Vehicle Description
The all-new 1949 Ford probably saved the company, and today they
make for unusual yet handsome hot rods. This 1950 Ford 2-door
sedan, for example, emphasizes all the clean lines that made the
"shoebox" Fords famous but packs a bunch of upgrades under the
smooth hood. This is a cool custom that does just about everything
well.
The bright two-tone green paint is certainly attention-grabbing,
but the good news is that it shows well and drives great. It was
finished a few years ago and has been used as intended, so it's not
a trailer queen and it's not perfect, but I bet you can't remember
the last time you saw one of these at the local cruise night. It's
got a few custom touches that are directly out of the 1950s,
including dual exhaust, fender skirts, and blue dot taillights, so
there's a bit of flavor to the build. The "bullet nose" front end
has been polished and the neat hood ornament looks like a Roman
soldier's helmet with a clear Plexiglas crest. Chrome pieces like
the bumpers, headlight rings, and trunk hinges are in decent
condition and it appears that most of the weather-stripping is
recent, so it seals up well.
The interior has been thoroughly updated, featuring green and white
vinyl in a traditional pattern. The original bench seats are
comfortable for long drives and the vertical pleats are straight
out of the 1950s, so they look right. The original wheel was
painted white and bolted to the original steering column, which was
finished to match the bodywork. The round speedometer is in the
center of the dash, joined by a set of auxiliary gauges discreetly
tucked underneath the radio in the center. The clock is in the
center of the dash and for entertainment, there's an aftermarket CD
player installed underneath. A full-sized back seat makes this a
practical kind of hot rod and the massive trunk has been custom
upholstered with gray carpets and includes a full-sized spare tire
with jack.
The 239 cubic inch flathead V8 has a few period-correct upgrades
and it's tuned right so it's a blast to drive. There's power at
just about any speed thanks to an Offenhauser dual carb intake
manifold and a pair of 2-barrel carburetors, and the finned
aluminum cylinder heads and yellow ignition wires make it look
suitably racy. It's quite tidy and well-engineered and suffers from
none of the usual flathead fever, even on warm days. The electrical
system was converted to 12 volts, so the starter spins with vigor
and It's ready for any upgrades you might have in mind for the
future. Cast iron exhaust manifolds were used to tuck everything in
tight to the block. The transmission is a 3-speed manual with
3-on-the-tree shifting and it feeds the factory rear end hanging on
leaf springs and tube shocks. The front suspension appears to be
largely stock and the dual exhaust with mellow-sounding mufflers
give it just the right 1950s burble. Red wheels with full Buick
wheel covers look great and carry 205/75/15 whitewall radials.
A mild custom with a ton of potential that's already a lot of fun
to drive, this Ford is ready to go anywhere at a very reasonable
price. Call today!