps from a Dodge Lancer, side trim from a '55 Pontiac, and taillights from a '56 Packard. And we haven't even talked about the interior yet! Unlike Johnny, these parts weren't stolen from a factory, they were carefully collected and assembled to form the masterpiece you see here, a true representation of fabrication and ingenuity.
Exterior
Let's start at the front where the frenched headlights loom over a customized grille and deeply grooved bumper, looking like art deco architecture at its best. Pinstriping on the nose sends your eyes to the center trim which is flanked by rows of louvers on the hood. From there, the raked windshield flows back to a rounded roofline that drops steeply at the end, the curve accentuated by the shape of the quarter windows. From the A-pillars back, the color switches from white to red, split by bold side trim, continuing over the top and onto the finned tail light flanking a bulbous decklid adorned with elaborate pinstriping. In profile, it takes a minute to take it all in, trying to catch all the detail, including the side pipes, deep fender skirts, and the crosshair hubcaps of the Lancer. Its shape suggests a forward surge and a rear quarter digging in while the rear panels flare rearward, as if in motion. Imperfections include some cracking on the left front fender, several areas of chipped filler and cracking paint down low, paint drips on the rocker panel, bubbling, gap imperfections, numerous scratches and filler imperfections.
Interior
Custom door panels in red and white vinyl elicit 50's vibes with smooth section, swoopy design, polished trim, and stitched areas, showing a bit of patina here with some discoloration and looseness, but overall an intact presentation. Some of the interior is borrowed from a 1966 Thunderbird and that might include the front, low back bucket seats which have been reupholstered in white with a red center stripe detail. The driver's seat shows some compression but the passenger seat and rear bench with two rounded backs are in very good shape. The two spoke steering wheel from a '59 Olds is rimmed in white and leads to the Thunderbird dash with updated gauges, white faced, combining Bosch with SunPro pieces under a horizontal speedometer. A mixture of lights and switches fill a panel in the center and an AM/FM radio fits the L-shaped dash, just before we encounter a tall B&M shifter with a handle that looks like a giant Christmas candy of translucent red with white stripes. The center armrest and ashtray show some patina but the plush red carpet underfoot looks good. A white headliner above could use some attention and a cut, carpeted mat covers the trunk cleanly.
Drivetrain
In the bay, a clean 429ci V8, wearing chromed valve covers and topped with a Holley 4-barrel carburetor. A C6 3-speed automatic transmission sends power to the Ford 9" axle in back. Brakes are configured as disc in front and drum in the back.
Undercarriage
Driver quality underneath with some typical surface rust, a drop or two of oil in the normal places, some oil sling from the u-joints, and some grease on the knuckles. There's some invasive rust on the inner rocker panels, and areas of expansion and other soft fillers in underside gaps. The dual exhaust flows through glasspack style mufflers, then long, polished tailpipes and the suspension sticks to a standard configuration of coil springs in front and leaf springs in the rear.
Drive-Ability
We peer over the big hood and steer this 429 powered rod onto the test loop where it proves itself to be a fine cruiser with plenty of power and straight tracking and decent visibility despite large rounded C-pillars. Not a lot of bells and whistles on the inside translates to a high percentage of functionality and we observed all systems go on this wild ride! While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
We'll quote Johnny here. "I'm gonna ride around in style, I'm gonna drive everybody wild, 'cause I'll have the only one there is around! Well, it's a '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56, '57, '58' 59' automobile! It's a '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '67, '68, '69, '70 automobile!". This cool build marries parts from various cars to create a unique conglomeration that is clearly one of a kind and bound for car show stardom! All it needs is a new stage manager.
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
