It’s always kind of sad to find old partially built customs languishing unfinished in someone’s garage or yard. There are all sorts of stories behind unfinished builds, and sometimes they reflect an over-ambitious effort that just was too much for the builder to complete. Sometimes, there is just no way to know how a car got to where it is today.
Here we have something pretty cool example of a partially finished custom, a 1950 Ford two door sedan work in progress that’s sitting in someone’s lot in Texas. This Ford seems to have been rather nicely chopped and the grille opening and hood redone as well. It’s not clear whether it was built and then abandoned for some reason, or if it is just a partially completed custom. I suspect the latter but the seller does not say.
While the ad is somewhat short on description and there are no photos of the interior, engine compartment, underside of the car, much less close ups of the body, it might actually be a solid basis for its next builder. The top has been chopped four inches and is said to have been done by the “correct method,” meaning that the pillars were set to lean properly for the chop to look smooth.
What is really cool about this concoction is that this Ford sedan, which is for sale on craigslist in South Lampasas, Texas, is mounted on a 1974 Corvette chassis, complete with its 350 cid engine and drive train. Of course nothing is said about the condition of that engine or drivetrain and the ad oddly refers to it as a ’75 LT, which does not make much sense. Any potential buyer will have to assume the worst, it seems.
Nonetheless, this car does look like it is structurally solid. I really like the louvers in the hood and the fact that it rides on a relatively modern drivetrain for which parts are readily available. Of course, there is a huge amount of work to be done to get this car anywhere close to driveable. Besides a complete interior and an unknown amount of finish body work, plus mechanical refurbishment, you will also need to have a complete set of custom glass made, which altogether means that this will be a expensive car to take over.
The asking price for this Shoebox Ford is $6,200, which seems like a lot of cash to me. But knowing what a complete custom costs to build these days, maybe that is not a crazy price. I am sure Barn Finds readers will give their opinions on this one, and I am looking forward to finding out what you all think of it. Or since this is a Texas car, I guess it should be “What do y’all think of this beast?” Is this a beauty waiting to be reborn?
Sometimes a project can get so personal that it’s difficult to find a buyer with just the same tastes. Too personal. Too far gone. Too much money. Too many louvers.
Too many parts missing and etc,etc.
I think was a completed 1960’s custom that has been allowed to deteriorate to a deplorable condition. I watched the same thing happen with a Mercuryyears ago. An old friend of my father’s built it for a customer who never paid for it, it sat behind the shop for over 20 years being used as a work bench until it looked much like this. It eventually disappeared, It’s a shame because someone put a lot of blood and sweat into this car years ago. It’s going to take someone with a great deal of love for the old style custom and deep pockets to put this right, but I hope someone doe’s cause it deserves it.
If my old man was still alive he would get all sentimental over this car as he brought me home from the hospital in one of these cars, traded it in for a new 56 Chevy.
Do my eyes deceive me – or are the louvers punched in ‘backwards’?
Yup, they’re backwards
That’s the 150 X ram air system. A rare option.
overly ambitious pricing…always sad when I see a Ford sitting on a GM drive train. That alone kills it for me. That one will take a lot of work (all the glass is missing!) and money to ever get on the road again. Unless the seller is willing to get down to a more reasonable selling price this one will sit baking in the sun.
M
I know what you mean rustylink, I looked at a 58 Ford panel truck at a car show I was interested in buying until the guy opened the hood and told me the body was sitting on a Chevy frame with a Chevy drivetrain. I shook my head and walked away.
With the hood louvers punched in backwards you have to wonder how correct is the top chop. Can we see down through the floors or trunk floor? Show some pictures of the steering column, dash and maybe the engine. Lot’s of money on this one. If the asking price was within range this vehicle might get sold. Although being flat glass it still can get expensive. The rear glass is going to be a killer money wise.
I’m more interested in the Mopar next to it.
I’ve noticed a lot of these stalled chop top projects hit a dead end when they get to glass.
I imagine that at that point they’ve sunk so much time and money into it, that realizing to actually make the car seal they had to plan that from the start, and may have completely built things wrong so that curved glass is required, or that the glass simply can’t be had in any form for it, or at least not within their budget.
Can’t cut tempered glass for curved areas, and even flat glass and cutting windshields is expensive, time consuming, and one snag or twist away from breakage.
I’d really like to see more cars like this made safely drivable with just a windshield, and taken out cruising. At least spin the tires a little bit so the project someone labored over for so long wasn’t a complete waste.
I’ve seen so many of these that one could probably buy them all up and make a huge chop top car henge monument to ambitious failed projects.
I love it, backwards louvers and all. Wish I was able to buy. Would mess with it, probably never get it going, but would love it and care for it. If done “correctly”, the stock backlight would fit? Or do as I’ve seen and put a piece of curved plex in there. IDK. Or as one poster said, put a windshield in it and go with it for now. Just get it going to where it can be driven at least a little bit as you work on it.
Would this car seriously sit on a Vette frame? Wheelbase and all match up? Really?
How much can I get done with spray bombs in the driveway? LOL
I wondered about the wheelbase issue myself. This Ford – 114 inches, 1974 Corvette – 98 inches. How does that work? I can’t see stretching a Corvette frame.
The way the front wheels fit the wells looks like no motor to me. Could be wrong, but i’d think the Ford bodywork would crush the Vette springs. Tires look to be aired up too. Weird for something looks like it’s been in the field for, well… ever. I smell a rat…
Don’t know about the corvette chassis as the wheelbase difference is questionable, I love the chop though
i love louvers
I am always astounded by the amount of “if it isn’t my taste” haters that comment. Looks like it was or could even be a cool project if you were not expecting it to be a beautiful finished product like the last picture shows. I have always loved the “lead sled” look and think that a lead sled rat rod is way too cool to miss out on if you have a few bucks to spend. The asking price is double what it should be in my opinion.
I was just checking the wheel base on a 1974 Corvette coupe which is 98 inches. The 1950 Ford wheel base is 114 inches. Just wondering how they got the front and rear wheel holes to line up. Anybody know? Wish he had pictures of the floor pan and trunk pan.
Nope. This just makes me sad. My first car was a “shoebox” ’50. Rebuilt it, and it was totally stock….even that fairly plain, what was it called, “Sea Foam Green” ? With tan cloth interior.
Does anyone know how he made the body fit the frame?