My 1939 Foed Deluxe Vert w/Rumble Seat

[Ramblin Reck]

My 1939 Ford Deluxe with Rumble Seat has just been acquired by me and I am a real novice to this new hobby. My previous experience was with home made Go Carts using lawn mower engines as the Soap Box Derby was getting a lot of attention then, and I had my first car a 1951 Chevy Coupe and a 1974 VW Beetle. This Flathead will run, just not stop so we are undertaking a complete brake rebuild using new master cylinder, wheel cylinders and brake shoes. It is a slow process as one wheel had 2 lug nuts which refused to budge and had to be burned off.



A couple of things I noted while inspecting the vehicle closely.



1. The transverse Spring rear of the axle and forward of the front wheels has a metal cover over it and has a grease fitting on it. The Shop Manual or Service Handbook which I have implies this improvement was made in 1940.


2. The front shocks have been replaced with Tube Type Shocks but the mounting plate is from the original shock absorber.


3. There are no rear shocks that I can find nor any evidence where they might have been attached.



4. On the front of the hood, the 1939 had a FORD emblem on the passenger side of the hood and a DELUXE emblem on the driver's side of the hood. Mine has a FORD on each side of the hood.



5. I am thinking that perhaps I have a 1940 Standard model rather than a 1939 Deluxe model? Any opinions on this?

[rockfla]

Welcome to the Fordbarn. Pictures are always helpful & appreciated when possible. To my knowledge there was NO 1940 "Standard" Convertible....Just Coupes, 2 & 4 Door Sedan's and the Station Wagon!!!! There should most definitely be shock absorbers on the rear. I would highly suggest you purchasing the EFV8 club 39 Ford restoration book as that will be a mighty valuable source for you and "MANY" answers to question you may have!!!! I'm NOT a 39/40 Ford guy BUT most assured that several VERY capable 39 40 guru's here on the "Barn" will chime in here......One or two wrote the books for the EFV8 club OR were at least contributors!!!

Good luck and enjoy it!!!

[Zax40]

Welcome! It's not uncommon for parts from different years to get swapped in over time. Please post pics of your new '39 as soon as you are able.

BTW Savannah is my favorite town. My wife and I often talk about moving down someday.

[jayvee34]

Welcome. To know for sure if 39 0r 40, several things, but most noticeable is where the
windshield wipers are located. 39 shaft above the windshield, 40 below the windshield,
and of course the dash, floor shift for the 39, column for the 40. Best wishes.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by jayvee34

Welcome. To know for sure if 39 0r 40, several things, but most noticeable is where the
windshield wipers are located. 39 shaft above the windshield, 40 below the windshield,
and of course the dash, floor shift for the 39, column for the 40. Best wishes.

And of course NO rumble seat in '40.
Dash boards, floor shift vs. column can and were often swapped.
Sounds like a '39 to me.
The hood should have Ford on one side and Deluxe on the other.

The springs could have covers as an option in 39. However, they would not have had a grease fitting in the cover(s). That would be later, '46 - '48. So, my guess is the springs were replaced with incorrect parts.

Does your car look similar to the photo I've attached?

[jimTN]

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The center bolt on those springs was a lube point I believe from maybe 37.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by jimTN

The center bolt on those springs was a lube point I believe from maybe 37.

He said the grease fitting was in the cover, a feature that started in 46.

[Ramblin Reck]

RockFla ....... Thanks

[Ramblin Reck]

Originally Posted by Kube

And of course NO rumble seat in '40.
Dash boards, floor shift vs. column can and were often swapped.
Sounds like a '39 to me.
The hood should have Ford on one side and Deluxe on the other.

The springs could have covers as an option in 39. However, they would not have had a grease fitting in the cover(s). That would be later, '46 - '48. So, my guess is the springs were replaced with incorrect parts.

Does your car look similar to the photo I've attached?

Roger that

[Ramblin Reck]

Ford 39 Arrives at new home.jpg

Originally Posted by kube

and of course no rumble seat in '40.
Dash boards, floor shift vs. Column can and were often swapped.
Sounds like a '39 to me.
The hood should have ford on one side and deluxe on the other.

The springs could have covers as an option in 39. However, they would not have had a grease fitting in the cover(s). That would be later, '46 - '48. So, my guess is the springs were replaced with incorrect parts.

Does your car look similar to the photo i've attached?

[alanwoodieman]

more picture Capt'

[corvette8n]

Welcome to the barn, nice looking car.

[rufus39]

The single picture that you attached, is that of a 1939.

[rockfla]

Ramblin Reck!!
I’m only about an hour and a half or so south of you, iF you ever need some help, shoot me a PM here on the barn, my wife always likes weekends in Savannah!!! OR Hilton Head which is where my avatar was shot!!!

[Clem Clement]

There is a grease fitting on the 39 springs in the canter. It needs a special bolt. I have it on my39 Ford and 40 Merc. More later.
My 40 merc has the spring shields

[mercman from oz]

1939 Ford Deluxe Convertible Coupe, from the Original 1939 Ford Sales Brochure.

[mercman from oz]

1939 Ford Deluxe Convertible arrives home in Georgia.

[deuce_roadster]

Unless a 39 back half of the car was grafted on, like Kube said 40s didn't have rumble seats. I think it must be a 39. A picture of the dash would help. If it was stuff grafted on a 40 it would be detectable. Does the VIN on the frame fall in the 39 production sequence? VanPelt has those listed on his web site I believe.

[Ramblin Reck]

Originally Posted by rufus39

The single picture that you attached, is that of a 1939.

Roger That. More to come

[Ramblin Reck]

Originally Posted by alanwoodieman

more picture Capt'

Here is one more pic

[Ramblin Reck]

Originally Posted by mercman from oz

1939 Ford Deluxe Convertible arrives home in Georgia.

Note the emblem on the left and right sides of the hood. It reads FORD on BOTH sides. Why would anyone have changed it from Deluxe I wonder

[deuce_roadster]

What you have there is one of the most desirable early Fords, a 39 convertible. Looks to be a very nice one at that. Welcome to this forum!

[Ramblin Reck]

Somethings we discovered while taking all of the drums off of the 39 Ford.


1) The brake shoes on the left side of the vehicle were in bad shape and in need of replacement. The right side looked like they were replaced yesterday! Drums on riright do not need turning there is so little wear! Going to replace the brake linings on the left two wheels and close up the right wheels as is. Replaced left wheel cylinders and all but one brake line(The one going to the right rear wheel was new! The others had kinks and clogs. Replaced Master Cylinder also. Not put back together yet but should not be long before we are rolling and stopping!.


2) I am satisfied calling this a 1939 Ford with mods after seeing all the comments. Thanks for those Most Helpful! The rear wheel shocks are not there. There is a place to put one(tube type) on the left side but NOT on the right side. Something must have happened midway thru this modification that caused the mod to cease. Also caused the brake job to be only half done. Only the Shadow knows!



3) Thanks again for ya'lls comments.

[Kube]

Yep, looks like a decent old Ford.

Start looking for a convertible love box door now. They are kinda tough to find.

[Ramblin Reck]

I need help advice on removing the wheel bearing from my left front wheel and my left rear wheel in order to have them turned. Any advice as where to look, you tube etc? Thanks

[alanwoodieman]

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on front wheel you need to remove seal and the bearing will come out--use a wooden dowel and use it to knock seal/bearing out by putting in from front and use a small hammer to drive out the bearing/seal on the back. rear wheel is a little harder, there is a lock ring that must be removed then the seal and then the bearing will slide out

[Ramblin Reck]

Originally Posted by alanwoodieman

on front wheel you need to remove seal and the bearing will come out--use a wooden dowel and use it to knock seal/bearing out by putting in from front and use a small hammer to drive out the bearing/seal on the back. rear wheel is a little harder, there is a lock ring that must be removed then the seal and then the bearing will slide out

Thanks! I have done this with trailer tires in the past so shouldn't be a problem. I reckon if the races are pitted, they would need to be replaced but I haven't gotten that far yet and do not expect it as they are not dunked in the salt water like a trailer. Found out that the seals will probably be destroyed in removing them. There is a tool sold just for the purpose of taking them out. About $9.00 at O'Reilly and you use your own 3/8" drive handle. Makes the job much easier.



Back to the lock ring which appears to be in the form of a "C". How is that removed from the rear wheel???? GOT THIS RING OUT WITH FLAT BLADE SCREWDRIVERS AND NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS! This ring is commonly called a "C" Snap ring but it appears to have the ears broken off which makes it easy to remove with a special set of pliers. I have forgotten that step! I REMEMBERED! Thanks again

[Ramblin Reck]

Originally Posted by Kube

Yep, looks like a decent old Ford.

Start looking for a convertible love box door now. They are kinda tough to find.

Pray tell what is a convertible love box door? Only if this car could talk! I would probably blush!

[Bored&Stroked]

Welcome to the Barn . . . nice looking vert! You'll have a lot of fun with it and it seems you are already getting things nicely sorted out. If I was going to replace brake shoes - I would do both sides with the same material at the same time. Also, make sure you have a reputable brake shop "arc" the shoes to fit the drums correctly - this is particularly important on these Lockheed brakes (the shoes don't "float" like modern Bendix style brakes).

Make sure you learn the correct way to adjust the brakes as well - as it is also different from modern Bendix brakes (due to the eccentric adjusters on the bottoms of the shoes). If the brakes are correctly setup, they work quite well.

If you need any expert help or work, contact Richard Lacy of the Early V8 garage (in SoCal). There is a huge amount of knowledge on the Barn, so I'd always run your plans and questions through here first - plenty of guys willing to help.

Good luck!

[Ramblin Reck]

Originally Posted by Bored&Stroked

Welcome to the Barn . . . nice looking vert! You'll have a lot of fun with it and it seems you are already getting things nicely sorted out. If I was going to replace brake shoes - I would do both sides with the same material at the same time. Also, make sure you have a reputable brake shop "arc" the shoes to fit the drums correctly - this is particularly important on these Lockheed brakes (the shoes don't "float" like modern Bendix style brakes).

Make sure you learn the correct way to adjust the brakes as well - as it is also different from modern Bendix brakes (due to the eccentric adjusters on the bottoms of the shoes). If the brakes are correctly setup, they work quite well.

If you need any expert help or work, contact Richard Lacy of the Early V8 garage (in SoCal). There is a huge amount of knowledge on the Barn, so I'd always run your plans and questions through here first - plenty of guys willing to help.

Good luck!

Wow! Arc the drums? And here I thought I would just slap them on! Thanks for mentioning that!

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Ramblin Reck

Pray tell what is a convertible love box door? Only if this car could talk! I would probably blush!

I suppose it's possible you have the correct glove box lid. The picture makes it appear as if it's from a closed car dash.
Picture attached is a proper 39 convertible dash.

[Ramblin Reck]

Originally Posted by Kube

I suppose it's possible you have the correct glove box lid. The picture makes it appear as if it's from a closed car dash.
Picture attached is a proper 39 convertible dash.

You explained it but not how I can understand it! Just what is a "Closed Car Dash"?

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Ramblin Reck

You explained it but not how I can understand it! Just what is a "Closed Car Dash"?

Closed car is just that, a model with a fixed roof. An open car is one where the roof can be lowered. The dash boards are very different between the two types of cars (open vs. closed) as are the glove box lids.

[mercman from oz]

Correct 1939 Ford Deluxe Script on Hood.

[Kube]

And another, this one with correct road lamps...

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by Kube

I suppose it's possible you have the correct glove box lid. The picture makes it appear as if it's from a closed car dash.
Picture attached is a proper 39 convertible dash.

Hmmm......The ONLY difference that I see is about an hour and six minutes. Can ya PLEASE x-plain the REAL difference to this dumb ol' Texas kid? I notice the stainless spear across the top of his instrument panel is missing. DD

[Gary in La.]

The most obvious is at the lower right hand corner of the door. Size difference between doors is obvious.

[Kube]

[QUOTE=V8COOPMAN;2040371]Hmmm......The ONLY difference that I see is about an hour and six minutes. Can ya PLEASE x-plain the REAL difference to this dumb ol' Texas kid? I notice the stainless spear across the top of his instrument panel is missing. DD

Well, the open car dash is not as deep as the closed version. The open car dash does not have a crank in the center for the windshield as unlike to closed cars, the open car windshield is fixed.
The glove box door has a much more pronounced "slope" to it, in other words, less of a true rectangle.
I can no longer recall clearly but as my memory serves, the open car dash is a bit wider than the closed version.

The dash in the original poster's initial post appears to be a combination of years and body styles. However, pictures can be deceptive, especially to this boy's ol' eyes.


]

[mercman from oz]

Right Hand Drive Dash in Australian 1939 Ford Standard Coupe Utility.

[tubman]

I really like the '39 DeLuxe's best of that particular era Ford, but I have to say it looks like one would have to be an acrobat to get into that rumble seat!

Maybe that's why they dropped it.

[mercman from oz]

Right Hand Drive Dash in Australian 1939 Ford Deluxe Convertible.

[Kens 36]

Originally Posted by tubman

I really like the '39 DeLuxe's best of that particular era Ford, but I have to say it looks like one would have to be an acrobat to get into that rumble seat!

Maybe that's why they dropped it.

Getting IN is not that bad....

Ken

[cmbrucew]

Mercman
Do you have a picture of that sunliner behind the 39?
Bruce

[mercman from oz]

Bruce, This is the car parked next to the 1939 Ford Deluxe Convertible.
It is a Canadian 1954 Monarch Sun Valley.

[oldfordman33]

The 1940 Ford convertible did not have a rumble seat. The rear lever action shocks mounted under the frame rail. You need a repair manual. These are nice cars.

Good Luck

Old Ford Man 33

[swoopNZ]

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I have a genuine LHD 39 convertible glovebox if amybody's interested.
$395 USD includes shipping from New Zealand.
Chris.NZ.