1954 Ford Customline

[vrod]

I am a newbie at this an dI hop esome people can give me some help with this. I never restored a car before but I came across a guy I know that wants me to buy his car. It is a 1954 Customline 2 door. I would say it is in good shape compared to a lot of cars I looked at. Can someone tell by the pictures if they think it is worth restoring? Could anyone tell me a value to buy this? I don't want to buy this for more then it is worth.

He said it ran the last time that he and his wife parked it in the barn, which from what I understand was about 10 years ago.

Thanks for any help.

Doug

[JMAV8FORD]

Welcome to the hobby! The first thing that you need to understand about the hobby is that there are many more cars available and for sale than you think. If you have decided that you want an old car, do you want a Ford or don't you care what brand you get? Do you want a Ford or other in the '50's or older or newer or don't you know? How much work do you want to do or how much work do you know how to do? Do you want a car that is running and driveable and usable now?

For this car specifically, '54 is not the best year for a Ford, and this car has a 6 cylinder, not a V8. In addition, you seem to say that the floor is rusted out, which means that it is likely that there has been rust repair in the fenders, rocker panels and quarter panels which will probably have to be redone. Rechroming the grille and bumpers will be an expensive undertaking. All in all, this car is not a good candidate for a person new to the hobby.

Since you are in York (and close to Hershey), and since Hershey is about a month away, you should come to the flea market and car corral, and look closely and carefully at many cars before you make a decision to buy.

[vrod]

Thanks for the reply!! I totally understand what you are saying about the car and its condition. Maybe I would be getting in too deep of a project for the first time. I just thought since I believe I could get it pretty cheap ( I think but like I said, I have no clue on what this would be worth) I would at least try some things to it.

Thanks again,

Doug