Galen Swisher's 1940 Ford coupe captures a chapter of his youth in high style, with its jet-black finish and red reversed wheels. He found the car three years ago in North Carolina and set out to replicate a '40 he had while serving in the armed forces in the late 1960s.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Swisher has kept the saddle tan upholstery that was in the car when he bought it, but plans to eventually have it redone in the same color and style. Note the air suspension controls on the front seat; the coupe has self-leveling air shocks that can compensate for load and lean while the car is in motion.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
This is not your garden variety 350 crate engine; this one is equipped with a Vertex magneto that supplies its own electricity to fire the ignition and the Edelbrock intake manifold is fitted with a rarely seen Weber 4-barrel carb.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The view from the rear is as breath-taking as seeing the car coming at you. Ford designers got all the curves right when they drew up the '40 DeLuxe Business Coupe.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Swisher sent his dashboard and window garnishes off to California to be professionally woodgrained by the same shop that does Jay Leno's cars. The results are spectacular.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The window moldings show the same reddish grain as the instrument panel trim.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The coupe's two-piece divided windshield had already been replaced with V-butted glass when Swisher bought the car and he chose to keep it as it was.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Swisher removed the stock `billboard-style' license plate frame and mounted the tag beneath the rear body work. When the engine is running, a vacuum actuator swings the plate down; as soon as the engine is switched off, the tag tucks back up out of view.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Swisher's first '40 Ford had reversed steel wheels that he crafted himself. This one is equipped with Vintage reversed wheels fitted with trim rings and moon caps. The rear tires are Michelin 235x70Rx15's.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Another nod to the past, the front wheels are smaller 14-inch Vintage units, these wrapped in Kumho 195x70x14 rubber.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The factory bench seat still does duty inside the coupe and will be retained when the interior is freshened up somewhere down the road.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A polished dash insert houses black-faced VDO instruments and is also trimmed in rich woodgraining.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Perhaps nothing says '40 Ford DeLuxe more than the artfully styled grille and the red-accented V-8 emblem on the nose of the car.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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