1931 Ford Roadster

Handkerchiefs are believed to date back to China circa 1000 B.C. where they were used as head coverings to ward off the sun's harsh rays. In Roman times, the drop of a handkerchief signaled the start of a chariot race. In the Middle Ages, a knight would don his lady's handkerchief for good fortune in battle. Handkerchiefs varied in design from plain to exquisite. In the 18th century, handkerchiefs became signifiers of wealth, and King Louis XVI is said to have prohibited by law that anyone carry a handkerchief larger than his own. Hankies were often treasured possessions, and were also brought to street races, where just like the Romans that came before them, used the hanky to signify the start of a drag race on the old lakebed of the LA area.

For consignment a modified 31 Ford Roadster come hot rod. An open cowl hood, shiny radiator cover, curvaceous founders that are attached by the running board in the center, and a folding convertible top we are ready for the hanky drop.

Exterior
Red paint for this all steel car, and plenty of it all shiny and bright and in very nice condition. Not to be outdone, the chrome window surround, headlight bezels, radiator surround, and dual bar bumpers all utilize the polished surfaces nicely. Pristine straight running boards are present. Bringing up the rear, we see a mother in law seat that appears with the turn of a lever, and a wood and chrome luggage rack. I love the design detail of the blue dot brake lights which present on the ends of chrome poles and have nicely curved chromed bezels. Up front another interesting detail is the leather belt straps that hold down the hood. These frame the beautifully presenting mill and all its power trimmings. A canvas convertible top, which goes up and down manually, adds another look to this rodder. 15-inch Weld Prostar wheels are on all 4 corners and are wrapped by 215/60R15's all around.

Interior
Opening the slight square doors, we see stitched faux leather vinyl in nice saddle color. The interior features a faux leather bench which is nicely padded and in excellent condition. A black metal dash stretches from door to door and houses a symmetrically circular VDO classic style instrument cluster which descends in size as it gets to the doors. A machined aluminum tilt steering column replaces the original, and a large tall shift lever rises form the dark gray carpeted floor. The rear rumble seat is covered in the saddle colored faux leather vinyl as well.

Drivetrain
Sitting snugly behind those leather straps is a red blocked, chromed valve covered 350ci V8 circa 1980 (TFH stamping). An Edelbrock Torker Intake has a Holley 4-barrel carb atop and a shiny air cleaner housing above. On back a TH350 3-speed automatic, and a 10-bolt rear axle. Noted are the coiled brake lines which have this mill looking more like a bootleggers still than an engine!

Undercarriage
Looking underneath will have you seeing red…mainly because its painted that! Floorpans, body hangers, frame and suspension as well as the pumpkin are all red and rust free. Shiny coil overs and shocks are chromed, and motor mounts are black, but otherwise red. Independent coil springs up front and coil overs for the rear, and front disc brakes and rear drum brakes are seen. Finally, a Flowmaster exhaust winds its way rearward from the 350ci mill.

Drive-Ability
The majority of these hot rods one needs a shoehorn and combination lock with 2 pages of instructions to get into them. This one is easy in and easy out, starts right up and sounds awesome! It handled well, stopped on a dime, and has nice acceleration as well as comfortable cruise. It was too cold to put the top down, but the car ran overall great.

A project worth doing is well is a project well done, and this is a nice example of a buttoned up 31 Ford Roadster rod. Ergonomically all sorted out, and a nice driver, it can be shown too with ease and most likely will score high. If red turns your screws, then there is plenty to go around on this one!

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 500 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.