1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe Chopped Top Hot Rod with 355 Small-Block, Full Build Documentation, and Show-Quality Chassis Why This Car Is Special The 1933 Ford 3-window coupe is one of the most recognized body styles in American hot rodding. Ford introduced the redesigned Model 40 for 1933 with a more streamlined body, a longer wheelbase, and a lower roofline compared to the Model 18 it replaced. The three-window coupe variant named for its single side window per door rather than the opera window found on the five-window has a cleaner, more aggressive silhouette that makes it a perennial favorite for custom builders. Henry Ford also introduced his flathead V8 for the 1932 model year, and by 1933 the combination of a powerful engine in a lightweight body had already established this platform as the foundation of postwar hot rodding culture. The shape still reads exactly the same way today. This particular 1933 Ford 3-window coupe is not a restoration. It is a ground-up custom build centered on a brand-new Downs Manufacturing body serial number 001796, purchased new on February 26, 1999 mounted on a Downs Manufacturing boxed frame with a tube X-member. Every major component comes from a known, named builder: the engine from Jon Barrett Hot Rod Engines in McLoud, Oklahoma; the transmission from Phoenix Transmission in Weatherford, Texas; the chassis fabrication from Downs Manufacturing in Lawton, Michigan. This is a documented build, not an anonymous project car assembled from unknown parts. The top has been chopped 3.5 inches, which lowers the greenhouse and sharpens the coupe's profile considerably without distorting the original body geometry. The doors open suicide-style, hinged at the rear rather than the front, which was a period-correct custom treatment and remains one of the most visually striking features on any 1933 Ford coupe build. The car is finished in GM Wheatland Yellow, a bright factory color that puts the body lines on full display. At the price point this car represents, the buyer is getting a completed, drivable hot rod built from quality components not a project requiring additional investment to make road-ready. The Vintage Air Super Cooler climate system, cruise control, power windows, power doors, power trunk, and Ron Francis wiring harness mean this is a car you drive, not one you trailer to a show and push back into a garage. Features List - Downs Manufacturing 1933 Ford 3-window coupe body, serial 001796, purchased new 2/26/1999 - Top chopped 3.5 inches - Suicide doors with power operation and remote-controlled power trunk - GM Wheatland Yellow exterior paint - Jon Barrett Hot Rod Engines 355 cu in small-block Chevrolet, rated 320 HP, runs on regular fuel - 600 CFM Edelbrock carburetor - Porcelain-coated headers - Electronic ignition - Extensive chrome engine dress-up package - Phoenix Transmission Chevrolet 700R4 4-speed automatic with overdrive - Lokar floor shifter, Lokar brake and gas pedals - Aluminum driveshaft - Currie 9-inch Ford rear end, 3.50 gears - Downs Manufacturing boxed frame with tube X-member - TCI show chrome Mustang II coilover front suspension - Triangulated four-bar rear suspension with coils - Ford Explorer front disc brakes, 8-inch Ford rear drum brakes - Power dual master cylinder, steel brake lines throughout - Aluminum tilt steering column - Rootlieb steel 3-piece hood with single side scoops, Hagan aluminum hood supports (hinges either direction) - Aluminum grille with insert - Full fender set with smooth running boards and inner fenders - Halibrand 5-spoke PM polished wheels, 14x6 front / 15x8 rear - Vintage Air Super Cooler system with heat and defrost - Be Cool aluminum radiator with electric fan - Chrome Cool Flex radiator hoses, polished aluminum alternator and A/C compressor brackets - Ron Francis wiring harness - VDO gauges (speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure, voltmeter, water temp, fuel) - Beckert rearview mirror with LED gear position,
