[19Fordy]

Here's my story. An article I wrote and keep in the glove box for the next owner. Photo date should be 1961.

“ 19FORDY” Classic Coupe Evolution - from dream to reality


Ever get the feeling that it’s taking forever to complete your car project and you’ll never get it done? Time is passing but your wheels still aren’t rolling? Well, don’t be discouraged. Jim Pullen, in Coral Springs, FL often felt that way, but the little voice “Don’t give up.” pushed him to finally finish his 1940 Ford DeLuxe coupe. It was a 37 year evolutionary process that transformed the coupe from wreck, to restored classic, to the hot rod Jim always wanted to build.

Let’s flip the calendar back to the early 1960’s, when as a teenager in Poughkeepsie, NY, Jim dreamed of some day owning the neat little old 1940 Ford coupe that was the daily driver of an old gentleman down the street. Each morning Jim wistfully eyed his dream car and listened for the motor boat rumble of its 85 HP engine as it slowly passed by the bus stop. This daily reminder kept the dream alive and many times motivated Jim to get up in time to go to school.

Then during his senior year in 1961, for several mornings in a row, the “dream coupe” failed to appear. And it wasn’t parked in its driveway as usual. Word spread that the coupe had been wrecked and was parked at the local Esso gas station. Sure enough, the insurance company had “totaled it” and one of Jim’s friends quickly bought it for $200, replaced the damaged sheet metal and front suspension with junk yard parts, and two years later sold it to Jim for $400, a hefty sum as,“I was only making $1.05/hr working at the local supermarket.”

After relishing the reality of finally owning his dream car, he drove the 40 for a while then stored it for six years while in college followed by three years in the Peace Corps. Finally in 1971 it was full steam ahead on the 40 coupe. Jim towed it to Fulton, NY where well known sprint car racer and engine builder Eddie Bellinger charged $50 to assemble the 1950 Mercury flathead engine block and parts Jim had been carrying around in the trunk of his 57 Pontiac. The build included a complete balanced 3 3/8 x
4 1/8 inch Crankshaft Company stroker kit with Jahn’s racing pistons plus a ¾ cam and other “goodies” from Almquist Engineering in Milford, PA. (Jim still has the receipts!) At that time, overhead valve engines were really popular but, “I remembered the motor boat rumble and wanted a strong flatty.”

Life was good until one day the 296 broke during a cold 1971 Wisconsin winter. Not having time to rebuild, he replaced it with a running seventy-five dollar 1951 8BA. Sadly, the “stroked flatty” was left behind as Jim piled all his belongings into the coupe and drove to Florida to begin his career as an industrial arts teacher. To this day he wonders whatever happened to that engine and wishes he had somehow stuffed it into the 40’s huge trunk. The 296 Stroker decal on the rear quarter window is his reminder.

Shortly after arriving in Ft. Lauderdale Jim joined the local AACA and in 1973 decided it was time to restore the old Ford coupe to its original pristine look. This began an off-frame restoration that included a complete mechanical rebuild of the engine chassis, new wiring and a new LeBaron-Bonney interior. During the build several good friends came to the rescue and helped with their expertise. Jim’s wife sewed up new burlap spring pockets for the bench seat coil springs. All chrome was replated to show quality and since he couldn’t locate decent chrome whiskers that fit above and below the ashtrays, Jim made exact replacements out of mild steel and had them chrome plated. “That’s the part of the car I’m most proud of because they are so unique.” After finishing the bodywork he used a friend’s garage with a lift and sprayed on several coats of Martin Senour black 8800 acrylic enamel with hardener and buffed it out a few weeks later. New correctly dated 1939 Ford script glass plus four new Lester 6:00 x16 wide whitewall tires and hubcaps completed this part of 40’s evolution.

Jim also rebuilt the stock 8BA Ford $75 engine and updated the internals with Johnson adjustable tappets, new valves and valve guides plus rings and bearings.

It was 1988 and the “40” had been off the road for fifteen years. The old coupe, wrecked in 1961, now featured the original classic look of designer Bob Gregorie’s original 1940 Ford, except for the newly rebuilt 1951 Ford V-8 hiding under the hood. But more changes were to come.

Now, fast forward, from 1999 to the present. Although he liked the beauty of a stock 1940, Jim still yearned for the hot rod look of the hot rods featured in the “The Classic Coupes” article of the Sept. 1959 little pages edition of Rod & Custom Magazine left in the 40’s glove box by the previous owner many years before. A California rake to give the required look and stance was just the ticket. Installing a 4 inch Magnum dropped axle with dropped steering arms and a Posie spring lowered the car 3 inches. That wasn’t enough so 15 inch rims with a big and little tire combination were bolted on. This resulted in a total drop of 4 5/8 inches and provided “the look” that put the front chin pan down in the weeds.

It was also time to freshen up under the hood. The 8BA block was modified to accept Motor City Flathead early style heads with centered water outlets. The original split- core radiator gave way to a new Walker. A Mallory electronic distributor and coil replaced the originals along with an Offenhauser intake and a Holley 390 fed by an electric pump. Machining a custom made fan carrier pulley with an adjustable bracket enabled Jim to center the 12 volt alternator and mount it down low between the polished aluminum radiator hoses for a less bulky appearance. New chrome plated lower radiator hoses fabricated from 1 ½ inch copper pipe and elbows replaced the old style rubber originals. The old Fenton cast iron headers were Jet Hot coated along with new dual exhaust exiting through Smithy mufflers. Registering the coupe with the distinctive
“19 FORDY” Florida license plate was the final step of this classic’s evolution.

As Jim reflects upon the long journey since first seeing his dream car rumble by the bus stop so many years ago, he concludes that it was well worth it. “If you hang in there and not give up, you can make your dream come true.”

(Written by Jim Pullen, May 1, 2008)