John Scheve’s 1937 Ford Standard Tudor

By Gary Osborne and John Scheve

Ford Motor Company was optimistic that their 1937 models would bring the company back to the lead of the automobile industry.  The previous model year run had been lackluster as far as sales were concerned. Henry Ford never wanted to be second to anyone, so he was determined to make the changes needed to bring his company back to the top.

Styling, the first thing that attracts customers, had  to be addressed. There is some disagreement about who designed the 1937 Fords, whether it was Edsel Ford and his team, or the Briggs Manufacturing Company. There were some significant styling changes to the cars. Some of the changes made were a large swept back grille, modeled after the Lincoln Zephyr, headlamps that were molded into the front fenders, a one-piece hood that was hinged at the rear, and an all steel top on the sedans instead of the fabric covered roof used previously.

Second, powertrains were of a concern for prospective customers. This was the year that the     V-8 60 came into American production from Europe. The sales brochures advertised this engine for those consumers, living through the depression, who wanted to drive a very economical car. The problem was that the engine didn’t have enough power to propel the car as well as the 85 HP engine. As it turns out, most cars were sold with the larger engine and the    V-8 60 was only utilized for four years in the U.S.

Part of the powertrain problems also had to do with the braking system. Ford still insisted on using mechanical brakes while other automobile manufacturers used hydraulic systems. However Ford made changes in the system by using cables instead of rods to actuate the brakes and using “floating” brake shoes instead of ones that were rigidly mounted. These brakes could still do what they were designed to do, and that is to simply stop the vehicle.

Ford made a big push to get as many cars as possible sold, so he brought 8000 dealers to Detroit to promote the 1937 cars. The Company had a goal of 1,000,000 units sold by September, and 1,300,000 units for the model year.

Henry Ford made a big push to get as many cars as possible sold, so he brought 8,000 dealers to Detroit to promote the 1937 models, setting a goal to sell 1,000,000 units by September, and 1,300,000 units for the model year. Neither one of these goals were achieved in the domestic market, with Chevrolet remaining in the top spot. One notable achievement for Ford was the production of the 25 millionth Ford vehicle built since 1903. Henry Ford himself watched as this car rolled off the assembly line.

The Standard Tudor Sedan pictured above is owned by our NIRG member John Scheve, who has been its caretaker since 1984. John saw the car at a friend’s garage and wanted to buy it, but it was not for sale. John was persistent and eventually his friend relented. The car was delivered to the Scheve house in many pieces and looked to be complete. Well, we all know how that goes!

John is a man who likes to do his own work, so he began to learn the skills that he would need to restore the car. Learning how to polish and restore metal parts, do upholstery, tackle the wood graining on the interior, and even how to paint. Most of us don’t get to paint our cars, but John was determined to do his. As you can see by the photos, he did a wonderful job.

Este, John’s wife also contributed a lot to this restoration. She was the one doing much of the research for correct parts and availability.  She helped install many components, including the engine, and did some of the interior work. Because of the knowledge gained in this process, she now enjoys being a judge at the National Meets.

Life is filled with many paths that don’t help to make a restoration timely, so after more than 20 years the car was finally completed in 2008. This was the first year that the car was able to hit the road and destination #1 was the Grand National Meet in Dearborn. After the judging, the car received a 1st Place Award. Really desiring a Dearborn Award, John made the necessary changes, brought the car back to the National Meet in Auburn in 2009 and won his Dearborn!

Since that time the Scheves were invited to show the car at the Geneva Concourse d’Elegance in 2010, where it won a coveted Benz Award. The car was shown in 2011 at the Eyes on Design Concours d’Elegance benefiting the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology. This show was held at Edsel Ford’s home in Grosse Point Shores, Michigan. They were also invited to show the car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2013 at the Indy Concourse. Former race car driver, Mario Andretti picked their car for a 3rd Place Award in its class. Of course, they also got to take the car for a spin around the famed 2.5-mile track!

One thing that John has noticed over the years has been the fact that what was always said about the V-8 60 is true; it’s a real dog! For the size of the car it is truly underpowered, but he wanted to keep the original engine. Because of this the car is not driven a lot, but the joy is getting to show this beautiful automobile many places.  Maybe this year the Scheve’ s will drive the car to a club event and we can enjoy it with them.

*Note: If you would like to read more about the Scheves’ car, there is an article in the November/December 2014 V-8 Times.