To restore or not to restore...that is the question.

Hi fellow HAMBers. I'm in a bit of a quandary over what to do with my '55 Ford Country Sedan wagon and I was throwing this out to the community to see what the general consensus might be. In her current state, "Sophie" is fairly presentable. (I am the third owner of the car, but someone did some poor body work and paint at one point in her life.) Most of the bodywork that needs to be done is below the belt-line. (there's also some minor rot on the driver's-side floorboard and in the spare tire well.)
The 6v. car is driveable with a rebuilt 272 Y-block and new brakes, fuel line, fuel pump, rebuilt carb, 6v. alternator,etc. (I have actually driven the car from Cleveland to Pittsburgh last year, and up to Detroit this year.)
My question concerns whether I should spend a considerable amount of money to fix up the exterior (including brightwork), or just leave it as-is. I'm at the point now where any additional investment would be more than the car is worth. (You've all been there.)
My brother always says, "Would it be any more fun totally restored?" I've had quotes from $6k to $15k to fix/paint it. What sayest thou?

 

you gotta ask yourself, do you plan on keeping the car for a long time? if so, then I would say fix her up. if you only plan to keep it for a few more years, I wouldnt dump much money into it

 

I would love to be able to p*** this down to my 2 girls.

 

If you are going to keep it fix it if not then flip it and get what you really want.

I had a '55 ranch wagon for a while when I was in high school, I had way more fun than was legal in that car.

 

Then I say get her looking pretty. this will ensure that it continues to be a great car for many years to come. it may sound weird but, if you treat your car right (wash, wax, change oil, fresh paint, etc.) it will continue to treat you right

 

We don't know what you want....only you can figure that out. You seem to already understand what you'd be getting into.

Guessing what your girls want years from now...that's a big gamble, right there. Odds are slim that they'll be into stuff like an old station wagon with none of the modern conveniences, etc. But you never know.

 

Cool car, I've always liked those mid 50s Ford wagons.

It's all what you want out of the car. If you want to go to major car shows and get blue ribbons, go ahead. That will be real expensive, so much so that eventually you'll stop driving the car and get a pickup and a trailer to take it to shows.

If you want a nice reliable driver that you can haul friends/family to lake or cruise, you're pretty much there.
I'd do the incremental approach. Fix one thing every winter; like repair the floor and spare tire well. Those aren't huge projects and you haven't put the car down for a 2 or 3 year restoration. Then the following year, fix the quarter bottom and doors. You get the point.

The car is never out of service and it slowly gets better during a time of the year when it would be sitting dormant in the barn anyway.

 

black primer and red wheels and it would be HAMB worthy

 

If you plan on enjoying the car, fix the rot and match the paint the best you can but don't paint the whole car just what needs done. This saves a lot of money and a lot of heartache.

I get asked all the time when I'm going to paint my '59. I always tell them when I am done driving it I'll paint it. Once she has nice paint you get more protective of it and when the usual damage happens it will ruin your day. Love her for what she is, embrace it's history. Get the parts now you will need to do her right and set them aside for after your kids are adults. Then do it the way you have in mind.

Great, just like all the million others. Yup, that's the way to be an individual, be like everybody else. That whole fad needs to go away. WAY Over used!

 

how much are you into the car already? and have you seen what the sell for restored? I would say if really love the car and you plan on keeping it then its worth it. but if you think you may sell the car down the road for something else, maybe just fix the small stuff that will help the car sell quicker.

 

Mr. Tomato Head, this winter, fix rust issues like spare tire wheel & drivers floor board. These are easy fixes.
Before you get carried away and start on the body issues you must commit to owning & p***ing down this wagon. Unless you have some personal attachment, i would really think this through?
If you really like wagons, maybe sell this one & find another that has been restored a couple of years ago. You can buy one for alot cheaper than you can restore one!

 

Not to be negative but wouldn't red primer and black wheels work just as well?

 

The car doesn't look too bad.

But if the bad spots, that appear to be mainly below the body side moldings, bother you just have it touched-up below the moldings and buff the rest. With todays paint technology you or a shop can get the color pretty much spot on. Touching up the car will make it look alot better and you won't break the bank doing it.

And speaking about that bank....... Remember that when you're collecting and/or restoring an old car, unless you are a dealer looking to turn a profit, you can't expect to always be into it for less than it's worth. If you do, you shouldn't own a car from any era current or cl***ic.

 

I really like that car.
I spent my first few decades years as a car guy making sure to never put more money into a car than I thought it was worth, and selling a car whenever it needed more money put into it than I wanted to invest. So I always made money on every car I ever owned but they all p***ed through my hands within a couple years.
Then I noticed some guys had one car that they loved and over the years they spent quite a bit of money on them. They were happy, the cars looked great, and at some point I realized that it is NOT just about the money, it's about what you enjoy and what you love.

Do you really like the car? If so, get it fixed up nice and you'll enjoy it more, maybe for years and years to come.
If not, sell it really cheap to me - I have two kids now and I need a cool family hauler like your sharp wagon!

 

LOL .Coffee on screen

 

You got a descent driver,putting $6 to $15 grand in it ,you'ed have a real-nice driver but will never see any money if you try to sell it. Fix up what you can and drive it.Your money,your car,your decision. Please stay away from the flat black paint and red wheels. All the flat black paint is good for is hiding **** cars that need to be fixed. Way overdone.

 

One thing to consider is what you want to do with the car. If you spend a bunch of money on a fancy paint job you might find that the car is no fun anymore. Always in fear of scratching that paint. I don't really want a perfectly restored car. If it were my car I'd drive the **** out of it, replace the bright work along the way and save up for a nice paint job.

Lots of cars end up in garages torn down but never restored. Make sure you understand how long it takes to restore a car. JMHO

 

I will refrain from my personal feelings regarding the "flat black" paint jobs but I'll bet this comment will start a firestorm with some.

 

Everyone has their opinion,,I have put way too much money in our '54 Ranch Wagon and although we never intend to sell it,,we have been offered some stupid money for the car.

I honestly believe wagons still haven't peaked as far as their desirability and if the work is nice and the car is roadworthy it beats spending money on a Honda. HRP

 

Way to swing that pendulum, PnB !!!

 

if it looks good to you and it don't stink, then i'd say: it's original once! do what's necessary and enjoy! lot's of cars have lost its soul after restoring... i, speaking for myself, had no choice, nearly every bit of Betty was broken, rotten or unusable or even not there, but if your car just look like a car and it run, you can save it, i think. but do the tech part right to make it safe.

 

Have your girls shown any interest in the car or are you just hoping that some day they do? Also how old are they? I ran thru the same questions after I had to park my '56 once the kids and job changes came along. It sat in the garage for many years while my older girls grew up. Many was the time I thought about getting rid of it but my wife kept telling me no (God, I love that woman). She and I dated in it, plus it was my grandparents car. Now that my 2nd oldest daughter is 19 she loves the car - I even let her drive it to high school right before she graduated. I'm taking the same route as many have already said - this winter rebuilding the front suspension - piece at a time. Having something like that to p*** down to your kids, if it works out, is something special.

 

Since you spent time and dollars going thru the engine and all, a paint job would only add to it's value. Ask around, to learn which shops do the best work for your price range. The really cool part is it's reliability, and that can be priceless.

Just my thoughts.... 4TTRUK

 

Here are my thoughts and ideas on this. I was originally into hotrods. Then I decided that restoring cars as close as original was the way to go. I again realized hotrods and customs were not only more fun but cheaper to build.
To restore or not was a constant question for me. But,after playing with customs I am very happy driving those which I have today, all mild customs with mechanical upgrades.
All of my kids except one would rather drive a Kia or some other modern piece of ****. The one who was into rods and customs is temporarily into girls, mud boggin and tearing up cars.
You have no idea what your kids will decide late in their lives. Do what YOU want. I am sure the kids will enjoy the wagon whatever you do with it. And honestly they could care less if it's original. After all, no one can enjoy a trailer queen!

 

I like original cars, but I've found that restoring one correctly is not only very expensive but also very constraining and takes a lot of the fun out of working on a car.

So...now I tend to do whatever the hell I want and really could care less about showing my cars or pleasing anyone. For me, the physical manifestation of that at***ude (which my wife says is a bad one) is that my stuff looks pretty original, but usually has engine, drivetrain and interior mods that both make me happy and are usually less expensive than perfection would require.

The reason I say all that is because your state of mind sounds pretty close to mine several years ago. I guess I just got tired of going to Model A restorers meetings....seeing a car that a guy had spent hundreds of hours perfecting only to have a couple of judges focus on a couple of bolts not having the correct heads on them.

That, and turning 40 a few years ago, and I just said "screw it", I'm gonna build what I like and if I'm the only guy on the planet who likes it then that's fine with me.

and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

 

As others have said...if you are gonna keep it, fix it.
If not I would just sell it like it is, and move on.
Good luck !!
Cheers.......

 

I really didn't have much of a choice with our wagon,,ether let it finish rotting away or fix it!

Since the car had been in the family since it was new it had to be saved.HRP

 

Sometimes I think about p***ing my '57 Bird down to my daughter and then I ask myself if I really want her to have a car without airbags, collapsible steering wheel, shoulder harnesses, head rests, side impact protection etc.

Charlie Stephens