OG Hot Rod! 1934 Ford Model 40
The opposite of a barn find, this 1934 Ford Model 40 in Sacramento, California has been driven most of its life, according to the seller. How it avoided a ZZ Top Eliminator-type makeover in the ’80s or ’90s might rank among the top ten miracles of the modern world. Like many old Fords, it became a chopped hot rod in the 1950s, and still wears an array of custom touches from that era.
The Ford migrated from hot rod heaven (southern California) to Sacramento in the ’70s, presumably to serve this member of the Sacramento Triceps Club. Is that a can of Schlitz? Note the ventless hood sides. Those aluminum panels and the Ford steel hood tops still exist and come with the sale, along with a boatload of speed parts and other items removed from the car over the years.
A later 1940s flathead V8 made around 100 HP stock. The aluminum radiator, electric fan, and other recent upgrades keep this ride out of “time capsule” contention, but add to the utility of this much-enjoyed classic. What you might think is the world’s oddest brake master cylinder is actually a later model Ford starter solenoid, a common addition to hot rods of various makes. Check out that Wolf Whistle!
Twelve volt wiring, later steering wheel, and the 1949 Ford dashboard bring this rod into the post-war era. It’s even got turn signals! A three-speed manual gearbox shifts smoothly according to the listing. The steering wheel spinner (illegal in some localities) and other doo-dads recall a time when these cars changed hands for a Benjamin or two.
The top handle and taillight step indicate a rumble seat, a place to stow two brave passengers in the open air. Don’t forget a blanket on those cool evenings! Though currently out of favor, the forward rake was the bee’s knees for decades, with “rear bumper distance from ground” the metric of cool at high schools everywhere. Check out 200 pictures and more details on this wicked-cool Ford here on eBay where at least nine bidders have its value over $32,000, a testament to the allure of early rodding. Is this sweet old school rod the antidote for paddle-shifted sports cars that drive themselves?
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Comments
Too cool for school! Help out an old dude- What does “OG” stand for? Thanks, daddy-o!
OG- Original Gangster. Though, I’ve never heard the term describing an old hot rod.
Original.
OG, short for “original gangster” or “original gangsta,” is a slang term for someone who’s incredibly exceptional, authentic, or “old-school.” OG was originally used in gang culture, but it is now used as a general term to praise someone who is an expert at something.
Would adding some SLANG to the description ad value or detract.?????
OG (at least these days) can mean a lot of different things. In the VW community it means “Original German”.
Great old rod. The rake is perfect.
Not my cup of tea, but I will admit that it exudes “cool”. Somebody is going to get a piece of American hot rod history.
Needs a Buick Nailhead manual trans and then it wpu;d be perfect. That is the trouble with someone elses hot rod, its your ideas. A really nice looking car , too nice and expensive to rip apart and make it mine
The gas line connection directly on top of starter solenoid doesn’t give you a real feeling of comfort.
This is certainly an interesting 34 Ford, I am surprised by the comments that they are missing the elephant in the room. It is an all steel 34 Cabriolet , with some very unusual modifications. The top has been chopped, but not much, the windshield frame is painted ,which gives it an unusual look. the top is not for a cabriolet , but more for a Roadster look using the cabriolet hardware. This car was mostly constructed in the mid fifties or later. The builder had an obsession with horns. Never seen Sargent stripes on fenders before. The dash accessories are obviously early fifties components. The emergency brake extension is a rare early accessory as is necker knob. Tire and wheel combo very recently added ,it has become very popular in the last couple of years. The radiator and distributor also recent ad on’s. Could definitely do without the modern bird on the radiator cap. The running boards appear to be original and the grill shell is a high dollar re-pop. The cabriolet is a very desirable body style and if it goes for less than 40 K, could be considered well bought. Also no idea what its like underneath, but I would suppose it’s not bad. It should be fairly stock, from so few major mechanical changes, many more observations , but that’s enough for now.
Someone found a survivor, 1950’s hot rod and started removing the vintage speed equipment for current day speed equipment. By doing so they were systematically removing the car’s character. A car like this isn’t going to be a daily driver and more than likely won’t be driven much at all. Vintage speed equipment, properly maintained won’t negatively effect its reliability. I’ve got a couple of friends that have hot rods that use nothing but vintage speed equipment, they’ll pick a target date and nothing goes on the car that wasn’t available at that time, that includes nuts and bolts, external mechanicals, heads, manifolds, ignition gauges, etc. They are reliable and driven on rod runs several times a month during the summers.
The seller of this car likely found it in its current condition. His eBay store often lists vintage speed equipment and memorabilia, I’m pretty sure he used to have the Sacramento So-Cal Speedshop.
Steve R
Steve, I agree with you on some being undyingly obsessed with building old hot rods that are true to the era. I have a friend that is building a chopped ’29 sedan on ’31 frame that he searched for months for to find a date correct ’57 283 with ’58 power pack heads. He also had to have a date correct generator, Offy 3 2 bbl. manifold, and a ’57 Vette 4 speed. I personally think that he’s a little OCD, but he’s committed to it being built with parts from the correct period.
That’s true if building a car from scratch, but it’s a different story if someone purposefully removes those parts from a car that has survived in its original form for close to 70 years.
Steve R
1931 Ford Model A Deluxe Phaeton would be my OG pick!
Otis Campbell….I bet Howard gets it.