ED & RONI’S 1947 FORD DELUXE COUPE

“OLD BLU” THE ELEGANT COUPE

By Ed Fontana

When I was a young boy I lived in the northwest side of Chicago.  We lived in a 3-flat apartment building owned by my parents.  My Uncle Red, as we called him, and his family lived on the second floor.  Uncle Red had a real nice car that he would keep very clean.  He washed it all the time.  He knew that I liked this car very much and gave me rides in it all the time.  Being a young boy at eight years old, I didn’t know what kind of car it was, but I was crazy about this maroon colored car. 

As I grew up my affection and interest for old cars increased and as a young teenager I realized that my Uncle Red’s car was a 1947 Ford Deluxe Coupe.  As I grew up, my interest in cars grew with me.  I always had that maroon Ford coupe in the back of my mind and hoped some day that I can own one.

When my wife Roni and I were dating, we went to a family party.  My Uncle Red was there and knew that we were to be married and said to my future wife, “I want you to know, Ed likes cars.”  From that time on, Roni knew Uncle Red was not kidding.

As time went on, Roni & I always went to car shows and we enjoyed these shows very much.  After our kids graduated high school and started their own careers, it was time for me to look for an old car that I wanted to restore.  During the spring of 1987, my wife and I went to Holland, Michigan for the Tulip festival.  It was there that I saw a ‘47 Ford Coupe at a local car show.  I told my wife, this is the kind of car I want to get and restore.  Roni liked it very much and from that time on I started to look for a Ford Coupe.

It took me almost two years to find a car that I was looking for.  In August of 1989 I finally found a 1947 Ford Deluxe Coupe that was for sale.  This car was in storage for 35 years on a family estate in Hickory Hills, IL.  The owner’s father purchased the car new from Grossinger Ford of Chicago, IL.  The dealer’s I.D. plate was still on the engine firewall.

After I purchased the car, I stored it in a warehouse until I was ready to restore it.  During that time, I joined the early Ford V-8 Club Illinois Region.  As new club members, my wife and I were welcomed with open arms.  I immediately got important information about my car from fellow club members and that fellowship was greatly appreciated.

In March of 1990 I took my car out of storage, brought it home, and started the restoration project.  In recent years, I had worked on various kinds of cars, but never took on a total restoration project of this size.

The car was totally taken apart, the body was taken off the chassis and chassis was stripped of all front end and mechanical components.  The bare chassis was sand blasted and painted.  The engine, transmission, rear end and brakes were totally rebuilt.

The body came to be my biggest challenge.  It was in worse condition than I originally thought.  In the coming months this restoration project was showing great progress.  The chassis was totally completed; the engine, transmission, rear end and brakes were rebuilt and assembled onto the chassis.  The extensive work on the body was finally completed.  The body was then placed on the chassis and the car was now ready for painting.

My wife wanted the car to be painted a dark blue so the color choice was Barcelona Blue.  Soon after the car was painted, buffed out and glazed, it went to the interior shop.  When I brought the car home from the interior shop, my wife and I, neighbors & friends looked and stared at it.  My wife said “We’re naming our ‘47 Ford Old Blu, the Elegant Coupe.”

After 3 years & 4,000 labor hours, the restoration project was finally finished.  It’s been 13 years since we finished the project.  Old Blue has been in countless car shows & has received numerous awards.  If only my Uncle Red could see Old Blu, the Elegant Coupe!