@@What.its.like. Yup, the very same flathead (that I've had overhauled by my highschool mechanic- in his retirement, he only worked on OLD vehicles) all mechanicals. It even has some original bondo that I put on when I was 16 (I'm 65 now). Obviously the body's not done. LOL
Does yours say Overdrive on the back? My first car was the '53 when I was 16..it said Overdrive in the back..was that the Customline or Mainline?..I always thought Overdrive was the model.
We own a 1953 Ford Fordor Customline Sedan. It has a 6 cylinder Straight Six 215 hp. We have started the engine so it does run. We recently bought it late 2022 from an old man that was a Classic Car Collector for $1,600. I believe we got a great deal, it does need som reupholstering and a minor right front fender work, but otherwise it's pretty straight body. We enjoyed watching this video, gave us some good vibes on our car.
I have a 53 Customline I purchased in 2017 from Scott of the TH-cam channel ColdWarMotors which I saw on the video "Will it run episode 20". I am in the process of repairing the floor and I have fixed all the front end except the fenders as we are keeping the patina. I'm keeping it mostly stock except I am upgrading the brakes to a dual system and the front brakes to Wilwood discs. I have even repaired the AM radio and added a AUX input for my MP3 player. I bought this car for my retirement and I am going to drive it as a daily driver. She will get oil sprayed to protect against the rust. The V8 is actually two model A engines put together hence the two water pumps.
This is the car I remember in my youth. My Dad bought one new in May '53. 4dr, v8, fordomatic,radio. Baby blue. My family thought he should have traded his '51 Commander for a new Stude. He bought the Ford instead. It was cheaper! Here is something very few car collectors may know: In '53 Ford gave it's dealers a nice discount on all new cars. This was done, not to hurt either GM or Chrysler. It was meant to take customers away from the other companies including Stude. Our Ford had a sticker price several hundred more than a new Commander. When my dad was shopping he was able to buy it for a few hundred less than the Stude. It was a great car. That flathead 239 was running strong long after those V8 Commanders were in the junkyard.
I owned a 1953 Customline Business Coupe , no back seat , red 239 cubic inch V8 ,3 Speed on the tree 🌳 , with pull out overdrive. The car was the 50 th anniversary year. On the steering wheel hub or horn it said 1903 to 1953 Golden Anniversary Year. Again they had a one seater coupe or a club coupe with a half size back seat. Kevin Phoenix ✝️ 😊
I bought a 1953 2-door customline in 1959 with a flathead V-8 in it......After seeing an ad at the local speed shop for a 322 cu. in. BUICK nailhead for 100 dollars, I decided to swap out the flathead for the Buick........My friends helped me make and buy the conversion parts that I needed and my brother did the change-over from 6-volt to 12 volt...... That motor purred like a kitten on the highway with the overdrive tranny engaged......The body got a fresh paint job and dechroming and a '54 Pontiac grillbar.......Needless to say, I would do it all over again.......That's how sweet it was......
I'm 76 & my family bought a brand new, but basic, '51 Ford for $1,650., when I was 5! When the '53's came out, I recall that the Ford Co. advertised on t.v. that they were "jumping two years ahead" in styling to make the '53 model! It, plus the '54 & '55 models truly seemed 'ahead of their time' & were some of the most beautiful cars, then!
You do some of the greatest work on these videos. If the manufacturers had someone like you to do training or promo videos in the day, they would have sold these cars by the boatload!
Man, I'd add vintage AC and drive that car daily. Love the one off grill for '53 - 50th anniversary for Ford. The grill returned to the bullet style grill for ''54. Love it, and your videoa.
=) glad you dig this video I was just talking about something similar with a friend of mine I drive a 52 Chevy 1 ton truck as my daily driver truck and I told him that I am averaging 19 1/2 to 20 miles to the gallon and he couldn’t believe me he said once his Dodge dies he’s going to get a Classic truck put 373 gears in it just like mine and drive it every day.. If maintained they will run forever
Love it! I used to have a 54 Mercury, similar car but with a bit more chrome. It's indeed quite big on the inside. Part of it is the high roofline and the fact that you sit pretty high aswell
255 cid v-8? That's we run in our '51 f-1, coupled to the 3-speed w/ overdrive. It works out way better on the highway especially with the factory gearing in the rear axle.
I just bought a '53 Customline coupe! It needs a lot of work but I love seeing videos like this to inspire me to work on it and also see how much potential these cars have
I love this era Ford because it’s an optical illusion does not look that big but it’s absolutely massive inside I have faith in you you’ll get it together and look at it this way if a paint job is too expensive outside the box solution to the problem is do all of the bodywork make it super smooth without any rust and just wrap it.. You won’t have to worry about any paint chips I don’t know how well or how durable a rap is but in a lot of times lotta cases it’s cheaper to wrap it then it is the paint it
@@What.its.like. I have been thinking about getting it wrapped since I want to use it not only for my personal life but also as mobile advertisement if I keep on track and open a business in the next year or two. Where I'm at a wrap will only last a few years but I look at as an opportunity to change it up and fall in love with it over and over again! I totally agree about it being an optical illusion lol I've had my eye on this car for a few years, always calling it my "little blue car" so when it went up for sale I jumped on it, and now its MY little blue car ,but I was shocked when I finally sat inside and discovered how roomy it really is.
This 53 Customline is sweet!!! These cars are so roomy inside, They were a great choice for date night at the drive in. Thanks for sharing this informative video!!! 👍👍🙂
Another fun fact about the '53. You could start an automatic, by pushing it down the road with another vehicle, drop it into drive and it would jump start the car! With NO clutch!
Awesome information I saw some Buick’s could be started that way.. when did ford stop doing that and how would you go about doing it without the clutch
@@What.its.like. I had a 1964 Mercury Montclair with a cast iron FMX transmission that had a rear fluid pump driven by the driveshaft similar to the one driven by the torque converter to pressurise the transmission hydraulic system and it could be push started. You could also tow it for quite a way with the driveshaft connected.
That’s awesome if given the choice between the overhead valve six in the flathead V8 I would go for the six all day long.. That car was an optical illusion it looks small from the outside but it was absolutely massive from the inside
You said this had a Fordomatic transmission, but I paused the video as you were getting in the car, and I saw a clutch pedal, brake pedal, and gas pedal in there. So it has a manual transmission. It appears to be a dark green over light green paint skeam. That car is the exact same car my dad had when I was 3 to 7 years old. In November of 59, he traded it in on a brand new 60 Ford Falcon. I would love a chance to drive one of those 53s.
That happened so long ago if I said that I didn’t mean it maybe it was originally a Ford O-Matic car but they didn’t put stick shifts on the floor during this era of Ford it would’ve been a three on the tree so somebody converted it after the fact Thank you so much for that correction =)
Funny you say "Do not use synthetic oil." but Mobile 1 was available and used back then. My Dad used it on his 1948 Packard and it never caused him problems. I've also used it in my 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass and 1977 AMC Gremlin. Again, no problems. I almost ran my Oldsmobile Odometer over twice in it's lifetime.
If you have not converted the flathead to using a full flow filter stick with the non-detergent 30 weight oil. The detergent oil will carry the dirt but without the filter the dirty oil will continue to circulate and damage the bearing surfaces. The non-detergent oil will not emulsify the dirt and will leave it in the oil pan to be drained in an oil change. The bypass filter is not a good filter and only filters a small amount of the oil.
I am the caretaker of a 53 Ford 4 dr Customline, they own you, not the other way around. It's the exact same car illustrated at time 4:17, same exact car right down to the wide whites and dog dish caps, anyhow, I've had it over ten years, flathead eight with the Ford-o-matic, for oil I use PennGrade Partial Synthetic 10W-30, formulated for the older engines, motor takes four quarts, add a filter it'll go to five, also woke up and swapped the 6V generator for a 6V positive ground alternator, BIG difference, also added electronic ignition and a hoosy that takes a 6v battery and produces 12 to run a radio. We love ours and we have a ball going to shows let alone just going for a ride
I got into a debate with somebody the other day about machine versus appliance, they didn’t think it was fair for me to call modern cars appliances when machine an appliance mean roughly the same thing.. there’s just something about driving a classic vehicle that you do not get in a modern vehicle you are more a part of the experience new cars are isolated from everything.. I usually laugh when somebody says I wanna Porsche because it’s a drivers car because they don’t really know what a drivers car is.. in my opinion a drivers car is exactly that the car does not help you do anything you have to physically drive it.. and a modern Porsche isn’t that. Synchronizers help with shifting gears do you want a real drivers car you have to double clutch that is an art with in itself.. no power brakes no power steering some people would go so far as to say mechanical actually pump the fuel pressure I don’t go that far in fact I don’t really go so far as to say double clutching but a lot of people would.. because when you drive a car that has a crash box and master it the car becomes something totally different that’s lost on anything that you can buy now brand new.
@@What.its.like. you nailed it, they are machines from a different era, and you need to operate them in a whole different manner, and yes, it's a totally different driving experience, yet it is fun !
It’s fun because you’re part of the experience it’s hard to explain the people who have never driven anything older than the 70s .. but you totally get it. =)
In 1953 Ford was the Ford Motor Company's bread-and-butter car, with the Mercury being a more upscale version of the Ford, and the Lincoln being a larger and more high-priced "luxury" model. Although the GM counterpart to the Ford was the Chevrolet, GM marketed no less than four progressively more upscale models; Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Buick, with Cadillac as their high-priced equivalent to the Lincoln. Chrysler's bread-and-butter car was the Plymouth, with Dodge and DeSoto as the more progressively upscale versions, and Chrysler as their top-of-the-line luxury model. At that time the Imperial was merely a more upscale version of the Chrysler, although Chrysler later produced the Imperial in a separate factory as a separate luxury make for a while. Although imported cars were rare in the U.S. in 1953, American car buyers still had the option of a number of viable U.S.-made independent car makers which were still in business. Those included Nash, Hudson, Studebaker, Kaiser, Willys (which, at that time, also made the Jeep), and Packard. However, by the end of the 1950s only three "Independents" remained. Studebaker was still in business, along with American Motors (the result of the merger of Nash and Hudson) and Kaiser (which had merged with Willys and, by that time, was producing only one vehicle; the Jeep). Packard merged with Studebaker and, by the late 1950s, the few remaining Packards still being marketed were so obviously nothing more than re-badged Studebakers that the cars were dismissed derisively by prospective consumers as "Packardbakers". The same sad fate befell Hudson, the last models of which were clearly nothing more than re-badged Nashes, after which AMC folded the Hudson name for good. Willys merged with Kaiser, handing Jeep production over to them, before moving all other Willys passenger car production to Brazil.
1953 wasn't quite the last year of the flathead V8. Canadian production cars retained it for 1954. Australian 52 - 54 Fords had dashboards and window frames finished in painted woodgrain. You missed the second hood catch lever - also accessed through the grille. Nice cars. The final flatheads were very refined engines.
The 53 was called the Aniversary in Australia and came standard with a radio, big deal back then. I had one, a great car, only 4doors and V8 available here, I also had a 51( twin spinner) and a 54, the 54 was the last SV in Aussie, the 55 was a 272 CI OHV and had a 6v system. 56 went to 12V. The Customline survived here till 1959 when it was accompanied by a Custom 300 and Fairlane 500, after that only the Fairlane survived. They had the same Y block only bored out to 292, the Fairlane had an option of a larger Y block, 300 and something CI.
In 1958 Ford made the FE engines available as the largest Y block made was only 312 cubic inches. The cars were getting larger and heavier and the FE engines were Ford's answer to the horsepower race. GM and Chrysler introduced similar big block engines in the same year and kept making them larger through the 1960s.
Americans may not know this, but Ford's Geelong plant in Victoria, Australia made Ford Custonlines. My Grandfather had a 53 Custer. I'm wanting one. I have a family photo taken in 1968 that is a prized possession of us all taken with the black Custer as the stage. I'm wanting one now.
@@What.its.like. You ain't lyin! The only thing they won't do better is crash, and meh. I'm fine with that. I want to drive a classy time capsule to work every day and to hell with the IIHS!
@@What.its.like. Nobody's forcing you to drive the modern garbage! Old stuff's nice and simple, easy to work on and with. I'm planning on starting a dashcam channel with mine, too.
I thought about making a segment called morons seen behind the steering wheel of a 52 Chevy.. but unfortunately I haven’t been driving my Chevy too much lately because it needs tires bad and I’m trying to get rims and can’t find them I found 3 need at least one more to do the rear axel
I want to do a 300 so bad they are getting so expensive though I would love to drive one and see what it’s like especially the one that had to swivel seat I think that’s in the 60s
I've heard the flatheads were seriously prone to vapor lock in hot weather. I would probably have chosen a Studebaker Commander Land Cruiser or a Kaiser Deluxe over the Ford based on styling, and in the case of the Stude I would have wished I'd waited for the '54 model.
Hey, I am glad you are showing us these cars. I own a hobby store that sells model cars and I also make model car unboxing videos as well as building the model cars for my collection. Sometimes getting images of these cars to make the model look good are hard to find, especially in the interior and engine bays. Your walk-around and research are great. Thank you again for doing these.
That’s not gonna happen for a while I’m just trying to survive the next 2 1/2 years and hopefully things will change.. I don’t get into politics on this channel it causes too much division. I found a really awesome loophole that I might share in a video on this channel I shared it on a TH-cam group associated with this channel I’ll put the link here if you want to join the group you can post your rides post your car collection =) facebook.com/groups/707697117215381/permalink/712295800088846/?fs=e&s=cl
Good job. I always want to see all the controls. But you didn't show the heater controls, you only covered the blower switch. The same with the page that had the dashboard labeling, as they didn't cover the heater controls either.
Nice review, these were nice cars. Ford Type F transmission wasn't introduced until 1967 Original recommended oil for 1953 SAE 30 for temps above 32. "Glove Box size" Just keep in mind: The name derives from the original purpose of the compartment, to store driving gloves, so anything bigger is pretty cool. Yep 2 water pumps! Changed a number of those over the years.
@@What.its.like. Hey thanks for all the responses. Just for the record, I'm not pointing out any mistakes just addint to your info. You do a great job, keep it up.
I welcome all the information =) this channel is to help those not only relive the good ole days but to help kids looking to get in this hobby H-C temp garage is what I saw while driving cars from 80s 90 era... 1st classic car I ever owned 67 mustang and I didn’t know what gauges should be at. I want to see these cars on the road, not in prison/museum (I have nothing against museum sometimes I go there for the really rare stuff that you’ll never find on the road I’m just saying, when one sees them in motion in the wild they look totally different) I love all the feedback Richard =) keep the feedback coming because we’re helping people understand these cars
4:26 Shell Rotella 15w40 diesel oil is just about perfect for these old engines. Has assloads of zinc, a heavy detergent/dispersant package to deal with the nasty nature of diesel engines, and is formulated to hold viscosity under high load, high RPM, long endurance operation in engines putting way WAY more stress on their oil than these mills ever will. Fill the sump of one of these engines with Rotella 15w40 and it's basically immortal.
@@What.its.like. It's what I plan on using in my flathead V8 when I get it in my driveway. For daily driving no less. Gonna need a hell of an oil if I'm gonna be running it 60 miles a day on the interstate 5 days a week all year long, after all. But hey, these flathead engines are absolute tanks. They were used for industrial, commercial, even military applications and are certainly tough enough to shrug off whatever I ask mine to do. And yeah, I can definitely confirm modern oils dropping zinc is a camshaft killer. I have an '85 F150 with the 4.9l I6 and it lost 1,000rpm from its rev band over about a year and a half when that switchover happened. Cam's totally wiped and it maxes out at about 3100 now, instead of 4100. When I get done overhauling that engine it, too, will be getting the Rotella 15w40 treatment.
My father bought a 1953 tudor Customline new. The inside door handles came from the factory facing forward and slightly up so a pull up and slightly back was required to open the door. It has a splined shaft so the handle will fit in any orientation. I have seen several cars with the handles installed backwards or some other orientation. It used to drive me crazy to get in one with backwards handles and have to push down to get out. The 1953 was also the last year for the king pin/trunion front suspension. In 1954 Ford went to ball joints along with different suspension geometry, which was like the 1955 and 1956. I don't remember any padded sun visors prior to 1956, so those sun visors may be from a 1956. They would attach the same, so it's possible. There is a second hood release just to the left of the first hood latch to release the safety latch. It's more difficult to release the safety latch the way you did it, but obviously it's possible. I've never owned a '53 myself, but I've had every year between 1955 and 1964. I wouldn't mind owning another old Ford and I think a '53 would be just fine. I think the 1953 was one of the better looking cars. Thanks for the report!
Thank you so much for the added information out of all the years which one was your favorite The king pin thing slipped my mind I’ll have to add that in these videos =)
@@What.its.like. 1960 Ford was my favorite. I had a 2-door station wagon and I wish I hadn't sold it. I also had several '57 Fords. I like those a lot also. I'm always looking for another old Ford. Any from 1949 to 1964 would be good.
Re: The Fordomatic, yes, first gear starts could be obtained by manually moving the selector to "Lo" as you stated. However, a forced downshift to first would occur if the accelerator was pressed to the floor at idle or at a speed (approximately) below 20 mph with the selector in "Dr." The Mileage Maker 6 was actually the more reliable & trouble free engine. It did not suffer from difficult warm engine starts nor the overheating in hot weather stop-and-go traffic situations as most Ford V-8s of the 1950s & early '60s did. The overheating problem could be solved by a visit to the Ford dealer, who would install a heavier duty thermostat (my Dad had this done on our '55 Ford wagon).
I think it would be so hard to buy a car in the 1950's. Every car, from 1950-1959 looks so great and each year a car company was making a new car or upgrading an existing car body, engine or new car technology. What could you possibly choose that you wouldn't want to replace the following year for something more cool? What would you do if you bought a new 1950 Ford and it looked like a dinosaur by time 1959 rolled around? - I guess let George Barris customize it?
Hahaha I have long Covid called parsmia it sucks make everything that’s like rancid rotted meat/garbage/gasoline last week I could count on one hand how many times I’ve eaten so lost a lot of weight. I said that so one could get a perspective if I’m this you might fit in this car. =) everybody is different tho
Greetings, I have a 1954 Customline and I would like to know how to install the horn as it should work but I don't know if you have any videos, I would appreciate it, thanks from Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
It had a series of RH 45-i4788 on the output and inner input with a revolving high TY98 mono -pl56 mm lower semi 78-556 po mo place with a ho left shoot out with a chocking Justin crital bebop
IINM, Ford was ahead of GM and Chrysler on suspending brake and accelerator pedals. GM only suspended the brake pedal if the car was equipped with power brakes.
Speaking of orphan cars and independents, to me, the compact Hudson Jet built in 1953 and 1954 looked like a too tall, too narrow version of the 1953-54 Ford. By the way, I once owned two 1957 Ford Rancheros. One was a deluxe "Custom 300" and the other, a Custom. The "Custom" was continued into 1957 as the base model.
Awesome =) I want to hit Hudson Nash really really badly I love Nash and Hudson studebaker Packard basically all the orphan cars. Hudson jet is on my list of cars that hit really hard to come by. Rambler rebel I found a guy on the Internet that has one but far from here. Which Ranchera did you like better custom 300 or the custom what were the major differences
@@What.its.like. The Custom 300 had chrome trim strip the length of the car and on the ranchero the bed surround trim was stainless as opposed to paint. It's been 40 years. My Illustrated History of Ford says the 1957 Custom replaced 1956 Mainline as the least expensive models.
Electronics are over rated (coming from a guy who daily drives a 1 ton Chevy) If it was up to me wouldn’t have any new cars 20s-maybe 2000s the old stuff will run without satellites just saying
It’s all good I’m doing a video on Evolution of the Y block Ford or y block ford engine family 62 was last year for cars 64 last year y block in USA production y block Continued in Brazil Argentina market until 1980.. I have no clue when that one is going to be done it’s back burner project been working on it for a few days on and off =)
![This 1952 Ford was a Legend [4 Great Ads!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BGaVFOa-7IY/mqdefault.jpg)
I've owned my 1953 Customline since I was 16 I am now 65 it was my very first car and I still have it after almost 50 years. Thank you for the video
That’s awesome you kept that car for that long =) what engine and trans is in yours
@@What.its.like. Yup, the very same flathead (that I've had overhauled by my highschool mechanic- in his retirement, he only worked on OLD vehicles) all mechanicals. It even has some original bondo that I put on when I was 16 (I'm 65 now). Obviously the body's not done. LOL
Still awesome you kept it wish I had first or second car still
I bought my customline off my neighbor as a first car. I'm hopping to make allot of great memories in it, as I'm sure you have
Does yours say Overdrive on the back? My first car was the '53 when I was 16..it said Overdrive in the back..was that the Customline or Mainline?..I always thought Overdrive was the model.
We own a 1953 Ford Fordor Customline Sedan. It has a 6 cylinder Straight Six 215 hp. We have started the engine so it does run. We recently bought it late 2022 from an old man that was a Classic Car Collector for $1,600. I believe we got a great deal, it does need som reupholstering and a minor right front fender work, but otherwise it's pretty straight body. We enjoyed watching this video, gave us some good vibes on our car.
Awesome it sounds like you got a stellar car for a great price I love this era of ford =) enjoy your car take it to lots of shows this year
I have a 53 Customline I purchased in 2017 from Scott of the TH-cam channel ColdWarMotors which I saw on the video "Will it run episode 20". I am in the process of repairing the floor and I have fixed all the front end except the fenders as we are keeping the patina. I'm keeping it mostly stock except I am upgrading the brakes to a dual system and the front brakes to Wilwood discs. I have even repaired the AM radio and added a AUX input for my MP3 player. I bought this car for my retirement and I am going to drive it as a daily driver. She will get oil sprayed to protect against the rust. The V8 is actually two model A engines put together hence the two water pumps.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing all that
This is the car I remember in my youth. My Dad bought one new in May '53. 4dr, v8, fordomatic,radio. Baby blue. My family thought he should have traded his '51 Commander for a new Stude. He bought the Ford instead. It was cheaper! Here is something very few car collectors may know: In '53 Ford gave it's dealers a nice discount on all new cars. This was done, not to hurt either GM or Chrysler. It was meant to take customers away from the other companies including Stude. Our Ford had a sticker price several hundred more than a new Commander. When my dad was shopping he was able to buy it for a few hundred less than the Stude. It was a great car. That flathead 239 was running strong long after those V8 Commanders were in the junkyard.
That car is an optical illusion in a sense that it looks very small from the outside but inside it’s massive
Plenty of room.
I can put a glass of water on the oil bath air filter and it hardly jiggles the water.
11:31 You're about my size so this bodes well for me! Angling for a '53 Mainline Business Coupe right now. Same car, lower trim level.
I owned a 1953 Customline Business Coupe , no back seat , red
239 cubic inch V8 ,3 Speed
on the tree 🌳 , with pull out overdrive. The car was
the 50 th anniversary year.
On the steering wheel hub
or horn it said 1903 to 1953 Golden Anniversary
Year. Again they had a one
seater coupe or a club coupe with a half size back seat.
Kevin Phoenix ✝️ 😊
Awesome =)
I bought a 1953 2-door customline in 1959 with a flathead V-8 in it......After seeing an ad at the local speed shop for a 322 cu. in. BUICK
nailhead for 100 dollars, I decided to swap out the flathead for the Buick........My friends helped me make and buy the conversion parts that I needed and my brother did the change-over from 6-volt to 12 volt...... That motor purred like a kitten on the highway with the overdrive tranny engaged......The body got a fresh paint job and dechroming and a '54 Pontiac grillbar.......Needless to say, I would do it
all over again.......That's how sweet it was......
I'm 76 & my family bought a brand new, but basic, '51 Ford for $1,650., when I was 5!
When the '53's came out, I recall that the Ford Co. advertised on t.v. that they were
"jumping two years ahead" in styling to make the '53 model! It, plus the '54 & '55
models truly seemed 'ahead of their time' & were some of the most beautiful cars, then!
I still can’t get over how big that car was on the inside =)
You do some of the greatest work on these videos. If the manufacturers had someone like you to do training or promo videos in the day, they would have sold these cars by the boatload!
Thank you that really means a lot =)
Interesting like always!
This car was an optical illusion it was way bigger inside than it appeared from the outside
Coral Gables 🌴🇺🇸 Almost identical to my first car at 16 in 1960. $ 300 dollars bought it saved from my bag boy super market weekend job ! Hehe 🏄
=) ford Lincoln and Mercury all look like they share roughly same body design
Man, I'd add vintage AC and drive that car daily. Love the one off grill for '53 - 50th anniversary for Ford. The grill returned to the bullet style grill for ''54. Love it, and your videoa.
=) glad you dig this video
I was just talking about something similar with a friend of mine I drive a 52 Chevy 1 ton truck as my daily driver truck and I told him that I am averaging 19 1/2 to 20 miles to the gallon and he couldn’t believe me he said once his Dodge dies he’s going to get a Classic truck put 373 gears in it just like mine and drive it every day.. If maintained they will run forever
Cool Car great watching it go! Loved that year was different good luck with it.
Love it! I used to have a 54 Mercury, similar car but with a bit more chrome. It's indeed quite big on the inside. Part of it is the high roofline and the fact that you sit pretty high aswell
I was suppressed with the amount of room inside
53 Was my daily driver 1964 to 1971, had a 51 Mercury engine.
That car sounds awesome =)
255 cid v-8? That's we run in our '51 f-1, coupled to the 3-speed w/ overdrive. It works out way better on the highway especially with the factory gearing in the rear axle.
I just bought a '53 Customline coupe! It needs a lot of work but I love seeing videos like this to inspire me to work on it and also see how much potential these cars have
I love this era Ford because it’s an optical illusion does not look that big but it’s absolutely massive inside
I have faith in you you’ll get it together and look at it this way if a paint job is too expensive outside the box solution to the problem is do all of the bodywork make it super smooth without any rust and just wrap it.. You won’t have to worry about any paint chips I don’t know how well or how durable a rap is but in a lot of times lotta cases it’s cheaper to wrap it then it is the paint it
@@What.its.like. I have been thinking about getting it wrapped since I want to use it not only for my personal life but also as mobile advertisement if I keep on track and open a business in the next year or two. Where I'm at a wrap will only last a few years but I look at as an opportunity to change it up and fall in love with it over and over again! I totally agree about it being an optical illusion lol I've had my eye on this car for a few years, always calling it my "little blue car" so when it went up for sale I jumped on it, and now its MY little blue car ,but I was shocked when I finally sat inside and discovered how roomy it really is.
This 53 Customline is sweet!!! These cars are so roomy inside, They were a great choice for date night at the drive in. Thanks for sharing this informative video!!! 👍👍🙂
=)
Yes, not seat belts. Go around a corner a bit quickly......called it a "courtesy corner" for my friend and his GF in the back seat.
That's a really nice looking car.
It was the nicest I’ve seen =)
Really nice job showing cars! You do a great presentation pointing out details and impressions! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for the positive vibes glad you like the channel so far =)
Another fun fact about the '53. You could start an automatic, by pushing it down the road with another vehicle, drop it into drive and it would jump start the car! With NO clutch!
Awesome information I saw some Buick’s could be started that way.. when did ford stop doing that and how would you go about doing it without the clutch
@@What.its.like. I had a 1964 Mercury Montclair with a cast iron FMX transmission that had a rear fluid pump driven by the driveshaft similar to the one driven by the torque converter to pressurise the transmission hydraulic system and it could be push started. You could also tow it for quite a way with the driveshaft connected.
That is exactly correct and I did it many times as a teenager. I 6 volt positive ground seemed to always challenge me in the winter.
MY Grandfather gave me his 53, its a mainline 6cyl manual with overdrive its my baby.
That’s awesome if given the choice between the overhead valve six in the flathead V8 I would go for the six all day long..
That car was an optical illusion it looks small from the outside but it was absolutely massive from the inside
You said this had a Fordomatic transmission, but I paused the video as you were getting in the car, and I saw a clutch pedal, brake pedal, and gas pedal in there. So it has a manual transmission. It appears to be a dark green over light green paint skeam. That car is the exact same car my dad had when I was 3 to 7 years old. In November of 59, he traded it in on a brand new 60 Ford Falcon. I would love a chance to drive one of those 53s.
That happened so long ago if I said that I didn’t mean it maybe it was originally a Ford O-Matic car but they didn’t put stick shifts on the floor during this era of Ford it would’ve been a three on the tree so somebody converted it after the fact
Thank you so much for that correction =)
Funny you say "Do not use synthetic oil." but Mobile 1 was available and used back then. My Dad used it on his 1948 Packard and it never caused him problems. I've also used it in my 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass and 1977 AMC Gremlin. Again, no problems. I almost ran my Oldsmobile Odometer over twice in it's lifetime.
It depends on engine.. most used straight weight oil like 20 or 30 weight, just make sure it has zinc in it if engine uses flat Tapped cam.
If you have not converted the flathead to using a full flow filter stick with the non-detergent 30 weight oil. The detergent oil will carry the dirt but without the filter the dirty oil will continue to circulate and damage the bearing surfaces. The non-detergent oil will not emulsify the dirt and will leave it in the oil pan to be drained in an oil change. The bypass filter is not a good filter and only filters a small amount of the oil.
Please do a 1st gen Chevy Corvair soon!!!
Love the videos and how you go into so much depth
Totally agree I wanna do it this versus That was the Corvair first generation versus second generation
I am the caretaker of a 53 Ford 4 dr Customline, they own you, not the other way around. It's the exact same car illustrated at time 4:17, same exact car right down to the wide whites and dog dish caps, anyhow, I've had it over ten years, flathead eight with the Ford-o-matic, for oil I use PennGrade Partial Synthetic 10W-30, formulated for the older engines, motor takes four quarts, add a filter it'll go to five, also woke up and swapped the 6V generator for a 6V positive ground alternator, BIG difference, also added electronic ignition and a hoosy that takes a 6v battery and produces 12 to run a radio. We love ours and we have a ball going to shows let alone just going for a ride
I got into a debate with somebody the other day about machine versus appliance, they didn’t think it was fair for me to call modern cars appliances when machine an appliance mean roughly the same thing.. there’s just something about driving a classic vehicle that you do not get in a modern vehicle you are more a part of the experience new cars are isolated from everything.. I usually laugh when somebody says I wanna Porsche because it’s a drivers car because they don’t really know what a drivers car is.. in my opinion a drivers car is exactly that the car does not help you do anything you have to physically drive it.. and a modern Porsche isn’t that. Synchronizers help with shifting gears do you want a real drivers car you have to double clutch that is an art with in itself.. no power brakes no power steering some people would go so far as to say mechanical actually pump the fuel pressure I don’t go that far in fact I don’t really go so far as to say double clutching but a lot of people would.. because when you drive a car that has a crash box and master it the car becomes something totally different that’s lost on anything that you can buy now brand new.
@@What.its.like. you nailed it, they are machines from a different era, and you need to operate them in a whole different manner, and yes, it's a totally different driving experience, yet it is fun !
It’s fun because you’re part of the experience it’s hard to explain the people who have never driven anything older than the 70s .. but you totally get it. =)
In 1953 Ford was the Ford Motor Company's bread-and-butter car, with the Mercury being a more upscale version of the Ford, and the Lincoln being a larger and more high-priced "luxury" model. Although the GM counterpart to the Ford was the Chevrolet, GM marketed no less than four progressively more upscale models; Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Buick, with Cadillac as their high-priced equivalent to the Lincoln. Chrysler's bread-and-butter car was the Plymouth, with Dodge and DeSoto as the more progressively upscale versions, and Chrysler as their top-of-the-line luxury model. At that time the Imperial was merely a more upscale version of the Chrysler, although Chrysler later produced the Imperial in a separate factory as a separate luxury make for a while. Although imported cars were rare in the U.S. in 1953, American car buyers still had the option of a number of viable U.S.-made independent car makers which were still in business. Those included Nash, Hudson, Studebaker, Kaiser, Willys (which, at that time, also made the Jeep), and Packard. However, by the end of the 1950s only three "Independents" remained. Studebaker was still in business, along with American Motors (the result of the merger of Nash and Hudson) and Kaiser (which had merged with Willys and, by that time, was producing only one vehicle; the Jeep). Packard merged with Studebaker and, by the late 1950s, the few remaining Packards still being marketed were so obviously nothing more than re-badged Studebakers that the cars were dismissed derisively by prospective consumers as "Packardbakers". The same sad fate befell Hudson, the last models of which were clearly nothing more than re-badged Nashes, after which AMC folded the Hudson name for good. Willys merged with Kaiser, handing Jeep production over to them, before moving all other Willys passenger car production to Brazil.
Wow thank you so much for adding all that information =)
1953 wasn't quite the last year of the flathead V8. Canadian production cars retained it for 1954. Australian 52 - 54 Fords had dashboards and window frames finished in painted woodgrain. You missed the second hood catch lever - also accessed through the grille. Nice cars. The final flatheads were very refined engines.
Great information thank you so much for sharing =) thank you so much I appreciate all the feedback
The 53 was called the Aniversary in Australia and came standard with a radio, big deal back then.
I had one, a great car, only 4doors and V8 available here, I also had a 51( twin spinner) and a 54,
the 54 was the last SV in Aussie, the 55 was a 272 CI OHV and had a 6v system. 56 went to 12V.
The Customline survived here till 1959 when it was accompanied by a Custom 300 and
Fairlane 500, after that only the Fairlane survived. They had the same Y block only bored out
to 292, the Fairlane had an option of a larger Y block, 300 and something CI.
That’s awesome thank you so much for sharing that information =)
In 1958 Ford made the FE engines available as the largest Y block made was only 312 cubic inches. The cars were getting larger and heavier and the FE engines were Ford's answer to the horsepower race. GM and Chrysler introduced similar big block engines in the same year and kept making them larger through the 1960s.
would love to see the new for 55 Plymouth on your program one day
Americans may not know this, but Ford's Geelong plant in Victoria, Australia made Ford Custonlines. My Grandfather had a 53 Custer. I'm wanting one. I have a family photo taken in 1968 that is a prized possession of us all taken with the black Custer as the stage. I'm wanting one now.
Great information thank you so much for sharing that
I like the 🇨🇦 Meteor version also
So much better looking than a fugly 53 Chevy. Wow a whole 9 more horse power for 2 more cylinders, they were really outdoing themselves back then.
Honestly don’t know which one I like better I will see that there is more room in the Ford than there is in the Chevy especially in the back
13:03 I'll be dailying mine. 20,000 miles a year no less. Thank god that Flathead v8 is basically immortal, especially with the right oils in it!
That’s awesome these old girls are better more class and style than the crap they sell now
@@What.its.like. You ain't lyin! The only thing they won't do better is crash, and meh. I'm fine with that. I want to drive a classy time capsule to work every day and to hell with the IIHS!
Man I like your style you sound so much like me... if it was my choice I’d just drive old cars.. new ones sucks
@@What.its.like. Nobody's forcing you to drive the modern garbage! Old stuff's nice and simple, easy to work on and with.
I'm planning on starting a dashcam channel with mine, too.
I thought about making a segment called morons seen behind the steering wheel of a 52 Chevy.. but unfortunately I haven’t been driving my Chevy too much lately because it needs tires bad and I’m trying to get rims and can’t find them I found 3 need at least one more to do the rear axel
Good job
I have a 64 custom line now has the y block love the car
=) 64 or 54?
It's a 54
One of my favorite cars! Though my favorites are the 1960-1962 Chrysler 300's
I want to do a 300 so bad they are getting so expensive though I would love to drive one and see what it’s like especially the one that had to swivel seat I think that’s in the 60s
I've heard the flatheads were seriously prone to vapor lock in hot weather.
I would probably have chosen a Studebaker Commander Land Cruiser or a Kaiser Deluxe over the Ford based on styling, and in the case of the Stude I would have wished I'd waited for the '54 model.
Hey, I am glad you are showing us these cars. I own a hobby store that sells model cars and I also make model car unboxing videos as well as building the model cars for my collection. Sometimes getting images of these cars to make the model look good are hard to find, especially in the interior and engine bays. Your walk-around and research are great. Thank you again for doing these.
Thank you are you close to western Pennsylvania?
@@What.its.like. Alberta, Canada.
Sweet I’ve never been to Canada maybe one day my passport expired need a new one =)
@@What.its.like. Wait for gas prices to drop first
That’s not gonna happen for a while I’m just trying to survive the next 2 1/2 years and hopefully things will change.. I don’t get into politics on this channel it causes too much division. I found a really awesome loophole that I might share in a video on this channel I shared it on a TH-cam group associated with this channel I’ll put the link here if you want to join the group you can post your rides post your car collection =)
facebook.com/groups/707697117215381/permalink/712295800088846/?fs=e&s=cl
Good job. I always want to see all the controls. But you didn't show the heater controls, you only covered the blower switch. The same with the page that had the dashboard labeling, as they didn't cover the heater controls either.
So sorry about I don’t know what happened to that footageI’ll be sure to show that next time
@@What.its.like. You do a good job. But I wanted to let you know so that you can continually improve your channel.
Thank you so much for telling me I appreciate all the feedback =)
Nice review, these were nice cars. Ford Type F transmission wasn't introduced until 1967 Original recommended oil for 1953 SAE 30 for temps above 32. "Glove Box size" Just keep in mind: The name derives from the original purpose of the compartment, to store driving gloves, so anything bigger is pretty cool. Yep 2 water pumps! Changed a number of those over the years.
Thank you for those corrections some information is hard to find and when asked get all kinds of answers =)
@@What.its.like. Hey thanks for all the responses. Just for the record, I'm not pointing out any mistakes just addint to your info. You do a great job, keep it up.
I welcome all the information =) this channel is to help those not only relive the good ole days but to help kids looking to get in this hobby H-C temp garage is what I saw while driving cars from 80s 90 era... 1st classic car I ever owned 67 mustang and I didn’t know what gauges should be at. I want to see these cars on the road, not in prison/museum (I have nothing against museum sometimes I go there for the really rare stuff that you’ll never find on the road I’m just saying, when one sees them in motion in the wild they look totally different)
I love all the feedback Richard =) keep the feedback coming because we’re helping people understand these cars
4:26 Shell Rotella 15w40 diesel oil is just about perfect for these old engines. Has assloads of zinc, a heavy detergent/dispersant package to deal with the nasty nature of diesel engines, and is formulated to hold viscosity under high load, high RPM, long endurance operation in engines putting way WAY more stress on their oil than these mills ever will.
Fill the sump of one of these engines with Rotella 15w40 and it's basically immortal.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing =)
@@What.its.like. It's what I plan on using in my flathead V8 when I get it in my driveway. For daily driving no less. Gonna need a hell of an oil if I'm gonna be running it 60 miles a day on the interstate 5 days a week all year long, after all. But hey, these flathead engines are absolute tanks. They were used for industrial, commercial, even military applications and are certainly tough enough to shrug off whatever I ask mine to do.
And yeah, I can definitely confirm modern oils dropping zinc is a camshaft killer. I have an '85 F150 with the 4.9l I6 and it lost 1,000rpm from its rev band over about a year and a half when that switchover happened. Cam's totally wiped and it maxes out at about 3100 now, instead of 4100. When I get done overhauling that engine it, too, will be getting the Rotella 15w40 treatment.
My father bought a 1953 tudor Customline new. The inside door handles came from the factory facing forward and slightly up so a pull up and slightly back was required to open the door. It has a splined shaft so the handle will fit in any orientation. I have seen several cars with the handles installed backwards or some other orientation. It used to drive me crazy to get in one with backwards handles and have to push down to get out. The 1953 was also the last year for the king pin/trunion front suspension. In 1954 Ford went to ball joints along with different suspension geometry, which was like the 1955 and 1956. I don't remember any padded sun visors prior to 1956, so those sun visors may be from a 1956. They would attach the same, so it's possible. There is a second hood release just to the left of the first hood latch to release the safety latch. It's more difficult to release the safety latch the way you did it, but obviously it's possible. I've never owned a '53 myself, but I've had every year between 1955 and 1964. I wouldn't mind owning another old Ford and I think a '53 would be just fine. I think the 1953 was one of the better looking cars. Thanks for the report!
Thank you so much for the added information out of all the years which one was your favorite
The king pin thing slipped my mind I’ll have to add that in these videos =)
@@What.its.like. 1960 Ford was my favorite. I had a 2-door station wagon and I wish I hadn't sold it. I also had several '57 Fords. I like those a lot also. I'm always looking for another old Ford. Any from 1949 to 1964 would be good.
'53 Ford was way better looking than that year's Chevy or Plymouth. Probably roomier, too.
The gold painted engine was to celebrate 50 years of Ford.
Re: The Fordomatic, yes, first gear starts could be obtained by manually moving the selector to "Lo" as you stated. However, a forced downshift to first would occur if the accelerator was pressed to the floor at idle or at a speed (approximately) below 20 mph with the selector in "Dr." The Mileage Maker 6 was actually the more reliable & trouble free engine. It did not suffer from difficult warm engine starts nor the overheating in hot weather stop-and-go traffic situations as most Ford V-8s of the 1950s & early '60s did. The overheating problem could be solved by a visit to the Ford dealer, who would install a heavier duty thermostat (my Dad had this done on our '55 Ford wagon).
Thank you so much for sharing that added information =)
I think it would be so hard to buy a car in the 1950's. Every car, from 1950-1959 looks so great and each year a car company was making a new car or upgrading an existing car body, engine or new car technology. What could you possibly choose that you wouldn't want to replace the following year for something more cool? What would you do if you bought a new 1950 Ford and it looked like a dinosaur by time 1959 rolled around? - I guess let George Barris customize it?
'50 Ford looked like a dinosaur by 1955! Even the 1952-54 Fords looked years ahead of the the 1949-51 models.
Hola..felicidades...excelente información!.....desde colombia
240 lbs with a size 34 waist? I'm 220 lbs with a size 40 waste. You are a lucky guy!
Hahaha I have long Covid called parsmia it sucks make everything that’s like rancid rotted meat/garbage/gasoline last week I could count on one hand how many times I’ve eaten so lost a lot of weight.
I said that so one could get a perspective if I’m this you might fit in this car. =) everybody is different tho
@@What.its.like. Ok...well, that's not the good way to keep that fine waistline. I hope you get better.
Greetings, I have a 1954 Customline and I would like to know how to install the horn as it should work but I don't know if you have any videos, I would appreciate it, thanks from Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
It had a series of RH 45-i4788 on the output and inner input with a revolving high TY98 mono -pl56 mm lower semi 78-556 po mo place with a ho left shoot out with a chocking Justin crital bebop
There's Two latch levers to open the trunk.
IINM, Ford was ahead of GM and Chrysler on suspending brake and accelerator pedals. GM only suspended the brake pedal if the car was equipped with power brakes.
I have a 1954 custom line 2 dr.sedan p code engine. Barn find parked sense 1967.
=)
Which one was the '53 Overdrive..Was that a Customline?
How do I know what transmission is in my 53 country sedan v8
Speaking of orphan cars and independents, to me, the compact Hudson Jet built in 1953 and 1954 looked like a too tall, too narrow version of the 1953-54 Ford. By the way, I once owned two 1957 Ford Rancheros. One was a deluxe "Custom 300" and the other, a Custom. The "Custom" was continued into 1957 as the base model.
Awesome =) I want to hit Hudson Nash really really badly I love Nash and Hudson studebaker Packard basically all the orphan cars.
Hudson jet is on my list of cars that hit really hard to come by. Rambler rebel I found a guy on the Internet that has one but far from here. Which Ranchera did you like better custom 300 or the custom what were the major differences
@@What.its.like. The Custom 300 had chrome trim strip the length of the car and on the ranchero the bed surround trim was stainless as opposed to paint. It's been 40 years. My Illustrated History of Ford says the 1957 Custom replaced 1956 Mainline as the least expensive models.
What, no touchscreen or apple carplay?. A radio and a heater were options in those cars.
Electronics are over rated (coming from a guy who daily drives a 1 ton Chevy) If it was up to me wouldn’t have any new cars 20s-maybe 2000s the old stuff will run without satellites just saying
👍
I just got one was told to use Diesel oil in the motor is that accurate
=)
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Kendall GT has zinc init and it's about the only one.
Thank you for adding that information I get my oil from dollar general because it has zinc in it
I have a '55 Capri 2 door hardtop. You wanna talk about a big two door?! Barely fits in the garage.
I have to check those out =)
What is the left air for?
Left air vent
Looking For A Visor for My 53 4 Door
Check Facebook market place, eBay
killer
Sorry it's a 54
It’s all good I’m doing a video on Evolution of the Y block Ford or y block ford engine family 62 was last year for cars 64 last year y block in USA production y block Continued in Brazil Argentina market until 1980.. I have no clue when that one is going to be done it’s back burner project been working on it for a few days on and off =)
Hope to see it soon , I like your videos I'm new and I'll keep watching
=)
🙂👍1953👍👏👏👏👏😊
Jay you do a great job, But you have to lose that really lame ending " Tootle Doo".
Nah that’s our thing
Understood go with it.@@What.its.like.
🙂👍👏11953👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏