Thursday, June 05, 2008

Restored 31 Ford, with documented history all the way back to it's first owner! With a movie star tie in!

The as found picture is above....

This was the condition of the car when Jom started the restoration, due to it being kept in a barn for a very long time! Yup, a barn find car! AND this fender below.. .. was damaged by Mickey Rooney! This car was used in the movie "Girl Crazy" a Judy Garland / Mickey Rooney musical, and after filming Mickey was goofing off and hit a tree I think Jim said. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035942/

The wind wings are each shaped in 1/2 of the shield shape of a highway or interstate sign!
Totally restored and then sold (about 7 years ago I think) the family who commisioned the restoration was hit with financial problems that had them in a bind, and they had to sell the car or their house. When Jim learned it was on the market, he matched the price a East Coast dealer offered, and got it back. If I recall correctly, he said that the grandfather of the folks he's first bought it from had hot rodded it in '48 or 49... and in the years the family had it, they only put 200 miles on it! Well, every 500 miles you have to change the oil (there was no oil filter) and do a bit of other lube preventative maintenance... so maybe with that, and the actual value of this car, they didn't get out with it at all.


The restoration is 100%... every where you can and places no one ever will, look.