1949 Ford Custom Series

1949 was a big year for the Ford Motor Company as they introduced their first new product line since the end of World War II. Ford offered two Series for 1949, a base and a Custom Series. Both were offered with either a six- or eight-cylinder engine. The base series was the base trim level while the Custom was the top trim level. Additions to the Custom series were additional chrome moldings, a horn ring, interior B pillars, and two sun visors. The Deluxe Series could also be purchased in convertible or station wagon body styles - in addition to the two- and four-door sedans, and club coupe. The base series had two- and four-door sedan, a club coupe, and a business coupe, with prices that began at $1,415 for the club coupe and rose to $1,470 for the six-cylinder sedan.

The six-cylinder Custom was priced from $1,510 to $2,120, and the eight-cylinder versions listed for $1,590 to $2,265. The two-door sedan and club coupe had a factory base price of just over $1,500, the four-door sedan at $1,560, the convertible at $1,890, and the station wagon at $2,120. The two-door sedan was the most popular with 433,316 examples built, followed by 248,176 examples of the four-door sedan. The club coupe was also very popular with 150,254 units built. 51,133 examples were convertibles and 31,412 were station wagons.

The L-head, 226 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine had a cast-iron block, four main bearings, a Holley one-barrel carburetor, a 6.6:1 compression ratio, and delivered 95 horsepower at 3,300 RPM. The L-head eight-cylinder engine displaced 239 CID, had three main bearings, a Holley two-barrel carburetor, and 100 horsepower at 3,600 RPM. A three-speed manual transmission with a semi-centrifugal-type clutch was standard, with a synchronizer on second and their gears. A three-speed automatic with overdrive was optional.

The 1949 Ford passenger cars had a 114-inch wheelbase and a length of 196.8-inches. The station wagons had an overall length of 208-inches.

The 914,291 examples of the 1949 Custom Series represented over eighty-one percent of Ford's total passenger vehicle production.

by Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2008