1950. Eisenhower is President, the first Polio vaccine is introduced, and Queen Elizabeth was crowned. But the most important event that year was taking place in a small garage located in what would soon become the Nation’s 50th State, Hawaii. There, a genuine Henry Ford Steel body was being turned into a killer Hot Rod, the likes of which the island hadn’t seen! Bright red paint, Hiboy stance, and a built Oldsmobile engine with 6 2-barrel carbs were among the items used to customize it, and it was a well-known machine on the island until 1953 when it finally made the trip stateside to sunny California. Joaquinn Arnett of the famous Bean Bandits car club, took the Olds motor out and installed it in one of Jerry Baltes’ dragsters, where it campaigned as the Baltes-Tucker entry and won numerous titles at Paradise Mesa. There have been 7 documented owners since then, including copies of California registrations for most. Around 1960-1961, Bill, a member of a now defunct, yet prominent SoCal club, took ownership of the car and drove it from Cali to Bonneville. He did NOT run it, but it had a 301 Chevy motor in it at the time with 6 2-barrels, and left its mark on everyone that saw it. In 1968, Bruce acquired the car. Bruce is a double-digit member of the legendary San Diego Prowlers Hot Rod Club, and is pictured with the car on the December 1968 issue of Rod & Custom Magazine as shown in the photos below! In 1969, he towed a small 14’ travel trailer behind it and drove the car from California to Canada, then Detroit for a visit to the Ford Museum, and then back to California again! Another member of the Prowlers then took ownership of the car, and in 1970 it was painted Wedgewood Green, which is a 1954 Mercury color. The finish is DuPont DUCO Lacquer, and looks absolutely amazing for as old as it is! It was at this time a 396ci motor was installed, along with the original Muncie M-22 4-speed and Olds rear end. In 1979, the car transferred ownership within the tight-knit club community again, and Ed took the car and installed a SBC 350ci engine, swapped the Olds rear for a new Currie unit, and had a REAL 1932 Ford hood and sides sourced for the car. New tube axle front, 4-bar, and Mustang steering were added, and he and his wife drove the car all over the United States in the 80’s and 90’s to shows and events. It then sat in a garage for 13 years before being pulled out and treated to a top to bottom refurbishing from 2013-2014. This included a full front-end rebuild, Corvette Rear Spring system, and all new seals and gaskets throughout the engine, transmission, and rear-end. The car was then offered for sale on consignment by a very reputable and well-known Arizona dealer, and found its way to Sunny Florida in 2014. It has been driven about 1,200 miles since then, and spent most of its time in a climate controlled garage being shown and appreciated by all who had the privilege of seeing it. Now, I am pleased to present the car, all of the accumulated magazines, paperwork, owners’ slips, receipts, and collected history, and a free and clear Florida title to the lucky new owner. Seldom does a car with this much history, character, and charm make itself available to anyone outside the collector car auction circuit, but this one can be yours without fighting the masses if you act soon! I have provided 150 photos of the car for you to review, and if you need more, just ask. The paint on the car is over 48 years old, but still rivals most 10 year-old builds in quality and presentation. Expect some light blemishes and marks, but when you review the photos below, that is what the car REALLY looks like! Just clean, shiny, and ready to show! Chrome looks surprisingly nice given that most of it is 30-50 years old, but look closely at the photos, and you will see that other than typical patina from time, it all presents well, and is original to the car as time progressed. The Real Henry Steel body is in solid, straight, and rust-free condition, and the doors don’t sag or wobble at all. In 2014, a new interior was installed including seats, carpeting, and Simpson racing lap belts. A new removable or folding convertible top was installed at that time as well, and shows wonderfully. The interior also sports a chromed column with MOON tach, 3-spoke drilled chrome wheel, and a full set of functional VINTAGE Stewart-Warner gauges to keep tabs on everything. The original chrome roll bar is included, and is in great shape. You could easily put it back in if you’d like. Trunk is fully finished, clean, and neat. It currently holds the display sign board highlighting the cars history, and the California Black Plate the car wore since arriving in SoCal from Hawaii all those years ago. The 350 was overhauled from the block out just over 1,200 miles ago at the same time, and has aluminum heads, roller rockers, MSD ignition, aluminum flywheel with scatter-shield, and a Holley double-pumper to feed it fuel. An electric fan and fresh radiator keep things running cool, and the car runs and drives wonderfully without any known issues. A 4-speed M-22 Muncie with a HURST shifter gets power to the 9” CURRIE rear with 3:93 gearing and Sommers Brothers axles. All that power goes to the ground via ORIGINAL AND REAL Ansen Sprint wheels that are in AMAZING condition, and wrapped in fresh rubber that shows 85% of the useable tread remaining on all four corners. Turn the master power switch on, hit the key, and this Rod rumbles to life and is ready to roll. It doesn’t stutter, stumble, or have any flat spots, and it idles with a nice mellow rumble that turns into quite a bark when you jump on the gas! Ride is quite nice for a hot rod, thanks to transverse-mounted chrome leaf spring with rear radius/ladder bars in the back, and a chrome dropped tube axle and 4-bar system up front. I imagine it drives the same as it did when Ed and his wife drove it around the country, or when Bruce took it to Detroit. It instills confidence in you like no other Rod we’ve had, and you find yourself just enjoying the trip, instead of constantly checking and listening for something to go wrong like so many rod owners have to do. This machine is a living testament to the way it used to be done, and a fully refreshed and capable car ready to drive anywhere or show anytime. 1932/1931 FORD NOSTALGIA STREET ROD SHOW CAR - YouTube Video will open in a new window [isdntekvideo] The car is Florida titled as a 1932 FORD based on the frame rails and frame VIN tag. The body is 1931. It has been this way since it came to California in the 1950’s. The vehicle is located in our Fort Myers, FL warehouse, and is just 20 minutes away from Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) if you want to fly in and see it. I welcome outside inspection services BEFORE YOU BUY OR BID. ***IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE WITH WORLDWIDE VEHICLE SHIPPING- CALL ME! ***IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE WITH QUICK AND EASY FINANCING- CALL ME! ***IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE IN EXPORTING IT OVERSEAS-CALL ME! |