DYNAMIC DUO – KEN MORTENSEN 1939 FORD COUPE
The old saying goes, “Anyone can restore a classic, but it takes a real man to cut one up.” Indeed, in this day and age, there’s a much greater appreciation for the unaltered lines of an early Ford, with a greater focus on colour, stance, and the use of authentic speed equipment rather than severe body mods. Having said that, there’s always room in this magazine for something as imposing as Ken Mortensen’s chopped and fattened ’39 Ford coupe, a street-tough hot rod that’s not for the faint-hearted!
Both Ken and his son Casey have dabbled in drag racing in the past, but it’s Ken who also pursued the hot rodding hobby, a quad Weber’d Cleveland-powered T bucket, his much-loved plaything for many years. With the T bucket moved on, he turned his attention to a fresh project: this 1939 Ford coupe, based on a fibreglass body from Rodz North. The stock height shell didn’t stay stock height for long.
“It took me a year and about six goes to get it where I wanted,” says Ken, adding that there’s about 3.5” inches out of the front of the roof and 4” at the rear. Contributing to the coupe’s aggressive stance are the widened fenders, with matching running boards, of course, and Ken reckons the reshaped wheel arches make the car look lower than it really is.
“Basically, every panel has been changed on it. Once you cut them, everything moves,” he sighs as he rattles off the dozens of modifications, like laying the windscreen back, adding ’36 Ford door tops, pulling the dash back by two inches and narrowing the firewall, among others. In retrospect, he wouldn’t recommend taking on the task!
The customising continues with the installation of Mitsubishi door handles, the removal of the boot handle, a flush-fit fuel filler, and those organic taillights from a PT Cruiser. “Nobody knows what they’re off. I even had one fellow who owned a PT Cruiser ask me what they were off!” chuckles Ken.
You’ll have to lie low to see the chassis, Ken’s own creation built around a pair of Lewis Chassis rails. “I had a ’37 chassis, but it was so rusty, so I had Lewis profile cut some rails for me, then I welded it all together. I put in the crossmembers and the Jag front and rear ends. The front is rubber-mounted, just like in a Jag,” he explains, “I wanted it to drive well and not destroy itself.”
Ken had enjoyed Jag suspension in his old T-Bucket and knew it would deliver the ride he was looking for. It was all rebuilt for good measure, and a brand-new power rack was included in the process. He also built the chassis strong because he knew he’d be putting some decent horsepower in it, which came in the form of a Ford Cleveland stroked to 383 cubes.
“Casey and I built the motor. It was a 351 Cleveland, now it’s got H-Beam rods, flat top SRP pistons, Carrillo crank and the 450 centre squirters. Greg Johnson in Sydney built the 3V heads for me.”
Chatting to Ken for a while makes you realise that it’s far from an off-the-shelf stroker motor. Ken reckons it still has around 12:1 compression but runs great on 98 octane fuel with over 500 real horsepower at the back wheels. Where most engines are running out of puff at 5,000rpm, this one is only just coming to life.
Having a tough motor doesn’t mean giving up your creature comforts, and Ken enjoys power steering and air conditioning during his long drives from his home in Bonalbo, NSW, to see family in Brisbane. Ken also has a reversing camera installed just above the tow bar, partnered with a compact screen inside the cabin.
The final concoction of red and black has no firm origins, residing in Ken’s head until the time came to apply it. Initially, he painted it straight black, then later moved to a two-tone, splitting the colours along the beltline with subtle graphics. “It’s just something different,” surmises Ken of the ’39 that’s already a lot different then most.
Ken has invested the best part of 12 years in the car – a 6-year build followed by 6 years on the road – and he admits it’s not perfect, but it is a great driving car with a good deal of character. Changing circumstances have led to the coupe being put on the market; for details, check out the classifieds in this edition.
