1935 Ford

Sticking to one of his favorite themes with this masterpiece, Norman once again designed and built a Ford from the 30’s that should have been, but never was. With a roof line chalk full of British flare and a large part of Henry Ford’s original styling left untouched, this 1935 Ford sedan could leave the most discerning Ford aficionados scratching their heads.

Construction began with a very solid, all original car.  The body and all components were removed from the chassis, as well as all suspension and driveline from the frame.  The bare frame was fitted to a chassis jig, where it was squared, boxed, and seam welded.  The center X member was modified to accept the 5 speed transmission and a hydraulic power brake and clutch pedal were installed.  Staying true to the original Ford theme, this one skipped the independent suspension upgrades like so many of Norman’s other cars and kept the I beam axle and wishbones in the front.  But like so many of Norman’s others, that’s where original ends.  4 Piston Wilwood disc brakes, electric rack and pinion power steering, Posie’s superslide spring, tubular gas shocks and a large sway bar round out the front end.  In the rear is an 8″ Ford rear axle, Chassis Engineering parellel leaf springs, tubular gas shocks and a large sway bar.

Once the chassis was addressed, it was on to the body.  The first thing one’s eye is drawn to is the roof.  Off came the original roof and windshield posts.  A straighter set of posts was fabricated, as well as a windshield frame, constructed from 2 ’32 Ford 3 window coupe windshields.  Next the new roof line was redesigned and built, leaving a cloth insert in the center, reminiscent of the original.  The sail panels were squared off to match the roof line, as well as the quarter panels and rear body panel.  Custom side window frames were constructed, and attached to power lifts.  The original fenders, running boards and hood pieces went largely unmodified, except for the fine tuning of lines, gaps, etc.  The grill bars were cut loose from the surround at the bottom and sides of the grill shell and pushed rearward to “stand them up taller”.  Returns were built to reconnect the two halfs, and it was triple chrome plated to perfection.  A Lalique Indian head mascot was recessed into and fastened to the top of the shell.  The headlight stands were also modified to accept the ’32 Ford head lamps.  Plenty of subtle touches are to be found all over, some of which include the windwings, body reveal line that follows the quarter panels and tapers to a point, the reversed bumper ends to help them flow into the fenders, and filler pans behind both bumpers to help smooth things out. Custom stainless steel wheel discs were also designed, utilizing Ford center caps, and are fastened to the original Ford wheels, then shod in Excelcior radials. The glass smooth exterior surface is thanks to a ton of bodywork and prep, PPG basecoat/clearcoat,  and another ton of time color sanding and polishing everything to perfection.  Under the hood lies a mildly warmed over Ford 59AB flathead V8.  Aluminum heads and intake, four barrel carburetor, electronic ignition and a mild camshaft round out the engine package.  The interior is wrapped in hand stitched leather, and the garnish mouldings and dashboard are hand woodgrained.   And as with all of Norman’s cars, this one is 100% functional, with the list of quality systems manufacturers reading like a broken record: Vintage Air, American Autowire, SPW, Flaming River, Lokar, etc.

For more information on this car feel free to contact Jake Queen, Queen’s Automotive Inc at 610-966-4310 and he will be happy to discuss it with you.

Below is a list of specifications:

  • Original Ford frame, fully boxed and seam welded
  • Dropped I beam front axle with Posie’s Superslide springs, split wishbones, tubular gas shocks and large sway bar
  • Parelell rear springs, tubular gas shocks and large sway bar
  • Wilwood 4-wheel power disc brakes
  • 8″ Ford rear axle
  • Original 16″ wire wheels with custom built stainless steel wheel discs and Excelsior Radial tires
  • Ford 59AB Flathead with aluminum heads, Holley 4 barrel carburetor and electronic ignition
  • World Class T-5 5 speed overdrive manual transmission with hydraulic clutch
  • Polished stainless steel exhaust system
  • Original Ford steel body with heavily modified roofline and quarters to resemble the styling of ’30’s English coachbuilders
  • Hand built window frames and windwings, triple chrome plated to perfection
  • Original Ford grill reworked to stand taller and straighter, triple chrome plated to perfection
  • Lalique crystal Indian head grill mascot
  • Front bumper features reversed ends, custom finish pan, badge bar, a slight tuck to the body and triple chrome plating to perfection
  • Hand stitched leather interior
  • Hand painted woodgrain on dashboard and garnish mouldings
  • 3 Point seat belts
  • Vintage Air heater system
  • SPW wiper system
  • Power door locks
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