Ford Convertible 1940 images

The original 1940 Ford Deluxe convertible came with a modest flathead V8 making just 85 horsepower – nothing like the 350 cubic inch engine and automatic transmission riding under this particular car’s hood. That mismatch tells its own story about how classic pre-war Fords survive as drivers instead of trailer queens. Here’s what Ford actually built in 1940, and why so many owners choose to swap it out.

1940 Ford Convertible 350 CID V8 TH-350

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A 1940 Ford convertible was never meant to run a 350 cubic inch V8 backed by an automatic transmission – Ford didn’t build anything close to that combination until decades later. Which means the car pictured here isn’t running what left the factory in 1940; it’s carrying a later small block and automatic stuffed into a body that originally held something far more modest. That kind of swap has quietly become one of the most common ways to keep a pre-war Ford on the road as a daily driver instead of a trailer queen. So what did the original 1940 Ford actually come with, and why do so many owners swap it out?

What Ford Actually Put Under the Hood in 1940

The 1940 Ford Deluxe lineup offered a choice between a 60-horsepower inline-six and the famous 221 cubic inch flathead V8, factory-rated at 85 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque, paired with a three-speed manual. That year also brought sealed-beam headlights for the first time and a new hydraulic top on the convertible. The convertible coupe alone sold from $850 new, and Ford built just 23,704 of them, making it the most sought-after body style of all the Forty Fords today.

Why Owners Swap the Flathead for a Modern V8

The flathead V8 earned its reputation for being simple, reliable, inexpensive to build, and easy to modify, which made it a favorite among hot rodders throughout the 1950s. Modern owners chasing everyday drivability, though, increasingly pull the original flathead in favor of a small block V8 like the 350 cubic inch engine paired with an automatic transmission such as a TH350 – a well-worn resto-mod path that trades numbers-matching originality for a car that can actually keep up with highway traffic.

The Edelbrock Signature Under the Hood

The engine bay photos show a clearly branded Edelbrock air cleaner sitting atop the small-block, confirming the aftermarket swap rather than leaving it to guesswork. Edelbrock has built performance intake and carburetion parts since 1938, and its components have become close to a default choice for small-block Chevy and Ford builds precisely because of that long track record.

Wheels That Signal a Resto-Mod, Not a Restoration

This convertible rides on polished aluminum wheels rather than the wire-style wheels or steel wheels with hubcaps Ford actually offered on the 1940 Deluxe lineup, another visual cue that this car has been built for modern driving rather than kept numbers-matching original. The whitewall tires are a nod to the period look even as the wheels underneath them are anything but original equipment.

What the ’40 Deluxe Convertible Looked Like Stock

The 1940 Ford Deluxe lineup offered a choice between a 60-horsepower inline-six and the famous 221-cubic-inch flathead V8, factory-rated at 85 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque, paired exclusively with a three-speed manual transmission. That same model year also introduced sealed-beam headlights for the first time and a new hydraulically actuated convertible top, both genuine firsts for the Ford lineup rather than carryover features.

Why the Convertible Body Style Commands a Premium

Ford built just 23,704 of these convertible coupes for 1940 out of a much larger Deluxe lineup that also included sedans and coupes, making the drop-top the rarest and most sought-after body style from that model year among today’s collectors. That scarcity alone tends to put a convertible well ahead of its closed-roof siblings in collector pricing, independent of whatever engine happens to be sitting under the hood.

The Rise of the Small-Block Swap Culture

Small-block Chevy and Ford V8s became the default engine swap for pre-war cars starting in the 1970s and ’80s, largely because of how affordable and well-supported those engines were compared to keeping an original flathead running reliably. A flathead V8’s side-valve design and modest cooling capacity make it more finicky in modern daily-driving conditions than the small-block that eventually replaced it in cars like this one.

TH350: The Transmission That Made Swaps Easy

GM’s TH350 automatic transmission became a favorite among resto-mod builders for exactly the kind of swap this car received, prized for its compact size, relative light weight, and long reputation for durability behind a mildly built small-block. Pairing a TH350 with a 350-cubic-inch V8 turned a temperamental pre-war driving experience into something closer to a modern cruiser, without requiring a fully custom driveline setup.

A Body Style Ford Only Offered Briefly

Ford’s Deluxe convertible coupe body was only cataloged for a handful of model years before the Second World War halted civilian car production entirely in 1942, which caps the total number of pre-war Ford convertibles that could ever exist. That production window closing so abruptly is part of why surviving examples from any single year, 1940 included, draw serious attention from collectors today.

Keeping a Pre-War Frame Roadworthy

Builders who swap in a small-block and automatic transmission on a car this old typically also address the chassis, upgrading brakes and sometimes the front suspension, since a 1940 frame was never engineered around modern V8 torque or highway speeds. A drivetrain swap without those supporting chassis changes tends to expose the car’s original limitations rather than solve them.

Chrome Trim as a Restoration Checkpoint

The bumpers, grille, and headlight bezels on a car like this one are often the most expensive pieces to restore properly, since re-chroming period-correct trim requires a specialist shop rather than a typical body-and-paint garage. A car presented with bright, unpitted chrome like this one usually signals that a meaningful amount of the restoration budget went toward exactly those details rather than just the mechanical swap.

A Body Style That Aged Well

Ford’s 1940 Deluxe styling, with its rounded fenders and low, wide grille, is often cited by collectors as one of the cleanest pre-war American designs, aging noticeably better in the eyes of modern buyers than some of the more heavily ornamented cars competing brands sold the same year.

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