Barn Find/Lots of Patina/Unrestored 239ci V8/Original Dash

1954 Ford Crestline Sedan

The Ford Crestline model had several versions of the car depending on what your preferences were. The Sunliner was a convertible, the Fodor was a 4 door sedan with extra chrome trim, the Skyliner, which had an open rooftop which was plexiglass and was referred to as a basket handle design.

Our example here is the Fodor. A 4-door coupe hardtop and plenty of patina raven black paint. This is a pre fin, pre jet age, post excessive chrome era automobile. Simplistic design almost seems boring from what is to come, but it was very effective. Suburbia was expanding at leaps and bounds, and this sedan was the perfect grocery getter or night out for the folks kinda car for the everyday man and his wife. Affordable enough to have more than 1 car the 2-car family was born in this era, mainly due to cost.

Exterior
Aged Raven Black covers all the straight and true steel panels. Some areas show some orange peel, dulling, and even slight drips where an especially heavy coat was sprayed on. As noted minimal brite work and chrome is present, but just enough to add contrast to the black background. The front grille uses a 2 step bumper design with the upper accent inserts for the center and side signal light bezels and the lower a conventional bumper. The only other trimmings would be the door handles, and some window surrounds and a stainless plate put on the bump out just prior to the rear wheel well. Standard dog dish style wheel covers are on all 4 corners and wrapped in blackwall bias ply tires.

Interior
A simple stitched in red checked pattern broadcloth covers the seats and half of the back of the seating arrangement of a split 50/50 bench up front, and a rear bench in back fills the interior. Uppers for the seats are black vinyl with vertical white stitching which is accenting the red broadcloth lower section of the seats. Door panels in the red check on an insert, and bordered by black vinyl greet you when you swing open the doors. Some waviness to the panels is noted. The metal dash has been simplified to include the original half circle speedo, as well as an aluminum swirl patterned strip running directly under the speedo from drivers door panel to glovebox. This aluminum strip contains various gauges and toggles to aid you in keeping track of the car's vitals. The radio has been removed and the glovebox door is missing. On the background of the semicircular speedometer some paint has chipped off resulting in the speedometer to be unreadable. Black carpeting iron the floors and shows stains and dirt throughout.

Drivetrain
Within the unrestored engine bay sits a 239ci V8 with a single 2-barrel carburetor on top. There is a 3-speed manual transmission on back. The engine bay shows plenty of paint peel off and rust.

Undercarriage
Heavy surface rust, and the interior undercarriage metal sheathing has been ravaged by invasive rust on the rockers and wheel well surrounds.

VIN DECODE
U4UG116686
U-239 ci V8
4-1954
U-Louisville KY Assy Plant
G-Customline
116686-Sequential Unit Number

WARRANTY TAG
BODY 73B-Fordor Customline
PAINT A-Raven Black
TRIM B-Blue Eagle Pattern
PRODUCTION CODE 2C-March 2nd