1948 Ford Deluxe

1948 Ford Deluxe Tudor Sedan The 1947-1948 Fords truly marked the end of an era. Old Henry Ford passed away peacefully in his sleep the night of April 7,1947. His last personal car was a dark blue 1942 Super DeLuxe Fordor sedan with a 1946 Super DeLuxe grille. Not long before his death, he and Clara saw a clay of the forthcoming 1949 Ford. He had little to say, which by that time in his life must have meant approval or at least contented resignation to the new wave in management. Howthingswork.com  For consignment, a 1948 Ford Deluxe Tudor sedan showing 20,028 miles, but the true miles are unknown. A Nova subframe and Carson top make the list of customizations that make this car an instant stand out.  Exterior Almost shooting brake in its profile, this long car has an aggressive rake helped by staggered size tires on 14-inch polished American Racing Torque Thrust wheels and those tires enjoy a date code of mid 2021. It's impossible to miss the black canvas Carson top which looks like it could retract, but does not, however it does make for a unique presentation over the narrow windows. A trim piece breaks up the Tordo Red paint on the long panels, but the door handles have been shaved and the rocker panel color keyed to create a flowing body. It's a whale of a tail out back with a huge decklid flanked by Corvette style tail lights while up front, the frenched headlights bookend a modest, clean grille and black bumper. The paint and metal work is very nice with only some separation and crack in a lower panel corner.  Interior Smartly designed tan door vinyl door panels include electric windows and a cloth insert that connects visually with the split bench seat up front and all appears in nice shape with a rear bench that has ample leg room and smooth sidewalls. Up front, things are color coordinated with the body, including the 3 spoke steering wheel and complete dash housing the billet faced gauge cluster with VDO units. Under the clean panels of the dash expanse is an AM/FM/CD radio with AUX/USB/Bluetooth. A United Pacific style traffic light viewer is on top of the dash, showing some cracking but likely still functional and helpful in a car with narrow windshield. Tan carpet covers the floor and footwells nicely and the black headliner is clean and fully intact. The big trunk is uniformly black and also clean. Drivetrain Under the hood, a clean 350ci V8 with an Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor over and Edelbrock intake. It is mated to a TH350 3-speed automatic transmission that routes power to a Ford 8 rear with 3.08 gears.  Undercarriage We find an X-frame and generally clean components underneath and also a good amount of swiss cheese on the inner rocker panels. Beyond that, very little surface rust and no errant fluids. Dual exhaust flows through Smithy mufflers, exiting via chrome tips behind the rear bumper. Power disc brakes are up front with power drums in back and suspension consists of coil springs in front and leaf springs in back.  Drive-Ability The trusty 350 comes to life and provides a sweet exhaust note from tail pipes that are about a block away. Meanwhile, the engine provides good power but the brake pedal has excessive travel and the car then surprises us with an abrupt stop. Beyond that, all functions in this good looking Ford operate as intended and we cruise this red runner back to the mall to find a spot under the lights. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.  Grab the family and hit the cruise circuit in this nice build. Clean lines, a soft style top, and some modern touches on the inside make it a worthy candidate if you're ready to hit the town in something unique. Spending the night? Plenty of space for luggage, your folding chairs, and a cooler. Speaking of cooler, if you want to look at it, this car is for you!  Classic