Hot Rods What's the appeal of a Shoebox Ford?

The cost of rebuilding that shoebox will far exceed what you can "buy one done" for.
You made the correct decision.

 

The 49 Ford was the first post war modern car. Low hood, smooth quarter panels, V8 with overdrive. They need to have the right stance to set them off. I like them and so did 750,000 people who bought 49 Fords.

 

@arkiehotrods ^^^^^^^ Well spoken

 

Used to see a lot of them. I passed on several of them in high school. Just didn’t have the look. Now I think they’re pretty cool, especially coupes. Times and tastes change.

 

Beautiful ‘51.....

 

If I have to be convinced a particular car is cool, I'd pass on it. If I see a car I think is the perfect project car, then I'm going to buy it and build it, regardless of what others like or don't like. I'm not a shoebox Ford fan, so even if it was free I wouldn't build one. I'd take it, but I'd find someone who was a fan to give it to.

 

Which is why I like a '51. Most do not agree, but that's OK because the only grille parts being reproduced are for '51's (as far as I can find out). To my mind, the best looking "shoebox" of them all is the '51 Victoria. This, even though it was a hurriedly put together model to compete with the new for 1950 Chevrolet Bel Aire hardtop.

 

---- Boy, tough crowd - where are the Shoebox Lovers at? or, even true Ford Lovers? I think that the '51 grill is one of the best looking ever made - yep, I usually favor lowered & chopped rides - no matter what you plan to to buy & build, spend more money in the beginning for a solid/sound ride - why waste time & money dealing with rust if you do not have to - everyone needs to get their ride out of the garage today, or as soon as possible, and just drive anywhere

 

Never been a big fan of them but then I'm a hot rod guy, not a custom guy. Most shoe boxes I see look like wanna bee Merc's. I have seen some that were done more hot rod style that looked okay.

The couple posted in this thread look pretty good. Nice and tasteful with a nice stance.

 

Personally, I'd buy the shoebox if it was cheap enough. Even for parts or for a future build. It's not what you want so keep holding out for that model A. Just don't look for any past 1931 model year.

 

That is a 1950, not a '51. I built my 1st '51 in 1973-74. Sold it 5 or 6 years later and bought it back after 32 years! Our 1st date was in that car 43 years ago. Dad's 1st circle track car was a '51 Crestliner. I currently own three '51 Fords. I love them but you can see why.

Dave

 

Ok color me red, I get the joke now, still need more coffee. After rereading the entire thread see that I posted '32 not '31 last night. As well as being a piss poor typist, I see I also need new reading glasses.

Cheers

 

If I wasn't in love with it, I wouldn't try to build that one, for sure. Personally, I'm not a shoebox fan, either.

 

They look great chopped and dragging the rear bumper. That’s why

there are better one out there, but it’s just metal.
Depends on desired results, skills/tools and budget.
Buy a set of rockers, patch up the rest, make it go and stop. Zoom zoom
I’d drive it

 

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I'll say they are rare, I've never seen one.

Seriously, I like the Ford shoe box Fords,especially the coupes.
This is the one I had. HRP

 

Talk about making something from nothing.
My point was why start something with such low enthusiasm for it in the first place, I don't care what the vehicle is. It will probably never get done.

 

You make a good point, if it is not what the original poster want's it's foolish to spend the money just to have a project. HRP

 

Ya know, you’re right, there’s room at my house for it !

 

The Old Car Centre in Langley has all the sheet metal parts you need.

 

Every once in a while you see a nice on, but I expect it took a lot of work to get them to look like that. They are in the same category as trunk back sedans, I don’t think it is worth the effort. Life is too short to work on something you have to be convinced to work on. Lord the trucks from those years look better than the shoe box, I have one.

 

@kilohertz . When we rebuilt this one i was determined not to take the body off. I eventually gave in , floors were soft , particularly the chassis out riggers needed replacing , much easier and better repairs with the body off. With the shoe box in your pictures i imagine the chassis outriggers will be gone along with the floors , probably panel below the trunk, lower fenders, seam along top of rear fenders. Be forewarned it will be a can of worms.

 

Buy what appeals to you. I like the 49-51 Fords, wouldn't walk next door for a 41-48. Other guys feel just the opposite. If you want a Model A, don't settle for something else (unless it's a 32, 33, 34, 36, 39, or 40).

 

Really? I looked at their online catalogs but didn't even see mention of cars, just the Ford trucks. That said, this car still needs a TON of work, and as mentioned by many, I should be searching for a car I am in love with, not just an opportunistic project.

Yes, I really like the model As but also have a love for the model Bs, American Graffiti look etc. There have been some nice restorations on the popular car shows of various 3 and 5 window cars as well which is quite inspiring.

I still need to finish my '49 F-47 this year so any project will be on the back burner for while anyway, this one just happened to cross my path last fall and initially thought it would be fun, but starting to research what it needs and how much it will end up costing, time and $$$ wise....just doesn't grab me anymore.

Cheers

 

Hmmm........ Perhaps if your looking for a 32 Model A you're in the wrong place.

 

And that is what I am going to do. I am going to bring it home and get the engine running and get the reg sorted out and see if it grows on me, who knows, it just might. Otherwise, it will be much closer to our local car club members and I can pass it on, it's currently in the middle of nowhere.

Cheers

 

"Look Ethel, someone fucked up a perfectly good shoebox!" IMHO a chop just wastes a good profile. Each and every chop I see is a compromise in some design area that throws off the rest of the proportions. Detroit spent millions on design, and as good as a lot of people are at metal working, not many have the design eye to pull it off! YOMV

 

I like em better with proportions messed up.
Detroit spent millions developing low hp and poor oiling as well. I guess we should leave them alone.

 

As I said above, "shoebox" Tudors are very awkward looking. With their faux rear quarter windows, they look four door sedans with the doors welded shut and the seams filled. The only cure for this is a tastefully done chop, removing the offending quarter windows and shortening the roof. I would never chop a coupe, but as someone has already said, sectioned coupes look real good.

 

Photo by Vnak

Hello,

My wife thinks she does not like old hot rods and every time she sees one parked, coming down the street or cruising around, she is the first to spot them and tells me so.. I knew she was “a catch” the minute I met her in college. Although she drove a Corvair, she liked the beach. She wore a cool bikini, was very smart, could write like no other and was an avid reader. All traits that led to us being together since 1966.

Over the years of owning a 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, it was a fun time going just about everywhere together, with the A/C when it got hot. Otherwise, it was the standard front vent a/c. HA! Before we bought the 40 sedan delivery with a 327 in place, it had to be worked on, repaired stuff and replaced many parts, just to be safe for So Cal driving.

Prior to that sedan delivery project, we did look at a black 50 Ford Coupe. Since we were 20 somethings, no kid, living in a small apartment with our little dog, we wanted a cool car to drive around and become our 2nd daily driver. My wife’s 1962 Corvair was biting the dust and we were in the process of giving it to her uncle for $100. Now, we needed two cars, so we looked at a 1946 woody, another hot rod truck, a sporty car and finally drove to Santa Ana to look at this old Ford Coupe for us. It was black, had a Flathead and looked clean.

She remembers it well and at the time, liked the idea of an old hot rod/ cruiser as a daily driver. But, something told my wife to walk away from this sale. From the outside, the black paint shined, the overall look was pretty cool with blackwalls and chrome rims. The grey interior was that fuzzy material and it had seating marks. Wherever the seat was being used the most, the fuzzy material was worn down. The back seat was pristine, but the driver’s seat would need new coverings.

But, we did not buy that black Ford. My wife noticed that when we opened the door, a whiff of something came pouring out and despite the cool ness of the look of the car, she backed away and pulled out of the negotiations. That is when I saw the worn down upholstery and I, too smelled something awful.

The owner was a grizzled old guy with a garage full of old car parts and one side had a semi machine shop ready for any metal work. But, the car was surrounded by boxes of stuff and covered tables nearby. It was not a pristine garage for a discerning hot rod builder.

She did not like the seller and the way he was showing the Ford Coupe. So, knowing her and her instincts, we walked away from the sale, with the guy offering to discount the price. We did not make the sale.

Why? It had to have enough room for both of us, which it did, have room with the front seat tilted to hold my medium length surfboard with the trunk closed for security, otherwise getting t0 the surf spot would have the surfboard sticking out of the rear with the seat back taken out. We decided that the next car had to have security for simple lock and leave situations.

Whenever we stopped at a diner or restaurant, we had to move everything to the front seat to lock it up. With something like a 50 Ford with a good size trunk, the board would slide all the way inward and the trunk closed for security.

Jnaki

Here is a short film I took in 2019 of an almost complete 1950 Ford Coupe rolling down the street during a Christmas vacation season in So Cal. The style was reminiscent of the 50s Fords and Chevy sedans low to the ground. A few days earlier, we saw it in a parking lot searching for parking spot on a hectic Friday Night.

So Cal cruising Ford

 

A lot of us see these old cars as rolling art, an individuals taste displayed for all to see.
As any art form, taste varies.
I appreciate individual tastes in what's deemed cool in a car design in ones opinion, yet the same car another person views as ugly.
Bottom line on this topic..building a car, requires a lot of time, effort, sacrifice, and dollars..is it worth it to you, to build a car you can't really get excited about?