SOLD 1953 Windsor project car

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Big_John

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OK, it's not a C-body....

After a lot of consideration, I've decided it's time to let someone else finish this project.

1953 Chrysler Windsor, 265 flathead six, M6 fluid drive "semi automatic" trans.

Here's the deal.... I bought this car quite a few years ago when I had some time on my hands and wanted an easy project. I bought this car off eBay and it turned into a much bigger project than I had time for. Things got very busy at work (good thing) and we bought another company (another good thing) and the car got put on the back burner where it's stayed for a little too long.

When I retired at the start of 2016, I figured on finishing the car. That was the plan..... My spine has other plans and finishing this car wasn't one it wants me to do. I've lost interest too... I won't lie. With the new Barracuda competing for space, I think I'm better off selling it rather than letting it sit any longer.

On to the car....

The car was pretty solid, but it had some typical rust in the floor boards and rockers. I had the floors patched and the inner and outer rockers done by a local rod builder. The engine was rebuilt by me with machine work done by a very good local shop. New pistons, ground crank, new cam, new valves etc.

The engine is in, never fired. Pertronix ignition and 12 volt Chrysler alternator added.

I converted the front brakes to discs and put in new king pins and bushings.

The interior was rough, I've redone the door panels and seats (although there is still one seat back I need to finish). I have a new headliner that I never installed. I went with a very tasteful gray vinyl and tweed.

The paint is very good on the upper body, but the lower section will need to be done where the new rockers were put in and the dogleg section at the rear door was redone.

NOS tailights and parking lights. The wiring has been redone using cloth covered vinyl wiring. NOS electrical transmission switches too. The rest of the chrome is fair and I have a spare set of the stainless trim.

I also have a spare 251 engine and M6 trans for the car.

I have just about everything to finish the car... and it would probably take a couple months of weekends or less to finish.

The idea was to build a comfortable fifties driver that had a few newer features. If I added everything up, I'd be hitting $6k in money spent. But I know it's not worth that, especially in pieces.

I want $1500 firm for the car. That's really a get it out of here price.

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Sorry you're letting this one go. Seems a very fair price too, hopefully someone will finish her correctly. I hate the ratrod mentality that wants to ruin a nice car like that.
 
Sorry you're letting this one go. Seems a very fair price too, hopefully someone will finish her correctly. I hate the ratrod mentality that wants to ruin a nice car like that.
Seems like a very fair price?
Understatement of the year!
 
Seems like a very fair price?
Understatement of the year!
The sad truth is, and I'm sure Big_John is aware... these cars tend to sit forever at higher prices. A pristine one would hang around forever at $10K, and he wants to move this one...

I do agree that $1500 is a gift to the next owner after all of his work. I wish I could adopt her. I spent years watching the same basket case cars continue to resurface around $1000 to $2000 and many nice ones sitting well below $10k.
 
The sad truth is, and I'm sure Big_John is aware... these cars tend to sit forever at higher prices. A pristine one would hang around forever at $10K, and he wants to move this one...

I do agree that $1500 is a gift to the next owner after all of his work. I wish I could adopt her. I spent years watching the same basket case cars continue to resurface around $1000 to $2000 and many nice ones sitting well below $10k.

That was a good price on his part. Much higher and it would sit forever. Face it the cars from the 50's have seen their days now as far as your ordinary Buick, Ford, Olds, Pontiac, Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth especially between 1948-1956. Original owners long gone, sons mostly long gone, boomer grandsons into other cars, beyond that zero interest. Some disagree with me but the tinkering of autos has passed for the most part. The culture today is all about tinkering with your laptop and especially cell phones apps while you log into your social internet sites. In the 60's many played with cars and a few didn't. Today many play with electronics and very few play with cars. Times change like it or not...
 
I'm 42 and because of my girlfriend's Dad's 56 Mercury Medalist, I'm just getting into the post war era cars a little more. I overlooked them when I was younger and then after seeing every 57 Chevy built. But I appreciate them more now and have actually stalked a couple I'd like to have, if I had the money and space.
 
That was a good price on his part. Much higher and it would sit forever. Face it the cars from the 50's have seen their days now as far as your ordinary Buick, Ford, Olds, Pontiac, Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth especially between 1948-1956. Original owners long gone, sons mostly long gone, boomer grandsons into other cars, beyond that zero interest. Some disagree with me but the tinkering of autos has passed for the most part. The culture today is all about tinkering with your laptop and especially cell phones apps while you log into your social internet sites. In the 60's many played with cars and a few didn't. Today many play with electronics and very few play with cars. Times change like it or not...
The Mopars of that era are wonderful cars, but lack the sex appeal of the second half of the 50's. They aren't the fastest, but are extremely driveable. The pre 48 streetrod movement never touched them and there is still a very good NOS parts supply out there for them... not to mention tons of used parts.

All I see the younger generations doing with them is fake "patina" and calling them ratrods while imagining themselves to be a visionary Ed Roth of their generation. :realcrazy: I think they would make an ideal low budget local cruiser, and for those brave enough, an interesting road trip vehicle.

Sale pending!
Very happy to hear that... hope the net owner continues the excellent work you've started.:thumbsup:
 
The Mopars of that era are wonderful cars, but lack the sex appeal of the second half of the 50's. They aren't the fastest, but are extremely driveable.

I agree.
As a baby boomer that still is crazy over the Forwardlook chrome and fins I would routinely dismiss any Mopar pre 1955 as being stodgy and boring .
Older and wiser now, I appreciate the build quality, and roominess of this era of Mopar.
 
All I see the younger generations doing with them is fake "patina" and calling them ratrods while imagining themselves to be a visionary Ed Roth of their generation. :realcrazy: I think they would make an ideal low budget local cruiser, and for those brave enough, an interesting road trip vehicle.

Younger generations? Is that compared to you or me? How old are you? If to me I clearly don't see that at all. The reason I mentioned the subject is because of cruising Craigslist and see some cars, I saw three years ago, still showing up for sale. Nice New Yorkers, between 1950-1954, going for $25,000 and wouldn't even sell for 10K today. Obviously since they are still up. Big time projects with some rust and completely clapped out interiors for $2-3000 none of which I would take if free. They are still up and frankly they are terminal. Sometimes when one is deep into a hobby one can't see clearly what is happening around them. Just like people and their health. There are those who can't see or won't see that their lifestyle choices have led to their downhill slide in health. Believe me you don't want to be an unhealthy 75 year old if you could have helped it.

Out my way those cars are DOA. I have a pretty good idea how things are out here and what people are up to. They come into my office for an hour and by the time you leave I know where you live, when you were born, where you were born, where you work, what your job is, who your spouse is, how many children you have, your SS number, your entire health profile, your health insurance and all your hobbies and interests. Not a single male under 35 is interested in older cars. The one exception is a boy whose father races a 2004 Mustang and so he is into those Mustangs at the age of 12. The guys who are working on cars from the 50's like DeSotos, Tri-Fives, and a few others have all stopped working on them. Guess why? Their health won't allow it anymore so another unfinished project and I know of a bunch of them. Those cars are DOA because they will realize too late to sell. For most of us this is a hobby to practice before your 70 for many. If I take on another project at 64 it will be an easy one. I could buy a finished car but for those time is on my side at this point.

Even what I do will be DOA in 20-30 years max. Some colleagues don't see it because they don't want to see it yet technology is making machines that run easy tests that any tech could run. Decisions, not surgical, will be made by AI.
 
Much like other hobbies friends of mine are into, younger people don't care, they have a phone to distract then from whatever is going on around them nowadays. I liked cars since I can remember, knew headlights and taillights of almost every car on the road from the back seat of whatever car we were driving on our vacations. I got my first car when the internet was still on it's infancy, mostly business's had it, not your average household. My car was advertised in Trading Times and other printed mags, I could call and talk to the seller, and not worry about being minutes from a chance to buy. I got my interior for the same car the same way, a classified in MCG. Since the interwebs have exploded into everyone's life, and finding the For_BodiesOnly.com sites, I have gotten all the parts I wanted, and a bunch more that I didn't even think I'd be able to get. I'm 42, and I'm still one of the younger guys, here and at car shows. Like when I got into cars, I got what I could afford. Thanks to prices going up through the years, it's gotten harder to get a Dart or similar for cheap, on a kids budget. Sure, they are out there, but not like 10 years ago. I try to get my granddaughters into cars, maybe one of the two will bite, I want her to drive my Dart at the track!
 
Younger generations? Is that compared to you or me? How old are you? If to me I clearly don't see that at all. The reason I mentioned the subject is because of cruising Craigslist and see some cars, I saw three years ago, still showing up for sale. Nice New Yorkers, between 1950-1954, going for $25,000 and wouldn't even sell for 10K today. Obviously since they are still up. Big time projects with some rust and completely clapped out interiors for $2-3000 none of which I would take if free. They are still up and frankly they are terminal. Sometimes when one is deep into a hobby one can't see clearly what is happening around them. Just like people and their health. There are those who can't see or won't see that their lifestyle choices have led to their downhill slide in health. Believe me you don't want to be an unhealthy 75 year old if you could have helped it.

Out my way those cars are DOA. I have a pretty good idea how things are out here and what people are up to. They come into my office for an hour and by the time you leave I know where you live, when you were born, where you were born, where you work, what your job is, who your spouse is, how many children you have, your SS number, your entire health profile, your health insurance and all your hobbies and interests. Not a single male under 35 is interested in older cars. The one exception is a boy whose father races a 2004 Mustang and so he is into those Mustangs at the age of 12. The guys who are working on cars from the 50's like DeSotos, Tri-Fives, and a few others have all stopped working on them. Guess why? Their health won't allow it anymore so another unfinished project and I know of a bunch of them. Those cars are DOA because they will realize too late to sell. For most of us this is a hobby to practice before your 70 for many. If I take on another project at 64 it will be an easy one. I could buy a finished car but for those time is on my side at this point.

Even what I do will be DOA in 20-30 years max. Some colleagues don't see it because they don't want to see it yet technology is making machines that run easy tests that any tech could run. Decisions, not surgical, will be made by AI.
Thanks Doc... I am sure your survey is correct. I'm going by the much more focused groups I see who are working or looking to work in the auto repair industry, and the car show crowds I see.

I'm going to be 50 in a few months. Most of the "ratrod" crowd is younger, but not all of it. The number of cars I've seen destroyed by "patina" is awful. Here in Florida, with no safety or emissions inspections to worry about... they still build stuff they have to trailer to show... just that undriveable.

I do see some who love the cars and have been impressed by the reactions of the younger folks to my cars.
 
How can the younger set appreciate these cars when they have never seen a carburetor, never rolled up windows, or ever had to change a flat tire...
 
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