The Jack Brumbach 1942 Ford has always had a special place in my hart. Was it perhaps since not really to much is known about it... or was it just because it had such gorgeous lines.

The car was finished in the late 40's but most likely already started soon after the war in '46 or '47. All custom element point that direction. The smooth tapered chop is especially unique on this car. I think Sam really wanted to experiment with a much steeper taper on this one. This is one of the few Barris custom that has such a large taper that even the door side windows are not level but much smaller towards the rear of the door compared to the opening at the A-Pillars. The rear side window is reduced to a very small opening in the process. According to the sign next to the car the top was chopped 5 inches in the front and 7 in the rear. It is really to bad we don’t have a rear angle photo of this car.

It must be a wonderful flow from the top towards the trunk. It looks like the windshield is angled back a few degrees as well. Which is very well possible since Sam once stated that after he had built the Joe Urrita 1941 Ford convertible custom he learned his lesson and he would always lay back a windshield on a 41-48 Ford.

The whole chop on the Brumbach car reminds me a lot of the one Sam performed on Jessy Lopez – with the exception that the Lopez Ford had level side window openings – and one can only wonder which of the two was done first. One thing is sure the Brumbach Ford was finished later since it has 1949 Mercury bumpers and a 1951 Oldsmobile grille surround. So it must have been finished in the early 50's, but all the body modifications point more towards the mid to late 40's.

The headlights where molded in and the front and rear fenders where welded to the body and the seam rounded. The running boards where removed and the covers rounded all in a very similar way as was done on the Lopez Ford.

The hood was removed of it center chrome strip and peaked. The original grille shell was filled in and the rest of the front completely reshaped to fit the Olds grille surround. The floating grille bar is a very beautiful piece made from slightly tapered bars with integrated parking lights in bullet housings at both ends. The side trim was shortened on the hood, and now ends at the center of the front wheel opening, very nicely balanced.

In the photo above we can see the car in some very good company.

On the right we can see Don Vaughn's 1948 Buick Convertible and on the left the

Ayala/Barris built Dan Landon 1949 Chevy.