I finally have a running and driving 49 Ford two door sedan. Honestly, I prefer the coupes, but custom cars are made to modify. When I get around to chopping the top, that back window will move forward. Enough dreaming; this thing is a reality. That Buick V8 will lay a stripe sixty feet long, all day long. First change will be white walls and some cool full wheel covers. I already have the parts for a 2” static drop all around. I have a matching Plymouth bumper for the front that may go on tomorrow. Paint job is a 20 footer, and I’m OK with that. I have set of fender skirts to install. Yes the interior needs to be redone. Upholstered door panels are pretty easy. The headliner and some more appropriate seats will come after that. Carpet is a no-brainer. It does have a custom dash in it now but that’s a 1970 model. I want something more like 1960 in there. One nontraditional mod that won’t show will be modern sound deadening material. I’ve been driving it around as a rattle trap, and that shit’s no good for me
Finish Upholstery will make a new car out of it for sure. I understand wanting to do something with the Dash. I always liked the 49 dash in stock form best of the three 49 to 51. Looks like a good solid car to start with.
It’s hard to see in that picture, but it has a late 60s GM dash panel. I have a stuck 49 dash for it. One idea is, a 57 Plymouth has a dash pod that could look pretty cool adapted.
Looks like it's also got a '50 grille swapped in. This car has apparently already lived an interesting life.
I don't know but a Stock dash can clean up pretty well. In fact I went out of my way to make it look stock. At the same time stock wiper knob turns on 3 speed with intermittent wipers. My Stock radio turns on a total sound system with CD stack system and 6 speaker sound system. The stock 51 column shifts a 700-R-4 while looking at the 2 speed crown. The stock window handle runs my power windows. It's all about the Visual effect. You don't need a Custom dash to be custom. And yes, that is a 50 grill. If it were 49 these are the park light lenses it would be wearing. It's all about what you have and what you want. You don't have to Chop a Top to have a clean Kool driver. In fact, through the 50's and into the 60's most Kustoms didn't have a Chopped top. They were just cleaned up, kinda like this. Hubcaps were kind of a big deal. Stance was most important.
Yep, you called me on it. When we think Buick we assume nailhead. Not so in this case This car was done like they were done when I was a kid in the 70s. You buy a wrecked car and transfer everything to your rod . This car has a 1968 Buick Skylark 350 v8, wiring harness and seats. I don’t care at this point that it’s not exactly period correct, It’s a torquey sum-bitch.
I'm with you, people don't need to know what valve covers the motor wears. As long as it runs as good as it looks and you're happy, that's all that matters. I never open my Hood at an event, I don't need to hear it. We do have a lot of Fun with it though. Here we are at a local Drag Strip about mid-way. The crowd loved it. I had been asked by several if I was going to make a pass, them thinking it only had Looks. We put that to rest.
Yeah I like that. Again this car might never be chopped. I have a complete roof and decklid area for a coupe and would actually like to create a kit to convert sedans (even four doors) to a coupe. It’s not all that far-fetched.
It's good that you are going to do something with the top. In my opinion, the faux quarter windows and attendant styling on shoebox two door sedans are among the most awkward features in automobiledom. The coupes are great, Victorias better, but the two door sedans suck in stock form. These cars also benefit from some side trim as well; they are so "slab-sided".
I agree with changing out the dash (back to a detailed stocker, or a 50's era custom style)...while you're in there, I would change the steering wheel and maybe even the column. It looks like a good starting point to make your own.
Oh yes, I will change that stuff back to be a traditional custom. I just got a good deal in the car and I thought it was a place to start. I have made mistakes by buying non-running cars. Tubman, I’m glad you agree. I avoided buying a two-door sedan for years because they just don’t compare in my mind to a coupe, but I have a complete coupe body. I can see exactly where to drill out the welds and remove the entire top and deck lid in one piece. I have worked with fiberglass in the past. Now that I’m feeling so much better, I want to get back into that type of work. I know how to make moulds and everything.
My buddy @flatout51 changed his Tudor into a coupe. Way more straightforward than I’d have I guessed.
Not sure there'd be a market for a fiberglass coupe conversion kit, but I really like what flatout51 did above, looks great, I think that'd be worthwhile. And honestly, I don't hate the dash. I wouldn't do it myself, but it appears to at least be well executed, if it were painted and detailed I think I could live with it.
I heard that even the larger "small " engines (300,340) were quite light for their size. Years and years ago, I had accumulated a C2 Corvette IRS and a '35 3-Window body shell and was planning a rear engine car using the combination with a 340 Buick. Obviously, that project went nowhere.
Having owned(and blew up lol) a 350 Buick 350 bucks are pretty light too. Full dress about the same as an sbc long block
They must be pretty light. I had one in a '68 GS350 that ended up upside down in a ditch late one night in 1972. It must have just floated there.
Car the one I blew up was in was a factory 307 Oldsmobile car. It sat higher with the Buick than the olds. Even with the swap from the cars original aluminum case 2004r to the iron th400
Well , I’m getting some stuff done, got the Plymouth front bumper mounted. Also, now it has a 2” static drop all around. Now, it’s acting weird. I had my mechanic install the Aerostar front springs and 2” lowering blocks at the rear. Now, there is a crazy vibration, like the driveshaft is trying to shake itself apart. He says it’s not rubbing on anything, but I think it needs to get up on a lift as soon as possible. I’m going to start a new thread on this topic. Has anyone running into this type of situation?
Looking at these last two pics it looks like it is waaaay lower than a 2 " drop, I did 3" blocks under my '51 and it sat higher than yours is.
Well, I bought these blocks last year sometime. I’ll have to see if I can figure out what size I bought. I thought they were 2 inches.
Also the car is sitting on these stupid low profile black walls right now. It was going to the tire shop today for white walls before this problem popped up.
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