where is my 53 Ford custom? Found!!

Lookin' solid now. What a personal time machine for you.

I imagine the maiden voyage is gonna be very special.

 

Looking like a car again, much better. Now you have a base to work from.
Glad you're changing the grill too. There must be a few people in Kamloops interested in your progress, some of the older ones would remember it.

 

Thanks for the kind comments, guys! Feels good to be back working on this project - spent yesterday welding up the cowl/door supports. Still have to finish the welding underneath the body, then get some paint under there. Once that is done, the convertible will come off the hoist and I will put on the front fenders and mount the hood. Then it will start to look like a car. Now I've got to order that front end rebuild kit. Any recommendations on what paint to use on the frame?

 

Looking good! I'm glad you decided to save it!

 

I must tell you ! Do a search on this forum about Jamco before ordering parts !

 

I got mine with no problem, but that's not what this thread is about. Now anybody got any ideas what paint I should use on the frame?

 

Car looks great keep going

 

Just found this thread and subscribed. Its so cool that you were able to get your car back after all this time. I bet a lot of us would like to be able to do that.

 

Glad to see it being saved.

Will the rolled pans be going back on?
I always liked the looks of the Valley Customs built "Del Mar" shoe box, a very early bumperless custom. (Circa 1955.)
I think the tube grille works well in the opening.

 

'Mo - the roll pans were removed by some earlier owner who seems to have had the idea of returning the car to original. All the front sheet metal was missing when I got the car back. I am going back to bumpers, and have a nice original set that I picked up at a swap meet. Spent a lot of time and money hunting down a grill from a 54 DeSoto, and have a nice unit that will look good in that 53 Ford front end.

 

Brian - there are a few guys from Kamloops following the slow progress on this build - including the fellow who originally built the custom in the early 60's. Hopefully one day I can drive the 53 up there so they can see it again.

 

Rickybop - you got that right. It is a lot of fun to relive a part of my younger days by working on this custom. I was very lucky to find a car I first owned in the 70's, and then to buy it back. The HAMB gets full credit for this happening, because through this site my old custom was found.

 

The rebuild has come a long way, even if it is going slowly. The first pic is when I found my old custom resting in front of a shop under a big tree. The second is the way it looks now. Got to keep going!

 

A big improvement,,these old 52-54's are finally starting to become popular but for some of us they have always been.

Congratulations on finding your old car and willing to do all the hard work to bring it back from the dead. HRP

 

Great beginning to a bad end. I hope that my search ends up the same. I'm looking for a 1956 TBird that was sold by **** Dean in about 1981. HELP!!!!!! It was called the California Condor.....Needless to say, it was black.

 

Another earlier shot of the old custom sitting in a previous owner's yard.

 

Glad you are bringing it back to life,it is hard to understand why someone would take a car as nice as it was and turn it into a pile of **** with no regard for the hard work put into it.Someone deserves a swift kick in the nuts,some people just have zero common sense.Anxious to see the finished product!

 

I have always wondered the same thing. Not only not do the car any good, but their investment also drops like a rock.
I have never figured this out.

 

From what I have been able to determine this car went through a series of owners before I got it back. During this time the car was not looked after and had a lot of the parts taken off it - and looks to have been left outside the entire 31 years that went by before I got it back. Lots of us have dreams to do a rebuild on a car, but many also lack the resources to pull off the job.
Let's face it, building a rod or custom can cost a lot of dough if it is done right.

 

Nice save. She's in the right hands now!

 

Outstanding Sir.Just remember"All good things come to those who wait".
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Stories like this are the best! Sooo cool!

 

Thanks a lot, guys!

 

Steve.... good to see your progress and update , looking great and like your DeSoto grille , have fun !

..... micamountain

 

Thanks Dale! I am finally making progress on this project, and hope to get a lot more work done this winter. Should look like a real car by the time you come down in the spring.

 

Got a lot more work done on the convertible this week. Finishing up the welding under the body, and does that hoist I bought four years ago ever come in handy. A lot easier to stand up when working under the car than laying under it. Getting ready to put some paint on the underside of the body, then take it off the hoist and start ***embling the front sheet metal. Will post more pics when I get to that stage.

 

This is a 54 Desoto grill in a 53 Ford. I located one of these rare grills awhile ago, and will use it in this build. I'll be happy if my car looks as nice as the one in the photo. The use of this grill requires a bit of rework on the front part of the fenders, but the look is worth it.

 

Still plugging away on the convertible. It will be coming off the hoist soon and then I can get it outside for some more pictures. Slowly but surely is all I can say.

 

You tail lights look like my 54 custom I had




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