Thanks again for the kind comments !!! The friend in the story, that told me where the '32 was stopped by the house this morning for a short visit. He told me that the fellow who bought the car from the lot that I traded it in at, will be in town at the end of June ( I actually went to high school with him). He also told me that the fellow that was in partnership with the husband of the lady that sold me the car the other day, is a good friend of his. This means that I will be able to fill in the blanks from when I traded it in on the '40 coupe when I was 17, such as , where did the fenders and running board from the drivers side go. Lots of little bits of missing info that would be "nice" to know. The story just keeps getting better and better... Thanks again, Ron
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The nice thing about doing a '32 now is that everything you could ever need is being reproduced now. I have been going through the car and if there is a part missing , it is available.... new, still expensive but a part here and a part there and maybe it will look something like this in a few years... Thanks again fellows, for your comments !!! Ron
I saw a thread on the HAMB last night and it reminded me of Johns Willowby's (will) story about his hot rod. I PMd the author and he said I can relate it here....He has also joined our group and may chime in on it and keep us updated on the restoration. I am copy/pasting a few of Ron's posts here. Very cool stuff.
My '32 ford coupe found it's way back home after 56 years
There are only a few personal firsts that really stick out in a guy's mind,
I'm sure you can think of at least two. My first car has to rank right up there very close to the top of my list and I would bet that you feel the same about your first car. Let me tell you about my memories of my first (car that is). It was early May 1955 and spring was just beginning on the north shore of Lake Superior which meant that getting around and exploring car lots on your bicycle was the perfect thing to do when you are one month away from your all important 16th birthday. I can remember rolling past Dominion Motors used car lot, which was just down the street from my home in Fort William Ontario, where something caught my eye sitting in the back row. I immediately recognized what I saw and made a beeline to the back of the lot. What was sitting before me was, what all of the car magazines were full of in 1955, a 1932 Ford 5 window coupe. Wow! This is what they were talking about! Fort William (now Thunder Bay)is a world away from San Diego geographically but for that instance, they were one and the same. My enthusiasm and inexperience overlooked the many imperfections and all I saw was the beauty in black. I made my way to the sales office to find out what the asking price was for her. After a quick search, I found Mr. Winters (I'm positive that was his name) and he told me that "the fine little car was $75.oo". No time to bargain, I had to get back home to tell my Dad about it as fast as I could as it's not every day you find a '32 coupe for sale for $75.00. I had all the finances worked out in my head by the time I burst through the front door. I could sell my outboard motor that wasn't needed anymore as someone had stolen the boat that my Dad and I had built the year before. I could find a job to pay for the balance. It was all going to work out, I just knew it was.
Well,I must have caught my Mom& Dad on a really good day as the coupe was in our yard by nightfall. One very lucky 15 year old, wouldn't you say?
I remember getting my beginner's permit on my 16th birthday and driving MY '32 "B" with its new brushed red paint job, to get my driver's license the very next day.The tester asked me how many miles I had driven with the beginner's permit to which I responded "about 15". He said" We had better make that 150." He then directed me to drive him around the block, then drop him off at the front door of the Vehicle License Office, where he said, " You are doing just fine. Go and park it and come in and get your license." YaHoo! As you might expect, I had a great summer learning about cars and driving. However, I was still way too short to pick up chicks. Looking back on it all now,It would have been great to have had an older brother that could have tutored me in Hot Rod 101 as I think I had the" Jughead Jalopy" mentality back in those days. With the proper role model looking over my shoulder I'm sure I could have done a better job. Oh, well.
I traded the '32 in on a '40 Ford coupe the next spring,but that's another story. Over the many years that passed, I kept hearing reports that my '32 was still in town but I could never verify that until very recently when a friend of a friend gave me a name and phone number that might lead me somewhere. Sure enough, it did. So,Is this the end of the story? I would really hope that it isn't but if it is, I'm sure glad that I experienced this part of it.
To be continued ... Fast forward to Tuesday, April 30, 2013.... After coming home from having coffee with some friends my wife ,Joan, said “ you had better listen to the phone messages” which I did. To my surprise, the message was from the lady who owned the ‘ 32 that let me take the pictures of it a few years ago. She remembered that I left her with “if you ever want to sell it, please call me as that car sure does mean a lot to me.”She told me that she had been saving it for her son but tragically he had passed away and asked if I was still interested...... A few days past and she had someone give her what they thought was a fair price and contacted me again. Naturally I accepted and now my first car will be my last. After selling it once , I cannot fathom selling it again. Part of the original story mentions that if I had an older brother to guide me in Hot Rod 101 that I wouldn’t have had the Jug Head mentality that I had when I first bought the car when I was 15. With the ‘32 returning home after all of these years I just realized that now I am that “older brother”. Ron Limbrick
Ok, did i miss when it was turned into a hotrod? Back when you found it first? or?
Wow is right.
It was stock when I bought it and stock (with the B engine) when I sold it. The car was hot rodded by a couple of fellows back in the 60's but it never got on the road. It sat this way in a couple of different garages in town until tomorrow when I bring it home. Ron
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Originally Posted by oldrelics
Cool, I'd love to have my first back too. Is the ghost image of you as well? if so, I'd like to see that original pic.....
This is the picture my mother took when I first brought the car home. I was about to turn 16 the next month. When I first visited the same car a few years ago, when I found out where it was, I set my camera up on a tripod in order to take a similar shot. I then used the Picasa collage feature and "poof" there it was. Ron
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I can't tell you how pleased I am that you enjoyed the story ! Your kind and some time humorous comments surely made my day! The question was asked what my plans are for the car...well I do like BLACK and I like the original body detail of Ford Coupes so it will (I hope) be very similar to the pictured '32 beauty. The interior will have the original look with mohair upholstery. Red solids and the jury is out regarding www,s. In short it be clean and will be on the same theme as my '39 pictured,which is going to be repainted soon in .....you know it........ BLACK. Thanks again !!!! Ron
The best part of the story to me is the fact that your Mom & Dad made the move and bought the car as soon as you told them about it. Glad you have it back, should look great in black. Bob
Bob; Thanks for this but I just had to mention that it was me that bought the car. Whenever I bought a car my Dad would co-sign a loan that I would get from the General Motors Acceptance Corporation. It was a great lesson in financial responsibility. Ron
A perfect day in Thunder Bay to bring home an old friend !!! One very happy, Ron
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Did a bit of clean up on it last night. Very little rust in the usual places and some small dents but the floors look almost new. The frame will need a bunch of changes but that is pure fun. The great thing about being young is that ignorance is bliss, if you know what I mean.... Now I have to go on a treasure hunt to find the missing pieces and that can be just as much fun as the rest of it.... Ron
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A couple more pictures. The one with the kid and his newly painted (with a brush) car was taken on my 16th Birthday. The other one was taken on moving day which was the first time in 43 years that it has seen the light of day. It had been in another garage for about seven years before the previous owners moved to this location. Ron p.s. Thanks to all for your very kind comments. They have given my wife and me , a great deal of enjoyment !!!
A photo of the tranny to Chev small block set-up. It's a '47 Ford tranny hooked the small block with an Offenhauser adaptor plate. The Shifter is a "Drag Fast" floor shifter. I doubt very much, that this will remain as is... Ron
Squeezing in a bit of preliminary planning on the "Welcome Home Coupe". I thought I would start at the front and ordered up a new cross member as the one that is in the car now was modified to take the '47 Ford front end which will be going. I was able to make a deal with a very good friend which sends the '47 dropped axel to his house in return for a '32 axel which will be going to Minn. in order to get dropped. I have decided that I will try to use the Chevy small block that came in the car, if it proves to be ok, with a turbo 350 backing it up, all of which I have. The '47 diff will be replaced with a Ford 8" which I also have. I run this combo in my '39 Ford Coupe with thousands of trouble free miles under it so I thought I would stick to the formula that works for me. When you live in the middle of nowhere , well you get the idea.... Ron
Hey Ron if we parked our two 32's side by side, we would have a total of 114 years of history. Congratulations on getting your car back. I do know how you feel. Welcome to our forum. John
My '32 ford coupe found it's way back home after 56 years
Now I have to go on a treasure hunt to find the missing pieces and that can be just as much fun as the rest of it....
and his newly painted (with a brush) car was taken on my 16th Birthday. The other one was taken on moving day which was the first time in 43 years that it has seen the light of day. It had been in another garage for about seven years before the previous owners moved to this location.