33 Cabrolet

[Brendan]

check out this this photo, this mechanic is a pig, look at all the grease and oil on the car, look at the top. i bet the woman was mad! this guy should go to a Chevrolet dealer...LOL

[Brendan]

if Barbara saw that, she would give the guy a tong lashing...LOL

[Terry,OH]

He's not done yet! He still has to step on the air cleaner on the floor and dent it, then bring all the dirt on the floor into the floor mat! Beside after lubing the water pumps he has fresh hands.

[tiger.1000]

Give the poor man a chance ! Her husband may be the guilty party

[scicala]

And what does Chevrolet have to do with substandard mechanics ? Never heard that one before.

Sal

[David J]

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Body , fenders , spare cover and wheels all appear the same light color ???? Odd for a 33 . Trim rings and aftermarket bumper guards . Kinda says this is not a new car .

[Doug 845]

Lets try to look at it this way. Maybe the mechanic just is wrapping up a 12 hour shift on a hot summer day in Texas (windows are open). Its Friday and the dealer walks into the shop and says his wife told him the car is making a funny noise. The dealer tells him to fix the car or else. He tells the mechanic that he doesn't care what his plans are for the weekend, just to fix it or he'll be fired (remember jobs are hard to come by in this era). I have worked for business owners like this, so I can see the other side of the coin.

[deuce lover]

Originally Posted by David J

Body , fenders , spare cover and wheels all appear the same light color ???? Odd for a 33 . Trim rings and aftermarket bumper guards . Kinda says this is not a new car .

Maybe very Late 33 as it has a 34 V8 hubcap, LF wheel

[rockfla]

Body , fenders , spare cover and wheels all appear the same light color ???? Odd for a 33 . Trim rings and aftermarket bumper guards . Kinda says this is not a new car .

Perhaps it could be a European production car as they were behind the "times" as far as parts and pieces (not produced in country of course) from the US production. The belt line/trim line color also appears to follow the raised portion at the bottom of the body line which I don't think Is a US production "touch"? One that I do like though!!!!

[rotorwrench]

It's hard to tell whether there is any smudges on the car or if the old photograph is dirty. The mechanics overalls are not too dirty. There appears to be crud on the shop floor but it's not directly under the car. It's even hard to tell what's in the mechanics hand there. Spark plug socket? A lot of mechanics just used a wrench for plugs back in that era. That might be the air filter can laying on the floor. The oil on the floor might have come from it.

[DavidG]

David,

I agree that it is not a new car, but it is nearly new judging from the top.

As for the body colored fenders, etc. (most likely emperor brown-medium or old chester gray), perhaps the photo is of a Canadian '33 in which case that was an RPO (regular production option) at extra cost, although it did not include the wheels or the horn trumpets. More likely it is a late '33 (with respect, Sheldon, my computer shows that hubcap as a '33) after Ford released the body color paints to dealers to paint the fenders, etc. in response to customer demand, as was done during the 1935 model year. If it's a U.S. cabriolet and one's standard of originality is "as built", then the fenders, etc. are a no-no, but if one's standard of originality is "as delivered", then the fenders, etc. are okay. (The aftermarket bumper guards and wheel trim rings are a no-no under either standard.)

I like this photo for another reason as it highlights one of the most common mistakes made when a '33 is restored to its original state. Note the finish on the bars of the grille compared to the finish of the "surround". Unlike a '34 through '37 grille, the leading edges of the bars of a '33 grille were not polished prior to chrome plating so they appear dull compared to the "surround" which was polished prior to chrome plating. Not only did they appear dull, but to ensure a uniform appearance, they were originally painted after plating with satin silver (argent) paint. This is borne out by all of the NOS '33 grilles that I've seen and more importantly by the original engineering drawing for the grille which specifies that the bars be painted, just like the original drawings for the plated bumpers which were also painted on their back sides.

[rockfla]

David
Any info on the contrasting painted belt line as that seems "not US production" either, correct??

[DavidG]

Robert,

That's a good question! I've not yet encountered anything in Ford's archival material referring to a contrasting moulding color, unlike that on the '32s. So, the paint job on the car in the subject photo is highly likely the product of the owner's wishes and not something that Ford offered through production (at least in North America) or even suggested to its dealers late in the model year. If the main body color is old chester gray, then the moulding is likely tunis gray, but we'll never know one way or another in this instance. (Notwithstanding, from the point of view of personal taste regardless of originality, I like it).

[David J]

More grilles with dull bars as they should be .