Left Hand Drive in Australia

8BA

8BA

Junior Member
Well,
I purchased the 53 Customline shown in my avatar last year.
As an export from the USA it is left hand drive. No problem there and makes for some very entertaining fun on the highway.
Totally original with all books provided and a wonderful machine to drive.
One small question though - the rear tailights are definitely 52 model.
As it was a Long Beach manufacture, could it be a hybrid between the 2 years?
This is an excellent forum indeed folks. One day member and already had several unasked questions answered courtesy of members posting here.

Don
 
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Here are three pictures showing the correct Tail Lights for the 1952, 1953 and 1954 Fords. Your 53 has incorrect 52 Ford Tail Lights fitted. I hope that these photos help.
 
Thank you, they do.
I had wondered if that was the case but as they work correctly i was somewhat confused.
 
It was not uncommon back in the day for someone to swap tail lights for ones that were more to their liking. I recall seeing dozens of tail light assemblies hanging in a salvage yard just ripe for picking and they were cheap.
 
Ford did use parts in their inventory to complete some cars, I had an early 1950 2dr sedan that had some 49 parts on it, I was the 3rd owner and I knew the previous two, it was purchased new and driven with only normal maintenance done during the previous 14 years(1950-64) when I bought it in 1964.
 
It was a very common thing years ago, in the '50's-60's to personalize, update vehicles by adding accessory items from later model cars to earlier cars.
In 1951 I had a '42 Chevy Deluxe coupe that was a early car, built in '41 before WWII and the governments freeze on chrome plating. My car had all of the bright metal associated with cars prior to the freeze. A friend of mine had a '42 "blackout" model, no chrome on anything.
My friend really admired my car so I told him I would sell him my chrome in exchange for new '46 chrome trim/grille, etc., The '42's and '46's were the exact same car with a different grille.
I removed all of the trim from the '42, giving it to my friend, when the dealer got my new '46 trim I installed same on my '42, making it a '46 in appearance.
I sold my '42 about a year later when I bought my '36 Ford coupe. The guy I sold the '42 to knew it was a '42, however, I have often wondered if later owners of the car has issues or concerns about the anomaly I had created.
 
Sorry to hijack the thread, but do right hand drive cars have bellhousings and transmissions with linkages on the right?
 
Hi Don, good to see another Aussie on here. You do get some strange looks driving a left-hand-drive car around. Hope you're enjoying the '53.

-tony.
 
Tony,
I would say it makes you realise how bad some drivers actually are. You can be driving towards them and at the last moment their car flinches in a way that makes me think they suddenly noticed you are on the wrong side. But very useful in the rain as your door is close to the gutter.
And yes mate, it is a great old girl. Its real driving.
 
Mike51Merc said:
Sorry to hijack the thread, but do right hand drive cars have bellhousings and transmissions with linkages on the right?
Click to expand...

Clutch yoke opening is on the right. There is (at least on GM) a pair of shafts that bolt under the gearbox and translate the gear selection input from right side to left.
 
ive got a lhd 51 ford sedan here in aus , I'm changing it to rhd idont like passenger drive at all , mind you rhd parts are not easy to find
 
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