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Old 05-28-2020, 10:04 AM   #1
Blastfromthepast
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Default To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

I have a 1936 club cabriolet. I started to restore it but have second thoughts
Of restoring back to original or street rod It. So my question is to keep it original or hotrod. Where would the Best value be. Let me hear what ideas you guys might have in mind and why.The pros and cons.
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Old 05-28-2020, 10:09 AM   #2
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

This forum is heavily biased towards cars with mostly original running gear, so the responses may be biased towards keeping it stock and maintaining it.

There are more choices that just restored to original or street rodded.

If it is more or less complete and stock just fix it up and enjoy it. If you want a street rod just go and buy one. Why spoil one that has survived this far?

I don't restore, but do like them kinda stock but kept in good running order.

Mart.
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Old 05-28-2020, 10:43 AM   #3
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

Mart thanks for your response. To be honest I am heading towards original rebuild but I see so many 36 cabriolet original cars for sale that are for sale under priced and yet not selling.
I have to think if I put the time and money into the car what is my best return when I’m ready to sell. The desire of these 1930 cars have changed. It’s seems to me that the generation today are leaning more to hotrods then original. I think that because of the generation of hotrod buyers today. In years to came it will be today’s Japanese make cars.
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Old 05-28-2020, 10:56 AM   #4
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

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I have a 1936 club cabriolet. I started to restore it but have second thoughts
Of restoring back to original or street rod It. So my question is to keep it original or hotrod. Where would the Best value be. Let me hear what ideas you guys might have in mind and why.The pros and cons.
The 1936 Ford Deluxe Club Cabriolet was a brand new addition to the Ford line-up of fine automobiles. The fact that it was the first for the Ford line makes it a unique car. Ford only produced 4,616 Club Cabriolets in 1936 which makes it relatively rare. Only the '36 Ford Roadster was produced in smaller numbers at 3,862.

Just my opinion, but these facts alone make it good candidate for restoration or at least maintained as a driver.
Ken
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Old 05-28-2020, 11:04 AM   #5
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

The value of our pre-war Fords is driven more by the demographic of potential buyers than by the stock versus modified issue. Those of us who admired, owned or hot rodded early Fords in our youth are getting up there, and not as able to roll around on the garage floor. Folks in the 40 - 60 range whose are able and can afford hobby cars remember muscle cars from the 60's and 70's, and that is what they are looking for.

If return on investment is what you are looking for, I believe your best bet would be to do the minimum to get it running and driving safely, and put it on the market as soon as possible, because the value is going to just erode with time.

I have greatly enjoyed building my '41 coupe into the street rod of my dreams when I was in High School, but my heirs will be lucky to get half of what I have invested in it. In the mean time, I will drive it until they take the keys away from me.
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Old 05-28-2020, 01:28 PM   #6
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

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Make it a Hot Rod. The more hot rods there are, the less original cars there are. thereby making our rarer, original cars much, much more valuable. so, go for it!
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Old 05-28-2020, 01:43 PM   #7
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

drolston got it right.
There are more and more of this era cars coming up for sale but the buyers are
not willing to pay the big bucks prices of even 10 years ago. People today are looking to buy resto-rods for highway driving and parts availability.
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Old 05-28-2020, 01:46 PM   #8
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

I fail to see the point in making a decision based on a dollar value you may sell it for after you have no more use for it. A similarly illogical car related decision used to be to put ugly clear plastic seat covers over the upholstery to protect the resale value. Go figure.
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Old 05-28-2020, 03:06 PM   #9
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

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I fail to see the point in making a decision based on a dollar value you may sell it for after you have no more use for it. A similarly illogical car related decision used to be to put ugly clear plastic seat covers over the upholstery to protect the resale value. Go figure.
I'm sure glad the original owners of my car did this. Thanks Hjalmer and Elmer Anderson!

As to original vs. street rod? Do anything you want to now, but only if can be undone down the road.
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Old 05-28-2020, 03:36 PM   #10
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

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I'm sure glad the original owners of my car did this. Thanks Hjalmer and Elmer Anderson!

As to original vs. street rod? Do anything you want to now, but only if can be undone down the road.
That is very good advice. I have done some things in my automotive past that still come back and haunt me.
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Old 05-28-2020, 06:04 PM   #11
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

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I'm sure glad the original owners of my car did this. Thanks Hjalmer and Elmer Anderson!

As to original vs. street rod? Do anything you want to now, but only if can be undone down the road.

My uncle did that not only to his car, but to the living room couch. Sticky, hot, ugly stuff. Protect it for the next owner, never mind your own discomfort!
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Old 05-28-2020, 06:22 PM   #12
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

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My uncle did that not only to his car, but to the living room couch. Sticky, hot, ugly stuff. Protect it for the next owner, never mind your own discomfort!
It's kinda like not "boffing" your girlfriend so she'll remain a virgin for the next guy.
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Old 05-28-2020, 06:29 PM   #13
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

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It's kinda like not "boffing" your girlfriend so she'll remain a virgin for the next guy.
Okay, that's just crazy talk.

Now, back to the '36 club cabriolet... do what ya want with it. You are unlikely to get your investment returned regardless of the path you take.
A true restoration - you'll be very quickly upside down. Easy $100k +. I can't imagine a perfect club cabriolet fetching even half that.
A "high end" rod... again, you'll be way upside down.

Bottom line in my opinion? Have fun with this one. Attempt to keep your investment to a minimum.
A good rule of thumb as an example? Body and paint cost about the same if you're painting a '36 club cabriolet or a '39 convertible coupe.
Choose wisely....
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Old 05-28-2020, 06:32 PM   #14
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

I'm with Kube on this one....

A good friend once told me "It costs the same to feed a race horse as it does a mule"
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Old 05-28-2020, 06:43 PM   #15
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I'm with Kube on this one....

A good friend once told me "It costs the same to feed a race horse as it does a mule"
Okay, ya got me laughing... you may not realize this but we have ten horses. There have been rumors that we may soon be adding yet another to the stable.
All rumors have thus far been traced back to my wife. Coincidence no doubt...
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Old 05-29-2020, 09:49 AM   #16
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

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I'm with Kube on this one....

A good friend once told me "It costs the same to feed a race horse as it does a mule"
Good one Zach!! 😂
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Old 05-29-2020, 09:53 AM   #17
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Good one Zach!! 😂
I got a good chuckle from it as well. Not quite accurate but the analogy is spot on.
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Old 05-29-2020, 12:44 AM   #18
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

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I have a 1936 club cabriolet. I started to restore it but have second thoughts
Of restoring back to original or street rod It. So my question is to keep it original or hotrod. Where would the Best value be. Let me hear what ideas you guys might have in mind and why.The pros and cons.
Can you post some photos?
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Old 05-29-2020, 02:13 PM   #19
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

Hobbies are usually money wasters, not money makers. The return on investment is the fun you have participating in your particular passion.
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Old 05-29-2020, 02:49 PM   #20
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Default Re: To be or not to be a 1936 club cabriolet

Ever notice that Tubman is ALWAYS bead right?

This reminds me of an old guy I worked for nine years that had 400 collector cars.
Mostly Ford, Mercury and Lincoln.
He had to have EVERY little thing that was visible as it came from the factory.
Once he told me when he was a young guy a friend talked him into setting the rear license plate into a box set in the trunk lid. A FRENCHED rear plate it was called.
I don’t remember if he eventually replaced the trunk lid or sold the car but I know he went to his grave feeling bad that he did it in the first place.
He said he also left an English Austin Seven touring car (1937) sitting in a leaking roof garage with the head off so long that it ruined the motor. That was when he was very young and the car sat in the building where I worked all the time without an engine.
Don’t hot rod a collector car that can be saved.
Use the wrong year engine, paint it an unoriginal color, use vinyl upholstery, put on some goofy wheels, put in a higher speed rear end, overdrive or the dancing grass skirt girl on the dash board but don’t chop it up. Fifty years from now somebody will have enough trouble getting it back to original looking.

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