Hemi Under Hood! 1946 Ford Business Coupe
If I were a dyed-in-the-wool Ford guy, I’d get a bit irked every time I went to cruise-in or a car show and observed a ’30s-’40s vintage Ford harboring a Chevrolet 350-350 (350 CI engine/350 Turbo-Hydramatic trans) providing the motivation. Ford certainly has had success with their Windsor series engines and one of those would be a perfect choice if bypassing a flathead is your goal. But then, if you figure there’s a standoff as in a Ford car and a Chevrolet engine, what happens if you seek a neutral corner? Well, that’s the case with this 1946 Ford Coupe, so let’s take a closer look. It is located in Ventura, California and is available, here on eBay for a BIN price of $17,999. There is a make an offer option too. Thanks to Larry D for this tip!
Ford, like every other domestic auto manufacturer, was anxious to get back to it at the conclusion of WWII, and as with many of their competitors, they picked up where they left off in early 1942. The trim levels were the Super De Luxe and De Luxe lines while body styles included a Fordor sedan, a Tudor sedan, Sedan Coupe, a Business Coupe (like our subject car), a convertible club coupe, and a woodie wagon. Sales totals of 468K put Ford on top in ’46.
The seller goes into more detail regarding the mechanical features of this coupe than he does the aesthetics but anyway you cut it, it presents beautifully. The black finish is deep and the door handles, and some of the trim, have been shaved. The rear bumper has been dechromed and it appears that the front one has been removed entirely. The street cruiser vibe is reinforced with Weld wheels, including a pretty deep offset pair on the rear. Note the state-shaped 1946 Tenessee license plate!
There’s no Chevrolet power under the hood of this Dearborn classic, nope, it’s a polished Chrysler 331 CI Hemi V8! No reference regarding the transmission other than it being an automatic unit and it’s hooked up out back with a Ford 9″ differential. The seller claims, “Car runs and drives amazing“. I bet! The front suspension is from Heist and it, with its coil-overs, gives this coupe a perfect stance.
The interior is a curious choice, it’s upholstered in a brown vinyl material which seems an unusual choice with the black exterior but it works well with the entire package. The instrument panel, including the original radio and undersized steering wheel, complements the exterior’s hot-rod persona.
This is a cool Ford body with a very impressive, and unexpected power source. While we have kicked around the current demand for cars of this era and nature, the resounding question always gets back to the receding interest. Based on the quality of appearance, the Mopar muscle, and its reasonable price, I’m betting this Ford Business Coupe will find a new home very quickly.
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Comments
Interesting car already gone. Anybody know why the rear bumper etc. looks weird or is it just the angle of the shot?
It’s still for sale. The seller currently has it listed as an auction with a higher BIN price.
Based on the depth of the rear wheels and some statements in the description, I’d bet this was built as a Pro Street car. It’s not as tubbed as most, but has been tubbed none the less. The vintage 331 is a nice touch, like you said it beats the typical small block chevy. But remember, there wasn’t much development work going on for Windsor engines in the late-70’s and 80’s, until the Fox body Mustangs took off. Prior to that the much of the focus was on Cleveland based engines.
This car is nice, but dated. Potential buyers need to make sure they know what they are buying.
Steve R
Think it’s a solid driver?
sticks out.look at right side shot
The Hemi looks good in there. I like it. There is never a need for a SBC, unless you are looking to moor your water craft…
1941 dash
I’m always irked by any hot rod that has a motor from another company, but that’s just me. Never been a fan of business coupes either, they always seemed out of proportion to me with the front being shorter then the rear. I’d much rather have this car (or any car) as a regular coupe. This does look really solid and could be a lot of fun for thee buyer.
I built my 32 Ford roadster with a BBC, when asked “Why would you put a Chevy in a Ford ?” I reply ” I want to go fast and not break down”.
I had a 57 DeSoto with a 331 CI hemi. Not a lot of power stock. I would replace with a Ford Coyote! The best American engine built today!
I agree with the writer of the article it’s disgusting to see a horrible Chevy engine under the hood of a beautiful Ford but that said a sweet Mopar engine like a hemi would be acceptable! A Y block or an FE would be a sweet engine as well! I know they cost a bit more than a Windsor but they run good!
“Horrible Chevy engine”? never heard of such a thing…
In the late 50’s these cars were used by Oklahoma bootleggers to haul whiskey from adjoining states into Oklahoma City and other large cities while Oklahoma was a dry state. The ones I was familiar with all had Cadillac V8’s in them. The rear seats were removed to accommodate the lugged up pints and half pints of whiskey. They would jack up the rear of the car before loading and put large coil overload springs under it to carry the weight.
Would be nice to set this one up with original style valve covers etc as opposed to th80’s look it’s sporting now. Would be nice redone as a ‘within reason’ period correct 60’s street rod, with that hemi and a 4 spd in it.
I’m a Ford guy . But like most of us love the Chevy cars. I guess I’m a Ford guy because of Ford truck which I’ve had close to 30. 2 chevys which didn’t hold up . I’ve personally never understood why people put Chevy motors in Fords other than they are cheaper. Fords use oil between changes Chevys leak it on your concrete. I’m sure that will get some comments. I do like the 331 Hemi old school .