PLEASE take the time to read the entire description of this vehicle to the very end before asking questions, ecause your question might have already been answered in the last few paragraphs of the text, nd view all photos before asking any questions. Bidders with LESS than 5 feedbacks MUST call me @ 502-839-8556 before placing a bid on this auction, r your bid will be DELETED. . Please bid only if you are serious and have real money, s I am not a dealer. Please do not ask what the reserve is.
This beautiful 1948 convertible has some interesting history as it's had only 2 long term owners in the last 58 years. I purchased this car while living in Missouri in 1983 and the seller's mother purchased it for her him in 1958 when he was 15 years old, nbsp;He was always going to fix it up but never did, o the car being only 10 years old at the time, at in mom's garage for 25 years until I purchased it in 83. It was a typical hot rod of the era, ith the original flathead, quipped with Edelbrock heads, A dual carb intake, nd an aluminum flywheel. The body had some customizing done, uch as frenched in upper grill surround and headlights, nd much of the trim removed.
Shortly after purchasing the car, began a body off frame restoration, nddiscovered that the body was 99% rust free. The body was chemically stripped and painted with Dupont Centari enamel with hardening agent which allowed it to be color sanded for a slick deep shine finish with no orange peel. Hard to believe the paint job is over 30 years old, ther then a few small nicks very minor scratches, ut nothing objectionable. The color is matched to the original 48 Ford color called Monsoon Maroon. You won't find any rust or paint bubbling due to rust anywhere on this car. With respect to the photos anything that looks like a dent or splotch in the paint or trim is simply not there, t's just reflections or my poor picture taking. The Vinyl convertiable top on the car now was installed about 3 years ago, eplacing the canvas one originally installed in the restoration.The top cylinders were replaced. The pump was changed to a late model style and moved to the rear under the top well. There is also a boot that snaps in place to cover the top when it is lowered.
The frame and mechanical components were sand blasted, nd also painted with an enamel chassis paint. All the chrome parts were re-chromed and have a smooth very high luster jeweler's type finish. Much of the stainless moldings are n.o.s pieces,and all the moldings have been restored and highly polished. The flathead was rebuilt with the same vintage speed equipment that was originally installed years ago. The seats are original, nd covered in a heavy duty smooth grain leather like vinyl. It took about 18 months to complete the restoration. The 1986 Missouri inspection sticker is still on the windshield. After the restoration I drove the car sparingly for a short time attending mostly local shows and eventually found I wasn't real excited about driving a stock 48 Ford, o the car sat in the garage rather than being driven for several years, hile I became involved in other vehicles and interests. After moving from Missouri to Virginia in 94 and bringing the 48 with me, t again sat idle until 97 when I decided I was going to make it a more fun and reliable car to drive. So the restomod conversion began, nd took me about 4 months to complete.
In the coversion, y objective was to use as many Ford parts as possible, o I started with an H.O. 5 liter Fuel injected roller cam engine, emoved from a wrecked 26000 mile Mustang, oupled to a rebuilt Ford C-4 automatic trans from a 81 Mercury Cougar. The 8" Ford rear axle assy came from a 77 Granada, nd the front suspension from a 78 Mustang 2 mounted on a Chassis Engineering bolt in cross member. I did convert the front discs to the larger 11" ones from a Granada, nd the front calipers are (whoops) late 70's Nova. This setup seemed to work out real well. The car runs, rives, nd stops especially well. All the modifications were accomplished without doing any welding to the frame. The rear springs and brackets are from a (whoops) late 80's Mopar mini van, nd the front sway bar from a ( double whoops) VW Vanagan bus. The wheels are American Racing Torque Thrust D's with 15X6 on front and 15X8 on rear. The cooling system consists of the reconditioned stock 48 radiator with a 7 lb. cap and a thermostatic controlled electric fan. Never any over heating problems. The tilt steering column assy is from a mid 80"s LTD. The windshield is new, ut all the side glass is original Ford script glass, nd very nice. The front quarter glasses has some minor bubbling, ut I felt too good to replace. The car still retains it's very nice working original speedometer and very nice clock. All the workinggaugesare from a fox body Mustang. Radio is a JVC with cassette, nd has one speaker in the dash, nd two speakers in the back seat riser, nd nothing was cut in the dash to install radio. Back in 48, he option list wasn't very long, owever this car does have an optional fresh air heater and a lighted hood ornament insert.
In today's collector car world, estomods are becoming quite popular since you still retain the timeless beauty of the stock body complete with all the stock trim, ut also have a car that is mechanically updated with a modern bullet proof drive train, ndependent front suspension with power rack and pinion steering, nd power disc brakes, nd a more efficient 12 volt electrical which makes an older car like this more dependable and a pleasure to take on a Sunday drive or car shows and cruises.
Summing things up, would rate this car to be in very good condition, r between a #2 and #3, nd one you could take to any show and be proud of. I have given it excellent care for the 32 years in mypossession, ut you can't expect a 32 year old restoration to be perfect, nd it is not. It has a few quirks and issues that have crept in during the years, nd I have kinda slacked up on my maintenance schedule. I think it's a result of getting old. Some that come to mind are: You have to hold up on the gear shift lever to remove the ignition key. Both rear quarter window regulators need some work. The windows still go up and down they just need a helping hand in a couple spots. It needs quarter window weather stripping. The trunk lid support is weak, nd possibly other small issues that I can't think of of right now, ut I don't think anything serious enough to be a deal breaker, nd I have taken these into consideration in setting my reserve. Many other fine antique and collector cars have come and gone in this time span, ut this old Ford became a part of the family and moved with me when I moved to Virginia in 94 then later to Kentucky in 2008, o it's been a tough decision to post it for sale, ut at 70 years old, feel it's finally time to move on to something else. I feel I have set a very realistic reserve on the car.Here is something to think about: Old Fords, specially open top cars have always beendesirablecollector cars, lus this is a car you can drive and enjoy just the way it is. It has very nice paint,beautifulchrome and trim, ewer top, nd the updated mechanicals which make it a his or her driver friendly car.
If the above description and photos aren't enough to help you make an informed decision on the car, lease do not hesitate to ask questions thru e-bay or call my # listed at the beginning of the description. or better yet, f close enough, ome view it in person. I also have more pictures I can send you. E-bay only allows 24 pictures in a listing. I can also take any specific pictures you might want.As with most cars listed on this site, t is being offered and sold as is and as described as I see it, nd I might haveomittedsomething in my description. There are no guarantees expressed or implied, o I stress again to ask questions and do not assume anything. To initiate the sale I expect a $500.00 non refundable deposit be sent to my pay pal account within 48 hrs. from end of listing, nd the remaining US funds for the balance of the sale price be presented to me via bank wire transfer or bank cashiers check, ithin 7 working days from end of listing. The car with clear Kentucky title in my name, he seller, ill not leave mypossessionuntil my bank assures me that all funds are deposited in my account.The buyer is totally responsible to schedule and pay all shipping charges. I will help the shipper any way I can to get the car safely loaded. I would like it to be picked up within a 2 week period after funds have cleared, ut if problems arise can hold a little longer.
As a side note: I still have the original flathead V8 engine complete with vintage ( American made) Edelbrock heads, DA dual carb aluminum intake, luminum fly wheel,and all the other parts removed from the car in the 1997 makeover. You could mechanically put this car back to stock condition if you wanted to do so, r they would be a great start for a vintage old school hot rod. They are NOT included in the sale, ut if you think you might be interested in this stuff I'll offer them to the buyer at a very good price.
I failed to mention in the description that the the front suspension height is adjustable without removing the springs. The spring pockets on the upper control arms can be be moved up and down about 2 ". I believe they are now set at the lowest position. The rear height can also be changed by removing lowering blocks and/or airing up the air shocks. Also if your looking for a more stock appearing look, have a set of vintique 15" steel wheels with stock 48 reproduction caps and beauty rings that I decided to INCLUDE with the sale. Two 6" wide and Two 8" wide. If I were going to keep the car, was going to install a set of wide whites with the steel wheels. I also will INCLUDE a binder with numerous pages of receipts and a parts list of the years and parts descriptions used in the restomod conversion. I will also send a copy of the original hand written receipt that I received when I purchased the car 32 years ago, nd also, nbsp;only to the purchaser, hegentleman's name andcontact information who I bought it from.

Thanks for looking