This is my 1950 Ford Custom. Last year I literally bought it from the old lady next door. She had it for sale for a couple of years, but had never advertised it or did anything to let people know it was for sale. This Ford had been sitting in her garage for the last 15 years virtually undriven. It's all original with the numbers matching flathead V8 in the engine bay, 3 on the tree manual, original tube radio, and the optional "Miracle Air" package. She even has the vintage tags and an old AAA badge!

One day, she approached me and asked me if I wanted to buy it. I told her I couldn't afford it, but was willing to help her find someone to buy it from her (we both knew the value of the car). Instead, she said she wanted it gone then and there, liked that I was a car guy, had never sold or flipped any of my cars, and offered to sell it to me for the miserly sum of $1K under the condition that I take care of/restore the car. I jumped on that offer!

I put some air in the tires and with the help of my Dad and a couple friends, pushed it out from her garage into mine, where I got to tinkering on it. I eventually got her running and on the road again. I christened the car "The Old Lady" in reference to the story around the car.

She needs a lot of TLC though, and I intend to give it to her. Eventually, I want this car to be solid and running reliably with no issues so I can take her on cruise nights and the occasional road trip. As far as customizing, I'll likely only lower her a little bit (~2 inches) to make ride height compliment the lines of the car better.





I'm open to any insights or suggestions you folks my have as well. Thanks for your time.

 

Welcome to the site..

Wow,, nice old iron!

And looks to be in extremely nice shape for it vintage and straight too. More pics please! Engine, interior?

She have any more in the garage

 

That is a real nice find!!! Remember driving them. That V8 was a hard engine to kill and the only way you could do it, was to run it without oil. It withstood everything else. It looks better than right off the showroom floor. Have you considered driving Miss Daisy, your neighbor, just once . I'll bet she would appreciate that.

 

Oh, I did drive her around in it and she really appreciated it. She's since moved to Mexico to live on the beach sipping margaritas, LOL.

Here are some more pics of the car as she looks now:

Rear: Notice that the car still has the classic plates!


Interior: The interior is very ratty and needs complete restoration. Luckily there's no rust, though. I'll have to go through all the wiring and get the accessories and gauges working again.


Engine: All original, and I did manage to get it running. It does need to be completely overhauled, though.

 

Real nice car ..love to own it

 

I have entered the Old Lady into an online contest to win a $10K restoration. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could vote for her.

Just click on the link below, scroll down and click on the "Vote For This Entry" button:

Tinkernation » Ride Easy and Win!

You can vote once every 24 hours from each of your computers and mobile devices. I'd really appreciate it! Let's show 'em what Ford enthusiasts can do!

 

Done..

Split it with ya

Good Luck..

 

Hi there!
I voted as well, who could turn the back to an opportunity like this.

There is a trend to keep cars as original as possible. Look into literature like Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Cars. Heck, contact Hemmings about this car. They love stories like this.

I like that trend but I would make a few consessions. You like to drive it, so make it drivable for our kind of drivng. To me that would mean replacing shock absorbers and rubber bushings, new radial tires. New fluids. Make sure the oil has zinc compounds in it. Don't forget servicing the differential. Avoid ethanol blended gasoline.
If you replace the battery, 6V I assume, consider combining 2 compact 6V batteries to increase capacity. If it were my main car for many years to come I would consider swtching to 12 V.It is also possible to put electronic ignition parts inside the dsitributor. That's an option I would probably not entertain.

Cosmetically she seems perfect. Do you have pics of the interior?

Get a copy of a Hemmings magazine to have all the ads of companies that support the old car hobby.

Congrats! And thanks for sharing it here!

 

NEW Mirror is in FoMoCo box

also hubcaps like yours, new horn button/mikeradnov@yahoo.com

 

Hey guys! I'm currently in first place, but noticed that the new second place runner is gaining on me FAST! Please keep voting for me, and if you can, please share my entry on other forums, boards, etc. Now is the crunch time, these last few days will REALLY make or break us! Thanks!

Tinkernation » Ride Easy and Win!