Customs Take 2....New (old) 54 Ford

It's been a while, but back here & in the game. Bought me another 1954 Ford.
Thought I'd share & make a build thread.
Quick run down, I was 22 when I got my 1st '54. Loved it, Tore the whole thing down, pretty much snowballed into a huge project, Car was all cleaned & almost put all back together but life got in the way & I pretty much had to let her go...that sucked.
Fast forward 10yrs, I still had that '54 chip on my shoulder. By chance I went to a local junkyard with a friend & saw two '54's sittin in a gated lot next door. Stopped me dead in my tracks.
Few months later, I decided to see if it was still there. Surprisingly it was, so I made deal & now I'm back on the 'ol HAMB after I dont know how many years!

 

Welcome back!....good luck and have fun!....please don't infest that nice FORD with a rodent engine!...

 

Here's how she was when I first saw her. Not one but TWO '54s! Never thought I'd see that. The blue one was a little rougher. When I went back a few months later it had sold...

 

Ok, man......what's the build plan?

 

Thanks! It's been some years for sure.

 

Some pics when I sprung her from the joint!

 

Going Ford in a Ford, 302/aod. Mild Kustom.

 

Ahhhhh.... I want to do one with a solid lifter 406 or 427 FE ford/4 speed/9 inch.

 

Yea. The years are just too far apart. The motor and car


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Congrats. Have fun.

 

great body style

 

Heres the donor, bought an '88 Mercury Grand Marquis. Pulled the engine/trans out. Its heart will live on.

 

Great catch; great powertrain combo! I backdated a 5.0 to '66 appearance for my '66 Falcon. I even like the current color scheme on yours, grey and white?

 

Thanks! Falcon sounds killer! Yes it's like a dull silver, off white top. Looking around, the original color was blue. Which also explains the blueish-green interior, haha.

 

Cool...and good luck...sad to say I traded one 54 coupe in on a 56 Plymouth hardtop parts car I needed the glass out off...it had fac A/C , pwr windows and PS/PB's.....and tinted windows.....both of them were that same dang green color......

 

And being in Commifornia, you naturally got the pink slip.....................

 

Naturally...good ol non-op. Had to jump through some hoop on my last Ford.

 

Thank you!
Sad to hear about the trade but looks like a lot of good/necessary parts came out of the deal!
Cant escape those green paint jobs, they were everywhere! Haha

 

Cleaned out all the crap/dust that's accumulated over the years & evicting the spiders that's been calling the '54 home, ugh! Removed the seats and all that insulation, trying to assess the damage on the floor.

 

My latest '54 Ford is as all the rest, a Coupe! (short top, my favorite) This one's a Mainline, first spotted it in Aptos (by the sea, above Carmel) where I lived in '72.
An elderly gent drove it, saw it 3 times, it was a V8 stick...but was green...
My son was reading the Sunday paper, saw an ad for a '54 Ford...he said let's go see it, rainy Sunday morning, we drove to a house and spotted the '54 on a trailer.
I recognized it as the Aptos car. Amazing...but green...Car spent its life in Aptos, and NO RUST! Son Rich ('rich son') made the guy an offer, and we went back with a trailer...'Happy Fathers Day, Pop!'
The coupe is now being readied for its 406, which I'm assembling. Factory 406 pistons, the 'good' rods, Standard crank, Delta 406 solid cam & lifters. Much more...
I'm using the RAT close-ratio type 3 speed toploader trans, with Jeep shift tower/stick. The 'real stuff'... 9" rear, '33 Plymouth 'wiggly' tube front axle, parallel leaves.
I also have Customline side trim to put on it, the plain Mainline body looks too 'tankish'... Wimbledon White, like in the old commercials... "Modern styling, the NEW '54 Ford!"
My previous '54 was a white Customline coupe, bought in San Fernando Valley for $15. (1968)
I ran across a guy in Sacramento with a 427 side oiler, got it 'reasonable'. Perfect combination with my white '54...in 1970 it surprised many Chevy pilots...
This car will be a 'tribute' to that one.

 

Congratulations, I too understand the attraction of '54 Fords, they have always been the redhead stepchild under the blue oval brand but in recent years have gained in popularity, some of us old guys have had a long time love for these cars.

Yours looks like a great start.

You might want to check out the 52-59 Ford Social group here on the hamb & the '54 Ford Club of America also. HRP

 

Danny...Not everybody knows the mechanical value of the '54.
With the move to OHV V8 ('Y-Block') in '54, this dictated a new chassis. Engine mount and suspension anchor was in the shape of a heavy dropped tube, running thru frame rails and quadruple-welded, (as thru a boxed frame)
Front suspension had T-Bird geometry, and ball joints, and new recirculating ball steering box. This was the predecessor of the next Fords to follow, and the larger Y Blocks and FEs, (especially the 260, 289, 302, 351s) are a bolt-in.
Truly the most misunderstood of all the mid-'50s...

 

nice tale but your meds are affecting your memory there was no AC from factory in 54 in the ford

 

What makes a coupe in 54?? My 54 Mainline like the OP but is a two door sedan

 

The "coupes" have a shorter roof length, back passenger windows are noticeably smaller and the gap between the rear window & truck is wider.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-sodapop-special-54-ford-mild-custom.78841/

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1954-ford-mainline-business-coupe.1121714/

 

I'll be following this! About to start my project. '54 Customline 5.0/AOD combo.

 

Great story and find! Love to read up on those kind if builds. Will be a great tribute car for sure!

 

You said it best! From the sea of shoebox fords, chevys & mercs these 52-54 mercs, fords & Lincolns stand out! Love'em!

 

Diggin that '54! Itll be a fun project thats for sure. With the help from the 52-59 group here it should be a somewhat easy swap. Probably jinxed myself for saying that lol.