1955 Ford Courier Sedan Delivery

Pampano Beach, Florida is where this super cool ride is located. This is a 1955 Ford Courier Sedan Delivery and it’s listed on eBay where there are seven days left to get your bids in and line up your preferred shipper. The current bid is just under $1,500, and of course the reserve isn’t met. This is one sweet rod.

This is a rare beast and it actually looks pretty good. No, it looks very good! I have no clue how much bodywork will be involved here, I’m guessing that this car is loaded with filler, it’s just too rust-free-looking for being 59-years old. And, it looks a little wrinkly and uneven and.. weird in a few spots. The seller says that it came from a very hot country (not a clue) so there is basically no heating system installed, ever, since it was new, in some other country that apparently is hot. That split tailgate is super cool!


We’ve probably all done a bit of bodywork and in looking at this car it probably wouldn’t take a ton of work to make it look good and flip it for a profit, if that’s what a person was in to. Well, scratch that, if you look beyond the decent outer body you’ll see where most of your time and money will be spent. But, even with that, if the reserve is low enough a person could theoretically throw $30,000 into this car and still make a healthy profit. Of course, if you bring it into a restoration shop you’re not going to get it back in perfect condition for $30,000 so you’ll have to do a lot of the work yourself.


We all know that this car will never be restored back to original specs. Some cars just lend themselves to be restomods for the rest of their lives. Any Willys coupe, of course. A Henry J? Forget it. A bathtub Nash? HA, give me a break; all restomods. A sedan delivery is in the same camp. And, there is not one thing wrong with that, I’m just stating the obvious. I can see the appeal for this car to become a gumball-colored custom, it just has that cool shape and persona about it. The interior will, of course, need as much work as the exterior will, but other than welding on the floors and maybe some roof/headliner work, hopefully it won’t be a money pit.


This is the original engine, Ford’s Y-block 272 V8 that would have had around 160 hp. It looks good in there, obviously it’s been out and has at least been painted, but no word on if it’s been rebuilt or not. Supposedly this is a running car, but just enough to get it on a trailer; although the brakes all work and under the front end of the car it looks pretty good to me, just from looking at this one photo. Is anyone else a fan of these sedan delivery vehicles? I think they’re cool as heck.

Source: barnfinds.com

1973 Ford Pinto Wagon

It’s usually exciting to find a one owner original survivor car for $1500, like this one here on craigslist, but it is a Pinto. Who can blame someone for walking away from it in 1985. It looks complete and original on the outside. It’s here in Sacramento, so it might not be too rusty. It even has the hubcaps. There’s no word on if it runs and no pictures of the interior.

There’s rust showing on the tailgate for some reason. Perhaps something was mounted there, like a bike rack, that wore away the paint. The bumper has an interesting bend.


The engine looks complete and not too messy. That is a 2 litre 4 cylinder with 86 horsepower mated to a 3 speed manual transmission. Some claim these are 14 second cars, 14 seconds to 60 mph anyway.


The right hand side looks like it’s made close friends with at least one stationary object. If this runs, could it be a fun little driver? What do you think it might be worth?

Source: barnfinds.com

1949 Ford Coupe

Though plentiful and popular, we couldn’t withhold this cheap ’49 Ford coupe. Appearing to have undergone a partial restoration, this Ford is nice and comes with a great deal of good condition and new parts. Priced at $2,900 we are just fine with “some assembly required.” Find it here on craigslist out of Pueblo, New Mexico.

Packing its original drivetrain, the engine bay certainly needs some work. The overspray is a bit disappointing, although it could be rectified. There is no real mention of the engines condition, and if it runs, but we would think that the engine has some life considering how much work has been put into paint, and interior. But we cannot assume anything.


The interior looks to be primarily new, although the steering wheel could use some help. The seller has done a lot of interior work on this Ford, and has spares for the interior. The exterior wears a pleasant shade of green. There looks to be a scratch in the passenger front fender, and we question the paint quality due to the view of the engine bay and over spray. Although the body looks superb and very straight along with the chrome work. The seller claims this Ford to be rust free, and after examining this Ford, we can believe it.


With a solid start, a lot of potential, and a cheap price this ’49 Ford Coupe is hard to pass up.  Would you take on this ’49 Ford Coupe? What would you do with this cult classic?

Source: barnfinds.com

1965 Ford Mustang Fastback

The seller of this 1965 Mustang claims that the engine runs and drives, but that the brakes don’t “stop real good”. That’s the least of the next owner’s problems though as there’s plenty of rust and bodywork that need addressing. This wasn’t the best specced car either with a 289-2v, 3-speed manual, and standard interior. Still, Fastbacks are very desirable and there’s no doubt in my mind that someone will rescue this poor pony. It’s located in Spring City, Pennsylvania and is listed here on eBay where bidding ends later today.

Source: barnfinds.com

1969 Big Block Mach 1

Source: barnfinds.com

1966 Ford Boogie Van

When you look at a van like this 1966 Ford E-Series here on eBay, your mind tends to wander: who created this psychedelic machine? Did they have a vision when they started? Do they tire of getting photographed while idling in city traffic? Who knows, but I have to give credit to the builder for bringing the various design and equipment elements together to create something quite unrepeatable. The bids are nearing $14K and there’s no reserve in sight. 

If we get serious for a minute, you have to give the builder credit: he  completed this van and then took off on a month-long road trip with his wife and their dogs to explore the USA via Route 66. He documented the trip here on DrivingLine.com, and it’s well worth the read (it helps he’s a photographer and took some excellent photos of classic Americana.) The van was gone through from top to bottom, including the paint job and a hotted-up and rebuilt Ford 300 I6 engine.


True to form, this Econoline has shag carpeting inside. That’s a must-have, wouldn’t you agree? The van has some modern creature comforts, including surround sound stereo and Bluetooth-enabled technology for receiving calls. The Moon pedals and fire extinguisher are appropriate period touches, and you’ll be staring out new glass all around as the seller has replaced those components as well. My favorite feature of this van is its history: it was formerly a work van owned by the Singer Sewing Company, which employed a fleet of these vehicles for making house calls.


The seller is listing it on behalf of the photographer owner, and claims there are plenty of good stories to go with this “Boogie Van” creation – including almost causing two wrecks in Texas due to distracted drivers. I’m sure you would have to get used to lots of eyeballs on the road, but I doubt anyone buying this considers themselves a wallflower. If it were mine, I’d lose the raked stance and keep the rear even with the front but there’s not much else I’d mess with – although, the rear cargo area is crying out for a velvet couch. How would you use it?

Source: barnfinds.com

1941 Ford Super Deluxe

Who doesn’t love a little patina? Certainly it’s not for every car, and maybe not for everyone, but it certainly has its place in the automotive realm. This original 1941 Ford Super Deluxe isn’t rich with beautiful shiny paint and a full restoration. Instead it is rich in originality and history. Although sporting an as found historic look, this Ford is a runner driver and is ready to cruise to your local car event. The bidding on this Ford is up to $8,600 and the reserve has yet to be met. Find it here on eBay out of Frazier Park, California.

Even though the exterior has patina, the engine bay is a much different story. The bay looks to have been painted black to “freshen” it up, and the engine and its components look clean and fresh. The flathead V8 is claimed to “run like a mouse with slippers.” The engine and driveline appear to be all in good working order making for a great cruiser.


The interior looks surprisingly nice in this old Ford looking to be mostly original. There is certainly a bit of fading and a few blemishes, but it really looks to be a comfortable view from the cockpit of this Super Deluxe. The dash board even sports a bit of surface rust, but it looks wonderful in untouched condition, maintaining the originality. The exterior obviously has some surface rust, but the seller has noted there is not rot, or holes in this Ford. It appears there may be a few small dents here and there, but nothing serious enough to create a crease. The trim appears all present and shiny, and the bumpers don’t look to shabby either.


We know patina isn’t for everyone and there is certainly a line between patina and a rusty heap. Although, we rather enjoy original type vehicles such as this with what is a manageable level of patina. The original paint is clearly present and the interior is pleasant, where you could actually convince anyone to ride in this car without fear of tetanus, or other hazards. Would you drive this patina cruiser? What we are really wondering is what this 1941 Ford Super Deluxe will close for? What do you think would be a fair price for this Ford?

Source: barnfinds.com

Not A Falcon But A Frontenac!

At first glance, you might think this is a plain first generation Ford Falcon–but now look a little closer, especially at the front grille. Different, huh? Yes, this is a one-year only (1960) Ford Frontenac, only sold in Canada. This particular one has found its way across the border into Snohomish, Washington and is for sale here on eBay with an opening bid of only $1,000 and no reserve. And to top it off, an online magazine says there are only 16 of these left anywhere!

From the side view you can see some other trim differences between the Frontenac and the Falcon. How did this car come about, you may ask? Well, I’ll give you the short story. Mercury dealers north of the border needed a compact to sell, and the Falcon was being introduced. Change some trim, put some maple leaf badges on it, and you have a Frontenac. By the way, Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau was a late 17th century governor of New France. Why someone decided to name a car after him, I don’t know.


If you look closely, you can see a maple leaf in that center emblem. 9,536 Frontenacs were built in 1960 before the model was replaced by the Comet in 1961. This particular car appears to be very solid with little to no rust and reasonably shiny chrome and trim. I’m guessing some of that Frontenac only trim would be darned hard to come by. By the way, according to this article, the one I raced against in the 24 Hours of LeMons was one of only 16 left; I have no idea if that’s true or not, but hey, have you ever seen one before?


Being a seller of few words and pictures means we don’t get an interior shot apart from the nice looking dashboard. I’m guessing it isn’t too great, though. Hopefully it doesn’t differ much from the Falcon interior.

image: http://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/nemkedhrzo0yekldsh5p-630x355.jpg

Photo of ad courtesy Jalopnik.com

Just in case you think I’m making all this up, here’s an ad for the Frontenac. There’s an interesting story floating around, probably apocryphal, that a 1961 Frontenac prototype was produced and was taken to a photo shoot where the folks that had it were informed that it was going to be replaced by the Comet for 1961. Don’t know if it’s true or not, but when you consider a marketing department that came up with “The Eventful Frontenac” as a slogan, it doesn’t completely surprise me that they were out of the loop. 

There are two issues with this car, apart from finding trim or anyone else that knows what it is. One of them is that the engine doesn’t run. I’m guessing it’s more than the taped off air intake keeping it from running. The second is that the front left wheel is locked up; I’m guessing the drum has frozen to the linings. So how about it? Interested in owning 1 of 16 cars left of this short chapter in Canadian automobile history? You certainly can’t argue with the price, can you? Let us know if one of you wins this bid!

source: barnfinds.com

1931 Ford Stake Bed

There are a lot of older restorations for sale these days. This old delivery truck listed on craigslist was “partially restored” in the 1960s and then put away and forgotten. The current owner has done a lot of work to make this a nice driver and is selling it for some reason. It’s located in Sacramento for  $9,850. Except for the bed and headlights, it looks mostly complete and original.

The owner replaced the floor along with other work. The paint work doesn’t look like it was done very well.


The engine looks complete and original except for the alternator. The electrical system was converted to 12 volt. The head gasket was replaced, the carburetor rebuilt, a new water pump installed and hoses and the fan belt were replaced.

The wooden stake bed looks well made but appears to have been built for looks and not utility. This truck would be great for parades, advertising or just a fun driver. What would you do with this old truck? What do you think someone will be willing to pay for it? Would you drive it as it is or restore it further?

Source: barnfinds.com

1967 Ford Mustang

Wow – I haven’t seen too many Mustangs of this generation in yellow, and I like it. Of course, what I like even more is the story that this ’67 Mustang with only 27,000 original miles has been in the same family since new, passed to different generations of ownership. It almost makes me sad to see the current caretaker put this gorgeous example here on craigslist, where the asking price of $20,000 drives an interesting discussion: would you rather this car or the survivor-grade Caprice from yesterday? 

 

But wait: that’s not an original Mustang color, is it? Nope, as the description will tell you the seller’s uncle painted over the original white paint to match another car in his collection. That’s a shame, and I immediately know my answer to the above question: I’d take the Caprice! Low mileage or not, originality is a big factor for me with car purchases. As it turns out, the carpet was also replaced.


So now that we have that out of the way, how do you feel about this Mustang? If the mileage claim holds up, then it’s still an interesting find – but it definitely needs to be repainted for its limited use to be relevant, in my opinion. The no accident claims are a plus and rust is limited to an apparently minuscule spot at the bottom of the door. The chrome still looks sharp and the recently-added whitewall tires are period-correct.


The seller says he is letting go of this family heirloom to invest in his business, which isn’t the craziest reason to sell a car like this. My question remains fixated on what happens next: repaint and restore or keep it as it currently is? Some might say the repaint adds to its history, but without seeing pictures of the interior, I think this low-mileage example needs to be brought back to as close to OEM-correct as possible. What about you?

Source: barnfinds.com

1951 Ford Custom Roadster

Always looked back upon as a grand era in time, the 1950’s brought about a great and interesting movement in automobiles. We wanted to go faster, and we wanted to build something unique and cool. This 1951 Ford custom roadster is most certainly a one of a kind. Primarily based off of an English Ford, with some Studebaker parts, and other various parts thrown in the mix, this is certainly an interesting and eye catching machine. Currently up for bid and at no reserve, we ponder what this custom Ford may sell for. Find it here on eBay out of Upland, California.

The heart of this English Ford is an 1172cc 4 cylinder side valve engine backed by a 3 speed transmission. Appearing mostly stock in the engine bay with a fine layer of dirt, this little engine does indeed run and drive. The air cleaner appears to be missing in action, and it would appear there is a small gallon fuel canister tucked in the bay currently fueling the car. The seller has mentioned the original fuel tank, and water pump need repair. Both items not being too big of a hassle to deal with. We are excited to see that this one still runs and is in such original shape from the great visionary’s mind who built this interesting ford.


The styling on this custom roadster is certainly interesting. The fins are listed as being Studebaker, and the trunk section of the car is actually a Studebaker hood. The body line from the front fenders slopping back is reminiscent of a Triumph Tr3. Knock off style hub caps and the light shade of green draw in the entire package of this car, flaunting its interesting lines and style.


The interior is simple, yet glorious. The Bucket seats are listed as custom made fiberglass units, and it would appear this Ford recently got some fresh flooring. The steering wheel is a little dry and dated as well the rest of the interior. But there is enough to leave the interior as is, or to freshen it up.


This is really a very cool car to have survived as well as it has. But what should be its fate? Should it be restored? Should it be preserved and enjoyed? From what we can see, we think it would be a fantastic preservation car, as it wear much of its green paint, and shows so much interesting history, and creativity. It’s fascinating to study the lines on this one, and see what the builder did here and there to create this Ford custom. So what would you do with this Custom Ford? Restore it, or preserve it?

Source: barnfinds.com

Ford Econoline Travel Wagon

While the seller thinks this is a TurtleTop conversion, it’s actually something different. This beautiful restovivor RV based on a 1966 Ford Econoline bus is officially called a Ford Econoline Travel Wagon, and was converted by the Travel Equipment Corporation of Elkhart, Indiana. This particular one is located in North Royalton, Ohio and is up for sale here on eBay, where the buy it now is $24,900 but lower offers are encouraged.

Look closely at the top of the van in this picture–this is the travel mode, where the top is retracted for driving. This is really a cool design! And while I’m sure this is a repaint, if you look at it in the video loaded by the seller the RV has both very shiny and straight body.

image courtesy curbsideclassic.com

There’s a great article about these conversions here at curbsideclassic.com where they are characterized as the “American Westfalia”. What’s even more special about this one is that it’s on the extended version of the Econoline that was intended for bus use, so there’s even more length for the sleeping portion than the one in the brochure above.

As you can see, the interior is completely beautiful. It’s obvious that a lot of time and effort have been spent on making the inside of this RV spotless and beautiful. I don’t know how comfortable those seats will actually be, but they look nice, don’t they? Currently, the transmission is a three speed, but someone planned higher cruising speeds and a rebuilt three speed plus overdrive transmission is included with the sale if you want to install it.

And here is the stove, refrigerator and sink–vintage 60’s decor. We’re told everything works great!

Moving to the rear, we have the seating, dining, and when folded flat the sleeping arrangements. Again, so 1960’s!

 

Finally, under the “hood” between the seats, we have the inline 6 powerplant. Take a look at the end of the video to see how smooth an engine can actually be–if you didn’t realize the fan was turning you wouldn’t even know it was running!

Finally, I couldn’t let this post end without showing you the underside. Yes, I’m sure it wasn’t originally black. But look at the condition everything is in. Here’s one that sold in 2007 on the smaller wheelbase that wasn’t as nice that still brought $18,700! With this having been a California vehicle and as rust free as it is, I can’t imagine a better trip than to fly in after winning this auction and driving it home! How about you?

Source: barnfinds.com