[DavidG]

David,

There's lots of well-intended advice on this page and on your thread regarding moving the car from Florida. I may have overlooked it, but no one has challenged the underlying assumption that any and all restoration shops, not matter the quality of their workmanship, will have the required experience and knowledge to restore your Victoria to the state that you desire and will have the contacts to acquire those components that the car may be missing or require replacement at something less than top dollar.

The first and least expensive step in a car's restoration is the education of its owner who, like it or not, should assume the role of project manager in order to keep expenses down within reason. Long is the list of high-dollar restorations that prove to be wanting as result of ignorance, even when the owner has paid for the shop to educate itself in addition to any actual physical work done on the car.

With the experience of twelve complete restorations of '32s and other pre-WWII Fords, none of which has been anywhere near a 'restoration shop', my advice is for you to do as Charlie has suggested and start with the Early Ford V8 Club's book, The 1932 Ford Book, A Production Chronicle and Restoration Guide, as well as a reprint copies of the '28-'32 chassis parts catalogue, '32 body parts catalogue, and 1932 Service Bulletins. The latter three items may be out of print, but they show up regularly on this site, eBay, and Amazon. In total, all four items can be had for less than $150. Read through those and then examine your car from stem to stern and develop a 'wanted' list of parts that are missing or need replacing consistent with your objective for how the end result should be configured. You'll no doubt have lots of questions along the way, but there are many here and on the Club's website who are willing and qualified to give you good answers.

From what I can see in your photos, you have a remarkably good starting point for a restoration, no matter what direction you wish to go. (Reading between the lines, I sense that your objective is an as-built restoration, but I could easily be mistaken. I recommend that you not make a final decision until you are better versed on what you have and what the various stages of the process are likely to cost.)

If you are willing, you could consider approaching the restoration in stages. Disassembly is easy as long as you take photos and make lists along the way, so why pay someone $80-$120 an hour to do it and deprive you of its educational benefits?

The largest cost element of a restoration is the body and paint work, but you do not necessarily need to have a full-service restoration shop do that for you. I am reasonably certain that there are highly qualified and experienced body men and automotive painters within a reasonable distance from your home. Likely there are paint and rust strippers not that far away if your chosen body man does not provide that service. Powder coating of many chassis components is a viable and usually less expensive alternative if the components are in good condition.

You can farm out the required nickel and chrome plating (there's not a lot of it on a '32, thank goodness) yourself and avoid the markup on such expenses restoration shops likely add. The same goes for upholstery work. You're not that far away from one of the best sources in the business, namely LeBaron Bonney in Amesbury, MA.

There's a lot of satisfaction to be gained if you're in the driver's seat directing the various elements of a restoration and not delegating the responsibility to a full-service shop. Yes, there are numerous restored '32s out there that have required six-figure's worth of restoration shop effort. There are also some that have only cost something in the lower reaches of five figures that are at least as good, if not better.

As has been said, it's your car and you get to call the shots, but the above is respectfully intended as food for thought.