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Wednesday, April 25, 2007 · Page 19 Bob Omstead's 1949 Ford Coupe Bob Omstead of Wheatley purchased a light grey 1949 Ford coupe in 1950 from his brother, Leonard Omstead, who bought it new from Jackson Motors, the local FordMonarch dealer. It was Bob's first car. He spiffed it up with a windshield sun visor and whitewall tires to take his new wife, Marion, on their honeymoon to Florida in February 1951. They drove all the way to Miami with no car trouble at all. In fact, the car made two trips to Florida during the four years they owned it. They eventually traded it in at Jackson Motors for a 1954 Ford. In the photo with Bob leaning against the driver's door, the car already had a radio, after-market headlight eyebrows, and after-market portholes on the front fenders inspired by the 1949 Buicks. Those portholes were available at Canadian Tire and were all the rage in the early `50s for anyone wanting to add some flash and dash to their car. The 1949 Buick Special and Super had three portholes and the Buick Roadmaster had four. Most after-market applications utilized three instead of four. Bob Omstead's '49 Ford coupe could have been built as early as June 1948, when the full line of 1949 Fords went on sale. All car companies were scrambling to deliver newly-designed vehicles to replace the facelifted pre-war cars available following the end of World War Two. The 1949 Ford was three inches lower than the '48 models and totally different in style with a new slab-sided body, bold new grille, new dashboard, new bumpers, new taillights, and new door handles. It's interesting to note that Bob has his hand on the driver's door handle in his photo. These were pull-out door handles similar in design to refrigerator door handles popular back then. Ford used this pull-out design for one year only. The '48 Ford handles had to be pulled down, and the 1950 Fords had push-button door handles, perhaps inspired by push-button car radios. The new 1949 Fords featured many mechanical improvements. The faithful flathead V-8 was still under the hood (a six-cylinder was available in the U.S.) but power was now transmitted via an open driveshaft to a rear axle held in place by parallel longitudinal rear Bob Omstead poses with his 1949 Ford coupe soon after buying it. springs. Up front, the '49 Ford boasted an independent front suspension, finally replacing the old transverse "buggy spring" and solid front axle. When Bob and Marion drove their '49 Ford to Florida, it was right up-todate with everything else on the road. Do you have any photos of old cars to share with our readers? Email bill@car story.com or write to Bill Sherk, P.O. Box 10012, Leamington, ON, N8H 2C3. CARSTORY I S SPONSORED BY Your Security. Our Responsibility. Leamington Cougars take bronze at OBA finals For your local weather forecast log on to ... www.essexfreepress.reinvented.net Leamington Cougars Bantam basketball team finished their first season by clinching the Division 7 Bronze medal at OBA Provincials this past weekend. The team brings together Grade 7 and 8 basketball players from the various schools around the Leamington area. Matt Willms won the Sportsmanship award for leadership and team play. From left: Coach Joe O'Neill, Joe Freisen, Chris Beleutz, Reid Horne, Matt Raffoul, Frank Wiebe, Matt Willms, Jason Wall, Coach JP Lebanc. In front: Matt Sabelli, Billy Raffoul, Brandon Gruber. E-mail: with your comments at: essexfreepress@on.aibn.com