Hey, This is sort of a rant, but wanted some advice and/or opinions from fellow car guys. About should I just let this slid or try and find some way of making it work. I have a 1956 Ford Customline 300 that runs and drives and I take it to shows whenever I can. I have done some mild mechanical work to it shaved the door handles and started to nose and deck it. I drive it everywhere. The car is currently stored at my Grandmothers house in Morrisburg, On. about six hours from me (Etobicoke, On.) I am currently attending college and I stored my car for the winter there. There is very little space in my Grandmothers garage I can just squeeze my car in the garage (barely). Ever since I started working on cars and been introduced in the "scene" I have wanted to make my Ford a full blown custom. It is a four door now and I would like to two-door it and do some similar custom touches as the "Victorian" had. I am going to be going back to my Grandmas and tunning the car up, lowering it, doing a soundsystem, and mounting my skirts and driving it to Santa Maria at the end of may (fingers crossed). Then I am not sure where my life will take me until my next and last year of college comes around. Basically I have no space to do lots of fabrication work or space to store parts. Here is where this story will start to get wrapped up. I just got off the phone from an old timer that parted out a clean rust free 1956 Ford Crown Victoria. He cut the top off and is willing to sell me the following items. -Top -Glass -Both Doors -Chrome All for the sum of $1,500.00 CAN. I have the money and am willing to pay however I currently don't really have anywhere to put these items and I know I probably wont get around to my two door conversion for a few years. As I am currently in school and don't have space to do so. The gentlemen said he would take a $500.00 deposit and hold the parts for 60 days. I also have no way of picking them up. Should I just let this slid enjoy my car the way it is and worry about this later. Or is this to good of a deal to pass up? Are the following parts available for $1,500 other places? Thanks guys!! Here are some pictures of my car...
It would be a big hassle for me to try and find space for this stuff. I just thought it would be a good deal? Or will there be other deals like this when I have space?
The prices of the items doesn't really matter, if you have no where to store the stuff then you've got no where to store them plain and simple right? Seriously, until you are done with school and land where ever with a place of your own, just drive the car like it is and enjoy it. Trust me, a year or two down the line you might not even have this car as you might find a two door thats a really good deal.
Thanks, just got excited that's all. I also thought about maybe someday swapping a body on it. Are you going to be at this years Detroit Autorama?
Thanks! Just got overly excited thinking about working on my car. I have been dreaming of cutting it up for a long time.
Hahaha When I bought my '56 I just wanted to put some vintage speed parts on the motor, lower it and put some WWW's on it. Now I want to make a full blown kustom out of it.
Unless your pics are decieving, I think I'd have a hard time cutting it up. Yes, I know 2dr is more accepted as a custom, but that car looks too good to mess it up. JMO Someone might want it bad enough for you to be able to buy a same condition 2dr...you never know.
Your young, in college....drive it and enjoy it. It looks great the way it is. Then you can get married and have kids and you will find out what NO TIME really means. Nice car by the way.
If you're intent on a two-door hardtop, save your loonies and toonies and get a real one, even if it means waiting until after college. It's called patience. And, don't forget you'll hopefully be making a better income after you invest in yourself and an education so that you can buy the toys you want. When I was in college and bemoaning that I didn't have the money to finish my '55 the old fart I was chatting with gave me a piece of advice I still carry with me: "Get your education, then you can pay someone like me to do the work for you." In other words, if I'm making good money as the result of sacrificing for my degree and a few years at the bottom of the food chain, and if I can pay someone to do the work, then I can also have the funds to get the projects I want, too, along with the garage space, tools and other equipment to build. I've got a '40 Ford Tudor, '55 Vic and a '63 T-bird as project cars in the first few years after high school and before I started college full-time 30 years ago. The '63 didn't get finished (in reality there's always something to do on it) until the last decade, the '40's still sitting and waiting for me to bring it home, and I'm still working on the '55 plus waiting for a '55 or '56 Crown Vic or a '61 Starliner to pop up at the right time. Cutting up a 4-door to make a 2-dr HT makes NO sense because of all the body differences - money is better spent to get a 2-dr HT and sell your ride if that's what you really want. Now a 2-door sedan, if you've got the 2-door-specific donor parts that's a slightly different story. Search the HAMB archives for what someone did to a '55 Chebbie.
Don't be a sucker. Keep your car as is and enjoy it. When you finish college and have some $$$ bucks and a place to play, go for it.
as stated above - let "the Deal" pass. absolutely nothing wrong with a more door!! but, if you are really going to make long trips it is much more important to include in your tune up new brakes, shocks, tires, charging system, etc. your basic plan is good as far as doing more mild custom work. It is easy to cut things up and take things apart. putting it all back together again is another story. be sure to share pics of shows you attend and trips you take.
Thanks, that is what I plan on doing this summer! Thanks, I do love my car. I don't think I could ever sell it (unless someone in the family was sick) as this car is way to sentimental to me. Which is why I wanted to convert it into a two door rather than sell it and buy a two door. Hahahaha ya it's going to be Winter soon so no driving for me. This summer I'll have lots of fun with it though. Thanks, plans are to finish school. I don't think I could ever pay anyone to customize my cars as that is where half the fun is for me. I am enjoying it now though. Thanks probably what I will end up doing. Thanks, just had my brakes adjusted and the suspension is fairly new. Going to put some Moog CC 850's in the front and blocks in the back. Thing needs a carb rebuild and new distributer as far as tune up goes. Other than that she is great mechanicaly.
Save the $1500,add to it and maybe in the spring you can get out of your Grandmas garage and find your own place to work on the car. To nice shape of a car to be butchering just because of opinions on 4-doors.
Nope. I won a trip from work for top sales in the company, all expenses paid for two to a resort in St Thomas. Same time frame as the Autorama. First time in many, many years I won't be there. Nothing wrong with dreaming, we all do it. Just certain things need to be taken care of first. Do I sound like your parents?? Are they still overseas??
By the way... if you really want a 2 door hardtop just sell your car and buy one, or trade your car in on one. Figure out what it would cost to do the change over on your car, $1500 + other parts, paint, upholstery etc I doubt you could do it for $3000 + a year's spare time work. For your car +$3000 you could be driving a hardtop tomorrow.
Anybody that would wack the top off a 55-56 Crown Vic should have His head wacked off,that is just plain ignorant to do that to one of the sharpest looking 50's era Fords.I would be leary of what else He might have done to it.
You don't want to look back years from now and wish you had your old car from college back. I'd enjoy it like it is, then when you get time and space figured out look for another car to cut up.
The Jalopy Journal
