Borrego Sun - Since 1949

Vol. 63, No. 11 Borrego Springs, California May 22, 2014

1933-34 Fords

Henry Ford’s next generation

The ’33 and ’34 Fords were almost identical, so I will discuss them together for this column. The grill and the hood latch handles were the major differences between the two years. The ’33 had one hood latch handle in the center of each side panel, the ’34 had two, one on each corner of the hood panels. The grills were different with the ’33 shaped more like a shovel, and the ’34 grill center out more than the edges. The ’34 had slightly smaller headlights and cowl lights. Of the two years, my sidekick Denny likes the ’34 the best for looks. He still gets excited when ever he is around one. If he had to choose between a pretty woman or a ’34 Ford, the woman wouldn’t be writing a column as nice as this one.

Model B — Model 18 and Model 40 refer to Ford cars and light trucks made from 1932 to 1934. The ’33 and ’34 went from a 106’’ to 112’’ wheel base. And no longer used a headlight bar. The V8 now had 75 horsepower in ’33, going to 85 horsepower in ’34. The ’33 and ’34 had a new dash with the instruments in an oval insert. They also had a glove box on the passenger side of the dash. These years also deleted the three window coupes. They now all had five windows. The bulk of the ’33 and ’34 trucks came with the four cylinder motor, with the V8 as an option. These motors are coveted today to use in Model As. They had a counter balanced crankshaft and pressure oil system making 50 horsepower, more if souped up. These motors are usually referred to as model ‘B’ and model ‘C’ motors. Ford didn’t refer to any of their motors as a model C. They have ended up with the two designations any way.

The ’34 V8 Ford became known as the Bonnie and Clyde “death car.” They were gunned down in their stolen ’34 Ford in May of 1934 in an ambush by law enforcement officers in Louisiana. Clyde had written a letter to Henry Ford praising his V8 car as his car of choice to steal and then be able to out run the law. Ford didn’t use his letter to advertise their cars however. 1933 and 1934 proved to be two years that many other car companies produced some of the greatest looking cars of that era. Chrysler, Plymouth, Packard, Lincoln and many others of that era are sought after even today. Hmmm, Now where did I park my time machine?

– Henry, the Panel Truck