Vehicle Description
1931 Ford Roadster
Handkerchiefs are believed to date back to China circa 1000 B.C.
where they were used as head coverings to ward off the sun's harsh
rays. In Roman times, the drop of a handkerchief signaled the start
of a chariot race. In the Middle Ages, a knight would don his
lady's handkerchief for good fortune in battle. Handkerchiefs
varied in design from plain to exquisite. In the 18th century,
handkerchiefs became signifiers of wealth, and King Louis XVI is
said to have prohibited by law that anyone carry a handkerchief
larger than his own. Hankies were often treasured possessions, and
were also brought to street races, where just like the Romans that
came before them, used the hanky to signify the start of a drag
race on the old lakebed of the LA area.
For consignment a modified 31 Ford Roadster come hot rod. An open
cowl hood, shiny radiator cover, curvaceous founders that are
attached by the running board in the center, and a folding
convertible top we are ready for the hanky drop.
Exterior
Red paint for this all steel car, and plenty of it all shiny and
bright and in very nice condition. Not to be outdone, the chrome
window surround, headlight bezels, radiator surround, and dual bar
bumpers all utilize the polished surfaces nicely. Pristine straight
running boards are present. Bringing up the rear, we see a mother
in law seat that appears with the turn of a lever, and a wood and
chrome luggage rack. I love the design detail of the blue dot brake
lights which present on the ends of chrome poles and have nicely
curved chromed bezels. Up front another interesting detail is the
leather belt straps that hold down the hood. These frame the
beautifully presenting mill and all its power trimmings. A canvas
convertible top, which goes up and down manually, adds another look
to this rodder. 15-inch Weld Prostar wheels are on all 4 corners
and are wrapped by 215/60R15's all around.
Interior
Opening the slight square doors, we see stitched faux leather vinyl
in nice saddle color. The interior features a faux leather bench
which is nicely padded and in excellent condition. A black metal
dash stretches from door to door and houses a symmetrically
circular VDO classic style instrument cluster which descends in
size as it gets to the doors. A machined aluminum tilt steering
column replaces the original, and a large tall shift lever rises
form the dark gray carpeted floor. The rear rumble seat is covered
in the saddle colored faux leather vinyl as well.
Drivetrain
Sitting snugly behind those leather straps is a red blocked,
chromed valve covered 350ci V8 circa 1980 (TFH stamping). An
Edelbrock Torker Intake has a Holley 4-barrel carb atop and a shiny
air cleaner housing above. On back a TH350 3-speed automatic, and a
10-bolt rear axle. Noted are the coiled brake lines which have this
mill looking more like a bootleggers still than an engine!
Undercarriage
Looking underneath will have you seeing red...mainly because its
painted that! Floorpans, body hangers, frame and suspension as well
as the pumpkin are all red and rust free. Shiny coil overs and
shocks are chromed, and motor mounts are black, but otherwise red.
Independent coil springs up front and coil overs for the rear, and
front disc brakes and rear drum brakes are seen. Finally, a
Flowmaster exhaust winds its way rearward from the 350ci mill.
Drive-Ability
The majority of these hot rods one needs a shoehorn and combination
lock with 2 pages of instructions to get into them. This one is
easy in and easy out, starts right up and sounds awesome! It
handled well, stopped on a dime, and has nice acceleration as well
as comfortable cruise. It was too cold to put the top down, but the
car ran overall great.
A project worth doing is well is a project well done, and this is a
nice example of a buttoned up 31 Ford Roadster rod. Ergonomically
all sorted out, and a nice driver, it can be shown too with ease
and most likely will score high. If red turns your screws, then
there is plenty to go around on this one!
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 500 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
