When did the 32 become so special?

[DavidG]

Published figures? Where? Certainly not based on Ford production records. From those records, of the 322,962 1932 model passenger cars produced worldwide, 108,803 were Model Bs. Of the 115,322 1932 model commercial vehicles and trucks produced worldwide, 107,746 were models B or BB.

1934 fours are quite rare, 1933 fours are somewhat rare, and 1932 fours are not really rare at all.

As for which engine the '32 was designed for, it was the four. The V-8 was a last minute change in direction. Nearly 50,000 Model B and BB engines and transmissions had been manufactured before the first production version of the V-8 engine was manufactured.

The shoe horn fit of the fours in 1933 and 1934 passenger cars and commercial vehicles was the result of the sloped radiator and re-designed firewall protruding into the engine compartment.

[32 ford barn]

Obviously! The most special Ford of all time that's why there are so many replies so quickly. Point made!

[36and63]

Cldye Barrow

[gtopillado]

"Obviously! The most special Ford of all time that's why there are so many replies so quickly. Point made!"

Hit the nail right on the head.

[nospartsman]

I interpret the question as "why is 32 so special" because it was special from day 1. Here is an example of why a 32 is special. You go through extraordinary lengths to own one. I could charge 32 guys for the privilege to help dig up a 32 body, think of Tom Sawyer and Aunt Polly's fence.

[rockfla]

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@ NOSPARTSMAN

We had our 32 at Hilton Head Concours in 2007 and it was parked next to an A400 and had a guy from NJ/NY tell us about how he and a buddy robbed parts off an B400 and left the body and ultimately the area was developed and the body got buried under the parking lot of the hospital that was built on the site. Not sure how true.....but your picture reminded me of that story. FWIW..!

[DavidG]

Paul's handiwork with the shovel is a great example. Another recent one is the standard coupe in New England with nearly all of the lower one foot of the body gone that is now up and running after a lot of effort and no doubt $.

[FrankWest]

Here are some pages from the sales brochure entitle the New Ford 4 cylinder
Note it boasts max speed of 70mph! That was very fast for 1932, considering the road conditions. Come to think of it, 70mph is pretty fast even today!

[bluardun]

An couple of interesting points to consider: With the production numbers provided by David G. Think about how many were crushed for the WWII effort. How many were destroyed on race tracks, and how many actually remain. A well sought after desirable car. BUT:
without the availability of reproduction parts, how many restoration would be completed. I hear how expensive '32 parts are. If there were no reproduction parts available, just original Ford parts, how rare and expensive would needed parts be??
Probably un obtainable.
Another fun "rumor". I have heard there are more '32 Ford Roadsters licensed and on the streets in California than Henry Ford produced.
Truly proud to be able to be the care taker of my '32 Roadster.

[Krylon32]

At the age of 12 I was laying in the hospital very sick with pneumonia and my dad brought me a little pages I think November 57 R&C, it was an issue that featured 32 Fords. Still have that book filed away in my mag stash. I was smitten and by the time I was 18 I had started to buy 32 parts and have built and owned a lot of them and continue to do so today. 70 years old and getting ready to build exhaust for my fourth 32 PU and have a 5 window that will start to get resurrected this fall. The 32 was a hit from the beginning, I was born a little late. Viva 32!

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by bluardun

An couple of interesting points to consider: With the production numbers provided by David G. Think about how many were crushed for the WWII effort. How many were destroyed on race tracks, and how many actually remain. A well sought after desirable car. BUT:
without the availability of reproduction parts, how many restoration would be completed. I hear how expensive '32 parts are. If there were no reproduction parts available, just original Ford parts, how rare and expensive would needed parts be??
Probably un obtainable.
Another fun "rumor". I have heard there are more '32 Ford Roadsters licensed and on the streets in California than Henry Ford produced.
Truly proud to be able to be the care taker of my '32 Roadster.

Really, reproduction parts hard to find for the 1932? WOW, I never considered that. Still, probably, many of the reproduction 33/34 parts can be used for the 32? I just assumed they were available. As I mentioned. Long before I purchase my 33 I was considering a 33 Essex terraplane , until I saw the scarity of parts available. There are some really beautiful cars out there made in the early thirties, you need a giant bankroll to maintain those wonderful cars. I also considered a 33 packard until I heard the owned was looking for 2 years for a part...

[itslow]

Originally Posted by FrankWest

Really, reproduction parts hard to find for the 1932? WOW, I never considered that. Still, probably, many of the reproduction 33/34 parts can be used for the 32?...

Those parts that are reproduced aren't particularly hard to find. I think he's getting at how difficult it would be to restore or resurrect a '32 would be if reproduction parts had never been produced. There are likely more individual reproduction '32 parts available than there are for any other year.

Quite nearly every part on a '32 is different than those on the years before or after. Very little will interchange between it and a Model A or '33/34.

[mhsprecher]

This continues to be a great thread.

I love 30s Fords and the 40s aren't bad, either. They are just too expensive for my budget. I guess I need to stick to Model As.

[MIRoger]

My introduction to 32 Fords came as a boy in the early 50's attending the local dirt track. There all of the 32's had numbers painted on the doors. That experience hooked me on racing and '32 Fords. Attached is a photo of the starting line up for the mid-season championship feature race at Berlin Raceway. It shows the first 6 rows of the starting field. ALL 12 cars in the photo are '32 Fords!

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by MIRoger

My introduction to 32 Fords came as a boy in the early 50's attending the local dirt track. There all of the 32's had numbers painted on the doors. That experience hooked me on racing and '32 Fords. Attached is a photo of the starting line up for the mid-season championship feature race at Berlin Raceway. It shows the first 6 rows of the starting field. ALL 12 cars in the photo are '32 Fords!

I don't think that #1 "Beer-Ale" car is a Ford. Top of windshield opening is curved, rear of quarter window is slanted forward (compare to the white one next to it), and the chassis looks too puny in the siderail to be a '32 Ford. Cool pic, though! DD

[MIRoger]

It is most definitely a 32 Ford 5 window coupe. The roof is curved in the windshield because the car had been rolled. Remember these cars were raced and vulnerable to racing accidents. Which helps to explain the paucity of surviving examples of those 32's used for oval track racing.

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by mhsprecher

This continues to be a great thread.

I love 30s Fords and the 40s aren't bad, either. They are just too expensive for my budget. I guess I need to stick to Model As.

Model A's are wonderful cars..
It amazing that they are very affordable..A car that old with all that history. Amazing... even though I own a 33, someday I would like to purchase a 1930 coup with rumble seat. Which was a very popular car during the depression.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/24/auto...r_car_auction/

[Graeme / New Zealand]

Originally Posted by FrankWest

Here is a nice one for sale..
http://www.kugelkomponents.com/cars_...arsforsale.php

I didn't realize that the 32 didn't have front suicide doors

My initial reaction was Bluc! until I scrolled down.

GB