34 Ford convertible with a four cylinder

[junkyardjeff]

Just wondering if a cabriolet was available with a four cylinder,got a unbuilt model coming and have been wanting to build a four cylinder version.  The kit I have coming is the convertible version but have the coupe top in my parts stash,was planning on building a coupe version but did not have all the parts to finish it but I got a decent deal on the convertible kit.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

I think you could get the four in any body style but very few were so equipped, especially by 34

[nzcarnerd]

The Standard Catalog says there were 12 four cylinder cabriolets sold for 1934. That is of about 2,000 four cylinder cars sold, compared with well over half a million V8s.

[Paul Dobbin]

Why would anyone want a 4 cylinder 34 Ford?   You will say later, "I should of had a V8".

How do you make a Coupe from a Cabriolet?   Weld a roof on it?

[junkyardjeff]

38 minutes ago, Paul Dobbin said:

Why would anyone want a 4 cylinder 34 Ford?   You will say later, "I should of had a V8".

How do you make a Coupe from a Cabriolet?   Weld a roof on it?

What I have is the old Monogram 34 Ford model kits that was originally made back in the early 60s,you could build it a coupe or a cabriolet and all the parts interchange up through the 90s versions.  I like taking those model kits and making them into versions that were never produced like the cheaper models, until recently only the more expensive models were made and I like the base models.  I can not afford the real cars so I do it in 1/25 or 2/24 scale.

[junkyardjeff]

I figured a cabriolet would have been a more deluxe model and would only be available with the V8 and could see a roadster with the 4 cylinder,I talked to a older guy at a show that had a 32 with a four cylinder and he liked it better then one with a V8.  I am going to use the Monogram model A engine for this build.

[chistech]

If a ford customer really believed in what Henry himself said “you don’t need more than 4 spark plugs “ then that customer could have wanted or ordered a 4cylinder.

[junkyardjeff]

Would I want one with a four most likely not and it probably ran better then a 41 pickup with a four.  Just trying to build a model of a not so common car,might try to build a pickup with a four since I do have a unbuilt 40.

Edited July 2, 2023 by junkyardjeff (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

I can see why an older customer or one who valued simplicity and economy would buy a 4. On the other hand there were better 6 cylinder cars available that were economical to run and roomier and nicer riding than a Ford.

[junkyardjeff]

This is going to become the four cylinder version,it's a 60s Monogram model.

[Mark Gregush]

On 7/2/2023 at 2:46 AM, nzcarnerd said:

The Standard Catalog says there were 12 four cylinder cabriolets sold for 1934. That is of about 2,000 four cylinder cars sold, compared with well over half a million V8s.

Was that count for just the USA or did it include Canada? Been a while, I worked on a really nice 33 or 34 coupe with the 4 cylinder engine. Cleaned the gas tank and recharged the gas gauge. 

[Rusty_OToole]

It is a bit surprising that in those depression years the 4 cylinder was not more popular. Cheaper to buy, cheaper to run and cheaper to repair or service, basically a continuation of the Model A.

[Bryan G]

What was the price differential for 4 vs 8? I'm thinking in '34, every dollar very much counted.

[nzcarnerd]

2 hours ago, Bryan G said:

What was the price differential for 4 vs 8? I'm thinking in '34, every dollar very much counted.

A four cylinder car was $50 cheaper irrespective of the body style.

[wayne sheldon]

Most of that $50 was probably amortization of the development and special new casting and manufacturing costs for the new V8 which more than anything else was a new and better way to build a more economical V8 engine for a lower price automobile. Even in the dollar value of those days, Ford probably spent more than a million dollars developing the engine and the process to build it! One has to sell a lot of cars to recoup those investments.

Since otherwise there is almost no difference between the two models (other than some very minor badging and trim), the bodies are essentially identical, there would be no need to adjust the price differently between the body styles.

Thank you nzcarnerd for providing that figure!

[Gary_Ash]

Surely, Ford had no problems recouping the investments in the flathead V8.  The production of those engines continued into the 1950s in the U.S. and even later in France, Germany, and Brazil.  See the Wikipedia article on the Ford flathead V8:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_flathead_V8_engine

 

[CHuDWah]

On 7/16/2023 at 1:41 AM, nzcarnerd said:

A four cylinder car was $50 cheaper irrespective of the body style.

Doesn't sound like much but $50 in 1934 is about $1,140 now

[nzcarnerd]

11 hours ago, CHuDWah said:

Doesn't sound like much but $50 in 1934 is about $1,140 now

Not so much the dollars that matters as the percentage reduction in price from the V8 - about 10%.

[CHuDWah]

8 hours ago, nzcarnerd said:

Not so much the dollars that matters as the percentage reduction in price from the V8 - about 10%.

Yeah, that makes it more of an apples-to-apples comparison.

[marcapra]

I didn't know that Ford offered a four cylinder car after 1932.  I know that Ford offered a smaller 60 hp V-8 in 1937.  I think most buyers back then would want the glamour of the flathead V-8 over the 4 cylinder even if costing $50 more.  Higher resale value too.