Our 1940 Ford Standard Tudor

By George Zulas

It all started one fall day in 1994 at the Jefferson Wisconsin Swap Meet.  My friend Ken and I walked the swap meet in a Saturday.  The weather, as I recall, was nice – it wasn’t raining or very cold – so it was a good swap meet weather day.  After the swap meet we looked at the cars for sale; nothing of real interest to me.  Ken spotted a black ’40 Tudor.  He was giving the car the once-over, twice checking the bottom of the doors, deck lid area, etc.  He was impressed.  Ken has worked at dealerships, hot rod shops, and restoration shops, so I value his eye for cars.  This got me to start looking too.  I liked what I saw.  On the way home we’re talking about the ’40.  So I told Ken I would like to take the car for a drive.  I get home and told Dawn about a nice ’40 I’d like to buy.  Dawn says “You have a ’40 in the garage all apart.  Fix it up.”  But Dawn, you don’t understand.  She says “Yes I do.”

During the next week, Ken calls and they’re talking about the car.  Ken says “If George doesn’t buy it, I will.”  That statement was all the help I needed.  Dawn says “Go call that guy and take a test drive.”

I called the owner in Wisconsin and talked to him about the car.  I told him I’m very interested in the ’40.  One weekend leads to another and no test drive.  Finally I call him mid-week and ask if I can see the car next weekend.  He says “Sure.”  I call on a Friday to set up a time.  I ask if 2:00 or 3:00 pm is OK on Saturday.  He tells me someone is looking at the car around 1:00 pm.  Man – panic time!  I call Ken.  Can we get to Jefferson around 10:00 am?  I call the owner back and ask if we can see the car at 10:00 am and he says “Sure.”

We race up to Jefferson to check out the car and test drive it.  I gave him a deposit.  We get to his driveway and he tells us to flip the switch – it’s for the electric fuel pump.  No problem – my old ’50 Ford had an electric fuel pump with no problems at all.  He has a real long driveway.  Don’t worry; we can make it to the garage without running out of gas.  We listen to the motor.  No knocks or strange noises at all.  Gauges all work; some smoke out the tailpipe (normal I guess).  After we get the car home and drive it around, it used some oil.  No big thing.

Our first big trip with the ’40 was to Indiana for the covered bridge festival.  We get on the highway and stop to get gas.  Well, let’s check the oil.  Nothing shows up on the dipstick.  I go in and get a quart of 30-weight oil.  Pour it in.  Nothing on the dipstick.  I get another quart.  Still nothing on the dipstick.  I put in a total of three quarts.  Looks like a problem to me.  So I buy two extra quarts for the road – this should be good enough.  Well, we’re driving along and guess what?  We have to make a pit stop for you-know-who!  So I check the oil – nothing on the dipstick.  This goes on for the whole trip.  We finally make it home to Westmont after putting in 42 quarts of oil.  Yes, you read that correct.  Forty-two quarts of oil.  Remember the prior owner saying to flip that switch to turn off the electric fuel pump at the beginning of his long drive?  That caused the cylinders to be washed down with fuel.  While looking at the engine I noticed that the fuel line went right to the carb and not to the stock fuel pump.  I corrected this but it was too late for the engine.  The electric fuel pump had too much pressure and overcame the pressure on the float seat.  I started to use 60-weight racing oil and a couple cans of STP – this helped some.

We started to drive the car to local car shows, then not at all because of the exhaust pipe smoke.  Also, the hot air heat exchanger rusted through; this was bearable for local shows or short trips - with the cowl vent open we could breathe.  The last straw was taking the car to Lloyd Duzell’s funeral.  We were nearly gassed out on this trip.  Westmont to Arlington Heights and back was the last trip we made.  This car needs a new engine.

My son George and I worked on another engine I had in the garage, a 59A.  This engine sat for about 10-12 years uncovered, so George took it apart and washed everything in the parts washer.  We had machine work done at Built-Right by Bill.  I dug out old aluminum heads I had for years and had to have some welding done in the combustion chambers.  Now our Central National Meet is getting close and Dawn says, with a tear in her eye, I want to go in the ’40, not our new car.  Two weeks before the meet the old motor is out and the new motor is getting buttoned up.  Dawn kept looking at our progress.  It’s not going to be done in time is it?  I’ll get it done.  “Yeah, right” she says.  Everything got done one week before the meet.  I’ve got a stockpile of old parts from years of swap meets.  I got the old 97 carburetor out of the Sears Allstate box (rebuilt by Sears).  Same thing for the two-bolt distributor; filed the points, new condenser, and put on a crab distributor cap.  I got to use other stuff after maybe 40 years of owning it. 

Let’s fire it up!  We get gas, hook up water, get a battery, put on tube headers with extensions.  She fires right up.  We rev the Hell out if it – also has a Weber cam.  So sweet.  Who comes up the drive?  One of Roselle’s finest.  We shut it down.  He looks at the ’40, no motor, and says “You have to test the motor before you put it in the car.”  Thank you – another gearhead.  He says, “Oh, by the way we had a noise complaint from a neighbor; this isn’t that loud” and walks away.

Everything was done one week before the Meet.  Motor in, exhaust done, brakes adjusted, clutch adjusted.  We start to drive the car to put on some miles – the engine runs real good.  Dawn says “Don’t we need more miles on the engine?”  Naw, our Chevy truck had 15 miles on it when new and it’s OK.  We pack up the ’40 with our son Tom.  John Judge meets us at our house and we take off for Springfield.  Out trip was uneventful, except for heavy rain going and coming home.  The motor ran great.  My son George assembled the engine – he did a good job.  After all the work, the ’40 is a nice car to drive.  I should have done this years ago.  But, you know what they say, there is always tomorrow.  The only problem we had was a door latch spring broke.  This allows the passenger door to not say shut unless it is in the locked position.  Dawn and I are looking forward to the Eastern National Meet.  I have to say, Dawn has patience with me.  Sometimes a person needs a little prodding to get into action.