help identifying 40 ford convertible

[mercman from oz]

After making some enquiries regarding this Subject, I have located this 1940 Ford Deluxe Convertible Sedan, owned by Dan Snyder. In Dan's own words, this is what he had to say:- "The story is that Ford deleted the Convertible Sedan from their 1940 lineup, but in June of 1939 they produced 6 Convertible Sedans as though they were 1940 models (grille, dashboard, column shift, etc) for use during the 1940 World's Fair. Of these 6, only 2 are known to still exist: one is a Hot Rod in California, and I have the other. Or, this car might have been wrecked and the repair shop had the parts to convert it to look like a 1940. My car is mostly 1940 style, with a few exceptions. The 1940 Convertible Coupe had swing-open vent windows at the leading edge of the door windows, and mine has the same front door windows as a 'regular' 1939 Convertible Sedan. Also, my car has 1939 tail lights. There may be more, but at this point I'm ignorant. S/N 184989374 - putting if firmly into the 1939 model year. Body plate number is 2559, out of the 3561 built in 1939. So it's not even near the end of the run for 1939."
I hope that this added information is of interest to other Ford Barners.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by mercman from oz

After making some enquiries regarding this Subject, I have located this 1940 Ford Deluxe Convertible Sedan, owned by Dan Snyder. In Dan's own words, this is what he had to say:- "The story is that Ford deleted the Convertible Sedan from their 1940 lineup, but in June of 1939 they produced 6 Convertible Sedans as though they were 1940 models (grille, dashboard, column shift, etc) for use during the 1940 World's Fair. Of these 6, only 2 are known to still exist: one is a Hot Rod in California, and I have the other. Or, this car might have been wrecked and the repair shop had the parts to convert it to look like a 1940. My car is mostly 1940 style, with a few exceptions. The 1940 Convertible Coupe had swing-open vent windows at the leading edge of the door windows, and mine has the same front door windows as a 'regular' 1939 Convertible Sedan. Also, my car has 1939 tail lights. There may be more, but at this point I'm ignorant. S/N 184989374 - putting if firmly into the 1939 model year. Body plate number is 2559, out of the 3561 built in 1939. So it's not even near the end of the run for 1939."
I hope that this added information is of interest to other Ford Barners.

Personally I do find this "interesting". I also find it yet more of an argument that Ford did NOT produce this model in 1940.
Your car, although processing the "cool" factor" is quite obviously a modified '39.
I can't quite tell from the photo but the dash appears to be from a closed model (latter production) 1940 car.
Might you post a photo of the floor as well as the firewall?
Thanks.

[Fancy Dancer]

Thanks, Kube, for your analysis. This confirms my worst fears.
Right now the dashboard is out of the car, being painted. Should I try to source a dashboard from a 1940 Convertible or Station Wagon?

I'll take the photos that you requested, and post them in the next day or two.

Sometimes (often?) I'm overwhelmed by my ignorance!

[Bill]

So I thought this thread was pretty well beat to death but I love how it's still haunting us! Dan Snyder is somewhere in the USA right? Second I googled thru 10 pages (gonna be a long winter) and came up with the street rod version located in Spokane Valley Wa. Try showroomautomotive.com for a glimpse. Costs nothing to look... to buy well that's another question... Still my favorite in any body style 40 Deluxe Bill

[alt63bird]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a '39 wheel cover on the driver's front wheel, e.g. wide-5 wheels/hubs/drums? And Kube's right - pull-down ashtray = post-December '39 dash.

[Fancy Dancer]

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When I visited a friend's shop a while back, up on his wall there was a photo of another one at a meet, I think in northern California in the early 1990's. This one was more 1940-ish than the one on Showroom Automotive's website. Apparently the original was badly rusted, and it required considerable work on the lower parts of the doors and fenders to make it whole again.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Fancy Dancer

Thanks, Kube, for your analysis. This confirms my worst fears.
Right now the dashboard is out of the car, being painted. Should I try to source a dashboard from a 1940 Convertible or Station Wagon?

I'll take the photos that you requested, and post them in the next day or two.

Sometimes (often?) I'm overwhelmed by my ignorance!

I'd like to see a more detailed photo of the dash prior to saying with 100% authority yours is a closed car dash for certain. The photograph I have attached herein depicts a closed car (late design) to the left and an open car dash (early design) to the right. perhaps this may be helpful to you.
If, like I beleive it is, a closed car dash, well then, an open car dash (or wagon) would fit much better. The open car dash is wider and curves up more at each end making it fit the cowl area much better.

[Fancy Dancer]

"Proof" that it isn't a '40.

Dan

[Vic Piano]

I just looked at the photos of the '39/'40 CS and I noticed that the "B" Pillar section behind the front seat has a corner near the door, not a smooth curve like my '39 CS or any of the others that I have seen... More controversy...?

[JHFORD51]

also 39 dlx outside door handles on the maroon car (have to look close at the pics)...39 firewall as well

[Steve/IL]

Found this picture on the internet: