'53 Ford questions from a new guy

9

91Nordi

Junior Member
Hi all,
I am new to this board. I have found a '53 Ford Victoria in great shape that I am thinking about buying. My Dad had a '53 when I was born and I would love to have one now.
The problem is the oldest car I have owned is a '65 Mustang which, as you know, was super easy to find parts for. Are these Fords I am looking at hard to find parts for? I am in the early stages of this, but I have already found a vendor that sells windshields for a decent price. Are there any real downfalls to owning this car that someone could warn me about?
The car I am looking at has a small block GM engine in it :( that I plan on selling. I want to put a Ford drivetrain in it, which won't be a problem. I can sell the Chevy engine and trans to help finance the Ford swap (re swap lol).
Any help would be greatly appreciated. For the purchase price he is asking I don't see much of a way I could go wrong with buying it.
Also I am a Ford auto trans tech. I have worked at Ford since '93.
 
welcome to the board. it'll be good to see a ford in a ford. I guess its a 12v car? I bought a 53 pickup a year or so ago that is flathead powered. shop around a little and make sure you are getting a good value and that you don't pay too much. I think the fordomatics they used in these were used till about the mustang. So really these are quite like modern cars, unless you drop a flathead back where it belongs.

Bill
 
53 is the 50th anniversary ford. Always liked them.

I don't think parts are any harder to find as other cars. The only major difference that I'm aware of is the front end suspension. I want to say it's a 1 year setup, but is very similar to the later 54-? fords.

The Vic is the best of the rest of the 53's and would be the one to rebuild in my opinion.

What ford engine? This is a restore site so you might want to check out the HAMB as well. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/ There are a few there that are building 53's.

Pict of my old 53 customline mordor. Sold it a while back.

Best of luck.
 

Attachments

  • 53.jpg
    53.jpg
    504.6 KB · Views: 29
That was a question I had too. From the pictures I can see it has a GM style alternator, maybe a 1 wire type, so I guess it is a 12v set up. I will ask him that when I go look at the car. I do love Flatheads but I am thinking about a 302/AOD combo so I can drive it fair distances. It will also be used for some Route 66 trips, such as the run they have in May from Seligman to Topock.
 
I bought and built a 53 Customline the only parts I had trouble finding were for the ford o matic(boat anchor) I bought a speedway adapter and used a C-4.
Tony
 
Parts for the 52-53 cars are fairly easy to find and they are a lot cheaper than parts for the early cars. Just make sure you are getting a nice rust free body. It's all about the sheetmetal. They are an excellent tour car.
 
91Nordi said:
I do love Flatheads but I am thinking about a 302/AOD combo so I can drive it fair distances. It will also be used for some Route 66 trips, such as the run they have in May from Seligman to Topock.
Click to expand...

Why shouldn't a flathead be good for long distance driving? A 276" and an AOD would be a great cruiser. My Courier is a great tourer. It's a 215" six and 3 speed stick. OD would be nice but it is not required.
 
Parts aren't too hard to find for the '53. But the comment on the front suspension being the same as the '54 is totally off base. The '54 was the first year Ford went to ball joints.
Milt K from Pa
 
To clarify Milt's statement. '52 and '53 suspensions are the same. These are trunion and kingpin systems. '49 - '51 are similar but there are some component differences. '54 is completely different. Sheetmetal parts are the same from '52 - '54.
 
Ah thanks for the clarification 41. I knew there was a differance and thought someone would help out. But what about a 302 install....
 
I do want to put a 302 or a 351W in it. I love Flatheads, but that is out of the question. I have AOD parts, I have 302/351 stuff. Plus brackets for things like the A/C compressor ect. are much easier to find. I appreciate all of the replies! I haven't approached my wife with this yet. She is a 60's-70's musclecar fanatic, she wants me to buy a Dodge Dart or a Mustang, both of which I have owned before. Here is a pic of my Mustang I had and the 351 in my '78 Fairmont I recently (4 years ago) had to sell. She and I built both cars from the ground up.
 

Attachments

  • DSCF0528.jpg
    DSCF0528.jpg
    66.5 KB · Views: 27
  • Scott's Mustang #1.jpg
    Scott's Mustang #1.jpg
    29.5 KB · Views: 24
Reproduction sheet metal for this car is to my knowledge is not being made. So as was said before, "The sheetmetal is the Thing"
 
I have the one with lock washers and it takes a bit of hunting but not a terrible amount to find things.. You'll find 20 53's for every 52 and at least 10 Fords for every Merc, but I agree on the Flathead making a great cruiser,, plus they really sound cool.. Do the OHV to get it running then build a flatty for later.. My $0.02.
 
Ok thanks for the input!! Right now I have to figure out what to do with the pile of Phoenix Children's Hospital bills I have before I make any decisions. I think it is a better route than the Dart I am also looking into.
 
91Nordi said:
Ok thanks for the input!! Right now I have to figure out what to do with the pile of Phoenix Children's Hospital bills I have before I make any decisions. I think it is a better route than the Dart I am also looking into.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about that. In your first post you said there is an SBC in the car. If it's a decent runner use it as is. You can always swap it out later when you find some thing you like better and your situation has improved. Use the funds for the most good.
 
That is exactly what I wanted to do. I could drive it and fix the interior up while I get everything together for the Ford swap. I just wouldn't show anyone under the hood lol. I intensely dislike (understatement) the fact that everyone and his brother puts a SBC in everything, and it would be nice to reverse that process for once instead of just complaining about it.
My son is doing a lot better than when first diagnosed. I wouldn't wish that s%&t on my worst enemy. It's just hospital bills are out of this world, even with health insurance!
 
I have 1 53 and 1 54 vic parts cars available, 1 8ba engine and lots of crome, 2 carb manafold ? 2 94s still in my 41 coupe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top