Thread: Found a rough 32 Ford Roadster today WIW??

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I found a rough 32 Ford Roadster today. ( I did not have my camera with me!!) I do mean rough. It is basically a body shell channeled over a real 32 Ford Frame. The frame and body were hot rodded in the 60's and have been modified. The floors have of course all been cut out doing the channeling. The body is channled so that it covers the frame entirely on the sides. The rear trunk has been filled and welded shut. A reccesed frenched license plate holder has been installed. It has 53 Buick tailights. The doors have been welded shut. The right door is just a skin patched in with bondo over the seal. The driver's door still has the inner door jamb but it is still welded shut and bondoed over. The dash is there but it has had two gauge holes drilled and a radio cut out on the passenger side. It has no top bows and it even looks to me like it may have been a three window cut down into a roadster. The firewall has an aluminium plate over it but it actually looks like a nice piece. I can't tell if the original fireall is under the amuminum panel or not but it looks like it from the inside. The cowl vent has been shaved. The bottom of the body is rusted. It has custom chromed winshield braces for both sides that fit down into slots on the cowl and bolt in.

The frame has been boxed and modfied with a vintage pontiac unit with posi and trailing arms. The front has an i-beam with drums of unknown origin and a cross leaf spring. The frame has a steering box mounted on the frame just in front of the firewall on the top of the frame. The frame has been bobbed in the back and it still had its cross sprong set up. It has a aluminum custom made fuel cell and a few other goodies and comes with a nice set of original 32 Roadster doors. It also has a 1932 Ford Tennessee Title. I know without any pics it is hard to give a value. But can you experts give me an idea of what this thing may be worth?? The guy wants $3,000 for everything including a brand new hood assembly with side panels.

A "WIW" stands for "What's It Worth" just like you stated. It is standard board lingo.

Prices are a little tough to predict because it always depends on who's buyin', when, and where, but good firewalls with the lower brackets complete and not too many extra holes drilled in 'em run around $500. About the same for each of the doors. If the title matches the frame that could be worth $1k, but that's also the most unpredictable one. If you found the right buyer it could be a lot more, especially with the crackdown on glass cars in California nowadays. The body as you've described it sounds like little more than yard art except for the most fanatical. Doesn't sound like a long deal.......................but what do I know?

I found a 34 roadster in really rough condition. Like your find, it was pretty badly customized (butchered) back in the '50's.

Firewall altered, channeled, floor cut out and rear pan cut.

Good news was that the body was otherwise solid (RARE for a Wisconsin car) Doors, trunk lid, hood even the Windshield frame , grille and top irons were there. All this with a clean title!

I ended up paying about what a fiberglass "Kit" would have cost.

For me it was labor of love to bring it back to life and today I'm proud to have a steel car.

Most replacements parts are available. Make a list and compare the cost to a fiberglass '32.

FOOTNOTE: there are some really nice steel repros out there too!

hey guys... you gotta dig the old hot rods... i love'em

where's this car at? i'd like to see it... i'm actually lookin' for a model A but a 32 would work just fine... i plan on making a "dated" 50's custom out of it anyway...( i'm talkin' 3-6" channel and exactly how it would've been done in the 50's)

it could very well be worth $3,000 but not likely... i'm thinkin' more like $1500 from what has been said about the car

but like i said i would have to see it

Well I would be tempted to negotiate if I was not already "involved". A new '32 hood costs from $600-1000 depending on louvers, style etc. Check your Rolodex to see if you have any friends in the body/paint business and take them along to evaluate the rust damage. Check the frame for rust-through holes. Take 25 $100 bills with you and you can probably tow it home. I bought a rusted frame and a '29 roadster body about ten years ago and it was very frustrating dealing with the rust and I eventually gave up and sold the whole thing for what I paid for it, namely $400. It had no floor or doors and the frame was mostly good but had some bad rust spots. Maybe today in a better economic situation I could buy enough patch parts and steel doors from Brookville to piece it together, but then it was essentially "archaeology" beyond repair for me. Still a '32 title is worth $300-500 to some folks and you might be able to claim it was necessary to replace the frame for a "safer" reproduction frame. How much do you want it AND can you afford the body work to get it back to useable? Then again you need to be aware that every part for a '32 is more expensive because it is for a romantically hyped classic while simlar parts for an A roadster can be roughly half the price for '32 parts, which is why I am building an A. Also you can get a catalog from Brookville and assure yourself the parts ARE available, but they are not cheap! Good Luck.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

This 32 sounds like an old gasser, or oval track racer,,check out the history,, you might be supprised. coulda been someone famous who owned and raced it.

Originally posted by OldDustyrelics
I found a rough 32 Ford Roadster today. ( I did not have my camera with me!!) I do mean rough. It is basically a body shell channeled over a real 32 Ford Frame. The frame and body were hot rodded in the 60's and have been modified. The floors have of course all been cut out doing the channeling. The body is channled so that it covers the frame entirely on the sides. The rear trunk has been filled and welded shut. A reccesed frenched license plate holder has been installed. It has 53 Buick tailights. The doors have been welded shut. The right door is just a skin patched in with bondo over the seal. The driver's door still has the inner door jamb but it is still welded shut and bondoed over. The dash is there but it has had two gauge holes drilled and a radio cut out on the passenger side. It has no top bows and it even looks to me like it may have been a three window cut down into a roadster. The firewall has an aluminium plate over it but it actually looks like a nice piece. I can't tell if the original fireall is under the amuminum panel or not but it looks like it from the inside. The cowl vent has been shaved. The bottom of the body is rusted. It has custom chromed winshield braces for both sides that fit down into slots on the cowl and bolt in.

The frame has been boxed and modfied with a vintage pontiac unit with posi and trailing arms. The front has an i-beam with drums of unknown origin and a cross leaf spring. The frame has a steering box mounted on the frame just in front of the firewall on the top of the frame. The frame has been bobbed in the back and it still had its cross sprong set up. It has a aluminum custom made fuel cell and a few other goodies and comes with a nice set of original 32 Roadster doors. It also has a 1932 Ford Tennessee Title. I know without any pics it is hard to give a value. But can you experts give me an idea of what this thing may be worth?? The guy wants $3,000 for everything including a brand new hood assembly with side panels.

Hey... maybe build it as a Rat Rod!

Sounds like most of the work is done!

Find an old flatty, a Tijuana blanket for the inetrior and you're ready to go!

Originally posted by ohekk
Hey... maybe build it as a Rat Rod!

Sounds like most of the work is done!

Find an old flatty, a Tijuana blanket for the inetrior and you're ready to go!

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' BOUT RIGHT THERE