Tracy man gave Restomod ’39 Ford Cabriolet to his mom

Model year 1939 was a big one at Ford Motor Co. A major styling change for the Ford line and the midpriced Mercury were introduced, both moves strongly influenced by Henry’s son, Edsel Ford.

There were two series in the Ford line, one appropriately called the Standard and the other the Deluxe. One may expect the Deluxe to have just a little more chrome and a nicer interior, but no, starting in 1938, the Ford Standard used the front-end sheet metal of the 1937 Ford Deluxe. The result that was the ‘38 Standard looked like the ’37 Deluxe, and the ’39 Standard looked a lot like the ’38 Deluxe. This continued until the 1941 model year.

There were some improved features for Ford in 1939, maybe the most significant of which was that Ford was finally using hydraulic brakes, three years later than Chevrolet and 15 years later than Chrysler. It was Ford’s last year for the rumble seat, the crank-out windshields and the floor-mounted shift. It was also the last year before sealed-beam headlights became standard.

The Deluxe Ford in 1939 used the 221-cubic-inch flathead V8 engine rated at 85 horsepower with a three-speed, floor-mounted manual shift. The Deluxe convertible was priced at $790, or about $17,530 in today’s dollars. It sat on a 112-inch wheelbase and weighed 2,840 pounds. The grill of the DeLuxe Ford had a similar look as the stylish Lincoln Zephyr.

Ford was a popular brand in 1939 even though the auto industry was down significantly as a result of a “second dip” in the Great Depression. Ford sold 10,442 DeLuxe convertibles that year. While the price of $790 sounds almost ridiculous today, the average wage in 1939 was only $1,266 per year.

The feature car is not just a restoration, it is a Restomod. Restomods first started in the 1980s when hotrodders became well aware of the improvements that the auto factories were making, including performance engines, electronic fuel injection, disc brakes and overdrive transmissions. Many of these hot-rodders liked the looks and styling of their hotrods but didn’t like getting beaten from the stoplight by a Camaro, Viper or Mustang.

I suspect that as some of these hot-rodders got older and drove and rode in new luxury vehicles, they realized the comforts and improvements were pretty impressive. Someone finally thought, “Why can’t I have all the nice features of these new fancy cars but still have my favorite styling of yesteryear?” The answer is that you can with a Restomod. Tracy resident Ray Drysdale saw this issue’s Restomod, a beautiful 1939 Ford Cabriolet, about 22 years ago in Pleasanton.

“I really admired it, but the car disappeared,” Drysdale said. “I didn’t know where it went. About four years ago, I got a phone call about the car. It had won an award, and apparently it went to Texas in a collection. I knew the car and I wanted the car.”

The car was pretty much as it is today.

“It was built and assembled in Idaho, taking several years,” he said. “It has independent front suspension, disc brakes, 16-inch wheels in the front and 17-inch (wheels) in the rear. It has the 350-cubic-inch Chevrolet V8 engine teamed with a Chevy automatic transmission.

“All the parts used in the project were brand-new, including the engine. It has a beautiful leather interior with a wool carpet, wood grain dash, air conditioning and power steering. But there was some work that needed to be done. It had been in a collection and just sat for a long time.”

Drysdale bought the car, sight-unseen.