Vehicle Description
1940 Ford Deluxe
The clean styling of Ford's 1940 offerings was one factor that
drove sales to more than five hundred thousand units, a jump of
more than fifty percent over the previous year. Part of this
popularity could no doubt have been attributed to Eugene "Bob"
Gregorie's influence on the stylists who penned this design while
he was chief of Ford's design department, a post that he held from
1935 to 1943. It was a freshening up of a styling concept first
introduced in 1939 by the addition of a new front end design.
Sealed beam headlights were offered for the first time by the
automaker on the 1940 model. Aside from being a major safety
improvement, their design contributed considerably to the new
look.
For consignment, a 1940 Deluxe hardtop hot rod if you will, and in
tasteful form. The design was so wildly popular among hot rodders,
Ford actually sold the rights to the design in later years so they
could be reproduced in fiberglass. This car is all metal, retains
its beautiful bulbous design, running boards, and nice chrome
abounding. A chopped top, and 427 cubes of Ford iron with 2 x 4's
to feed it fossils and air, putting out an Earth rotating 425hp. A
breath of fresh air here in our hallowed halls of Classic Auto
Mall.
Exterior
All steel, bathed in very nice Dark Cherry Metallic 2 stage paint,
adorned with near perfection chrome bumpers, (courtesy a 1949
Plymouth), and brite-work, we have a rolling work of art. Very
little was left unturned on this restoration, as lines are
straight, gaps are really nice, and steel is straight. The front
and rear of the car have been shaved to simplicity, and the top has
been chopped 2.5 inches. The large teardrop shaped, visored sealed
beam headlamp bezels flank a horizontal ribbed curved V grille and
tall louvered hood center. A nice chromed spear works its way back
on either side along the beltline of the slightly curved sides. At
the gracefully curved rear of this car, we see 2 V shapes Sergeant
Stripe like taillights almost getting lost in the deep field of
Dark Cherry paint but managing to hold their own. Gleaming Cragar
wheels are polished up and on all 4 corners.
Interior
A swing of the door, and we shake hands with custom leather
stitched tuck and roll and smooth panels playing together to make
up the door panels. Shiny door handles and window cranks are within
this field of beige leather and not a mark on them. Slipping inside
just beautiful tight tuck and roll stitched and piped edged leather
buckets are in the door panel beige. These chairs are nice and wide
with neatly curved backs so they offer up plenty of room. A wood
rimmed Grant steering wheel fronts the dash, which is now all
custom covered in mahogany veneer, and highlighted across its width
by Stewart-Warner gauges, and LED indicator lights. Very nice brown
carpeting floods the floor, and a Hurst Competition Plus shifter
with a leather boot, and a mahogany wood topper reaches for the
driver's right hand. Wonderfully comfy and ergonomically laid out
for the most discriminating hot rod driver! A shout out to the
trunk which is also dressed up to the nines in beige and has a new
clean matching spare within its confines.
Drivetrain
A flip of the bulbous louvered hood, and we are met with an equally
massive 427ci V8 Ford powerplant in chromed and polished splendor
and has the ability to pump out 425hp. This is an actual 1963 427ci
crossbolted engine and it has correct HP heads. On top are dual
4-barrel Holley carburetors and the intake manifold with both being
correct for this year engine. On the back is a 4-speed manual
Toploader transmission and this pushes power rearward to a Dana 44
rear axle. A 5-inch recessed firewall is now seen, and all this
bling is kept cool by a Walker radiator.
Undercarriage
Very clean and totally restored, no rust here with front disc
brakes and rear drum brakes providing the whoa factor. A like new
glasspack exhaust system snakes its way rearward through the
structurally sound framework, and very nice undercarriage of floor
pans, toe kicks and rockers...all rust free. Suspension is
transverse leaf springs on all 4 corners.
Drive-Ability
She fires right up with a low rumble for an idle, and off to the
test track where we made plenty of noise, experienced wonderful
acceleration, smooth shifting transmission, and good solid
handling. All functions were working fab at the time of my test
drive.
Take the very popular for the time design, spice it up with 2 stage
Dark Cherry Metallic and pepper on some chrome on the exterior,
stitch a bunch of beige leather to create a great comfy interior,
new mahogany dash, and we have a real winner. And do not forget the
rod mods like a shaved front and rear, chopped top and of course
the 427ci engine all numbers correct for this 1963 mill. Add in a
healthy dose of build receipts and wins at local shows to top off
the recipe perfectly.
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.
