My brother Andy and I are regular attendees at the Fall AACA meet in Hershey, PA. While we are walking around, one of our favorite pastimes is trying to find the biggest basket case in the flea market. This vehicle (OK, frame) I found near the car corral in 2015 takes the cake (or at least what is left of the cake).
One could argue (legitimately) that it is not even a car any more. But since the seller purports to have a VIN, whatever it is that you are buying could theoretically be titled. Therefore we decided to declare it the winner for that year.
$1500, but for what?
While it was good for a chuckle at the time, I later got to wondering exactly what kind of car one was buying? Realistically, what you are in actuality buying a VIN that you could use to title your modern hot rod to a pre-smog check model year. But model year what?
I’m guessing from the narrow ladder type frame that we might be dealing with something from the 1930’s, but that is just a guess.
So put your sleuthing hat on, fellow CCer’s. Who can solve the mystery of the missing car? Click through to the full-sized image if you want to inspect the frame more closely.
Offhand I’d say it’s a 32 Ford because of the side detailing
Edit – Yup, I think that’s it. Probably the only 1930’s car frame that’s worth $1500 in that bare state.
Yep. Ford of some year due to the transverse spring mounts.
+1, Doug… not that I know anything about old car frames… but here’s where my mind went:
The lyrics to the Beach Boys’ song ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ – “You don’t know what I got” popped into my head. (Because the rest of the car is missing).
Then upon further review (thanks Wikipedia!) a ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ turns out to be a 32 Ford.
Below is a picture of a friend’s 32 Ford (the day of his funeral, sadly) [My Mustang is parked at the top of the steps in the picture I just noticed]. He was a really cool car guy. This was his baby. He had Little Deuce Coupe as his ring-tone. Occasionally, he would bring this car to work, or one of the many Mustangs he and his son worked on together.
Nice, and too bad about your friend. Oddly enough I visited a friend in Dec who is nearing completion on his all Henry steel 32 5-Window project, I hope to do a post on it someday.
By the way the 32 is the only Ford of the era that had the frame exposed under the side of the body, hence the little decorative sweep stamped in. Model A’s had sheet metal filling the space between the lower edge of the body and the running board, and in 1933 the running board was at the lower edge of the body, so no filler panel required.
+2
“Probably the only 1930’s car frame that’s worth $1500 in that bare state”
I arrived at the same conclusion using the same logic- Add in the transverse leaf spring mounts, and it’s pretty much a lock.
VIN numbers first usage appeared in 1954.
What would the corresponding identifier be for a 32 Ford? A chassis number? Is there any number of identifier stamped in the frame?
32 ford I guess.
Using these numbers to register your retro-modern hot rod is like the George Washington’s axe parable. – the handle has been replaced 3 times and the head’s been changed twice, but it’s still Washington’s axe.
Agreed – deuce.
The buggy spring mounting says Ford. The later frames had a large X – member in the middle not seen here, and the earlier Model A frames were much thinner.
The commentariat never ceases to amaze.
Well, obviously the frame of a smart fortwo.
No, no. It’s even more obviously for an Isetta. Note the giant empty space for the front-opening door. Sheesh. 😉
Was the stamped feature along the lower edge of the frame rail really for style? When Henry 1 was still alive? I’m sure the added stiffness from that rib, along the lower edge where it’s in some tension when loaded, let them reduce the gauge of the frame rail steel, and save money. Or use a lower grade steel – or maybe both.