1954 Ford Customline Sedan, nice shape, reliable, garage kept. No reserve

1954 Ford Customline Description

1954 Ford Customline Tudor Sedan, 160k original miles, 6 cyl 223 cu in, automatic, ps, pb, 12 volt. Family owned, two owner car, free and clear title. Very little rust, has been in dry desert southwest it's entire life. Excellent mechanical condition, runs and drives well, very reliable, no known issues. Recently rebuilt engine, modified to run on unleaded pump gas. Has been garage kept since partial restoration done in 1995 @ 137k miles. Looks very good for a driver, but could use new paint. Selling car to purchase a new family vehicle. Sale also includes several spare parts.

Engine: Straight six 223 cu in overhead valve, rebuilt in 2012 @ 158k miles. No leaks, starts well, good power, does not burn oil, has been run with high zinc oil since rebuild to protect cam & lifters. Engine definitely outperforms 1954 stock specs, runs on 89 octane unleaded, and car can holds it's own in traffic. Details: NOS 1956 block (std bore), 1963 balanced & turned crank (10/10), reconditioned 1963 rods, new std pistons & pins, rods & pistons balanced, moly rings, new bearings, 1963 high compression decked & ported cyl head (8.5 cr), new hardened valves & seats (unleaded conversion), new bronze valve guides, new springs & keepers, rare NOS Barker hi-lift rocker arms on all valves, new tubular pushrods, new camshaft & lifters, new Rollmaster Y-Block roller timing chain & gears, 1963 large diameter intake manifold, rare Fenton dual exhaust manifold, spin-on oil filter conversion, new Melling M67A oil pump, new water pump, new US Radiator high efficiency tripleflow 3 core radiator (not aluminum), all new radiator & heater hoses, new high flow 180 deg thermostat, steel flex fan, and more. Changed oil, filter, & antifreeze this year.

Drivetrain: Original 54 Fordomatic transmission, professionally rebuilt during 1995 restoration @ 137k miles. Filled with type F fluid, shifts & performs well, has a custom air cooled transmission pan with horizontal tubes for cooling fluid. Replaced both driveshaft u-joints & rear axle bearings & axle seals several years back. Rear axle and transmission both operate quietly, no leaks. Resealed rear axle housing & changed gear oil in 1995. Last transmission oil and filter change was done in 2012.

Exterior: Fully restored in 1995 and garage kept since. Car was painted factory "Glacier Blue" to match original paint. Rechromed, replaced, & refurbished trim and chrome. All new light lenses and seals. Body work was done in 1995 before painting, with sheet metal & lead to fix some small rustouts on bottom of front fenders and one dent in right rocker panel. Some rust can be seen currently on left front drip rail and bottom of left rear fender, but all in all body is very solid & rust free. Spare tire wheel well and trunk floor are rust free, unlike most 1954 Fords. All glass is original except windshield and both side front windows. Windshield & rubber seal were replaced in early 1990's. There is one small dent on edge of driver's side door, and paint has some small chips, particularly on front of hood and around headlights where road debris hits. Not noticeable unless you are very close to vehicle, though. Customline script is missing the "L". Car still looks very good for a daily driver and chrome is still in excellent shape. Front fender emblems are actually for a 1955 Ford six cylinder, but could be removed if car is repainted.

Interior: Partially restored in 1995. Seats completely disassembled/rebuilt/reupholstered, new windlace, new door & vent window rubber, new trunk rubber seal, new carpeting in car & trunk, new aluminum door sills, new matching door & ignition cylinder locks, new matching trunk & glove box lock cylinders, new window channels, new headliner, new sunvisor fabric, and new glove box liner. Door panels and interior paint are original. No rust in floor panels or trunk. Front front floor mat is in very good condition, it is an original 1960's rubber one piece accessory mat. Heater and defrost controls work, but heater is not the original Ford heater. Radio replaced in 1995 with AM/FM cassette stereo with speakers mounted under dash, original Ford tube radio will be included in sale. Car does not have air conditioning. Steering wheel has some cracks in plastic, but is structurally sound. Speedometer works.

Electrical: Upgraded to 12 volt negative ground in 1995, all wiring replaced. Gauges, sensors, lights, & turn signals operate properly. Six volt generator was replaced with modern 12 volt 1 wire 100 amp GM alternator. Headlights and backup lights upgraded to halogen. Windshield wipers and windshield washer pump also converted to electric (2001). Heater fan, radio, cigarette lighter, door light switches, interior lamp, trunk light, wipers, and washer pump are all operational.

Ignition: 1964 Ford distributor to match new M67A oil pump, high performance plug wires, Pertronix distributor sensor, Pertronix ignition coil, and MSD multiple spark discharge system purchased in 2012. Spark advance is controlled entirely by MSD unit with MAP sensor, not vacuum advance on distributor. This makes engine far more powerful and responsive than original "loadomatic" setup, and there are no points to maintain! Included in sale is compact disk (CD) with custom MSD setup configuration for car, and MSD application software. Interface to MSD is with Windows laptop computer, not included. There should be no need to ever change the settings in MSD unit, however, if ones does not desire to mess with this.

Fuel: Holley model 1960 1 barrel carburetor, rebuilt in 2012. Carburetor equipped with 1957 Ford six high flow air cleaner assembly, high pressure mechanical fuel pump, and Holley fuel pressure regulator with fuel bleed back to tank to prevent percolation. Replaced fuel tank sender float last year, when it sprung a leak. Checked inside of fuel tank at this time, and it showed no sign of rust. Included in sale is original 54 Ford oil bath air cleaner.

Exhaust: Extremely rare Fenton dual exhaust manifold (no cracks), dual exhaust system with "H" crossover pipe in front of mufflers, & two Flowmaster mufflers. Exhaust is not loud, just an even low rumble. Sounds similar to a V8, and increased high end horsepower - very nice upgrade!

Brakes, steering, suspension: All components were replaced or overhauled in 1995, and are in operational condition. This included rubber bushings, ball joints, shocks, brake shoes, brake cylinders & hoses, master cylinder, etc. Brake system upgraded with correct period Midland power brake booster in 2016. Steering converted to correct period power steering in 2016, a very hard to find option for the 223 engine. Turning radius was improved from stock by installation of a '55 Tbird pitman, a tip received many years ago from a mechanic familiar with these Fords. Replaced rear shocks, upgraded front stabilizer bar, & installed custom rear stabilizer bar in 2015 for better handling. Original 2 splash pans are still clip mounted on frame at bottom of engine compartment - these are very hard to find intact on old 1950's Fords.

Wheels/Tires: Original wheels & hubcaps, modern P205-75-R15 whitewall tires with chrome trim rings.

All in all, this is a very nice, complete, fairly original and dependable driver. Car has never been wrecked and was never heavily modified and chopped up like many others have.