Every car guy knows someone with a shed or trailer full of things nobody has seen in years. Two friends finally opened one and found a 1932 Ford five-window inside, and the man who posts as @PuddinsFabShop brought a camera along.
His buddy Slick had been after a 1932 Ford five-window for a long while. The car he wanted had been shut away in an old trailer for a quarter of a century.
“He said he got it 25 years ago,” the host says at 31:40, relaying what the owner told them before handing over a key.
A Long Haul In A Leaky Long Bed
The trip started early, with rain on the forecast for the rest of the week. To haul the car, the host chose an old long-bed grain truck he had driven down from North Dakota. By his own account, it leaks a lot of oil.
They topped up the oil, borrowed a battery and coaxed it to life. From there it was roughly a two-hour drive toward the Kansas state line. Along the way the old truck settled into a speed it liked, and they kept a box of oil handy just in case.
At the end of the road was a property full of vintage speed parts, old signs and early Fords. It belongs to a veteran hot rodder the host calls a legend, known to many as Okie Joe.
Cutting The Lock On A 1932 Ford Five-Window
The owner handed them a grinder along with the key, which turned out to be a good hint. So they cut the lock off the trailer and dug the door free.
Inside sat what was left of a real steel 1932 Ford five-window body. It was rough and dented, and the host says something had obviously been living in it. He even shows a picture of a possum inside.
Still, Slick liked what he saw. “It’s not rusted out bad, though,” he says at 32:38, pointing out that the metal wasn’t pitted the way these bodies usually are. Some garnish moldings came along with it.
Out In The Light Again
They loaded the body into the long bed, broke for a burger, then pulled out into the sun. “First time that body has been out in the light in 25 years,” the host says at 45:28.
Before they left, the owner gave the host a cast cowboy-hat topper he had made. The host plans to polish it up and use it as a hood ornament on his own truck. They also toured a field of old Fords, including a 1936 Ford and several early pickups.
One of them points out that this is exactly why you don’t cut down a long bed, since everything fit so nicely.
What To Know Before You Haul Home A Barn Find Body
Their trip shows a few smart habits for anyone chasing an old project:
- Bring tools to open things. A grinder, a shovel and straps all came in handy here.
- Check the metal for pitting, not just dents. Dents can be hammered out, but rot is a bigger job.
- Grab the small trim pieces that come with it, because they are hard to find later.
- Make sure the haul vehicle is up to the trip, and carry spare fluids for an older truck.
- Expect animals in anything that has sat for years, and dress for it.
Where The 1932 Ford Five-Window Stands
On the way home they stopped at a car wash to clean out the truck. Back at base, they unloaded the body at Slick’s new 30-by-60 shop. “Uh, I’m 32 and I have a 32,” Slick says at 1:29:46.
There is a lot of work ahead. The host calls it a long-term project that Slick will take his time on over the next decade or so, alongside the roadster he is already building.
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