The 55er

Painted rocker mouldings, incorrect interior with a black?? headliner, no sunvisors and holes in the rear fenders where the stone guards should be. The visible dents and the mention of prior underbody rust repairs are two big minuses for me. And don't leave that battery connected or the car could go up in smoke. Certainly a flip as the seller states these cars have quite a following and they rarely stay on the market for long. Seriously for sale? Knock at least $7K off the price.

I've seen ads that say "the engine's seized but I've been soaking the cylinders with penetrating oil so it should be freeing up any day now"........don't count on it.

I used to own a 1968 Imperial. When you see a car that looks as nice as this yellow one you have to wonder what might be wrong with it so that it can't be driven and enjoyed. Ad says it needs a few small things fixed. I bought mine 20+ years ago, it was a nice clean 60K mile rust-free sedan parked a few blocks down the street from me that was being sold as part of an estate. It ran but needed some things sorted out. The usual little stuff like electrical connections, PW motors and split vacuum hoses were all easy fixes but these Imperials have some peculiarities some folks might not be aware of. The 1967-early 1969 Imperial front disc brakes are of the Budd 4-piston caliper type and the parts for them are special and aren't readily available. In the pre-internet days I had a heck of a time just finding the pads. I suppose there are specialized companies that can the rebuild the calipers if needed but I'm sure it's an expensive fix today. My second big problem was a loose steering idler arm, an IMPERIAL-ONLY item from about 1967-1973. The idler arms from the other more common big C-bodies (New Yorkers, Monacos, Furys etc.) are readily available but aren't the same. I couldn't find a new replacement arm anywhere. My understanding was none of the aftermarket companies like Moog or TRW ever made replacements and after the NOS Chrysler parts stock was exhausted, that was it. I bought two used ones and they both worked for a while but neither was a permanent fix. A mechanic friend thought he could fix the problem by drilling a hole in the arm and injecting some kind of a super rock hard space age epoxy-type concoction in there but that wasn't permanent either. And......back in the day another friend of mine had a turquiose 1967 Imperial convertible. By the time it was ten years old, it had some very serious rust issues here in the salt belt. My intent isn't to be negative toward 1967-1968 Imperials, I really liked mine when I was able to keep it operable and on the road. With about a dozen similar Imperials linked to the "Not Mine" Forums recently, they're a pretty popuar item here. I'm just pointing out a few of the problems I had with mine. Again this was 20+ years ago and maybe there are some easier modern solutions to these troublesome problems today. If there are I'd love to hear about them. Anyway, certainly a nice looking car and GLWTS.

Asking $12,500 for a car that's not road ready, ad says it came from long term storage, makes you wonder what kind of repairs are still needed. Electrics, brakes, suspension?

In the second photo showing the three cars behind the bicycle, the sedan on the very left is a 1940 Plymouth. I'm basing that on the fact that the door handles are below the belt line moulding, the horizontal styling creases that are visible on the front & rear fenders, the smaller size of the taillights and the more outward location of the rear bumper guard. Sorry but I can't help with the other two cars to the right of the Plymouth.

The car in the last photo behind the woman holding the baby is a 1952 Pontiac Catalina hardtop.

After consulting several reliable sources, I'll verify that all 1953 Dodge Meadowbrooks came from the factory with flathead 6 engines.

Now that the year is winding down, this 1950 Olds 98 may have been one of the best deals that was linked to the Not Mine Forums. I know most old cars have items that need to be sorted out but this appeared to be a clean honest original car that didn't need much. I liked the fact that the original ad started with a reasonable asking price and didn't have a lot of flipper-type overhyping with the usual incorrect facts, misstatements and embellishment. We may never know what it actually sold for but if went for, say $8K-$9K range that was even better. Certainly a great start for anyone who appreciates 74 year old cars, it's not your typical flathead six three on the tree antique car that many folks prefer but a little something special here with a Rocket V8 engine and automatic transmission. Take it out on the interstate and enjoy it! And 50s Oldsmobiles have excellent aftermarket parts support. Not much chrome or interior work necessary but maybe? a few bumps & bruises here & there that could be corrected. Apparently there's no repaint necessary and black paint can be easily touched up. I'll admit I don't know all the facts but as far as I'm concerned this is just the kind of deal buyers are looking for. I hope the new owner enjoys the heck out of it and I will be both saddened and annoyed if it turns out to just another flip but that's life............

As for the cars for food stories go, this same close personal friend once bought a running driving 1955 Mercury sedan from a guy for the price of lunch at the local Twin Kiss back in the late 60s. It only cost him a few bucks and I'm sure the deal included an ice cold 10 cent frosted mug of root beer as well. He loves telling these stories about the good old days, his stories just go on and on.

Not me but a close personal friend of mine's father bought a running driving stepdown Hudson club coupe from a dealer in Union Deposit, PA for $5. This was the only car that family had for probably a year or so.

Some folks might think you should just take the time to save every little piece of an old car but when something's as rough as these remains, you should just let it go to the crusher. There should still be a good supply of 52 Chevrolets around with some good parts on them.

Nothing beats the look of those 1953-1955 Olds Fiesta spinners, IMO one of the most attractive hubcap designs of all time. I'm surprised the seller of the expensive 53 Olds didn't spring for a set of wide whites but he elected not to as that would cut into his profit margin.

I've had my share of them from 1949-1958 and they were always my favorite marque but Oldsfan on these Forums is the real expert.

This car is way overpriced and could well be a flip. It's a fairly nice car but it's not bonestock factory correct or near ready for Top Preservation class either. A few flaws are the red interior sunvisors, the "factory" dual exhaust that Olds never offered until 1956, a non-existent battery hold-down (one year only item, might be hard to find) and the modern Kumho radial tires. I don't see the correct plastic Power Steering insert in the steering wheel and 1953 Oldsmobiles never had carpeted trunks either. Little things like working e-brake & courtesy lights and correct wire hose clamps really aren't worth mentioning and hardly contribute anything to a $40K car. I might be critical and such criticism might not be proper and polite but Geez, we're talking about a car here that someone is trying to get $40K for. If the price was $20K I wouldn't even be commenting on it. It's hard to find any credibility at all with a seller with such an overpriced car and so many incorrect statements in the ad, all in his favor. And BTW, any fifties GM enthusiast knows those famous early Hydramatics were 4-speed units and not 3-speed as clearly stated in the ad. It makes you wonder if the seller even bothered to drive the car he trying to sell..........Again it IS a nice car and I'm sorry if I offended anyone but there are just too many things wrong with this ad to justify the high asking price of the car.

That's a Mopar outside door handle fo something like a 1949-1950 Dodge.

I'm thinking there was a Not Mine link to this exact same 1956 Pontiac in Topeka two years ago on this Forum. The price was $12K then.

I'll take a stab at this but it's just a guess........1957-1958 Plymouth or Dodge car and someone cut the top center section of the brace off. If that's not the exact application, it's something similar.

1955 Oldsmobiles still had kingpins, no ball joints until 1957. How many miles on the car? I'd ask them to show me exactly what parts are worn.

Only problem with that is that ten years from now all those prospective future buyers that would have had any interest in those parts will be long gone and you might have to sell all those dirt cheap parts you bought even dirt cheaper. And by that time the vendor spaces will probably cost around $200 each! Nice thought though and an A+ for some fresh innovative thinking, we could ceertainly use more of that! BTW if you ever find any vendors at the Fall Meet selling anything dirt cheap please let me know their location, I haven't seen any there for the last 20-30 years.

Fits 1963 LeSabres, Electras, & Invicta wagons. 1964 big Buick grilles are 2-piece and have different part numbers.

My guess is the car isn't in running condition or the seller would be touting that in the ad for all it's worth. In fact nothing about the car's mechanical condition is even mentioned at all. He's quick to point out all the options it has along with how wonderful the interior is. IMO the fact that the car's engine runs or even turns is far more significant than the fact it once belonged to Little Jack Dempsey but even that unimportant tidbit is mentioned in the sales pitch. It's a neat wagon but I never much cared for the looks of 1963-1964 Chryslers, there might be other period station wagons available out there that are a lot cooler than this particular model. IF it's a non-runner or has been sitting for any length of time, all the typical stuff (brakes, fuel system, cooling system, electricals, exhaust, etc.) will have to be addressed along with a new dash pad & a cosmetic restoration including new paint (have you priced THAT lately?) if someone's goal is to the car to look like anything. I hope all those Ebay bidders took the time to contact the seller to verify the condition of everything before they submitted a bid or they might looking at a pretty involved & expensive project once they get it home. Really need to see more pictures of the engine, undercarriage and rear cargo area to get a firm grip on its condition and exactly what you're getting into.......

The Trico wiper arm number is AL-50C. The lefts & rights are the same. I don't have any Hudson listings for Anco prior to 1948.

Clueless.......afraid to wash the dust off but probably had no problem whatsoever with starting the car and running it on whatever stale gas, varnish & crud was in the tank.

If all the parts inside are original to this particular car and with that shadow of the lower rear fender ornament still visible, I'd say this is a 1952 Wasp Hollywood hardtop.

Won't fit, two different pieces with two different part numbers.