1953 Ford Customline Club Coupe 51K mi. All Original

Ford Customline 1953 Description

Item description: Up for sale is a 1953 Ford Customline Club Coupe. I am posting this on behalf of my father. This car and all of the parts described below are located in East Peoria, IL 61611.
My father has owned this car since July of 1981. He is the fourth owner. He bought it in Clinton, IA from a little old lady (no joke!). It has 51,835 original miles. The color is Sea Haze Green. It has the original 215 cu. in. inline 6-cylinder engine and a 3-speed manual transmission (three on the tree!). It has been garaged since he has owned it.
My father drove this car sparingly over the years. It was mostly used for local car shows and weekend driving in nice weather. It was parked in the garage as shown in the photos during the summer of 1993 and it has not moved since.
The reason that this car and all of the parts listed below are for sale is so that my father can make room in his garage to work on other projects.
Condition description: This car is a time capsule. The car was bought in the condition you see it in. It is a very good, original, 63+ year old car.
There are some small dents on the driver’s side rear quarter panel that a previous owner had “color-matched” body filler used to fill them in. The filler has since discolored as you can see in the photos. The bumpers have some surface rust. There is an area around the lower trunk lid body lip that has surface rust. There is a roughly quarter-sized rust hole in front of the passenger side rear wheel opening along with some surface rust on the trailing edge of that same quarter panel behind the wheel opening. The right front fender also has some surface rust at the bottom.
The paint is original. The chrome and stainless steel trim pieces are all original to the best of our knowledge. The car has a stainless steel exhaust system installed. The interior has all the original seats and equipment. The seats have some liquid stains on them (looks like drink spills).
This car is not drivable in its current condition. Other than the fact that it has been sitting for nearly 24 years, the following items will need repair/refurbishment/replacement in order to make the car drivable:
Complete four wheel brake job and line replacement. (see list of parts below) Carburetor needs rebuilt or replaced. (see list of parts below) Gas tank drained and maybe replaced. (see list of parts below) New battery. New tires.
Obviously, these are all basic things you would want to perform to a vehicle that has been sitting for so long. The lack of roadworthiness due to the brakes and carburetor are the original reasons that the car was parked. All other mechanical and electrical aspects of the car worked when it was parked.
A note about the pictures: The pictures of the car in the garage are current. The scanned pictures are original photos from when the car was first purchased by my father in 1981. I have more digital pictures of the car in the garage (engine, interior, and exterior). If there is something specific wanted, please ask.
Parts That Go With The Car:
The original owner’s manual. An original shop manual. Full size spare tire.
The following items have been collected and stored in the garage with the car over the years with the intention of returning it to the road or as spares/backups in case they were ever needed. They ALL go with the car and are included in the asking price and final sale price of the car:
New steel gas tank. N.O.S. right hand fender. N.O.S. right hand quarter panel. Two rechromed taillight assemblies. Left hand grill bar, rechromed. Grill center bullet, rechromed. Stainless steel brake lines. New master cylinder. Four new wheel brake cylinders. New brake shoes for both front and rear brakes. N.O.S. chrome trim above grill – both left and right hand sides. Several misc. N.O.S. stainless steel trim pieces for around the windows and quarter panels. N.O.S. trunk handle. N.O.S. radio antenna. New spark plugs. Two new 6V headlamps. New carburetor. New fuel pump. New water pump. Two used doors (no rust, with working windows and glass). One used hood (no rust, with emblem and airplane hood ornament). One 215 cu. in. 6-cylinder engine (identical to what is in the car). We removed this engine in working condition from another 53 Ford Mainline that we had many years ago. It has 99K miles on it.
Summary:
This car and all of the parts that go with it are obviously just about everything that is needed to make the car road worthy again. It is in fantastic condition and would be an ideal candidate for a repair and drive or basic restoration since the car is all original. I have even seen these make nice street rods over the years.
Seller Expectations: We will not ship the car or any of the items included in the sale. We expect the buyer to make the appropriate arrangements to pick up the car and all of the parts included. This means that the buyer will need to come to my parents’ house in East Peoria, IL and pick everything up. A full size truck with a trailer should do it as the small parts fit inside of the car itself and the engine, doors, and hood would fit in the bed of the truck.
The area where they live has a nice flat street and driveway so maneuvering the car for winching onto a trailer would not be difficult.
This car is for sale locally. The seller reserves the right to end the auction at any time.
Payment: Full payment is expected within 48 hours of the end of the auction via Paypal. Alternative payment methods would have to be discussed in detail with the potential buyer.
I have attempted to describe this item as best I can. If there is a question or you would like to talk to my father (the owner of the car), please ask by emailing me at [email protected].