Vehicle Description
1946 Ford Deluxe 2 Door Sedan
With its wind-swept design and classic good looks, Ford's DeLuxe
series has always been a rare and highly desirable line of cars.
The pent-up market created an unprecedented demand for new cars.
Ford's advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson, created a brilliant
teaser campaign: "There's a Ford in your future." Until July, it
showed only parts of the "new" Ford in a crystal ball; then there
was a publicity blitz culminating in "V-8 Day" on October 26, 1945.
More than a million Americans flocked into showrooms for the public
introduction, and nearly half a million promptly placed their
orders.
Big slab sided steel , plenty of chrome trimmings and adornments, a
snazzy metal front glass visor and rounded exterior mounted fenders
framing wide whites with attached moon caps and I can hear the
"Prisoner of Love" being belted out by Perry Como as we drive our
way through the mid 1940's in this 1946 Ford Deluxe 2 door.
Exterior
Bathed in Maroon all panels are straight, and gaps show nicely
minded. They are covered in Maroon paint, that is showing some
chips where gaps get just a bit too close, and on top areas of
fenders and the roof some imperfections show up. Outside trim was
nearly identical to the 1942 except for the new horizontal grille
consisting of three stainless steel bars below a massive,
chrome-plated pair of Ford "wings". The grille sported red striping
within ridges in the metal. The deck lid, meanwhile, carried two
horizontal strips of stainless below the license plate, and color
selections were greatly improved over those of 1941-1942. Bumpers
and badging is in excellent condition. Spears of chrome are noted
on each fender at the belt line just for a little extra bling. Wide
whites wrap FORD logo full moon chrome hubcaps with ribbed deep
dish trim rings. A stainless steel trim bar is noted at the
rockers. And in front of the rear fender is a protective black
rubber panel. A rounded design rear of this car works in some early
aerodynamics and provides a spacious trunk.
Interior
An overstuffed split bench seats covered in vertical ribbed tan
broadcloth looking much like the Zoot Suit of the day. In back is
another bench much like your grandparent's couch with its
overstuffed look, the Zoot Suit vertical ribbed broadcloth and some
fancy side armrests built into the sides of the back portion of the
car. The dash is covered in metallic light gold/tan paint, and
sports plenty of chrome ribs, bezels and panels to attract the eye.
A line up of black faced gauges with red indicators is steering
wheel left, and they end up meeting a large circular speedometer
with bright red numbers. Moving across the dash, we see an original
radio with some tone and scale adjustment indicators (an early
EQ?!) with a large chrome grilled speaker housing above. Moving
across toward the passenger we note a large clock, and glove box,
bordered by a large chromed winged strip, with vertical red
stripes. Beautifully preserved dark taupe colored carpet floods the
floors. We also note brown bakelite knobs on all the handles, as
well as the chrome horn ringed bakelite brown steering wheel which
has a taped over a crack in it.
Drivetrain
The 1946 Ford had the 59 A V8 block that had been used in the
Mercury from 1939; it displaced the same 239.4 cubic inches and
developed an even 100 horsepower at 3,800 rpm. Meanwhile, the rear
axle ratio went from 3.78:1 to 3.54:1. A 3-speed manual
transmission is attached to the rear of the engine, and still
shifts smoothly and effortlessly. Here all surfaces are unrestored
and showing some slight wear and chips off the finishes.
Undercarriage
An overall nice patina with some road dirt, and surface rust can be
seen underneath. X frame and floorpans are nice and solid, and in
the rockers we also see some surface rust on the seams. Transverse
leaf springs for all the suspension, and drum brakes are on all 4
corners too. Dual Cherrybomb exhausts are now installed, and the
mufflers are showing surface rust.
Drive-Ability
Upon entering I'm struck with the nicely of the seats and design of
the art deco styled dash. Once I get over all the chrome, I fire it
up and off to the test track where it ran smoothly, stopped
decently for drum brakes, and handled nicely like a large car
would. All functions were in working order save for the radio.
Let's call this car a survivor, with an earlier restoration now
showing some age, chrome is still good, and it has not been
"rodded" and retains its original charm right out of post war 1946.
Great 40's design, which was wildly popular, sales aided by the
pent up non spending the war brought on, and now was being freed
up. Niiiiiice!
VIN DECODE
99A910406
99A-Deluxe V8
910406-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 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.