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

Yes, that Victoria needs some chrome on it. Especially along the slab side.
The Meteor grill looks like it's upside down.

 

I guess it depends if you're a custom guy or more of a hot rod guy. I'm really diggin this one.

 

WOW!!!----Now that,s quite a project!!!---My second car was a '49 Tudor, bought it in 1952 when in the USN.
After being discharged in 1955 I used my mustering out pay (500.00) to have the "Flattie" built to 3/4 race engine.

 

Thread is turning into a shoebox appreciation thread. The irony.

 

if you don’t love it, pass it on. I loved my 51 coupe from the start. It was rough and ugly, but with 20 plus years of love, it is pretty nice now.

 

And that's exactly what I did, passed it onto my friend who sold me my '49 F-47, he is a Ford only man and loves flatheads, it's going to a good home.

Some amazing cars have been pictured here, some I really like, and can certainly appreciate the love for the shoebox, I just don't think this one was right for me.

Cool thread!

cheers

 

...Thanks for the clarification. You did good. I've loved that car from the first time that I saw it. The elimination of the quarter window vents was a nice touch. Very clean. Enjoy it.......Don.

 

Must be a reversed negative. Gas filler cap is on the wrong side.

Dave

 

Old Friday Art
Pushing the Speed Sport Special version II

Hello,

Having met Steve Gibbs at several events, he is a very knowledgeable guy in all things hot rod/drag racing history. He is a wealth of knowledge. One day, I may sit down with him and get some other looks at history from his prospective growing up in So Cal.
I was introduced to him and out of the conversation, we talked about a 50 Ford drag race car we both were looking at in a warehouse. Come to find out later, He was the owner of another bright Orange 50 Ford Coupe and has been seen all over So Cal during the days before the pandemic.

Here is one of the best looking and coolest 50 Ford Coupes in So Cal. It is owned by Steve Gibbs and can usually be seen just about everywhere, including car shows, Cacklefests, or his authentic "Nitro Revival" shows.

It is a cool hot rod, with custom touches. The stance is one that shows coolness, but slightly aggressive, lowered look. A flathead motor, beauty rings with small hubcaps and many uses as a push vehicle for the nostalgia drag racers, including the color matching, Speed Sport Special I.


Jnaki

This is one fine, street, hot rod ready for any cruise, short or long distance. My wife and I had our eye on a black 50 Ford similar in build. When we looked at the car in an old garage, it did look nice, but we could not get over the fact that the old car smelled so badly. But, the 50 Ford Coupe design would have fit our needs for a cool hot rod. There is space inside for comfortable cruising around So Cal and photo road trips. It also has/had a nice trunk that could be used for storage of stuff or a short/longboard that would fit with the seat back taken down.
Seal Beach Car Show… Hotrodhotline

 

This is why.

 

I always thought they were too plain looking, at least the ones I remember seeing as a kid. There were lots of cheapskates here that bought the plainest, stripped down cheapest cars available for many many years, so a dolled up shoe was very uncommon. If they all looked like this, maybe my jaded opinion would be different.

 

This is a Canadian Merc which is really a Ford

 

It's a Meteor, which is a Canadian Ford. A Canadian Merc is a Monarch.

 

It's a Meteor, not a Ford, not a Monarch. The Victoria wasn't that common around here when it was new, and even less so now. I only ever remember seeing one years back. My hillbilly buddy got it out of a junkyard near here, and it had a 50 Meteor front clip on it.

 

...a club members car, one of the coolest cars in our club.

 

Hey... I think I found a pretty good reason to like a shoebox.

 

Can you be a hot rod guy and a custom guy? Or is it one or the other?

 

Depends on whether you're from the Western or Eastern slopes of Bimbombey.

 

what make car or part number I like it and want it

 

i bought my first shoebox in 1975, when a real nice one cost about $400; a similar merc went for double that!

 

Well below is a fordor and not a coupe. I've got 100's of hours in just what you see here. It's got a swapped 305 sbc, with a rebuilt T-5. I narrowed a ford 8.8 for the rear. I built custom dual exhaust just because I always wanted to do it from scratch. The steering and front end is rebuilt. Brakes are converted from single reservoir to dual. Plus way way more work than I can list! This pic was just taken on the past weekend when I drove it around the neighborhood for the first time. I plan to license it over the next couple of months and then keep on working on it while I drive it. Some would maybe be embarrassed to drive it? I can't stop grinning! My two sense is I love the look of the shoebox's and I regret nothing but it sure wouldn't be worth it if your heart wasn't in it.

 

How it was found and the topic of this thread is what I asked myself.....what the hell is so appealing?

 

Whaddya know -- my Vic was originally the same color scheme as yours.

 

In Canada there were Fords and Meteors.
There were Mercurys and Monarchs.

 

I've been a bit surprised by some of the negative comments in this thread. I had no idea these cars were that controversial, I just assumed there was a pretty much universal appreciation for them, considering the historical aspect of the car and how it introduced the entire post-fat fendered era that continues to this day. Such an iconic, and classic design, and yes, a bit quirky looking, but many 50's Ford's are, which is what gives them an appeal to my eye. I think they're great. But likes and dislikes are subjective, no way to account for taste I guess.

 

This,