Ford’s first post-war redesign was the Custom, introduced near the end of the turbulent forties decade. Its fresh, streamlined styling featured slab-sides and was considered somewhat radical for the period. However, as it aged, the car’s appearance was deemed sort of boxy, earning the Custom a nickname of “shoebox:”. This 1950 sedan here on Craigslist is priced at only $799, which seems reasonable for one the seller believes will run and drive again with just a tune-up and a battery charge. It’s in Eugene, Oregon, but unless you’re nearby, I’d probably trailer it home, since this Custom may require more than that before it can handle long-distance driving. Curvette, thanks for the tip here!
The only history lesson we get here is that this was a running, driving car, but there’s no information on when it last ran or why the owner stopped using it for transportation. The 1950 Custom had only two engines: an inline-6 and a flathead V8, and this example has the former. However, both were similar in size and horsepower, with the 226 under the hood here delivering only 5 less horsepower than the slightly larger 239 with two additional cylinders, so it’s not much of a negative that this one has the standard engine. The seller mentions a new gas tank and fuel parts, plus a new brake system, so a tune-up seems like the logical next step to get it back on the road.
The seller gives no specific details about the exterior, and with the amount of soot built up outside, it’s probably safe to say that this Ford has been sitting for a while. Soaping and pressure-washing this car would significantly improve its appearance, and fortunately, I don’t immediately see any major corrosion issues on most panels. The rear bumper and most of the front-end pieces are worn, but that’s a cool bullet nose, and with a respray and restored chrome, it would be a sharp cruiser without draining your bank account.
While the interior could use some work, the dash and steering wheel look pretty good, though it’s hard to tell about the floors from the photos. However, a couple of clues suggest this sedan may be more structurally sound than not. The side panels are missing inside, which lets potential buyers see inside the doors, and hopefully that’s just surface rust. In the shots with the doors open, the rockers look fairly solid, so there’s a decent chance this one may not need extensive steel repairs or replacement. For under $800, I’m thinking this 1950 Ford Custom is a good deal and a passable project. How about you?
Was running and driving, how long ago? Inexpensive for a reason.
Steve R
At least the price is in the correct neighborhood here. I am just amazed at what some sellers ask for plain junkyard material.
My advice to the seller would be to get it to a carwash and then relist.
Mighty suspicious!? A new fuel tank is half the ask, been sitting under the trees somewhere yet not a tree in sight, and NO TITLE? Lot of back story we’re not getting!
remember in 1950 there weren’t titles on cars just a hand written bill of sale it was that way in some state rt upto the early 1960s like Massachusetts had no car titles till late 60s early 70s
What color paint is under all that dirt?
My grandfather owned a 1949 Ford Custom that he drove sometime in the 1950’s. His memoirs say that he paid $300 for it. I bet his to was light blue.
My dad had a 49 also and it was light blue.
Three hundred dollars was money once upon a time
The inside of the doors looks suspiciously like a seafoam-ish green.
Yeah, Sea Foam Green sounds right.
Looks like a light gray paint, but the door jams appear light green and engine firewall light blue? This one is worse than the Vice Grip Garage Packard, but a candidate for vacuum, wash, Brillo pads, sanding, clear coat cheap “restoration”. The flat 6’s were almost the same HP as the flat V-8 Fords and supposedly pulled away from the V-8’s in a race before being overtaken. Lots of torque.
I’m gonna list this Ford I would wash it good. Little effort, much better presentation.
I suppose the idea is present the car as a “Barn Find”; hidden away for years, but the car would be so much better received after a bath.
I sure wish I was closer! Seems like a great deal.
At $800 you can’t go wrong. Sure, it’s gonna need a lot of work, but I think it’s worth the asking price. I’ve seen a lot of junk listed here for a lot more than this. Tune it up, get it running and driving, and then see
what you have. Once you do these things, you can concentrate
on the interior and the cosmetics as time and money permit. And if you do it right, you could get this
car done for maybe $15-20K over time. And if you’re gonna use it as a driver, you don’t really need a
concourse restoration to make that happen. Any good body and
upholstery shop where you live should be able to do the work with satisfying results. I like it because it has the 6 cylinder engine which sets it apart from the V-8 cars of this era that everyone wants. And four doors?
Fine with me as I have a family and insurance rates on 2-door cars here in Florida are far beyond the budgets of many drivers here. So from what I see here, this car won’t last long.
I really like the flathead six engines. They are easy to work on, and the one in my Plymouth sounds really good, so long as it is properly maintained. As for the four-door, I really don’t know what all the rage with two-doors and two-door conversions is; in several cases, I like four-doors better. They look longer and sleeker and can more easily accommodate a larger number of passengers. And, as I found recently, it is not terribly easy to retrofit seat belts on a two-door Plymouth Cambridge, and it looks like it might be much easier with a four-door.
Okay, craigslist ad… title missing.
In the mid 60s my grandpa had one like this that grandma painted green with a paint brush. The tires were all bad and when he drove it with my brother and myself in the back seat with a spare tire between us it shook so bad that it was scary. He was blind in one eye and had a blackout lense on his glasses on that eye and he would say it’s just doing the twist.
Great find!! Another reasonably priced car for the DIY rebuilder to enter the classic car hobby
how about a power wash and a vacuum? cheap enough if you like these cars.
That would really make a world of difference!
More like a Chia pet now.
Were I on the market for a car in 1950, I would just put the money into a year-old Merc with a V8. Postwar styling but a Masterpiece instead of Mediocrity.
It’s a 4 door, 6 cyl. in bad shape. Maybe $100 and haul it away.
I do not find this Fresh and Streamlined Styling, but the simplicity grows on you.
That said, this looks like a bargain for the price. At best some one will bring this back, worse it is a great donor car.
Buy it, leave it as is, and use it for the Halloween feature on the front lawn! Scare the kids!
for 800 bucks what the heck.and if it doesn’t work out park it under your tree