Can I suggest getting it running, repair the service items like brakes master cylinder, lights sttering. Make it safe. Then drive it as is for the summer . THEN decide what you want to do. Too many guys, me included, will rip a car like that apart, get discouraged and never complete it. Enjoy it in it's "as found" condition. Screw shiny paint ( for now)
If that's the case, I'd just do what's necessary to make it safe and reliable, I think they (and maybe you too) would enjoy it more if it keeps it's iden***y. Complete car's like that one are getting hard to find, add the fact that it has a family connection, it seems a shame to change a thing. Even the brakes are probably fine for that drive train, after all, I don't see any front end damage, so I guess they worked ok for your uncle, but disc's are no problem for that car. You should rebuild everything though and change the master cylinder, so I'd upgrade that to a dual master. Then, since you won't have much $ involved in it, hit the cl***ifieds here and look for one to build if you really get the itch.
Get the 6 up and running until you decide what to do. You can always sell the 6 down the road to finance a swap. A running complete engine brings more than a basket case non-running engine. Bob
Very, very cool that your aunt hooked you up with this car. You've gotten mostly good advice here so far. If the original stuff can be made to work, work with it. Make sure the thing will steer and stop before getting out there in traffic. If the motor needs a rebuild before you can drive it, you have to make a decision. Price the parts and labor, and compare it to the other options (flathead V8, overhead 6, etc.) in a cost-benefit ****ysis. Finally (about time, huh?), figure out what you want the car to do. We are all p***ionate about these old things, but if you demand modern performance, you will have to do different things than if you want the car to be really "old timey." Good luck, and keep us updated.
1 more vote for leaving it as is. both inside and out, like you said its gonna be a driver. And as for the motor.. if it aint broke dont fix it
I have another question. I've smelled the gas tank. It doesn't smell like soured gas. I don't think I'm that lucky though. Its probably all turned to varnish. What would yall do with that?
This is smart talk here; get the 6 running good (they will run forever), put dual pipes on it. The 3 speed w/ OD is a great trans and you can drive anywhere with it, and get up to speed no problem. Shifting an OD trans is great fun! V8's are expensive so unless your ready to spend $1k or more to find a good runner, keep the motor. Keep the 6, drive it hard. Stock brakes are fine, rebuild them and go. Dare to be different, having a V8 is not different than a 6 for power. Finding a 6 is cheap, people are always pulling them....get an extra and bench it for future use just in case. You have a great ride, enjoy it! Dont worry about re-inventing the wheel!
Its a great car, Color, motor and all, especially the overdrive. What a lucky find that many guys would give a right or left nut for.... The car has survived 60+ years as it is.. Don't go changing it now!!! Enjoy it!
It make no sense to replace the flathead 6 with a flathed 8. Not much more performance, and mostly at higher speed and rpm. I would spend my time and money on brakes and paint and interior. Maybe a gear change in the rear end would make it a little more highway friendly. Great score.
Sweet ride you got there. Another thing that makes it special is the fact it comes from your family. Might be a shame to alter it too much unless that's your plan. I'm thinking a tune up and seat belts? I picked up a '49 couple months back (put a thread on here, "Shoe box barn find") and like yours it needs only a few things like good tires and a tuneup. And oh yes it needs brakes! It's a V-8 overdrive so hopefully we can keep up the pace. Previouis owner added a 2x2 set up and duals. Original paint that can maby be buffed out? I'll probably lower it a bit and put on wide whites and leave it pretty much original? Keep us posted ...
Yeah that car is nice!!!!! even if you don't like how it looks, clean it up as much as you can, drive it, and be amazed at the amount of attention that an origional car can get. (Yes I know it was repainted.) Remember the saying "A car is origional only once." Also do some back issue searching of Collector cars(?) magazine. A few years ago they had a great issue on the inline six of the shoebox fords. I waish I had a copy!
I would change the 6 volt system to 12 before I spent any money on the 6 volt stuff. The things to change would be the bulbs, regulator, and the polarity of the battery. The 6 volt starter will work fine on 12 volt as well as the generator. You would also have to step down the volts for the electric guages. Put in resistor for the points. The shiny black paint will look great on that car. It would be shiny, right. The flat black has been done enough. Neal
take the tank out,empty the contents. get some por15 tank cleaner and sealer. put it in the tank and let it dry. install tank. if it's really bad,take it to a radiator shop and have them boil it out and seal it.
You have to earn history and patina , you cant rush out and buy it. The car has serious family history , it would be a shame to cover up all the stories it could tell with a coat of paint. There wont be too many with the original 6 left in so if you can drive it with the six definately leave it where it is. Its one real special car that deserves to stay in the family.
Leave it 6. I have a '51 2 door that I bought with 58,000 miles 20 years ago. I rebuilt it at 65,000 and have driven it to almost 90,000 now without any problem. That includes 8 trips from the DFW area to Gulfport , MS for Cruisin' the Coast and a few trips to Austin to the Roundup. It will run all day at 65-70 without straining (no overdrive). With overdrive you should have no problem if the engine has been taken care of. A split manifold on this engine sounds great.
thanks guys, looks like I'll be leaving it alone. I'm gonna convert it to 12 volt and thats all I'm changing. I'm gonna have to do something to the interior because of how long its been setting. redo the seats and some carpet maybe. Thanks for all the reply's
and not to hi-jack you thread,and i think you made the right choise.but are these body styles called coupes? are the other 2 drs called 2dr sedans? i love this body style just don't know much about em again sorry to hi-jack
With that rear end in it, he should get good highway friendly speeds. A good addition is get a standard 3-speed rear, that will really be a bonus for highway speeds.
This is a business coupe ,I believe. Great car by the way. I would also leave it as is and drive it...well, maybe some wide whites and drop it 2-3" in the back...
Since it has family history,I would leave as stock as possible!!! Maybe convert it to 12volt...That's way cool!!!! History is irreplacable!
There are 2 kinds of coupes in 1951: Business coupe had front seat only, with a tray in place of the back seat. Club coupe had a back seat. 2-door sedan has a longer roof, and has vent wings behind the rear side windows.
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