Learn me something old from Detroit

The wife and I have been discussing picking up an old sedan some summer, something to take to shows, heave the kids in to take to the beach, occasional fair weather daily, etc. Must be a decent cruiser with a numerically low rear gearset, something I can get disc brakes on the front with little effort. Preferably something that could be found in somewhat useable condition for $6k or less. I'll never get a show piece for that, but I like patina all the same.

Little preference to precisely what car, though. 1945-1955, preferably American made with a small block and manual trans, though a four speed swap should be easy enough in just about anything.

I'm partial to the '53/4 Stude coupes(fairly certain that's a '55, you get the idea), and the wife's a bit of a Studebaker fan, though it might not be right for this purpose. We both like straight 8 Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles, shoebox Fords, Chevy Stylines, the list goes on.

Have anything to suggest? What would you buy, and why? As always this thread is dull without pics.

i love 53-54 chevy 2 doors. chopped top, sled style. they do it for me.

that being said, stay chevy or ford. will be easiest to get parts for. also check out www.hotrodders.com michael

I have always liked 55-56 Crown Vic's...

I like Buicks. Get a Buick.

Not the 50's but a late 60's car that I recommend is a '67 to '69 (even '70 & '71) Ford Thunderbird. No more convertibles but now offered in 4 door with suicide doors. Think Lincoln Continental w/ suicide doors on a budget.
Good looking in 2 door form as well.
This is what the "up and coming" "wise guy" was driving back in 1968.

Cadillac. Vert.

In reply to ST_ZX2:

There's just something about the Country Sedan wagon that rubs me the right way. The 292 that replaced the flathead is a honey, as well.

I'm half tempted to stay out of the Chevy/Ford camps simply for the price bump their name brings. I do dig me some '40s Buick, though.

When I was a kid, my family had a '55 Country Sedan very close to being a twin of the one pictured. Main difference was the red on the "bottom" extended all the way up to the window line...it was white only around the windows. And I don't seem to remember it having wide whites. I was too young to remember, but I'll bet it didn't have a V8, either. My aunt and uncles had 2 '55 Ranch Wagons, a dark green one and a black one.

If you like 45-55 domestic sedans, save some money and go for a 4 door sedan, as they will be the cheapest body style. Take a look at Dodges and Plymouths, too. The '49 to '52 Dodge or Plymouth can be had for a LOT less than a Chevy or Ford...but the flip-side is, a bit more conservative styling, offset by rugged drivetrains.

My opinion? I don't really care all that much for what Detroit was building UNTIL 1955, so if I was looking for what you say you are looking for, I'd "adjust" the timeframe to 1955-1965.

An interesting website? Try www.goldenrod-garage it's a good place to look at different years of different makes.

In reply to ST_ZX2: My dad had a new 56 Fairlane with a continental kit and glass packs. It was lite blue. He painted the top white.

To integraguy re: Goldenrod... that place is a problem for me! Theyre only a few hours drive away, as well.

Agreed completely on a Dodgslermouth for a better bang for the buck. I hold no ills against any of the off brands either, Packard, Nash, Hudson, etc. There's plenty of devastingly good looks over useable drive lines from the time period.

Even though I'm a Pontiac guy Fords or Chevys are probably the best bet from that era, simply because they built a lot of them - you can still find good ones for decent prices. However, I think in that price range you simply want to get the best condition car you can find, regardless of make.

Remember that 1946-1948 cars for the most part are basically the same as pre war cars; it took several years for most of the manufacturers to gear up to build new cars after the war. That means for instance a '49 Ford is a much more modern car than a '48 Ford. Also, once you get into the 1950s automatic transmissions were much more popular and manual transmissions aren't as easy to find anymore.

A good place to look is the classified section of the HAMB board: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=7 There are a lot of cars that have had unfortunate modifications there, but there are also some real gems. One word of warning, if you sign up they have strict rules about responding to classifieds, read the rules before posting.

For disk brake conversions, http://www.scarebird.com/ offers some well engineered kits for a number of older cars. I like them because they're designed to use commonly available disks and calipers, so you're not stuck into using proprietary parts.

ValuePack:

not sure what you mean when you say GoldenRod is a "problem". I only listed them so you could see several cars from the same time period from different car manufacturers. I do think it often looks like they must never sell anything, as their "core" inventory has not changed in over a year...tho the economy probably doesn't help. If I was looking for a car and "only" had $10K to spend, I saw a few I wouldn't mind owning, if Maine wasn't so far away.

jrw1621 wrote: Not the 50's but a late 60's car that I recommend is a '67 to '69 (even '70 & '71) Ford Thunderbird. No more convertibles but now offered in 4 door with suicide doors. Think Lincoln Continental w/ suicide doors on a budget. Good looking in 2 door form as well. This is what the "up and coming" "wise guy" was driving back in 1968.

reminds me of my Uncle's Bullet nose '71 4 door. Almost bough it for $500. But oil leaks, rust, and sub 10 MPG+$2 gas is not a good combo for an unemployed collage drop out.

Integraguy: Sorry, I meant Goldenrods is an issue for me in that I have to fight urges to steal a car transporter and head up there after dark.

stuart in mn wrote: A good place to look is the classified section of the HAMB board: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=7

I do a fair amount of trolling there, they have more than a few things I like. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=614468

Agreed about a lot of unattractive and unsafe mods there, but plenty of eye candy, history, and knowledgeable older folks as well; a nice change of pace having come from Subarus and Hondas. Neat board, overall.

This.....
http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/2664542713.html

There are few cars from that era that would dissapoint in the looks department. How much do you have to spend. If I were looking for an American sled from the 50's (will be one day), I'd be looking at an early Hemi car....

I've always like the cars from the mid-50s. As stated, the stuff prior was a lot of pre-war technology repackaged. I think when you hit about 1955 much of it becomes more usable, and frankly more attractive.

I prefer the unusual, because when I go to shows it's pretty easy to ignore a line of Fords and Chevys. They just aren't unique enough to draw my attention (unless they're a wagon). Nash and Rambler were a featured marque at a show I went to several years ago, and I came away impressed with them. They've had some odd/questionable styling, but they also had some unique features and weren't afraid to try new things in an attempt to gain market share. These Ramblers are surprisingly plentiful: The much more cluttered 'big' Rambler:

Nash: The Willys Aero is another car that sneaks under the radar: One thing you have to watch with these old cars is making sure they will fit in your garage. Some are so long they won't.

I think the best looking one of the bunch is the Hudson Hornet. You even have racing pedigree with one of those.

^Agreed. Plus, Steve McQueen had one.

I like the Nash, too.

As someone who works at a classic car shop, my advice when looking at something like a Studebaker, Nash, or Hudson, see what local clubs are around. There are a lot of old folks that have experience working on them and know people who can help with finding parts, sometimes better than the Internet forums. Club member directories always help out.

On that note, there are so many 50's American cars I want I would have to procure a list.

To the OP here's my old Detroit

Wait...err.. what?

Thanks, aussie. Now I want to know how much cutting is required to get a 6-71 in a Hudson Commodore.

Probably none.

Then this, with two stroke brap and black clouds.

What kind of mileage do alot of these old cars return?

Joey