This 1953 Chrysler Windsor DeLuxe is a very nice car that appears to need only some very minor detail work to really make it stand out. It has spent its entire life owned by the one family, but they have decided that it is time for someone else to enjoy the ownership experience. I have to thank Barn Finder Ikey H for referring the Windsor through to us. It is located in Denton, Texas, and listed for sale here on eBay.
While the presentation of the Windsor is very good, the owner acknowledges that there are some minor trim issues that will need to be addressed. The headlight surround is not fitted to the passenger side of the car but is included with it. There are also four pieces of trim (both rear fender strips and both rocker strips) that are missing. The majority of the remaining external trim has been restored and chromed. The Windsor is fitted with tinted glass, and this all looks really good.
Under the hood are the 264.5ci flat-head 6-cylinder engine and fluid-drive transmission. The owner says that the car starts, runs, and drives well. A raft of mechanical work has recently been completed on the car, including new wheel cylinders, brake hoses and fluid, new fuel lines, a new solenoid, and a new 6-volt battery. One issue that appears to need addressing is what sounds like an electrical fault with the interior and exterior lights on the car. Sometimes they work, but sometimes they don’t. I think that the majority of the lighting circuits on the Windsor work to a common earthing point, and this may be where the fault lies.
The car was purchased new by the owner’s grandmother, and she drove it regularly until she passed away in 1984. The owner’s father then inherited the car, and he set about restoring it. The interior was re-trimmed in the original style materials and has held up well over the past 35 years. There isn’t a lot to fault here, with the seats, door trims, carpet, and headliner all in great condition. The dash looks fantastic, and the original radio and clock are still in place.
The owner of this Windsor DeLuxe is honest about its mileage. He says that the clock shows just over 4,000 miles, but he doesn’t know what the real mileage is. This car isn’t perfect, but there isn’t much work required to get it finished to a pretty high standard. This is a car that can be driven and enjoyed exactly as it is. At the time of writing, bidding has reached $5,200, and it appears that the reserve has been met. It looks like someone is going to be starting 2019 with a nice car in their garage.
Odd arrangement for the gear selection, kinda like my 53 lincoln. Do you put it in reverse then turn off the key to ” lock ” the tranny in ” park ” ?
There’s no Park. It’s all about that emergency brake.
Of course, one must start it on “N.”
It will start in any gear…..
Call me a coward, but riding in a car with no seatbelts is terrifying.
Yup, you are a coward. Good thing you were not driving in the 50’s, you would have been “terrified” constantly.😕
Paul, you are not a coward! I will not ride in a car without seat belts. Three years ago I was slammed right into my drivers door by a red light runner. The car was totaled, but all the air bags going off and the seat belts saved my life. I didn’t get a scratch. But still spent a few days in intensive care as the side air bags probably caused me to get knocked out. I was held just for observation. Chuck Dahl, I really don’t like your comment. Unfair and kind of mean.
2-Point Retractable Lap Seat Belts Made in USA can be added for $133.90 for the front and a little less for the rear seat riders because they would not have to be retractable. I would ad them myself, but I do not think a body shop would charge you more than an hour labor. So for $267.80 to $375 It would be worth the upgrade that is for sure. Piece of cake.
https://www.seatbeltsplus.com/category/2-Point-Retractable-Seatbelts.html
Super nice car! Wish I could own it! One thing…looks like the heater hoses aren’t connected to the firewall in the engine bay photo. Am I wrong?
Still would love this one!! I hope it finds a good home!!
Beautiful car! Wish I could own this one! Looks to me, in the engine bay photo, that the heater hoses aren’t connected. Am i wrong?
Still would love to own it! I hope it finds a good home!
Heater Core probably needs to be replaced, easy fix. I wish I had the money to bid on this one, it is 35 miles from my sister’s house. Right now I have $6,000 in credit card debt that I need to pay off by June 2019, then I will be bidding on many barn find cars that are under $10K, I know I will get one soon. I hate the 6 volt positive systems. I would up grade to 12 volt neg. I did it to my first car a 1951 Ford in 1974, you just change all the bulbs, add a 12 volt generator and voltage regulator and you are good to go. Leave the 6 volt starter and all you have to do is bump the start button for a second or two and you are running.
You’re right Paul, no seat belts doesn’t feel good and makes you drive a lot slower, a lot less, and a lot more careful. I was 25 when I got my 57 Bel Air, now I’m 65 and the “Gonn’a live forever” feeling I had then isn’t around any more. I haven’t been able to drill holes to mount seat belts in the floor pan of an original California car, but I probably should.
The 8 track tape player I installed in 1979 is on the passenger’s side because I wouldn’t drill holes in the bottom lip of the dash to mount it where I wanted it and the factory holes weren’t where I needed them to be.
One thing about seat belts, the steering column in a 57 Chevy is a solid shaft connected from the steering box to the steering wheel. In a front end crash that thing is going to come back at you and tear your head off, so you might be better off without a seat belt holding you in place so it can spear you.
My 57 has a 69 Z/28 motor, Turbo 350 transmission, 605 power steering box and late model power disc brakes, all installed without cutting anything or drilling holes. All the original parts are on the pallet rack in case my relatives want to put it back to stock if/when they inherit it. You can do it if you really seriously want to.
Just drill the holes, install the seatbelts,
and enjoy driving this car. I would!
When the add said fluid drive, I thought he was referring to the semi automatic. This looks like a Power Flite two speed.
I suspect that you’re correct, Bob. My Dad’s 1954 Windsor (purchased in December 1953) had the 2 speed Power Flite. The interior on the instance car does not look like the upholstery I remember, i.e., our car was much plusher in terms of fabric. 1954 saw a different grill, single rear window with no bars, and a different dash. 54’s had a 2-tone paint option. Not sure if 53 did. Also the taillights on the 54 were different and similar to the 53 Chevy’s…red top and bottom with backup light in between. Otherwise, they were identical bodies. I believe 53 and 54 were unique as were 50-52. Of course 55 and 56 were related until the radical 57’s came out.
It’s a Fluid Drive semi-automatic. You can clearly see the “safety clutch” pedal next to the brake pedal in one of the photos. For those who are not familiar with Fluid Drive (and that appears to be a lot of the commenters above), the shift lever is similar to the “H” pattern except there is no lower left position. Up and left is reverse; up and right is low or the 1-2 gears; down and right is high or the 3-4 gears. You have to use the clutch pedal whenever you move the shift lever to a different position, but once it is in that position, no clutch is required to stop and start. Someone once wrote that Fluid Drive combines the worst features of an automatic with the worst features of a manual transmission! In the early 1950s, when Chrysler was severely lagging the rest of the industry by not having a fully automatic transmission, they put that silly transmission quadrant on top of the column to make people think the car had an automatic! Chrysler did not even offer a real automatic transmission until its 1954 models.
I grew up with and learned to drive on a 1948 Windsor. How I loved that car. The back seat at drive-in movies was so great on teen-age dates. Its a good thing that most al the other cars at that time were also a bit slow on take off. Driving that behemoth around now in traffic might be embarrassing and frustrating.
I just read an article about how 95% of cars sold in the USA today are automatic transmissions. The young car thief’s do not know how to drive a stick, so it is better than a high cost car alarm, lol. I remember taking my 1997 Ford Contour with a 5 speed manual to Sam’s Club in 2014 to get new tires and the tech could not even pull the car into the bay. I stopped him when he stalled the car. I pulled it in the bay and backed it out when they were done. My first car in 1974 was a 1951 Ford with 3 on the tree. I only used the clutch to get going and to stop. I got very good at getting the engine rpm just right to up shift to 2nd and 3rd or down shift to 2nd. My peers could not believe it. Those were the days.
You’re right Pete, didn’t notice the clutch at first. Crazy idea for that quadrant.
My Dad had a 1949 Chrysler Highlander, 6 cylinder , fluid drive. I dont remember any pedals but I do remember we were driving up a hill from a dead stop at slower than parade speed when Mom moved her foot over on top of Dads and pressed down and it was like kickdown/passing gear, Dad was quite surprised like that was the first time it happened. It was a great car , the thing that I remember most about it was the neat window winder handles with the dangling chrome piece ? It was Thunder Grey in color with a Burgundy leather/wool plaid insert seats. This Windsor is very nice. I’d buy it if I could.
The listing talks about a new “6-volt” battery. Car batteries are usually lead-acid, especially the ones with caps to remove to enable checking and filling with water. Those batteries had 2 (actually 2.1) volts per cell. 3 cells is a 6 volt, 6 cells is a 12 volt. The one in the car has 4 cells, hence it’s an 8-volt battery. 8-volt batteries are usually found in golf carts. An 8-volt to replace a 6-volt isn’t a bad idea, as it makes for easier starting, brighter lights, etc., without having to convert everything to 12-volt. Otherwise a beautiful car. I remember my parents buying a 54 in 56. Mom loved that car. I was 6 and not a car nut yet. I became a car nut 2 years later when my grandfather gave my a shirt box full of 1958 car brochures for Christmas. Thought I was getting clothes. Man, was I surprised. Best gift ever!
Forgot to mention that the regulator needs to be changed to 8-volt. Not sure if the generator would put out enough, or that needs to be changed, too.
1953 was the only year the semi-automatic had a torque converter. It made a noticeable improvement in acceleration.
My 52 Dodge has one of these semi automatic transmissions. It takes off kind of slow, but once she is cruising she does very well.
Yeah, nice car. Heater hoses, seat belts. That electrical thing might take a little doing, says the former electrician. But, it can be done. Here’s hoping that there isn’t a scraped wire. But, for the motivated, it will be a great pleasure to accomplish. Oh, how I wish……