Not so crusty Ford
Dear Classic American,
I've just received the latest issue of Classic American and read the article on Delwyn Mallett’s 1950 Ford. Great to see a feature on this fabulous model, as I have a 1949 Ford. Although I imported mine in 2014, it has only been properly on the road this year, as it had starting issues (it is six volt and wouldn’t turn over sufficiently rapidly to fire, even with a new six-volt battery and starter motor). My mechanic friend Steve finally came up with a solution that allows it to run on six volt, but it has 12 volt to the starter motor. And all because I was too tight (and concerned with originality) to do a 12-volt conversion from the off!
Anyway, it runs well now, and drove from Anglesey to Tatton Park for Stars & Stripes and to Blenheim the following week for Rally of the Giants. ROG was great because there was a 1950 and a 1951 Ford there as well, so we three geeky owners were able to compare notes on the various changes from model-year to model-year...
Mine was restored (in a bit of a slap-dash manner I think) in the US, and is now slowly deteriorating in the UK. I don’t want it to be a concours show pony, but I would like to arrest the decline before it looks like Delwyn’s. No offence to Delwyn – I love the patina’d look, but mine has always looked smart, and that’s how I’d like to keep it. If Delwyn’s car was mine I would just aim to arrest further deterioration but keep it as it is – it has character!
A couple of points from the article. I think my Ford also has inoperative overdrive, so if ever Delwyn comes up with an expert on the subject, I would appreciate him sharing the knowledge. Also, I would be very concerned with Delwyn’s 10mpg. Mine averages a little over 16mpg in day-to-day driving, and over 18mpg on a long run like ROG. I suspect that there is something not quite right there...
Finally, a curiosity. I assume that Delwyn’s car was registered with DVLA soon after it arrived in 1991, and it has the number YXG 143. Mine was registered in 2014, and is YXG 672. Do you suppose that DVLA has a little cache of YXG numbers especially set aside for old Fords??
Michael Hooton
Holyhead, Anglesey
Well Michael, sounds like you’ve had real fun and games with your six-volt issues, but have finally resolved them – sometimes a straightforward 12-volt conversion is the simplest solution. As for Delwyn’s 1950 Ford, it was a bit touch and go as to whether to feature it, as we weren’t sure it was perhaps a little too patina’d, but we’ve had mostly positive feedback. The DVLA, as we’re all discovering, is a mystery unto itself…