• 
• 

Tell your friend

Ford Roadster 327 cubic inch V8 1932

General description : A lot of guys come into our shop and tell us they want a car that will scare them, something with 800 horsepower and breathes fire. We have cars that can do that, but after some talking and maybe a drive in one of those terrifyingly fast cars, the tune changes a bit. It turns out that what they really want is a car that can go to the cruise night and wow the crowd. But—and this is a big one—they also want it to idle nicely, not overheat, and if it had A/C for their lady, well, that would be just swell. So it turns out that what they really want is this awesome 1932 Ford roadster, which does everything I mentioned above, and does it really, really well.

This neat little roadster is definitely going to wow the crowd. It’s got the right hi-boy look with no fenders and minimalist bodywork. The body itself is fiberglass, of course, but it’s a Westcott body that duplicates the original shape exactly. Most folks won’t know the difference anyway. We like the exposed hinges, which helps with the illusion, and we’ve found that in most cases, the fiberglass bodies fit better and feel more substantial than the original steel ones, and that’s certainly the situation here. This car feels robust and durable going down the road, not flimsy and rickety like so many others. The color is simply called “Medium Red” and it’s by PPG, so it has an awesome gloss and a hint of metallic in it so it just glows in the sunlight. It was difficult to capture the exact hue in our photo studio, but in person the car is just beautiful and it’s exactly the right shade of burgundy to make it look inviting but not too bright. You may also note a few areas where it looks like it’s been scratched or bumped, but those are hand-painted “sparkles” on the finish, which were added when the car was pinstriped to give it an old-school vibe. A familiar ’32 grille shell up front, a chrome windshield, and a few details like the chrome spreader bars and ’39 Ford taillights with LEDs inside make this one look familiar and unique at the same time.

It’s also comfortable and your better half won’t complain about the accommodations. It’s as nicely finished as the bodywork, with a handsome gray leather bench seat that’s more comfortable than most compact roadsters. Even for drivers of standard stature, it’s comfortable enough to spend the day behind the wheel and the workmanship is quite good. Notice the way the seat is bolstered to help hold you in place, the beautifully finished door panels that flow into the side panels and the handsome gray carpets that are expertly fitted. The dash is painted to match the body, as it was in 1932, and there’s a sparkling engine-turned panel full of simple round gauges from Classic Instruments. The only other notable controls are an aluminum panel for the ignition and headlights, a small insert with markers for the turn signals and high-beams, and yes, those are A/C ducts with the controls tucked up out of sight underneath. The steering wheel is a cut-down 1940 unit that’s been painted to match the body and you’ll see more pinstripe work on the dash itself. And this really is a car that you can use any time, because it’s one of the rare roadsters with a folding top that’ll be great to have if there’s rain. It folds neatly and stows under a color-matched burgundy canvas boot so it looks trim, top up or top down—not many rods get that part right. There’s also a power-actuated trunk lid and a fully upholstered cargo bay, which also holds the battery for easy access.

And there’s plenty of performance on tap, don’t worry, but it’s also extremely civilized. That’s a vintage 327 that’s been fully rebuilt and outfitted with such niceties as a 4-barrel carburetor, HEI ignition, and some block-hugging shorty headers. Turn the key and it starts as quickly and easily as your fuel-injected daily driver, which is no small feat by itself, and it’s ready to run instantly. It makes 50 pounds of oil pressure at idle and there’s a fantastic V8 burble from the twin tailpipes out back, but it never gets annoying. The A/C unit dominates the passenger’s side of the exposed engine, but everything is tucked in neatly so you could add a hood if that’s your thing (there is no hood at the moment). There’s a giant Walker radiator with an electric fan on an automatic switch (there’s a manual override in the driver’s compartment) so it never gets fussy, and everything has been chromed, polished, or plated so it’s a good thing that it’s out there for everyone to see. Note the smoothed firewall, the clean frame rails, and real stainless braided hose, not just slip-on covers, all details that make this little Ford stand out among its peers. And have I mentioned how superbly it runs? It’s extremely impressive!

It’s also comfortable under almost any conditions thanks to a TCI 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, so it’s effortless on the highway. There are punchy 3.73 gears in the Ford 9-inch rear end, so it’s also plenty quick around town—you’d better bet that 327 has the oats to pull the 1900-pound car around with authority. The frame is a custom-made piece, complete with the unique 1932 fender line in the outer rails, and it’s fully boxed for strength. All the hardware was painted to match the body or chrome plated to really sparkle. It’s been driven about7000 miles since it was completed, so there are a few signs of use, but most of them could be erased with a bit of detailing on a Saturday afternoon. Disc brakes on a dropped front axle with a leaf spring are a familiar sight, while the rear is held up with a 4-link suspension and coil-over shocks. The gas tank hangs out back and tucks up high so the exhaust runs straight out and looks as good as it sounds. Polished Weld aluminum wheels recall the vintage “kidney bean” mags of the ‘50s and it carries a traditional big-n-little tire combination with 195/65/15s up front and 285/70/15s out back.

I love this neat little roadster. It gets everything right and is 100% painless to own and drive. Fast, fun, a joy to handle, comfortable, and to find a roadster with A/C and overdrive shows you the builder’s commitment to making it easy to live with. It’s been driven, so it’s not perfect, but it’s extremely nice and the mechanicals are fully sorted and bulletproof, so you should not hesitate to take this car just about anywhere. We love the look, we love the simplicity, and we love the price. Give us a call if it hits all your hot buttons as well.

http://www.harwoodmotors.com/vehicles/inventory_details.php?id=738

1932 Ford Roadster 327 cubic inch V8 is listed sold on ClassicDigest in Macedonia by for $49900.

People who viewed this Ford Roadster also viewed similar Ford listed at ClassicDigest

Ford Roadster

68000 $

St. Louis

Ford Roadster

18000 $

Arlington

Ford Roadster

119900 $

Charlotte

Ford Roadster

50000 $

Detroit

Ford Roadster

38000 $

Louisville

Other cars listed for sale by this dealer

Ford Fairlane

32900$

Ohio

Ford De Luxe

29900$

Ohio

Ford Mustang

29900$

Ohio

Ford Model A

24900$

Ohio

Pontiac GTO

89900$

Ohio

More