1941 Ford Convertible: Pre-Autosalon
Today on Car Rave we are featuring an insanely gorgeous Mild Kustom 1941 Ford Convertible currently for sale in Melbourne.
Prior to WW2, America was in somewhat of a Car boom. Technology and features were advancing faster and faster, and more and more people had access to Cars. In the space of just 10 years Ford had slowly transitioned from a Horse Buggy with a motor, the Model A, to a lineup consisting V12 Luxury Lincoln Limos, V8 Mercury Coupes and small capacity Ford Sedans. Ford were truly humming along, and the average American punter couldn’t get enough.
Then, in 1941 Ford pulled the covers of its almost completely new 1941 Model. It had new looks, a new entry level 6 cylinder and a new host of smart features- including a gasoline heater (in addition to the regular hot water heater) that kept occupants warms when at the drive-in movies. That’s some fancy shit.
Then all of a sudden, everything came to a grinding halt. With World War 2 looming, American automakers were forced to focus their efforts on, ahh, less “friendly” vehicles. A bit of shame for poor old Ford, especially considering their recent update. They did manage to squeeze out a 1942 model, but it was more or less a blip on the radar, with production ending in February 1942. So, they parked it, only to revisit it 4 years later once the war was over.
To add insult to injury, the ’41 Ford wasn’t exactly, pretty.
It had a front end only a mother could love, and the bulbous coupe and sedan body shapes looked a little awkward when compared to its predecessors. Where the 1932-40 Fords looked liked rolling artworks, the ’41 looked more like grade 3 art project.
But, thankfully, a new scene was emerging from the West Coast of America. It was the Kustom scene, and it would shape the way in which we modified our cars for years to come. Whilst hot-rodding was all about going fast, the Kustom scene was more about beautifying cars. This newly discovered culture really started ramping up after cashed up soldiers, returning from war, started dropping their cash on whatever American car they could get their hands on. Shops such as Valley Custom Shop, Barris Kustom and Winfield’s Custom Shop all sprouted, and promptly begun hacking into these still relatively new cars to make them truly unique.
The thing I really love about this particular ’41 Ford is that it truly honours those iconic first Kustoms in more ways than one. The owner has nailed the aesthetic of the time, making many of the modifications regularly seen on a ’41 Ford from back in the 40’s. In filled front grilled, solid colour paint, lowered on wide whites and simple flipper caps (or Cadillac Sombreros). If you’re not familiar with the style, check out the bottom of this story for some great Kustoms from that era beneath this story.
Even if you prefer more modern cars, its great to see where essentially the whole custom car scene begun. You’re welcome, Autosalon.
Where this car continues to honour its origins is the way in which it was built. If you can believe it, this car started out life as a tudor sedan- a two door body style with a long sloped back. Then, in the hands of metal master, Grant Maclean (@grant_maclean or @maclean_auto_craft ), it was chopped and welded into the beauty you see before today. A true example of working with what you have- considering that Tudors are rather plentiful, and convertibles demand a higher price. Grant documented the build through his socials, building this thing in his own garage with just the basic metalworking tools, not unlike those pioneers back in the day.
Having said that, the ’41 is still a project- and will need some finishing touches to get her on the road. If you’re keen, you can find it via the Hot rods Australia page on Facebook (here) for $39,000.
1941 Ford Convertible: In the owners own words:
Well, due to an increase in work and finding a car at the right price which I thought would be unobtainable my 41 Ford is for sale.
A little background on this incredible custom. Purchased as tudor by renown metal man Grant Maclean he transformed this Tudor into the convertible you see here.
When he put it up for sale we both had a similar vision on how this custom should look, taking cues of pre war Californian customs such as Dick Carter’s etc.
Grant got to work, completing the convertible conversion, moulding the rear fenders to the body, recessing the number plate, adding a custom tail pan, adding and moulding a grill infill panel and frenching the headlights. He also chopped the windscreen.
The car has a good running 8Ba and column shift 3 speed. It is still 6 volt. It has complete interior, windows and regulators for the doors.
What it needs. Firstly this is not a jump in and drive. It is still a project.
It requires brakes to be gone through. I would recommend a re wire as well.
The front of the body, from “B” pillar forward needs a simple tap out and straighten, it’s not bad but I would do it.
It has a basic paint job, I would re paint.
The fuel tank requires replacing or modification as the filler has been filled.
This car is a pure pre war custom seldom seen in Aus, with a little time you could have a very unique custom.
I also have some extremely rare custom accessories that will be available to the purchaser additional to sale price including a super rare Eastern Auto supply chrome dash trim and original pair of Hollywood flipper hub caps.
This owes me a lot more than listed price and I am open to negotiation. Inspection is welcome, I am located south east of Melbourne or call 0402105816 out side of business hours.
Inspiration
As mentioned, here are some examples of those classic Kustoms that started it all courtesy of Kustomrama.
