1954 FORD VICTORIA - FAMOUS CUSTOM NOSTALGIA VICKY

1954 Ford Crown Victoria Additional Info:

Hello Custom Car enthusiasts and nostalgia buffs world wide. Up for auction is one of the nicest Ford Customs to hit Ebay. It is a multi award winning car that has been shown all over the west coast. Before I get in to details about all of the body modification, I'll tell you about the history of it . I purchased this car from the original owner. He bought the car in Los Angeles Californi, and loved the car so much that he kept it for decades. The car left the factory with the lower body painted black, the roof white, and the interior a wonderful tri tone color combo of jade green, white, and black. By the early 1970's there was a small resurgence in nostalgi, and the original owner joined the Nifty Fifties Ford club . By 1974 one of its founding members created a hard cover book that consisted of members cars, and the history of the wonderful 1950's Fords. The car that you see here was featured in this book because of its amazing condition and originality.
Moving forward a couple of decades, in 1995 I spotted the Vicky sitting on a driveway in Buena Park California - directly across the street from the world famous amusement park Knotts Berry Farm. I approached the original owner, made instant friends with him, inquired about purchasing the car, but he wouldn't sell it. From that point on I stopped by every 6 months to say hello and remind the owner that I was interested in the car. Well, it took 13 years of going ther, but finally one day the owner said "Yes, I'll sell it". While going through paperwork and stories about the ca, the owner let me know that he took the transmission out and had it freshened up. He also told me that he let his son take the car to his high school where the shop teacher and class did a group project and rebuilt the Y Block V8 engine. There is only 5,000 miles on the rebuilt engine. During this time the owner found T-Bird exhaust manifolds, installed them on the car, then had the local muffler shop put dual exhaust on it.
In 2008 I finally acquired the Vick, took it home, then had the dilemma of either restoring this solid rust free original paint unmolested car, or build a period correct custom out of it. I was very torn on what to do. It didn't help matters when I opened the trunk and there were the hubcaps wrapped in plasti, in almost deadstock condition . It also didn't help when I noticed that the trunk floor was still shiny black like it left the assembly line the week prior! Not long after this I saw the cover of a Rodders Journal magazine that showcased Blues Rock Star Jimmie Vaughans newly built '54 Vicky. It literally stopped me in my tracks. It was classy, elegant, unchopped, and in shor, tastefully done. And even though Jimmie Vaughan is known for building his cars with the "less is more" theor, there were many body mods done to his car. You'd have to know '54 Fords to see all of the subtle but many things he changed. That was it, and I knew I was going to build this car in a similar mindset. I wanted to make this car appear as if the original owner took the car to Barris Kustoms in 1954 and had this work done to it!
The car has been shaved, nosed, and decked. The hood corners have been rounded. The grill surround has been grafted to the body. The headlights have been frenched. The grill originally wrapped around the front fender, and this is where major work was done. 2 stainless trim grill surrounds were tig welded together to make one consecutive piece. A total of 4 round parking light housings were modified to make 2 solid lights. This instantly made the grill "floating". The center round grill piece was remove, the grill center was reworked and welded smooth. The front bumper guards were removed and its indentations were reworked/smoothe, and the license plate slots welded up for a clean smooth bumper. This sounds like an easy process, but in actualit, took months and months of work to accomplish. Out back, the rear quarter panels were reworked and 1954 packard tailights frenched in. This makes for a striking look. The rear bumper is yet another work of art. Two half-round cuts were made, rod welded to the edges, grinded smooth, and makes a beautiful finish for the dual exhaust tips to exit through. McVey reproduction Cadillac Sombrero's are mounted on the original wheels that are powder coated black. Firestone 5.60x15 wide white walls complete the early 50's period correct look with the "pie crust" side grooves. Ford Granada spindles and disc brakes were bolted to the suspensio, and new coils were cut to lower the front of the car. Out back, the rear leaf springs were de-arched with lowering blocks. The frame was also "C notched" . New shocks help the car ride smooth. The upholstery was professionally done, and is beautiful. I took elements of the original color combo, but had it done differently . Headliner is white with green piping. All of the metal in the interior is painted jade green, and is original from 1954! It is in beautiful condition so I felt that it would of been a waste to re-do it. Inside the glove box is a Pioneer am/fm CD player, and mounted under the package tray are custom mounted boxes with 6x9 speakers. On top of the package tray are a pair of nos early 1950's aluminum speaker covers with musical notes! The entire car was professionally rewired, and converted to 12 volt.
This car is beautiful as it looks. It also runs perfect too! The successful buyer of this car will receive a bonus gift! An ultra rare 2 carb Almquist intake manifold from the mid 1950's ! You can't find these Y Block intakes anywhere, and I value this at $1,000 - $1,500 ! Also, the buyer of this car gets the book with the car featured in it. I reserve the right to end auction any time. I will ship this car anywhere in the world. I know of two reputable shipping companies. Buyer pays for shipping and I will see to it that the car arrives in a safe and prompt manner. All sales are final. There are no returns, exchanges, or warranties. Buyer may look at car in person. Feel free to contact me any time - day or evening. Thanks for viewing this, and have a wonderful day. (909)-437-2068.