Vehicle Description
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!
