Matt Harwood Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 (edited) I'm of the opinion that you can't be a full-fledged car guy until you've owned a flathead Ford. They're the foundation of hot rodding and introduced the masses to the wonders of simply having fun in your daily driver. Sure, some are more desirable than others, but they all have a similar driving experience and I have yet to experience one that didn't put a smile on my face. As the old saying goes, the bad ones are good and the good ones are great. This 1948 Ford coupe is somewhere between good and great, showing what appears to be a very high-quality older restoration that's been driven and enjoyed quite a bit. It's no longer razor-sharp, but it is perhaps the only car in my 60-car inventory where EVERYTHING WORKS. Radio, clock, lights, all of it. Someone was sweating the details when it went back together. The burgundy paint shows rather well and if I had to guess, I'd say it's single-stage enamel, maybe an early urethane, but it doesn't have any metallic in it and no shiny clearcoat, so it looks suitably vintage on the curvy old Ford. Going over it, I can find no evidence that this was ever a rusty car, as the trunk and floors are in excellent order and the rockers are ripple-free. The stainless and chrome was undoubtedly restored with the rest of the car and there's nothing that needs any attention beyond a nice polishing job.The gray interior looks rather authentic too. The striped upholstery is very 1940s and uses patterns that look right, although I'm having a hard time finding any images of non-hot-rodded 1948 Ford upholstery. It's in excellent order throughout, with the driver's seat showing the most wear in the form of stretching of the fabric. Otherwise, it's first-rate with no splits or tears. New door panels were made at the same time and the carpets were replaced, so it all has a cohesive look. The gauges are all fully functional, the knobs are probably nice originals, but the handle for the accessory spotlight is crumbling. The original radio is in the dash and still works properly using the center speaker, plus a pair of modern speakers down in the kick panels but I can't find the head unit, so it's kind of a mystery. The trunk mat is a little sloppy, but there's no sign of trouble underneath and there's a brand new spare tire, too.The real treat is the 59AB flathead under the hood. It starts easily with a frame-mounted electric fuel pump, then the original mechanical pump takes over. It has a bubbly, friendly idle and a purring exhaust note on the road that's a big part of the flathead's appeal. No modifications under the hood, and it appears that it was very authentically restored with correct hose clamps, new cloth wiring, and an oil bath air cleaner for the original carburetor. No lame-brained 12-volt upgrade, no speed parts, just a clean flathead V8 that runs great. The 3-speed column-shifted transmission works well and the stock suspension feels agile. Braking is effective, although Fords were never renowned for braking power. Original wheels wear nice hubcaps and rather ugly modern whitewall radials--I've been trying to get the owner to at least turn them inside-out so they're blackwalls, which I think would be the perfect choice for this blue-collar coupe. In fact, if you buy this car, I'll pay to have the tires flipped if you want.Someone obviously loved this coupe and it shows. Please look past the goofy tires and realize that these are wonderful cars to drive and the looks are appealing. We're asking a very reasonable $24,900 and we're always open to reasonable offers. Thanks for looking! Edited June 20, 2014 by Matt Harwood (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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