Barn Find/Complete Drivetrain/Mostly Solid Body/Complete Chrome/Great Potential

1948 Ford Deluxe Convertible

The most famous car to appear in the Back to the Future movies was, of course, the DeLorean. But it wasn't the only automobile in the cult-classic films. One of the most memorable scenes from the original was when Biff drove his convertible into a truck full of manure – covering himself, his cronies, and his car with the stuff, (actually it was shredded peat moss, cork, dirt and a food thickening agent). Of course, Biff's drop top Ford was a 1946. But then again, his car also started life as a fixed roof coupe that had its top cut off. I guess convertibles don't look like convertibles on the big screen?

Let's go back in time and see what this 48 Ford Deluxe convertible has to offer up. Its on consignment in the Hallowed Halls of our beloved Classic Auto Mall and a great candidate to be restored. A great color combination, and if you are like me, a sucker for the post war pontoon styling, you'll need to take a look at this late 40's piece of automobilia.

Exterior
A bit simpler than its sister car the Mercury 8, this Deluxe has just the right amount of chrome, curved steel and orange paint. A horizontal ribbed grille framed by single headlights and small round turn signals along with 2 bumper mounted fog lights fronts this machine. Nicely curved fenders with simple chromed spears and a just above the belt line spear runs from stem to stern and is in good condition. Mostly straight steel panels maintain decent gaps and are bathed in orange which shows a few faults overall along with very notable surface rust and fading but invasive rust is kept to a minimum. Body matching steel wheels with FORD logo moon caps are wrapped by Firestone wide white bias tires. A tan canvas convertible top is up top but will need replacing due to tearing and separation from the top frame.

Interior
An orange vinyl split bench with cloth inserts is up front and a full bench is in the rear and is in need of recovering on the front seat more so than the rear, which can be salvaged if necessary. These float on camel tan carpeting that is in usable condition. Matching orange vinyl, cloth and camel tan door panels are also seen but are in need of replacement. An orange body matching steel dash, with a cream metal insert in the center which houses rectangular gauges on the left, and a center dual round speedometer and clock flank a center mounted radio which is falling back into the dash. A worn original steering wheel sticks out from the dash and has a circular horn ring in the center.

Drivetrain
A 239ci V8 is within an unrestored and patinaed engine bay. It has a single 2-barrel carburetor, and a 3-speed manual transmission in back. This pushes power back to a 3.78 geared rear.

Undercarriage
Matching the body, interior and engine bay, we see an unrestored undercarriage complete with patina and a healthy coating of surface rust. While the frame and floors remain solid, we note invasive rust in the inner rockers and aft section of the trunk pan. We see transverse leaf suspension and drum brakes on all 4 corners.

Drive-Ability
This car is a non runner, but our consignor did have it turning over. The consignor is presently looking for the key, so more information may be coming...

Overall a complete fairly good condition car, with all of its chrome, and a fairly rust-free body. Overall, a diamond in the rough and a great candidate for a restoration or let your imagination run wild and build the hot rod of your dreams.