Henry Ford is beloved by auto enthusiasts and hot rodders around the world for many reasons. Besides the durability and parts exchange ability of his products, one of the favorite concepts from the mind of Mr. Ford was a different and distinct vehicle introduced each and every year. Back in the early days of the automobile, advancements were being made so rapidly that each new model year was something the car-hungry public highly anticipated. This worked out great for the Ford Motor Company until the advancements slowed and the styling wasn't such a huge hit with the auto buying public. The year in question was 1937; something about that year and the departure from the sweeping graceful lines of 1936 to the round and bloated profile of the '37 mixed with nothing revolutionary in the mechanical department (save for the introduction of the dismally underpowered V-8 60 decades before "economy cars" were fashionable) would forever resonate through blue oval history. The unpopular design of the '37 was tweaked for the '38 models, which resulted in the worst year in Ford's history to that point.
Things started looking up in 1939 when the design for the future favorite that would be the legendary '40 was introduced in the Deluxe model, but still in the lineup was the '39 Standard that had been carried over from the ill-fated '38 Deluxe model.
For decades hot rodders shunned the sad-eyed '37-'39 Fords, saying they would rather walk than be caught driving one of those less-than-popular models. But during the '80s, attitudes started to change and rodders starting giving the '37-'39 Fords some long overdue attention. Suddenly the once "ugly duckling" was the new hottest thing on the scene. All those years of being shunned meant many more "unmolested" examples of '37-'39 Fords existed compared to the always popular '32, '36 and '40 models. This situation is exactly what Tom Taylor from Martin, Tennessee, benefited from.
Tom actually loves the design of the late-'30s Fords, so when a friend showed up at the Turkey Rod Run with a super clean, rust-free, totally original '39 Ford Standard Coupe, he had to own it. Once it was in his possession, Tom realized the tiny 60hp flathead was not going to cut it. Lucky for Tom, he happens to live in the same town as Legens Hot Rod Shop, so it only took a short trip over and the car began a total transformation.
In the hands of Legens Hot Rod Shop, the first matter of business would be giving the '39 a bit more power than the thimble-sized V-8 60. A cookie-cutter engine and trans wasn't what Tom had in mind, but a '57 312 Ford Y-block attached to a four-speed box would make him happy. The Legens crew modified the crossmembers and slid the new powerplant into place. Additional work on the chassis started up front with a Superbell dropped axle and split wishbones surrounded by pieces supplied by Pete & Jake's, which included spindles, brakes, shocks, Panhard bar and steering. The rear of the chassis was freshened up with a Ford 9-inch rearend held in place by a Chassis Engineering leaf spring and shock kits.
With the body in such good condition, it was just a matter of massaging out what 60-plus years of pampered use had inflicted on the Coupe before the Legens crew sprayed on a fresh coat of the original '39 Ford Gull Grey. Back on the re-sprayed body went every piece of trim originally fitted in 1939. Just to keep the sweet Standard from being confused with an original example a set of 16- and18-inch Wheel Vintiques solids wrapped in BFGoodrich skins finishes off the exterior.
On the inside, Legens had the opportunity to do a little more of the custom work they are so well-known for by making up some one-off door panel trim pieces and cutting down the original steering wheel and seat before trimming out the passenger compartment in a Taupe/Lobster leather-and-suede combo. The ride is made even more enjoyable with A/C from Vintage Air and tunes from Custom Autosound and Pioneer.
Now Tom has a ride that no rodder would shun, and in fact would walk quite a distance to have a chance to jump behind the wheel. Not quite a swan, this '39 Ford Standard is far from ever being considered an ugly duckling ever again.
Tom Taylor
Martin, TN
1939 Ford Standard Coupe
Drivetrain: Tom's favorite car had always been a '57 Ford running a 312ci mill, so he decided this would be the perfect engine to make his '39 Ford Coupe stand out in a sea of belly-button bow-tie small-blocks. Once a good block was located, Brian Morgan (Grilford, CT) gave it a rebuild with all the good stuff and topped it off with an Offenhauser three deuce intake flanked by a pair of T-Bird valve covers. Mated to back of the Y-block is a Ford four-speed, which originally saw duty in a '65 Falcon.
Chassis: Legens Hot Rod Shop gave the original '39 frame the full treatment without going down the wayward high-tech path. Keeping it all traditional is a Superbell dropped axle front-end with the balance of pieces from Pete & Jake's followed by a Chassis Engineering parallel leaf sprung 9-inch rear-end.
Wheels & Tires: With the majority of the exterior being left exactly as it was originally designed, the wheels were kept traditional with a modern large diameter twist. The solid-style wheels from Wheels Vintiques in 16- and 18-inch diameters are wrapped in 205/55ZR16 and 235/50ZR18 low profile BFGoodrich rubber.
Body & Paint: This car could almost be mistaken for restored stocker except for the addition of a passenger side windshield wiper and taillight ('39 Standards were originally equipped with a single unit on the driver's side). Legens Hot Rod Shop stuck with Tom's plan of a factory appearance with the application of the original shade of Gull Grey.
Interior: Legens Hot Rod Shop could not resist the urge to get a bit more creative on the inside of Tom's Coupe. Nothing too radical, just tasteful tweaks like the cut down original steering wheel and seat and custom made door panel trim pieces by Legens. While still in-house at Legens, a custom Leather and Ultra Suede interior was stitched up. Creature comforts in the fresh cockpit include a Gen II Vintage Air unit, a Flaming River tilt column and a Secret Audio system from Custom Autosound fed into Pioneer speakers.