Rusty_OToole

If it was 1950 and you were Donald Healey you could make a LeMans winning sports car out of it. But that was a long time ago. How much do you like the car? Enough to search out a good one to buy, and strip the one you have now for parts? They do turn up from time to time and I don't think they are expensive.

Might be worth getting as a parts car, if you really want a 2 door Nash bad enough to seek out a good one, or at least one with a rust free body. And if you have space to store it. After a lifetime of the old car hobby I am bored with 57 Chevs, Road Runners etc and the odd and unusual intrigue me. I can totally see why someone would want a car like this even though most people never heard of it.

Here is Jay Leno's take on the 1950 Nash Ambassador

Nash was the first unibody car in the US with the Nash 600 in 1940. By 1949 all their cars featured unibody construction.

Engine is a 235 cu in 115HP OHV six with seven main bearings. An excellent engine for its time, one finished in the money in the famed LeMans 24 hour race, under the hood of a Nash Healey.

If you can find a similar year Nash that needs work this one may furnish some good parts, I don't know. the 2 door Brougham body style is rare, maybe 10% or 20% of production, the rest were 4 door sedans. There was a similar rusty 2 door for sale near me about 10 years ago. I briefly considered buying it, shelling out the body and putting it on a newer platform but gave up the idea.

You don't need to worry about the frame - there isn't one. Nash was one of the first cars to go with unit construction, maybe the first. Have a mechanic or body man look it over, under the hood, in the trunk and under the car. I hate to say it but it looks like you were given a parts car. Incidentally the Ambassador was top of the line with seven main bearing OHV six cylinder engine. Hydramatic is the icing on the cake, a rare and expensive option back then.

There was a green 1968 Volvo 144 sedan that came back 3 or 4 times. I don't remember the circumstances but I kept selling it and getting it back. Then there was a 1984 Renault LeCar that I bought when it was 4 years old, and bought back 3 or 4 years later. Those are the only ones I recall.

It's very hard to improve the value of a car without spending more than you can get out of it. Best plan, if it is clean and in good repair you should get a decent price. You mention door panels, if the interior is in good shape except for a ripped door panel it will pay to fix just the bad part. I don't know about the legal requirements in your area. But here, a car must pass a safety inspection before it can be registered for the road. Having this inspection certificate can add a lot to the desirability, and price while it does not cost much if the vehicle does not need any repairs. Therefore, if the car is good it pays to get the safety inspection. Don't try to squeeze every penny out of it or you could be waiting forever for a sucker to buy it. Don't put too much into it, price it on the low side and it will sell. It is a big mistake to spend a lot of money then think "I have to get my money back" maybe you do but the buyer doesn't have to give it to you. As for the price look around the ads in your area and see what similar units are going for.

Young people today don't care about cars. Many don't even bother to get a driver's license. Cars just don't mean anything to them. Then there is the employment situation, many can barely afford food and rent and owning a home is an impossible dream. This means the demand for collector cars in future will be limited in many areas.

Someone spotted this one in Cuba

I bought a tube of speedo cable lube at the auto parts store for 79 cents in 1968. Still half full, you don't use a lot of it. The usual method of lubing a speedo cable is to disconnect at the transmission, pull out the inner, wipe it off and smear on some lube. Do not lube the top 6" to 12" of the cable you do not want the lube to work its way into the speedo. Slide the inner back into place and reconnect. Recommend you do this every 20 to 50 years. The cable should hang in easy curves. You do not want it to be bent or kinked. The inner must be able to spin freely.

I would use light synthetic motor oil.

Gas here in Ontario now $1.80 a liter (quart). Six cylinder, and even 4 cylinder cars looking more attractive.

Look around for an upholstery supply shop. There should be one in your area. They have the cotton padding and other supplies upholsterers use. Fabric shops have the cloth, it is not special, about like what shirts are made from. On second thoughts, I would use something like the Tyvek used on houses, to cover the wooden slats then put the cotton over that.