The 55er

Been there, done that. I'd leave that tank drain alone. If you can get a wrench on a typical drain plug and get it to turn with a reasonable amount of effort, fine. Otherwise you're just asking for trouble especially if the tank is intact and doesn't leak. Siphon as much gas out as you can, drop the tank, remove the sending unit, drain the remaining fuel out, inspect the inside of the tank and go from there. A bit more work but it's not worth ruining anything IMO. Are you sure the tank is full? Maybe just a bad ground or connection.

Rain Man car was a Roadmaster.

They did end the two-tone paint like that on the front fender wheel opening but this car is missing the small divider stainless trim pieces right at that spot. The Pontiac parts book called those missing pieces "paint joints".

The chrome "pork chop" trim piece is missing along with the related stainless mouldings that extend all the way up the sides to the Commodore 6 badge on the front fender at the wheel opening. The maroon could be correct but there's no bright white color on any 1951 Hudson paint chips that I have so I don't believe the white is an authentic color.

It's a nice car but it's not an original paint scheme. The side trim above the body crease is not correct either. The rear bumper is painted silver and it should be shiny chrome like the front bumper. Definitely an eye catcher but apparently the restoration is not quite authentic.

It's a no radio car, the radio would be located to the left of the clock.

It's definitely Mopar from about 1951-1954 but unsure about the exact application. Numbers?

Not enough pictures and I don't know if the $8500 price is optimistic or not but with with either 27,xxx or 43,xxx original miles it might be a gem of a car for someone. It sure looks good from what I can see of it. If you don't like the seats you can do them over in a more appropriate color & material (brown, fewer pleats?). That sure beats shelling out big bucks for extensive bodywork & rechroming. Again, need more pictures, it may not be getting the respect it deserves.

I'm pretty sure those bumper guards are actual Ford accessories. The Van Aukens were a different style with round knobs on top of the guards.

That knob on the top center of the dashboard turns the windshield wipers on & off.

There are a number of possible solutions the the steering wheel problem. Parts book shows 1954 Desotos came with two different wheels. The lower priced 6 could be had with a 2-spoke rubber wheel that would have held up better over the years and one might be found in good overall condition today with minimal cracks. It wouldn't look out of place at all and it's very possible it could be repaired & repainted with minimal effort. Of course you would need the correct horn ring with all the appropriate parts to complete the installation. The 2-spoke wheel I'm showing is from a 1950 DeSoto and it's only for illustrative purposes but it's one possible solution if all the correct parts could be sourced.

That steering wheel might be a lost cause......I'd be afraid that once I started removing the loose pieces a lot of it would fall apart. There might be too many cracks to fill and the pressure from the sanding would just cause more of it to come loose. It will be a lot of work. I don't know what the solution is but it sounds like a pretty expensive fix on a car I've already spent all the money on just to buy and (hopefully) drive home without incident. BTW the car has a Powerflite automatic and not a Powerglide. 1953 was the first year Desoto offered power steering, not 1954. And I'd be more worried about the condition of the body mounts, not the motor mounts. And the statement addressing the rust situation "she's a 1954 after all" is not necessarily what I want to hear about a car from the northeast rust belt 300 miles away from my house. I'd really like to see pictures of the engine & trunk compartments and less pics of the incorrect bright red reupholstered seats. I'd also want to see an overall shot of the rear of the car. IMO I am not asking for too much when someone's asking $8500 for a car that has somewhat faded paint and a lot of unknowns..........

Same seller does have a 1954 Mercury Monterey for sale that can be viewed on Lubbock FB as well. Both ads say they're looking for SERIOUS BUYERS. IMO a SERIOUS SELLER should replace the stale gas with fresh fuel and install new batteries in both cars to make the cars easier to sell. Always a big plus to jump in a vehicle that's for sale, turn that key and go for a spin in an attractive nice running car that's ready for a new owner.

Fits certain 1940s Cadillacs.

I noticed that spear shaped stainless piece on the bottom of the front fender just above the rocker moulding too, that was a 1954 only thing.

1954 New Yorker.

IMO a better opening word might be Beware! As in beware the seller that stands high on a stepladder to take pictures showing the shiny top sections of his car while avoiding the sides altogether where the rust would show up. Definitely an Earl Sheib color as that shade is not on the 64 Olds color palette. Those repaired areas in the trunk highlighted by the black rattle can primer are not good signs at least for me. 5K for a rusty car that definitely needs more work and runs somewhat well? I'll pass but GLWTS.

So stop wasting everyone's time, put the car back together as best you can, pull it outside in the driveway and put a big orange "FOR SALE $1500 obo" sign in the window and maybe then someone will tow it away.

The 1953 Chrysler Windsor in question looks to be quite "cosmetically challenged" so one question I would have is how nice would you expect the car to look after you're finished with it? A complete paint refinishing might prove to be a project in itself but you have to realize 1951-1953 Chryslers & DeSotos have a LOT of die cast trim to deal with, especially in the front grille area & fenders. These individual pot metal pieces are for the most part unobtainium today and your only choice would be to have them repaired & rechromed which IMO would far exceed the value of the car. In comparison, the trim on the 1954 models (Chryslers anyway) is mostly stainless which would be a lot easier to source if needed and may only require some polishing to have an acceptable appearance. That's just one consideration. This Windsor would need to have a super nice interior, have all the mechanicals sorted out and purr like a kitten for me to even consider it. Again I don't know how much work you're willing to do but as with all of these early 50s Mopar six cylinder cars price & rust would be my primary concerns as there are still plenty of similar cars out there to choose from.

The car pictured is a 6 cylinder Windsor. A friend of mine had an identical car back in the day but his was a 4-door.

Not the same according to the interchange manual, they have two different GM part numbers, that's all I can tell you.

No finger comments here but given its nice appearing clean untouched original condition I'll give the car a big TWO THUMBS UP. I don't know about the $13K price tag but sooner or later someone's going to get a nice one. GLWTS.

A good one to avoid IMO. This car looks like a rustbucket that's already been around the block a few times judging by all the bubbles in the bondo and overspray in the wheelwells. The front grille pieces are broken, the shield emblem with the plastic lion in it between the grilles is missing, and all that diecast trim front & back will cost a fortune to restore today. No shots of the interior but I'll assume that needs work too. Last year of the 6 volt positive ground Chryslers and something's leaking underneath. This is a good example of why it's better to "buy one already done" or "buy the best car you can afford" instead of trying to restore someone else's abandoned project. Rust is always worse that it looks. Seller is claiming it's a survivor but I think it might be better off as a parts car and an expensive one at that.

Fusick Automotive Products in East Windsor, CT sells reproduction 1953 Oldsmobile steering wheels with the correct Power Steering inserts. They sell the inside hood padding as well, you might want to check them out.

If you would like to know a lot more about this Chrysler Traveler, it was featured on a My Classic Car episode with Dennis Gage about two years ago. One way to see it is to watch it on YouTube under "1949 Chrysler Windsor Traveler owned and driven by a young guy!"