thinkn about getting a 53 mainline

ive been lookn at this car and thinkn it would make a good project car.

basically im just lookn for it to sit low and ride good. just something simple and eyecatching.

just havent found alot of options for suspension, motor swap mounts, brakes.
i know jamco sells some stuff. but is there anywhere else i can look for parts at.

i would hate to jump into a project you cant find parts for.
ive been lurking through the board and some of the guys on here have some pretty nice ones. just lookn for some help before i make a final decision.

 

Looks like a pretty solid car with pretty much all the parts. Parts are easy to come by for these, but obviously not as easy as Chevy or earlier stuff.

 

yea it seems like it has all the parts to it.

 

Could make a clean cruiser, even with keeping the flathead and 3-speed.....
http://www.rtstreetrods.com/cars/1408.jpg

I am of the opinion though, that the car needs both front and rear wheelwells radiused in order to look right. Or at the least, use the profile of the front to cut the back out some.

 

i like the idea of a cruise or 50s custom look.
sadley it has the inline six in it. which i may keep. but a 302 doesnt seem like a bad idea.

ill take any ideas on building it.

 

Or here's a few more ideas!

 

My best advice is not to choose a motor for it until you find available headers for the swap. That always seems to be the bugaboo.

What's wrong with 6 in a row?

 

parts are readily available. Dennis Carpenter can get the odd's and ends.

Engine swap...if you can fabricate, put whatever you want into it. That's what we do!

 

I have a 52 and never a problem on parts. Still running the modifyied flatty. Has all I need for power on the road but installing a 302--351w motor poses no problems if thats what you want to do,

 

Finding parts are not really a problem. There are quite a few companys that sell suspension parts. My stuff came from Fatman way back. Speedway sells 302/351 Ford mount kits as well as SBC (although I DO NOT endorse the SBC). I ran the 6 shooter in my car until it wouldn't run anymore and it did great. And that was in my 17 to 22 year old years. Those were hard miles. Never left me stranded. If you gotta have speed stuff, you may have a hard time there. Performance parts are VERY hard to find. My vote, run the motor till you find something you like better or it breaks...

 

i have a 53 .and like said ,there are alot of parts out there,but the suspention stuff is alot more expensive compared to a chevy..mine has a 302/c6. and i put a rack&pinion under it. hood hinges SUCK on these cars .if yours are good keep them lubed!!! i also have 2 parts cars....

 

check out current post: 54 Ford front suspension

 

The 52-54 Fords are starting to get popular. Lots of stuff available for them. As you know Jamco has plenty and Speedway has lots of speed parts for the flathead engine. Probably the best best improve ment for the money if you are keeping the flathead engine is a 12V conversion. Suggest Randy Rundles's 12V conversion guide from Speedway for about $10. If the price is right I would grab it. My .02 worth anyway.

 

Uh-captainflight-reread post-what flathead?

 

this is true it is a inline six with a three speed shifter on the column. not sure what size the motor though.


53s still had kin pins or ball joints?

 

King pins.

 

these cars are pretty cool. i lowered mine by by cutting the coils and lowering blocks in the back. for the upper control arms i slotted the holes so it has adjustment. it has a inline 6 with 2 carbs and a fenton split manifold. it runs just as good as my dads flathead.

 

There was only like 2hp difference between the 215 (53' first year) -223 inline six and the flathead of the day. (according to the 53' sales book). The I6 is OHV and I think bullet proof. Not a powerplant but solid.

Custom 53 please post some picts, great car. Maybe some I6 shots.

 

Ill post the other two pics I have cause I'm also wondering how much it would be worth. Its an inline
6 car is complete. But doesn't run. Also has a title.
I was thinkn around 2500? Or less for it.

 

here are some pics of my car. i do not have any of the motor tonight. i will try to get some tomorrow. my car was in about the same shape when i got it. it sat in a dirt floor garage since 1963. i got it for 1000 bucks. i brought it home changed the fuel and brake lines and cleaned the gas tank. i was driving it the next day. when you get it you might want to put a dual bowl master cylinder from a 67 mustang on it. it bolts right on.
good luck.

 

Those Mainline make great customs and hot rods !
The rockers , floors quarters rust out the most . Sheet metal is easy to get .
As for a drive train a flathead 6 is good . They came with them . A Ford Y block and 302 will fall right in !
I would go with the straight 6 or Y block . Speed parts are common for both !

HAVE FUN with it and keep us posted !

BTW how much is it selling for ?

 

I passed up a 53 running and on the road for $1700 . Needed front floors and rockers but looked good with nice interior . Good flat head 6 and 3 on the tree ! I should have bought it but have a 55 Ford .

 

well i have a custom painted 91 mustang that i built for my brother with alot of motor stuff done to it. he was getting into to much trouble with it so it sat for a while. now im tired of seeing it and selling it. i want another 40s-50s car and a guy made me an offer for this car and 4 grand for my mustang. going saturday to make final desicion. and get a good look at the mainline.

 

the other pictures i have of the car

 

Keep in mind tough, a 54 has a different front suspension than a 52 and 53. Ball joint vs king pin...

 

Duh.....I missed the 6 cylinder part.

 

your mention of $2500 sounds high to me-nice patina (for now), but search every inch for rust thru areas-hope body not as bad as grill.

 

No flathead 6's in 53' fords, First year for the 215 I6 OHV. Y-Block wasn't till 54' so it probably won't just drop in.

There could be exceptions and I could be wrong.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone know if a later 300 ford six is an easy swap into this car? I had one in an old Winnebago motor home that we freshened up and added any Offy four barrel, RV cam, and dual cast iron exhaust manifolds from a later pickup (they look a lot like headers), and it had plenty of power. We used it to haul our vintage race car around on a steel trailer, if that tells you anything. By the way, at most of these vintage races there were many cars running hopped up 300 sixes, and most of them ran REAL strong.

 

Check the front body mounts that come off of the firewall. I had a 54 and the water must sit up there and rust really good. Also, the rear quarters are notorious for rusting. Another place to check would be on the bottom of the cowl, just in front of the door jamb on the bottom. Mac's and Dennis Carpenter have reasonable parts for all these years.