Elite Dealer

1936 Ford Model 48

Indiana

$31,500

Vehicle Details

Make

Ford

Model

Model 48

Year

1936

VIN

AMSXT6432

Body Type

Other

Description

1936 Ford Sedan frame off chev engine three speed hydrallic brakes new interior glass 12 volt may trade for? black fenders red body new wide whites.

Ford Model 48 Buyer's Guide

Full guide

Jim Vasquez

Hot Rods

1934–1936

~4 min read

Updated Apr 2026

The Ford Model 48 is pre-war hot rodding distilled to its purest form — the car that Bonnie and Clyde chose for their getaways, that California speed shops chose as the ultimate platform, and that still commands attention at every show it attends.

This guide covers

✓ 9-point inspection checklist

✓ Common issues & what to avoid

✓ In-person inspection guide

✓ Market pricing by year & condition

✓ 5 FAQs answered

✓ History & fun facts

Read the Full Model 48 Buyer's Guide

Ford Model 48 Market Overview

Based on 26 Ford Model 48 listings currently on ClassicCarsArena.com

Listed Now

$40,740

Avg. Asking Price

1935–1936

Year Range

Price Position on Our Site — Average Range

This car: $31,500

Low: $9,500 High: $99,999

Transmission Distribution

Automatic 31%

Manual 15%

Condition Distribution

Excellent 4%

Good 15%

Fair 4%

Data from ClassicCarsArena.com listings Browse all 26 listings →

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Check sold prices for the 1936 Ford Model 48

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Ford Model 48 Buyer's Guide

Jim Vasquez here. If you want to understand where the hot rod movement actually started, the conversation eventually leads back to the 1934–1936 Ford V8 — what Ford called the Model 48 internally. The Model 18 (1932) gets all the Deuce glory, but the 48 is the car that built California car culture. Speed shops from Burbank to Bakersfield built their businesses on these cars. The flathead V8, the pontoon fenders, the sloped tail — everything about the Model 48 says "customize me."

Bonnie Parker wrote a letter to Henry Ford praising the V8 for its performance. That story might be embellished, but the 1934 Ford really was the preferred getaway car of the era, which tells you something genuine about how fast these machines were relative to the period. What it tells me is that even criminals had taste.

What to Check Before Buying

✓

Floor Pan & Cowl Rust — Probe the floor pans and cowl area — these are the most structurally significant rust locations on pre-war Fords.

✓

Body Authenticity — Verify body style with a pre-war Ford expert — three-window coupes attract clone builds from less-valuable bodies.

✓

Frame Inspection — Check frame rails and cross-member welds for cracks, especially at the body mount points.

✓

Engine Numbers — Record and verify the engine number — original flathead engines should match the production year of the car.

✓

Cooling System — Run the engine to temperature and monitor for overheating — corroded water passages are common.

✓

Brake System — Verify whether original mechanical or upgraded hydraulic brakes are fitted — either is acceptable if functional.

✓

Body Seams & Panel Gaps — Check door gaps and body panel alignment — uneven gaps on a pre-war car suggest composite assembly.

✓

Glass Completeness — Inspect all glass — curved glass for these cars can be expensive or impossible to source in original form.

✓

Trim & Hardware — Verify trim and hardware completeness — correct reproduction quality varies widely by year and part.

Common Issues

Floor pan and lower body rust on essentially all unrestored examples. Cracked frame rails from accumulated stress and age. Flathead V8 cooling system failures from corroded water passages. Composite cars assembled from parts of multiple vehicles. Worn-out or non-functional mechanical brakes — upgrading to hydraulic is common and accepted. Unavailable body panels for rare body styles (roadsters, phaetons). Missing or incorrect trim and glass.

What to Look For

Inspect the floor pans and lower body panels thoroughly — 90-year-old cars will have rust, the question is how structural. Verify body style authenticity: three-window coupes attract counterfeits built from lesser body styles. Check the frame rails for cracks at cross-member welds. Confirm originality of the flathead V8 (engine numbers should match the car's production period). Period-correct modifications from the 1940s–1960s are acceptable to most buyers; modern swaps devalue the car for purists. Verify the steering and brake systems are functional — original mechanical brakes require careful attention.

Price Guide

Three-window coupe, driver condition: $30,000–$55,000. Show-quality original three-window: $70,000–$120,000+. Period-correct custom/hot rod three-window: $45,000–$150,000 depending on build quality. Tudor sedan driver: $18,000–$35,000. Fordor sedan: $12,000–$25,000. Cabriolet/convertible: $35,000–$75,000. Roadster: $40,000–$80,000. Custom/show-quality builds across all styles can reach $200,000+.

Did You Know?

Bonnie Parker reportedly wrote Henry Ford a letter praising his V8, which became one of the most famous unsolicited endorsements in automotive history — though historians debate its authenticity. The three-window coupe body style earned its name from the three side windows: one in each door and one small quarter window. The five-window coupe added a second small window per side. The flathead V8 was used in various forms through 1953 in American Fords, spanning nearly 22 years of continuous production.

Elite Dealer

$31,500

1936 Ford Model 48

Indiana

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