1932 Ford Deluxe 3W Coupe, Murray Body # informal registry,how many are still around?
 

The 1932 Ford Book by David Rehor shows the total 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W Coupe production at 23,411. All 3W Coupe bodies were manufactured by either Murray Corporation of America in Detroit, or Canadian Top & Body Corporation, Ltd, in Tilbury, Ontario.

Along with some other body types that were manufactured or assembled outside of Ford, the 3W Coupes had a tag riveted to the RH side of the front floor crossbrace of 3W coupe bodies.

I'm curious how many original 3W Coupes and the tag #'s can be accounted for and how they correspond with the month of production according to the frame number.

I'll start things off with mine. I have no idea if my car is on the original frame, but my frame # shows to be an October production car and the Murray Corporation body tag number is 7538.

Even if your body tag is missing or illegible, chime in if you have a '32 3W body that was manufactured by Ford. Let's see how many we can account for. Pictures would be a bonus!

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...d/IMG_4762.jpg

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Mine's 9424 and the engine number is from June, 1932 production. It has no late body characteristics.

While anything is possible, 7538 doesn't correlate very well with an engine production number from October. Does your body have any of the late body characteristics (sun visors, number of screws in the rear window garnish moulding, and number of attachments of the glove box to the front belt rail finish panel (dash)? Presumably not, given the body number.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

mine is body #8830. frame #18-106xxx, which is May production, I believe.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Randy,

The early sun visor brackets are sort of dog-leg shaped (please see page 11-47 of the book) with the two attachment screw holes at an angle to the center line of the car; that would seem to be what you have. The late bracket holes (two per bracket) are parallel to the center line of the car. While the early visors and brackets are shown in the book, I did not include a photo of the late ones and I should have done so.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Yep, that's what mine is setup for, so I guess it doesn't have any late body characteristics either.

Great job on the book, by the way, thanks for all the work you did. Do you know what the difference between B520A and B520B on the tags?

I also posted this on the H.A.M.B. for anyone who wants to see the response there:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=560252

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

I've got a gennie 3 window bodied car but by the time it I got it the tag was long gone!

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

I just looked mine is 267.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Dick,

Isn't yours Canadian?

Dave

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

eh!

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Hey Randy, here is the body tag #

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Dick: Wow, 267, that's low think we'll find #1! What month was your car produced?

DavidG: Any ideas on the B520A vs. B520B?

"matt": cool, thanks for posting it, I know your #5652 is a June car.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Randy,

Dick's car body was built in Canada by the Canadian Top & Body Corporation, so the number cannot be compared directly to those made in the U.S. by Murray. As you'll note in the '32 book on page A-8-2, there are two Canadian tags there that bookend Dick's number. Both tags are attached to surviving cars.

As for the difference between the A and B suffix, I haven't a clue, except to guess that it perhaps had something to do with the running changes that were made to these bodies relatively late in the production year (revised sun visors, etc.).

Dave

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

I guess it must be something other than early/late. This B520B 483 was posted by "Deuce Roadster" on the h.a.m.b. and we've had A's with number both higher and lower. I wouldn't think they would have had two manufacturing facilities, would they?

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

This one is B520A-7622. You can view a video of the car on youtube, search 'denson2003wcoupe'. Also my 1932 Ford Roadster has a number stamped directly into the front floor crossmember R1253....

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Randy,

There's no reference to two different Murray plants making the bodies that I've encountered, but that's a reasonable possibility. Another possibility is that they started the numbers all over from zero when the prefix changed from B520A to B520-B.

Dave

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Now why didn't I think of that? That's a good point!

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Forgot to mention my 3 window body #B520A-7622 has early style sunvisors. Also trunk not rumble. Could trunk-lid bodies carry B520A and rumble-lid bodies carry B520B? Of course now many years later quite a few have been converted to rumble and even a few probally converted the other way....

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Another good possibility. My B520A is an original trunk car and I know Andy's car is a B520A with original trunk although it has been converted to a rumble now.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

We may have an answer, Deuce Roadster posted on the h.a.m.b. with the B520B tag says his 3W is an original rumbleseat car, whereas all the other examples that have chimed in with the B520A claim to have original trunk cars?

Any other examples to confirm this?

It'd be cool to use the power of the fordbarn and the h.a.m.b. to discover something that was previously lost to the ages!

What do you think DavidG?

Carl, Ron, Dick, do your cars jive with this or contradict it?

Randy

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Yes, mine is a 520A and a trunk model from factory.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Randy,

I'm away from my 3-window for the winter and while I remember the number portion, I'm less sure of the prefix.

This is a reasonable theory and one that will not necessarily be contradicted by a 'A' prefix car having a rumble seat as some rumble seats were installed by dealers (the instructions to do so were in the '32 Service Bulletins).

Dave

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

3W Coupe body tag 520B 694 [ Canadian Top & Body, Tilbury Ontario] is a car here in New Zealand & was first rego'd new in March 1933. It has late features eg. visors & rear window moulding. A photo of its tag plate appears in ''32 Ford Book' by Dave Rehor.
Ian Staples in Taranaki, NZ has 520B 352 on his 3W V8. There were 17 3W '32 Coupes sold new in New Zealand [ height of Depression, very low new auto sales] &. about the same number still exist here due to some of them being restored back from old hot rods & a few steel bodies imported from US in recent years.
This information from Ian Staples, Ford V8 owner & enthusiast in Nth Island, NZ.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

I consulted with a fellow hobbyist who has multiple '32 three-window coupes and has likely owned more of them over time than most of us put together. All four of those he has at present conform to the proposition that the B520A prefix denoted the trunk model and the B520B prefix denoted those with factory-installed rumble seats. Further, his recollection is that that pattern has been consistent on the other ones he has owned over the years.

While the sample size so far is statistically insignificant (the universe being over 23,000 of these coupes built worldwide), the pattern has been consistent and until someone comes up with a better theory, I buy into the A/trunk, B/rumble distinction for the last character of the body number prefix.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Dang, between here and the h.a.m.b., we've only accounted for 63 (counting the 17 in New Zealand)? Either some of you are holding out or these things are a lot rarer than I thought!:)

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

#3103 here

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

I have one, I believe it was KD car that went to Europe, was 4cyl too and has the rear frame reinforcement on the outside of the frame, English Hood, Semaphore Signals. Plus I know of about 12 others here in Britain.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Gary,

Nice car! I'm curious as to its engine number (to see if it was a Rouge, Walkerville, or Dagenham- built engine).

Thanks.

David

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

David, sadly the engine and transmission were not with the car, I couldn't find the number on the frame despite the fact it is perfect, no rust and no signs of it being removed, not the first time I have seen that though. I do have a document for it, the number is probably on there, will check.

Do you know if the interiors were shipped as part of the KD kit or were they sourced locally?

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Gary,

While I've little documentation for it, I strongly suspect that the bodies were shipped with most, if not all of the interior upholstery, although not necessarily installed. Further, I believe that the bodies were shipped SKD (slightly knocked down) rather than KD or CKD (completely knocked down).

It will be interesting (at least to me) what sort of number your documents show. My best guess is that the prefix will be BF (or maybe ABF). My second best guess is that the prefix will be CBFG or CBFQ.

Thanks.

David

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

I finally located my 3W body tag. It is "BODY NUMBER B520A - 12660" it is a late/trunk version and the corresponding late SN is 18-2008XX. Also one more identifier regarding this car, back in the mid 60’s when I bought the car I found "EDGEWATER" stamped on the top pass side of the K member crossbeam. I grew up less than a mile from the Edgewater plant so it was startling to see this evidence of where the car was actually assembled. Sad to say I replaced the frame in the early 70's because of damage so I no longer have the actual physical evidence of this marking. I've looked at a lot of frames since, including one with "Made in Germany" (Italian Body) on the front cross member but I've never seen another one with the plant stamped on the K member or anywhere else.

Is it possible to post all the body numbers in sequential order?

Thanks, and sorry for the late reply.

Tom

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

I removed my body tag shortly after I bought mine in Iowa in 1970. It had black paint on it, and I didn't store it well, so it's nearly illegable now. I can still make out B520A-1636 and it's a decklid car. My serial # is 18-12XXX so it is early. I've been told that it was made in May 1932.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Hello: Mine was "bastard-ized" into a hotrod in the late fifties, on the east coast area. The floor was cut out and channelled over the chassis 7", which was "east coast fashion" in the late 50's, early 60's. All the tags are gone, and the frame was most likely not the original. However, the ID# I have is 158651. This could be a "state assigned" number of course. I was told, by a restoration friend, that it was originally a "B model" (4cylinder car), by the firewall holes configuration. Anyway, "She's my little deuce coupe", and that is what is important. Coop

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

I have a 3W, B-Model # 158-651. Anyone have a production date? Also, have question if the B-model 3-W's had a trunk or a rumble. Mine came with a trunk, but this was made into a hotrod in the mid 50's. Don't shoot me, I brought it back to a full fendered car, (all steel) now. Contact me at [email protected]. $85k Thank you, Coop

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Gary has owned this 3W for a long, long time, bought it when the prices were in the hundreds. It's never been apart, rumble seat car, August serial # and the body tag is B520B-4988.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Between my dad and I, we've owned 5 deuce 3w bodies and I kept one which is my current project. No body tags.....

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Happy 80th birthday to the Deuce!

Thanks to all who contributed to this post. To date, we've identified 21 Deuce 3Ws with body tags, several more with missing tags. Here is the list of the body #s identified from Fordbarn, the H.A.M.B., and DeucesLimited.com:

239
267
352
441
483
694
1636
1701
3103
4749
4988
5576
5652
7538
7622
7993
8612
8830
9424
11746
12660

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

I got 2 or 3 in parts.been colecting 3w parts for 25+years.Hope to get one togather after i get the av8 on the road.should be home now rather than cooling my heels here in florida since jan.i will check the #`s when i get home in april. Chris

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Randy
If you never get here to see me I will take you a man that owens two 32 three windows. The next tme I see him I will try to get the body numbers for you. They are both orginial. He also owens a standerd phaton. Kind of rare.

Re: 1932 Ford Deluxe 3W, Murray Body # informal registry, how many are still around?
 

Sounds great, Allen, hope to take you up on that real soon!