Shoebox Delemma

Hi Every one,

I need some advice about a purchase. I recently placed a down payment on a 50 Ford Club Coupe. It has a 53 Merc Flatty and a gutted interior. It was a part time drag car back in the day. It runs and stops, sounds good, and is the very definition of Rat Rod. The body has the usual bondo on the lower 5 inches, the floor is good and the trunk has a few "soft" spots.

Now here is my situation. I live in an apartment with my mom, she has Dementia and I'm helping her along. I no longer have a garage or a whole lot of tools, the divorce took care of that But I do have resources to do some simple, basic work. To take the edge off my stress, I figured I had some cash, and would like to have a car to drive, so jumped on this 50.

A few days later I found a 50 Sedan on ebay, small block chev, auto, 12 volt conversion, power brakes, etc. Looks like a very strait body and is still up for auction. It's about 3K more than what I would be paying for the one in Syracuse, and it is about 10 hours from Rochester. I know I would have to put a lot of money and work into the 1st one to make it look like the 2nd one, and over time would be spending more than the 3K difference.

Fellas, what do you think I should do? Get the more reliable car in Ill. and fork over the extra dough now, or stick with the club coupe and wait until I have time to make improvements. OR not do either, and stick to building model kits?

Thanks, Rocky

 

You know your situation better than any of us. I have a friend who does exactly what you do with their mom and the stress wears on them occasionally, turning wrenches would be good relief for me, what about you?

As far as Coupe -vs- Sedan -vs- condition of both, that is directly connected to your abilities and patience. Secondly, what do you want to do with the car, a chopped Sedan makes a better Sled, but a little Coupe with its nose in the dirt is a cool Rod. Which way ya goin ?

There is also something to be said for following through on the deal you struck, is the seller a friend, will he be understanding ? At the very least you should expect to lose your down payment money unless the seller is very-very understanding.

I think these are all questions you must answer for yourself, and now that you have said them out loud, maybe the answers will come a little easier. Listen to your gut, the frist reaction usually the correct one. Good luck, hope it works out for the best.

Johnnie.

PS: All that being said, I like Coupes, got a '51 Club Coupe in the garage myself.

 

Sounds like you have limited resources for a serious project. I think it is kind of a no brainer. And seems like you have a lot on your plate and need an easy car to work on, not a total project that will take up all your time and/or take forever to make something out of. Hard to do much without any tools and space to work on it.

PS, congrates on helping your mother, just being Mother's Day and all. Family and people are way, way more important than cars and I understand taking care of someone with dementia can be very challenging to say the least. Whatever you do, make sure to keep things in the proper perspective.

 

Thanks Guys, Here is a picture of the coupe. Like I said, It was on the road last year and drivable. If I do get it, I'll be ditching the wheels for solids and wide whites.

 

Shit, scrap is so high you can prolly scrap those aluminum wheels and buy Ford steelies!

Seriously tho, it depends more on what you want. Ebay can be decieving. I have sold a ton of cars on there and try to be very honest, I dont want someone not liking what I put forth to the table, but at the same time have been low balled and dicked around by the best jerks who deserve nothing less than getting thier money taken in exchange for a boogered bondo junk. So its a two way street. Basically you have seen one in person and can touch it...the other can be a mystery until its too late.

It sounds the other one is a little more driver friendly, and a little more together. That looks to be a last generation B body wagon next to the coupe tho, with either a TBI 5.7 or LT1 if its 94-96 so see if you can score the drivetrain out of that with the purchase of the coupe!

 

keep the coupe and work on it. you have already put the down payment on the car so buck up little camper!! and that is a wonderful thing your doing for your mom. it takes a lot to take care of a loved one with a disorder, my father in law is moving in and he has Alzheimers with a touch of dementia for the fun of it. talk about having my my plate full and throw a 21yo with autism in the mix............this house is a rockin'!!!

 

Yes that is a LT1, a 96 Roadie wagon, and it got me to the Pileup and back in October.

Here is a picture of the flathead motor of the coupe in Syracuse.

 

Go with your heart! Which one is more desireable to you...that is the answer. Congrats to you for your help with your mother...you'll only have one in your lifetime.