[DavidG]

Other than five different firewalls over the course of the model year, the changes to the bodies were somewhat limited, but the changes during the year to the engine compartment and chassis during the '32 model year actually did run into the hundreds. For example, there were four distinctly different front cross members, five different center cross members, two different rear cross members, and three, possibly four different sets of frame side rails.

As for the deluxe coupe bodies (Ford did not use the terms 3-window and 5-window to distinguish between deluxe coupes and standard coupes), all of which were manufactured in North America, the following changes were made over the course of the '32 model year:

early in the model year

-- A major reconfiguration of the left side of the rear two thirds of the floor pan was made to permit the routing of the tail pipe on the left side of the car in RHD V8 applications.

-- In May, 1932 the straight walnut wood grain pattern on the recessed areas of the dash and door window moldings was changed to a finer mahogany grain to provide a greater contrast to the burl walnut grain on the raised sections and glove box door (the background color was the same for both the recessed and raised areas and remained unchanged).


mid-year and late changes in the model year

-- New sun visors with two-piece clamps located inboard from each end were released in July for all of the closed body types including the deluxe coupes, but evidently the inventory for the unique deluxe coupe end-clamp visors was such the new version only shows up on late body examples.

-- The dash and glove box stampings were revised to provide for more attachment points for the glove box on the back of the dash. Instead of the initial two attachment points, the revised components had five attachment points.

-- The number attachments of the rear window finish strip (garnish molding) was reduced from eleven to eight.

-- A unique handle was released for the remote rumble lid latch control replacing the Fordor sedan quarter window control handle used previously for that purpose. The sedan control handle continued to be used for the rear window mechanism.

-- At the beginning of the model year, all closed passenger cars, standard or deluxe, cabriolets, and convertible sedans were equipped with inside door handles and window crank handles with a long point on the end at the base of the handle. This design of handle was quickly first replaced with handles with blunt pointed ends and immediately thereafter with handles without any point on their ends. The remaining inventory of long-pointed handles were to be used up on deluxe coupes. Eventually, near the end of the model year, that inventory was used up to the point of service requirements and the point-less handles used on all the other passenger cars since early in the model year were released for use on deluxe coupes.