Nicole F

Good point! Maybe all the stuff we have isn’t original (part of the car) but just collected over the years. Hard to know.

I was finally able to find something similar online and you are absolutely right! Published in 1970s. What a weird thing to do!

Right? That’s what I was thinking but who would stamp a car color booklet with a Third Reich stamp (it looks somewhat official!)? So odd (and disturbing)!

So we recently purchased a 1946 Ford Super Deluxe convertible and it came with a lot of cool stuff. Like the original tool kit, manuals, gas rationing sticker and brochures/ads. It also came with an original Ford paint chip color booklet “Kolorkardz” On the back of the booklet there is a German stamp with a swastika??? I can’t seem to find anything online - does anyone know what this is about? Was the paint company affiliated with the Third Reich? Or was the previous car owner a Nazi? Yikes!

I’ll have the mechanic check this out too! Thanks!!

Thank you so much Jeff!! This is an incredible amount of information (I have saved it for future reference). Thank you for taking the time to write all of this! So helpful! I also purchased these books (as others recommended). So hoping to be able to be better at understanding all of this. I have an appointment with a classic car mechanic in July 5th and I will have them do a complete brake inspection. I would love to keep the original brakes. Thank you again! Nicole

The driving part I can do! I’ll also add that to the list of questions for the mechanic in July.

Update! The battery finally measured as fully charged on the tender. I left it off over night and she turned over this evening perfectly! Will keep an eye on it but I think it was just a drained battery - much have been that way when we got her. I think the many suggestions to better ground the cable is a really good idea. So I will look into doing that! In other news, I think I’m finally getting the hang of driving her! The gears are so touchy and it’s easy to grind when trying to shift from 3rd to 2nd… my husband who has a class A license suggested to give her a bit of gas with the clutch in to get the rpm’s up to the proper spot and then shift down (that’s what they have to do in the big rigs)… and it works great. Smooth as silk! Any other suggestions to make sure I’m not putting any undue pressure on the clutch or transmission are greatly appreciated! I’m hoping these old cars are a bit forgiving while I learn their ways! And question… sometimes when starting out of the garage, she doesn’t want to go into reverse or 1st, even after going back and forth from 2nd and 3rd. So I finally had to just go for it and it grinded a little before going into gear. How do I avoid that?

Sassy and temperamental. Check. 😉

Thanks so much! Will add this to my notes!

That’s a gorgeous car! One of our cousins in ID has the same model and year - convertible. Much fancier than the economically marketed super deluxe. 😉 I think they did a lot of modifications to the engine though - it’s an automatic transmission, which isn’t listed on the specs. I have a pic of the engine and it makes mine look like a lawn mower! I read it’s 300hp!! Mine is like 100, which is less than my Harley Fatboy. Haha! But that’s okay. She’s just for cruising 😊

Interesting! That’s good advice for when we put her up for the winter. Do you guys use any fuel stabilizer (we put that in the motorcycles for winter storage)?

Thanks so much for the support and encouragement! Unfortunately I doubt I will ever be able to devote enough time to this (or any hobby!) to be an expert, but I do really love learning about this stuff. I have a full time, very stressful job in finance that requires that I travel quite a bit. Also have a family and several animals that deserve my attention. And I’m in graduate law school right now. But I hope to at least gain enough knowledge to give Patty Lou (named after my grandmother’s childhood nickname) the garage/home she deserves 😊 And I feel like I really came to the right place - you guys have been SO helpful!!

Thanks Terry! I’ll take a look!

It does seem to be worse after driving and then is dissipates after a few days.

Hi again. First of all I want to thank all of you who have been so generously helping to educate me on my first classic car. What an amazing resource this forum is! You guys are the best!! We are storing her in our large, 3 car garage (high ceilings) and there is a consistent gasoline smell (which is kind of a bummer because our gym is also in the garage 😑). I am assuming this is somewhat normal for these old cars? But how much is too much (and an indication of some sort of issue/leak)? Thanks a million!!

Thank you James!! This is good info - the issue is I just don’t know what’s normal for these cars/engines so I appreciate the perspective very much. My biggest fear is getting stranded somewhere.

That’s a cool gadget! And a very cool teacher.

Will take a look at that cap - thanks! Interesting! So another modification I wasn’t aware of. I will ask the mechanic (on July 5th) to let me know if any other “upgrades” to the engine. Thank you!!

Hmmmm… so maybe it’s not overheating? Guess I need to test again after another drive. Great info! Thanks!

Thanks! Bought that one too!

Thank you! Just bought both! 😊

UPDATE so we took her out and she was fine for a bit but then hit hot while idling in the driveway. The hoses were hot - 170 (right fasting car) and 140 left. And the radiator was 195, also there was a bit (not a lot) of steam coming out of this part (pictured) - I have video of it but apparently I can’t post it here. Also, when we moved the car there was leakage (see pic) on the ground - it wasn’t leaking anything before yesterday. Thanks for your help!!

Hi there! Totally agree about experiencing the car the way it was in the time it was built - that’s what it’s all about for me! Which is why I love that there are very few modifications on this car. It even came with the original manual and tool kit! Amazing! I love everything about the car. Sometimes I just sit in it for an hour and enjoy the smell. Lol. But I was told by severely people that for safety we should upgrade the tires and brakes. And even the concours shows don’t mark you down for safety modifications. (Not that we’re looking to compete there) Honestly, I would prefer to not spend the money anyway, so I’ll have the brakes checked to make sure they are 100% and just continue to driver her so I can gain more confidence. I think I will try to upgrade the grounding cables - that’s actually something I may be able to do! Lol and yes, I will keep full record of everything I do. Thank you!!

I live in a busy suburb with tons of street traffic, so even if I allow plenty of room in between me and the cars in front of me, people use it as an opportunity to cut in, etc. which necessitates a quick stop sometimes. I ride a big Harley so I know how to manage other people’s bad driving, but my Harley is far more agile and has ABS. I am of the same mind that original is better - I love the idea of experiencing the car the way it was experienced when my grandmother was driving. But I also want to avoid (even minor) accidents. I’m definitely still getting used to driving her, so maybe it’s just a matter of experience and I’ll feel more confident over time. I will get the brakes checked though, to make sure they are performing as well as they can.