This took 2-1/2 mins to find. This guy is an independent, that's good. He's in pine bluff Ar. That's good. He learned from his uncle and brother , that's good Likes working on cl***ics and muscle cars. That's good too. Read his reviews, sounds like a old school honest to goodness mechanic. Not a parts changer. Call him.
Brannon, that is what your car needs; a mechanic who knows and likes working on old cars. Yes, those guys are hard to find, but just imagine how impossible it would be to find a shop that could do all those newer things you Mom asked about, and have it come out right, and be reliable. All that restomod stuff can really turn into a nightmare with poor quality aftermarket parts, parts that don't fit like was advertised, etc. a stock 50s car can be made reliable. They were once used daily for some years, and then at 50,000 miles, they piled the family in for a cross country trip. I'm with Tractor Guy. I have to think he's into vintage tractors and knows exactly how to make a barn find tractor reliable, and actually do the work it once did. And, I bet he knows a brand new tractor IS more user friendly. That's the comparison right there. He knows what he will find with fuel tanks, carb lines, ignition systems, etc, and shortcuts there won't work. Find a good guy and get it sorted out. A modern car shop cannot get involved with ancient cars for many reasons; waiting for mailed parts, parts non-available, time lost that they can't charge for without the bill going crazy. We all ate some hours doing customer old car work. by the way, my newest car for 9-1/2 years has been my only daily driver since then. It has a generator and has regular points distributor. I never had a spare tire or a jack for it, and don't have a cell or triple A towing. I don't drive a lot, but still...think about it. ..and I'm single without a wife or girlfriend with a new car I could use. .
In my best David Freiburger voice: that thing is mint!! I would do the big service thing, and get going, but hold out on EFI, until all other things fail. Fix the carb, and if that is no success, find a 4bbl intake and buy a new Edelbrock carb. You might loose a couple HP compared a Holley, but if you want drivability right out of the box. But that is a very nice car!!
Now that's a beautiful machine! My granny had a 4 door post 55 Pontiac- no style compared to yours. Like been said before: The old cars are pretty simple compared to the modern nightmares. Think NO COMPUTERS. Like they said, probably go through the fuel system, carb, etc. Probably no use changing a bunch on it other than 12 volt (did you say it's still a 6?) and filters, etc. Lot's of TLC but normally not that hard to do if ya have the p***ion. Just look at the half wit goobers who do it for a living... One time it was a pride of the highway - and can be again......... Good Luck and keep us posted.
31 vicky how much would you charge to take a 55 Dodge sedan into your shop, gut it like a trout, and install a V8 engine with fuel injection and electronic ignition, automatic transmission, suspension, rear axle, power brakes, and convert everything to 12 volt? And send it out the door guaranteed to start and run like a brand new car and not break down for at least a year? Knowing the owner is someone's mother and knows nothing about a car?
76000 is iffy. Could be good if you are lucky and the car was serviced regularly. But may have quite a bit of 'deferred maintenance'. A good mechanic should be able to test and inspect engine, suspension, brakes, and tires and give you an idea what it needs. I was going to say such an inspection should take 1 to 2 hours then I remembered the way the rear hubs are put on. If the mechanic knows the old Chrysler products and has a heavy duty puller for the rear hubs and knows the left wheel bolts are left hand thread it could be ok, but those hubs take some work to get off once they have been on there for 50 years. I would also say you are asking a lot to use a car that old for daily transportation unless it involves puttering around your small town or neighborhood. Especially for someone who is not savvy about keeping an old car running.
I would also say your experience is typical. When you put an old car back into commission it seems like it needs work every week. But once you get everything squared away and put a few thousand miles on it, it can be quite reliable although not as reliable as a new car.
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