So, I had a fit of madness this last Sunday... bought a '53 Customline named 'Nellie'.

You can't see it in the pic, but she has some real rust (pinholes in doors, badly laced around rear fender lips, and a fist-sized hole in the rockers). But the usual places I'd look for rust (floors, botom of trunk opening, spare tire well, trunklid bottom lip) all look REALLY nice. Like the car is only ten years old instead of fifty-plus.

Anybody run into this before? 'Cause I've never run across a car where there was such significant rust (holes, not laced-out metal with bubbled paint) that didn't have some pretty good rust in the floors, trunkld, etc.

Shame about the rust, because the car is otherwise REALLY clean. Interior's nice, everything is original and un-messed with. Hell, she even has the spark plug wires with "Ford" molded in the boots!

If it makes anyone happier, I'm strongly considering putting a set of '54 New Yorker hubcaps on her.

-Bill

Her butt...

Doesn't show here, but the instruments look like ol
Henry just made 'em yesterday...

Neat car Bill. I like those and it seems you don't see all that many 52 through 54 Fords. I agree with your comments on the rust locations. That is very strange.


- EM

Cool score!

Neat score!

On the rust, maybe it spent time on the coast? A lot of cars around here have 'Gulf Coast' rust where the outer body has rotted, but, the underside is still solid.

Thanks for all the kind words!

She has been a Seattle car all her life.

Usually we get those damned fir tree needles rotting away in the bottom of the body, but that usually shows up with rust bleeding out from under trim, and taking out the trunk lid.

Once she has Chrysler hubcaps, I'm sure everything will be better...

-Bill

Overhead six or Flathead V8 I had one but was 16 and dumb and traded it back to my dad. I have a 53 Wagon and my dad has a Sweet 53 aswell I love 49-54 Shoebox fords. I also like the 53 grill best out of the 52-54s. They have balljoint conversions for the 49-53s. 54 went balljoint fact.

The rust your discribing almost sounds like small critters made homes in those enclosed areas, and their "waste" rotted out the pannels. We get things like that around here in cars that have been stored inside and untouched for many years. Gene

Hey '76, funny thing is I used to have a '52 when I was in high school, too.

That one had a 239, but Nellie has a 215. Looking forward to getting a fuel pump tomorrow so I can experience the awe, terror, and sheer performance of Ford's first OHV engine.

Oh, and see if it can keep up with my daughter's '88 Diahatsu Charade.

And thanks for the 411 on front suspension!

Quote:

---

The rust your discribing almost sounds like small critters made homes in those enclosed areas, and their "waste" rotted out the pannels. We get things like that around here in cars that have been stored inside and untouched for many years. Gene

---

Gene, have you been spying on this car? 'Cause that's exactly what her life story is... last tabbed in '83. Lived in a garage her whole life.

Makes sense.

-Bill

---

Gene, have you been spying on this car? 'Cause that's exactly what her life story is... last tabbed in '83. Lived in a garage her whole life.

Makes sense.

-Bill

---

Bill, wouldn't have been watching that old Ford, but sure have seen enough old cars that have been stored a long time with rust in very unusual places, and all of them had that "old car smell" so many think is cool. Knowing what causes that smell makes it a bit unpleasant to me. Gene