For Sale: 1951 Ford Crestliner 2dr Sedan, 40K miles, OD - $14,000 - Puyallup, WA - Not Mine

[58L-Y8]

For Sale: 1951 Ford Crestliner 2dr Sedan, 40K miles, OD - $14,000 - Puyallup, WA

1951 Ford Crestliner for sale by owner - Puyallup, WA - craigslist
Seller's Description:

This is a 1951 Ford Crestliner with 40,580 original miles on it.  My parents owned this car for the past 45 to 50 years.  You can see from the 1978 newspaper article in the front window the history of this vehicle written when my parents drove it back to Nebraska and entered it in a car show, winning first prize. Since that car show in 1978, my parents have only put about 8,500 more miles on the car and kept it garaged these many years.
The car is equipped with a factory overdrive transmission.  The seat covers were put on over the original seats shortly after purchase, as my parents were told. The driver’s side corner of the seat cover has been opened to show the material under it. The car runs great. However, because it has not been driven the seal in the driver’s side water pump has dried up and is leaking. I have two new water pumps for this car ready to be installed that will go with the vehicle.  We are looking for someone who is interested in owning this car and enjoying it as my parents did. I AM NOT INTERESTED IN SELLING THIS CAR TO A DEALER.
Contact: No phone listed
Copy and paste in your email:  0a2ab7e1740334868e215054581c64a9@sale.craigslist.org

I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1951 Ford Crestliner 2dr Sedan.
The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975, Edited by John Gunnell states 8,703 1951 Ford Crestliner 2dr Sedans built.

[TerryB]

I have never seen bumper guards like that!  Are they an original Ford accessory item?  The car is quite nice.  The first time I saw a Crestliner I thought it was someone’s custom car creation.

[1957Birdman]

That rear bumper guard is definitely heavy duty. It reminds me of the push bumper that police cars have on the front for intentional collision with another vehicle.

Lew Bachman

1957 Thunderbird

[rocketraider]

I didn't think the Crestliner continued into 1951 since the Victoria hardtop came out that year, but the Standard Catalog shows Ford built 8703 1951 Crestliners compared to 7000 1950s. They sold over 110000 1951 Victorias- SEVEN THOUSAND more than 1951 Chevrolet BelAir production according to same source. Looks like Ford played hardtop catch-up with a vengeance.

 

Always wondered what a Club Coupe would have looked like in Crestliner trim.

 

Y'all know my opinion of andiron bumper guards, but at least these don't wrap around and attach to the bumper ends. They still ruin otherwise clean styling.

 

Trying to figure out that oil fill cap and hose.

 

 

[Fossil]

28 minutes ago, rocketraider said:

Trying to figure out that oil fill cap and hose.

I think the hose is just a glorified crankcase breather. The lower end doesn't attach to anything at least looking with one good eye. In a few days when I have two again it might look different. 

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Fossil (see edit history)

[BillinMd]

Will the owner please do something with the ground strap! That is a short waiting to happen. Why do people use braid for the ground terminal?

Nice car.

[m-mman]

41 minutes ago, BillinMd said:

Will the owner please do something with the ground strap! That is a short waiting to happen. Why do people use braid for the ground terminal?

Huh?  I don’t understand. 
Are you thinking that the braided (un-insulated) battery cable that is bolted to the engine acting as a solid ground wire for the battery, might touch another piece of metal and short to ground?  
If so, you needn’t worry, it’s already well grounded……

[Twisted Shifter]

3 hours ago, rocketraider said:

Trying to figure out that oil fill cap and hose.

 

This was a common solution on many a flat head engine routing "blow-by" smoke and fumes down and out of the engine compartment and away from the passenger compartment. Badly worn or broken rings would leave excess oil in the combustion chamber where it would burn with the fuel and the smoke and fumes would pass back through the rings on the next stroke into the oil pan. Then the pressure would force it out the filler neck, through the oil filler cap and then into ,the hose, down along side the engine (or further) and out underneath the car.

As long as the car was driving down the road, all the blue smoke followed you from behind, not up around the hood opening, the windshield, or in your open windows.

Simple solution until there wasn't enough compression left to move the car.

 

Newer cars had smog systems, starting with PVC valves, that routed fumes back into the engine for "re-combustion". Didn't improve engine life or power, but they eliminated some of the blue smoke.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Twisted Shifter (see edit history)

[rocketraider]

Didn't Flatheads have a road draft tube to scavenge blowby? I understand what you're saying but that's not an OE Ford breather cap, which would not have had a hose nipple. I guess I was looking to see if it had had some type of rudimentary PCV system installed.

[Jim Skelly]

Aren't those Van Auken bumper guards?

[Jim Skelly]

11 hours ago, rocketraider said:

They sold over 110000 1951 Victorias- SEVEN THOUSAND more than 1951 Chevrolet BelAir production according to same source. Looks like Ford played hardtop catch-up with a vengeance.

Lincoln and Mercury didn't have a hardtop until 1952, so if you wanted a hardtop Ford product, that was your only choice.  All five of GM's divisions had them by 1950.

[The 55er]

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. 

[58L-Y8]

12 hours ago, rocketraider said:

"Always wondered what a Club Coupe would have looked like in Crestliner trim."

I've wondered the same thing, the Club Coupe with its shorter greenhouse and close-coupled seating presented a sportier look than the two-door sedan.   Its seems if they had offered the Crestliner as an optional trim package for either of the two-door body styles, the customer would have pleased to make the choice.  Maybe they would have sold even more.

 

[m-mman]

While today we are attracted to the Crestliner trim and two tone colors, the most unusual feature and quite unique in 1950-51 was the vinyl top.  
 

GM drew attention by eliminating the B pillar Ford’s focal point was the fabric over the metal.  
 

FYI, the 51 Victoria was created-engineered by welding a metal roof to a convertible body shell.  
Minimal reworking required in fact under the back seat on Victorias exist the brackets and mounting locations for the convertible top linkage……

 

They weren’t called “Hardtop Convertibles” for nothing.  😉

[58L-Y8]

7 minutes ago, m-mman said:

While today we are attracted to the Crestliner trim and two tone colors, the most unusual feature and quite unique in 1950-51 was the vinyl top.  
 

GM drew attention by eliminating the B pillar Ford’s focal point was the fabric over the metal.  
 

FYI, the 51 Victoria was created-engineered by welding a metal roof to a convertible body shell.  
Minimal reworking required in fact under the back seat on Victorias exist the brackets and mounting locations for the convertible top linkage……

 

They weren’t called “Hardtop Convertibles” for nothing.  😉

And, interestingly enough, Gordon Buehrig's first project after he joined Ford Styling Body Development Studio in mid-1949 was to design and developed the 1951 Ford Victoria two-door hardtop body based on sharing as much of the existing convertible tooling as possible. 

[BillinMd]

12 hours ago, m-mman said:

Huh?  I don’t understand. 
Are you thinking that the braided (un-insulated) battery cable that is bolted to the engine acting as a solid ground wire for the battery, might touch another piece of metal and short to ground?  
If so, you needn’t worry, it’s already well grounded……

Not that. Just a too long unshielded strap 3 inches from the hot terminal. Might be all right until it hits a bump. In my experience with electrical work, insulation is your friend. 

[m-mman]

1 hour ago, BillinMd said:

In my experience with electrical work, insulation is your friend. 

And we both agree that in old 6 volt systems, ground pathways are your friend. 😉

[Twisted Shifter]

16 hours ago, rocketraider said:

Always wondered what a Club Coupe would have looked like in Crestliner trim.

Here's a '50 coupe someone added Crestliner trim to. 

 

 

...and a '51 convertible.

 

[rocketraider]

Like 'em!🤩

 

Maybe Ford should have done that instead of relegating such flashy trim to a kinda frumpy 2 door sedan! They'd have sold beaucoups of them!

[JamesR]

On 8/28/2023 at 3:50 PM, TerryB said:

 The first time I saw a Crestliner I thought it was someone’s custom car creation.

That was my impression, too. That's in part because I saw no '51 Crestliners as a kid growing up, and it's possible I didn't see them because few people bought them due to their slightly odd looks. I don't think I saw one until I joined this forum. I love the '49 to '51 generation of Fords, but the Crestliner is my least favorite version. All of this is interesting because in just a few years ('55-'56) Ford's upper end models had the best looking side trim and color schemes of any American car (in my opinion.)

[58L-Y8]

The 1951 lower, full-length side trim somewhat short-circuits the original sweep-panel design of the 1950 Crestliner.