Four Forty-Nine Fords in the Family

By John Emmering

Occasionally when displaying my 1949 Ford at car shows or cruise nights I have been asked, “Is there a special reason why you choose a forty-nine Ford?”  The short answer is yes! 1949 Fords have had a significant place in my family history and it’s a story I do enjoy telling.

The first forty-niner in the family was a brand new Bayview Blue Custom Tudor purchased by my grandfather Henry Emmering in 1949. After tooling around in a Ford Model “A” from 1929-1940 and driving a used 1938 Ford Standard 60 hp V-8 Tudor during the war years, Grandpa put in his order for one of the new 1949 Fords in May 1949 and took delivery a month later.  Finally at 46 years of age Grandpa Henry was the owner of his first new car when he took delivery on the 1949 Custom Tudor, and how proud he must have been driving that attractive new car.

Since the demand for the new 1949 Ford was high the dealer added a radio and accessory seat covers to Grandpa’s car to add to his profit margin. That was the only time Grandpa ever had a radio in a car.  My Dad at age 20 admired that car also.  After obtaining his driver’s license in 1945 Dad had started out with a 1937 Ford, then tried a 1935 Ford roadster and by 1948 drove a cherry 1936 Ford Fordor. Dad had been impressed with the 1949 Ford since he saw his first one, which was a 1949 Ford Oak Park Police patrol car.  Dad began to set his sights on buying one of the new 49’s himself.

The big day of October 21, 1949 came and Dad stopped by Murphy Motors in Cicero to take delivery on a brand new 1949 Ford 6 cylinder Sea-mist Green Standard Business Coupe.   Dad got a $350.00 trade-in allowance on his 1936 Ford and bought the ’49 coupe for an even $1500.00. Since the 1950 models were already on the lot Dad got a good deal on this remaining 1949 model.  At 20 years old and now working fulltime as a draftsman for Western Electric, Dad had his first new car and felt real pride of ownership with that shiny new coupe.

Soon Dad bought a back seat for the business coupe and added 1950 door panels and a 1950 Custom horn ring along with three ribbed fender skirts.  These items were available for a few dollars at the Murphy Motors parts department.  Some blue dot tail lights were put in and a couple aftermarket accessories also to make the car a little sharper.  Dad had some enjoyable years with his car until the draft came along in 1951 with the Korean War raging.  Dad however, after induction to the Army, ended up with orders for France.  My grandparents looked after the ’49 coupe taking it out for an occasional Sunday drive during his absence.

After military service my Dad returned home to his car and job and then a steady girlfriend came into his life, my Mom.  My parents were married in early 1954 and I came on the scene later that year, taking my first automobile trip after leaving MacNeal Memorial Hospital in the back of that 1949 Ford Coupe.  Later I preferred standing behind the passenger seat so I could get a better view out of the windows. 

By 1957 both Dad and Grandpa had traded in the forty-niners and our family car became a 1957 Ford.  Grandpa traded in his 1949 Tudor for a 1956 Mercury.  The ’49 Fords were fondly spoken of however and we had pictures of them in the family album.  As children, my sister and I always shouted out when we saw a 1949 or 1950 Ford drive by with “there’s a car like our old one!”  As time went on those cars became fewer and fewer and really began showing their age.  The forty-nine Fords became a distant memory until 1971 when another one came into our lives.

At 16 years old I was really interested in antique cars and managed to purchase a 1928 Model “A” Tudor.  After working on the car over the spring and part of summer it was clear that it would be a long term project not really suitable for a teenager.  In August of 1971 my Dad came home one day and told me he had seen a real nice 1949 Ford on a used car lot in Elmhurst.  Dad took me out to see the car, a Sea-mist Green Custom Fordor.  I was impressed with the nice original condition it was in. The car was a V-8 with overdrive, which proved to be a great feature. We learned the car was from Fresno California and had not seen a Chicago winter.  This would be a great “Rouge class” car today.  It took very little to convince me that this would be a much better vehicle than the Model “A”, since I could actually start driving it right away.  Getting behind the wheel for the first time was a treat and the ’49 shifted smoother than our Pinto, the car I learned manual shifting on.

When we got the 1949 Fordor home after purchase, I thought it needed a new paint job since oxidation had set in.  My dad gave me some rubbing compound though and after a few days of rubbing the rough finish the paint shined like new again. That 1949 Ford was sure nice for driving to High School and out with friends.  Each month Hemming’s motor news classified ads offered plenty of reasonably priced NOS parts. I bought NOS bumpers, side stainless trim, an NOS clock, mirrors, skirts, etc.….  Those were the days when the car was only 22 years old and the parts and accessories were not yet highly sought after by collectors.   The car did have many admirers though. Gas station attendants always had nice comments and while stopped at red lights other drivers would occasionally ask, “How much would you take for it?” possibly thinking I was a naïve kid who would sell it cheap.

College days began as I entered Western Illinois University and I only had use of my 1949 Ford during summer vacation and breaks. By my senior year I traded my 1949 to my Dad for the family Pinto which was more practical for a college student.  Dad had done a lot with the car while I was away at college and it really became his hobby.  After college graduation I entered the Army, got married and then settled down in Aurora starting my police career and raising three kids.  I still loved to read about old cars and follow the hobby and I hoped to possibly get an old Ford once again in the future.

Our tale resumes in 2004 when I found myself working as a civilian at the U.S. Army Education Center in Kuwait as an Education Counselor to our troops.  I had recently been divorced and after working in Germany since 1991 in Army Education I took this temporary assignment in the Middle East to earn the money I would need for a move back home to the U.S.A.   There in Kuwait in my down time I began to check out “shoebox Fords” for sale on the internet and saw several I liked on EBay motors.  After losing a few bids on cars I liked I found a Colony Blue 1949 Custom Fordor up for bid in McFarland, Wisconsin.  Why no one else wanted to bid on a rusty 1949 Ford Fordor is a mystery to me and I easily won that bid.  I called the owner in McFarland (next to Madison, WI) and he agreed to hold the car a couple months for me until I came back to the states and I sent him a check in payment for the car.

After returning to the states I drove up to McFarland and after turning in off I-90 got my first glimpse of my 1949 Ford as it sat in the seller’s driveway. The ‘49 bore Illinois plates from 1966, the last year it had been driven on the road.  It was nice seeing that old familiar profile and sentimentality took over from common sense to give me a nostalgic and optimistic feeling about the car. On initial inspection I found two cracked side windows and BB holes in the cracked windshield.  The grill and all chrome plated trim area were badly pitted.  On the inside the driver’s seat had a large hole where the driver sat. The rear bumper was smashed and rocker panels rusted through on both sides.  The car smelled of moth balls, which fortunately had saved it from becoming a haven for mice.  The engine did start and the car ran but the exhaust system was rusted out and the brakes did not work.

Arrangements were made to tow the car to a shop in Lemont, Illinois where mechanical work would be done while I returned to work overseas, this time in war torn Afghanistan.  I flew back to Germany and made my way to my new 8 month assignment at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province, Afghanistan.  At FOB Salerno a co-worker and I set up a new Army Education center starting off in just a tent and later moving to a “hard” building.  When we got internet service I was back on EBay.  In my off time when I wasn’t hiding in a bunker during rocket attacks, I searched for and ordered parts for the ’49 Ford and had them shipped to my Dad’s house in Villa Park.   Before I returned from Afghanistan my Dad had a huge pile of 1949 Ford items down in his basement that I had purchased online.

My overseas adventures ended in July 2006 when I returned home to the Chicago area for good.   The 1949 Ford was now running well and had brakes and an exhaust system but still looked rough.  I was a disappointed with the firm that was supposed to be doing restoration work on the ’49 and placed the car in storage while I concentrated on finding a job and getting reestablished in the Chicago area.   In 2008 I was rehired by the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office and good fortune continued as I met and later married Robin.

In the fall of 2009 I learned that a friend of my brother, Rich, had returned to the Chicago area from Wisconsin and was doing freelance body work. Rich is a talented body and paint man and I knew he would do a great job on the 1949 Ford.  After a financial discussion with Robin we took the plunge and commissioned full body work and a paint job for the ’49 Ford.  Rich set his price and went to work on the car.  I delivered all the parts that collected in my Dad’s basement and of course there were also more that were needed.  Rich disassembled the car and went to work.

The rocker panels were very bad and some new ones had to be located along with some lower patch panels for the left fenders and quarter panel.  The driver’s door was rusted and I found a nice NOS driver’s door for $48.00 on EBay.  Rich worked on the body and removed the numerous dents and irregularities. When it came time to paint the car I did my best to match Bayview Blue Metallic, the same as my Grandfather’s Tudor.

After a labor of four months the 1949 Ford was finished and looked great.  As I drove the car home in April 2010 however a few mechanical issues remained.  The gas tank had debris in it which clogged the carburetor, the distributor was in poor shape and there was grinding from the differential.  That summer I obtained a new distributor (yes they used three different ones) and had the differential rebuilt with a new ring and pinion and bearings.  During spring of 2011 a new gas tank was installed along with a new carburetor.  By fall I had the interior finished with a new headliner, wind lacing and NOS accessory seat covers installed (like the ones the dealer stuck my Grandpa with). 

So my 1949 Ford is the fourth one in the family line and brings back early childhood memories as well as recollections of my high school days.  In the present day it’s fun to share the experience of Ford V-8 ownership with my fellow NIRG members who are such a help and encouragement!