Number of surviving 36 Fords with folding tops
 

Thanks to many great helpers that have either directed me to a surviving 36 Ford Convertible Sedan or directed others that owned 36 convertible sedans to me; over the past 15 plus years we've managed to account for 203 total cars out of the 5,601 that were produced. That is about a 3.6 percent survival rate for 36 convertible sedans overall.

I recently acquired a 36 roadster and a 36 phaeton and I began to wonder how many of each of those might still be around today.

I always thought the convertible sedans were rare but when I looked at the production numbers for roadsters and phaetons and found that there were more convertible sedans(5,601) built than either phaetons(5,555) or roadsters(3,862).

To me, the convertible sedans should have held up better than the roadsters or phaetons for no other reason than they had roll up windows and a fixed windshield and I believe were much more watertight.

I have no real idea of how many roadsters and phaetons survive today but if they survived at the same rate as the convertible sedans, there are only 139 roadsters and 200 phaetons. I'm thinking there are many more of both kinds but don't know.

Has anybody done any research on the number of surviving roadsters and phaetons?

Any guesses as to why there may be more or less?

I'm thinking the roadsters were pretty popular so they might have a higher survival rate but don't know how much that would improve the survival rate.
What do y'all think?

Curious Al

Re: Number of surviving 36 Fords with folding tops
 

Oops! Didn't mean to leave out the cabriolets and club cabriolets.

The 14,066 cabriolets with the 3.6% convertible sedan survival rate yields 506 surviving cabriolets. I believe there are many more than that as I've owned 5 and don't think it's likely that one guy has owned 1% of the surviving cabriolets.

The 4,616 club cabriolets with the 3.6% rate yields 166 surviving club cabriolets. I've no clue as to how close that might be and I've never owned one.

Thanks for all insight and help.
Al

Re: Number of surviving 36 Fords with folding tops
 

While there is no way to compile a definitive number, based on the substantial number of them turning up for sale in the past couple of years, I think it is safe to conclude that far more than 200 '36 phaetons have survived. I've had two and with a bit of effort could probably list quite a few others. I've also had a roadster and in that case I'd guess the survival rate is lower, but still above your theoretical number of 139,

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I have a 35 three window and before I owned it saw many more 36 three windows around and in magazines and for sale than 35’s. Hence I thought the 35 was rarer. But after reading the 35/36 book was very surprised to see the production numbers proved me wrong. The 36’s are far fewer in numbers.

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we have a 36 cabriolet that my son's drives a lot during the summer months.....................

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Lawson Cox rounded up a list of 36 club cabriolet owners. He found about 100 .He printed a little book with list of known owners past & present. Mine is in there.This was about 25 years ago.

Re: Number of surviving 36 Fords with folding tops
 

I personally saw two '36 conv sedans lite on fire to burn out the wood substructure in the mid '50's. Both cars were in wrecking yards. The engine/trans had been removed from the cars, therefore nobody wanted them, myself included.
I have a friend in Idaho that found a '36 cabriolet buried in a gully, when he dug it out he found that the body was mostly rusted away from the belt-line down.
My friend acquired a 5 win cpe body, he cut the two bodies apart at the belt-line, reassembled the lower portion of the cpe body under the cabriolet portion.. Wha-la a convertible is reborn. I sold my friend a complete rumble seat assembly for the '36, he was a happy camper.

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Interesting twist on this is definition of survivor .. those that are complete cars as built originally, partial cars in various states of existence and those that are pure radical rods etc.

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Here are the two that got me wondering:

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Check the Craigslist for Orange County , California. There's four Cabriolets , one Phaeton and one Roadster for sale there.

Re: Number of surviving 36 Fords with folding tops
 

My hypothesis is that 36 roadsters should have the highest survival rate of the open 35-36's. This is simply a result of the fact that they were the most popular with the hot rodders and customizers. While the open top cars with four doors sat in the fields and wrecking yards until they were disposed of, the roadsters were saved to start a new life. Many if not most of the roadsters that were restored in the early 1970s through the 1980s had been modified before being brought back to original. The 36 roadsters were considered more attractive and valuable than their 35 brothers. Many 35s were restored (or hot rodded) as 36 roadsters. This increased the "survival" rate of 36s and of course diminished the rate of 35s. The biggest threat to the roadsters and phaetons was the wooden frame work type of construction of the doors.

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I know of 1 club cabriolet that just sold here (with the incorrect motor & trans) to add to your list.

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I know of two 36 roadster in my area. 1 bone stock 5 miles away the other almost stock about 50 miles away.

Re: Number of surviving 36 Fords with folding tops
 

I readily agree that the 36 roadster was probably the most popular, and resurrected, folding top model. Any guesses as to the number of them still around in one form or another?
A bit over ten percent survival rate would only yield 400 cars. It certainly seems that there are more than that. Phaetons, I don't know but it seems a lot of all models of folding top cars are coming onto the market; mostly I think because the fellas that treasured them for so long have passed and the new owners just aren't as enthusiastic about them or have other interests.

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My dad is 76 years old ,he has had his 35 Roadster since he was 21.He also is building a 36 Roadster Picup, so theres another cowl accounted for

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I have a 36 Pheaton

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I am restoring a 36 Phaeton I had in College that's been on blocks in a barn in Maine since 1965.

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I picked up remains of a 36 roadster in Harare, Zimbabwe. The doors, rumble lid and running gear were long gone. It had been lying on its side as part of a hedge for so long, that the entire right hand side of the cowl, rear quarter panel, the floor, the front fenders and even the frame had completely rusted away.
I salvaged the dash panel for my 35 phaeton and cut up the rest, the rear and left side quarter panel and the remains of the cowl ended up in Johannesburg, South Africa.
I don't know if anyone there might use a 36 coupe to resurrect this scrap,
Viv.
The picture was taken when the rear body was lying on top of my Chrysler G70 chassis.

Attachment 348482

Attachment 348483

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I am restoring a 1936 Club Cabriolet in Connecticut
Bruce/CT

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I have a Phaeton and know of a Cabriolet here on St Simons Is, Ga.
John