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It's Time to Play "Who Am I?"

1262 messages,  Last post on May 09, 2011 at 5:55 PM

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What is this discussion about? Safety Technology, Motorsports, Classic Cars, Concept Cars, Coupe, Convertible, Truck, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 125 of 127

#1234 of 1262 First vinyl top... by isellhondas

May 07, 2011 (2:04 pm)

I believe I was the first car to ever have a vinyl top applied over my metal roof and I was built in the good old U.S.
 
Unheard of at the time.
 
Who am I?

#1235 of 1262 Re: First vinyl top... [isellhondas] by hpmctorque

May 07, 2011 (9:52 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (May 07, 2011 2:04 pm)
I am a '51 Ford. I believe you could also get the '51 Mercury with the vinyl top. Sharp cars!

#1236 of 1262 Re: First vinyl top... [isellhondas] by motorcity6

May 08, 2011 (6:03 am)

Replying to: isellhondas (May 07, 2011 2:04 pm)
Had a 50 Ford Crestliner with flathead V-8, 3 on the column w/overdrive..Body color was bronze with brown and brown vinyl roof..Great car, purchased new, some engine modifications and dual ehaust..Car was driven approx 50k mi and traded in on another Ford..
 
Side story, Ford dealer in Indpls, who was the original selling dealer after tradein reset the speedo to show 25k mi..Several yrs later the new owner contacted my family on a title mistake and he stated that the speedo reading at time of his accident due to a sandstorm in Ariz was 145k mi, car was totaled..
 
After turning 16, my first car was a 48 Chevy Fleetmaster, which was a handed down to me and I managed to blow the engine and later roll the car..It survived with a new engine and a few new body parts.
 
Back to the 50 Ford Crestliner, it was fast and fun..60 in o/d first and 90 in o/d second gear..and around 115 in o/d third..In essence it had 6 speeds forward..
 
Our run of overdrive trannies and flat head V-8s was extended to 51, 52, and 53 models with the 54 model our first automatic V-8, Fordomatic with overhead valve engine..

#1237 of 1262 Re: First vinyl top... [motorcity6] by hpmctorque

May 08, 2011 (6:29 am)

Replying to: motorcity6 (May 08, 2011 6:03 am)
"50 Ford Crestliner with flathead V-8, 3 on the column w/overdrive..Body color was bronze with brown and brown vinyl roof"
 
Neat car. Interesting story.
 
Those flathead V8s with dual exhausts sounded great.

#1238 of 1262 Re: First vinyl top... [motorcity6] by isellhondas

May 08, 2011 (9:20 am)

Replying to: motorcity6 (May 08, 2011 6:03 am)
You nailed it! Good job!

#1239 of 1262 Re: First vinyl top... [hpmctorque] by isellhondas

May 08, 2011 (12:51 pm)

Replying to: hpmctorque (May 08, 2011 6:29 am)
I grew up in a Chevy town and Fords weren't very cool.
 
One summer, a guy parked a 1950 Crestliner on a busy street corner with a For Sale sign in it. This would have been in around 1968.
 
Of course, I had to stop and look at it. It was a typical rust free So Calif car but it had it's share of scrapes and scratches etc. It was well used but overall, it was in good shape. It was priced at 200.00. It sat there for several weekends until it finally disappeared.

#1240 of 1262 Re: First vinyl top... [isellhondas] by hpmctorque

May 08, 2011 (1:10 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (May 08, 2011 12:51 pm)
I wonder what that Crestliner, in that condition, would be worth today?
 
So, I take it Chevys were considered cooler in your town, in the early '50s. The few Chevys that were modified with split manifolds sounded neat. One guy in my town in WI had a '51 Plymouth with a split manifold, milled head, and other mods he wouldn't disclose, making it pretty quick for its day. He won quite a few bets against Fords and Chevys.

#1241 of 1262 Dragstrip Girl by omarman

May 08, 2011 (1:34 pm)

That well known Frank Gorshin star vehicle, Dragstrip Girl, spawned a movie poster with a hot rod and a pair of 4 barrel carbs thrusting out of the engine bay. Who were the original vehicle builders and the carburetor maker offering factory-built high performance 4bbl V-8 engines long before the muscle car era? And what year did this airpower begin?

#1242 of 1262 Re: First vinyl top... [isellhondas] by berri

May 08, 2011 (5:45 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (May 08, 2011 12:51 pm)
Wasn't the Crestliner just sort of a place holder because that chassis couldn't be converted to meet the new hardtop coupes from GM and then Chrysler? IIRC it wasn't much of a seller either. so I could see how it might be worth some money today. I always though the subsequent 52-54 Ford's were decent lookers for their day.

#1243 of 1262 Re: First vinyl top... [berri] by hpmctorque

May 08, 2011 (5:57 pm)

Replying to: berri (May 08, 2011 5:45 pm)
You're correct regarding the Crestliner, and I agree with you on the '52-54s.

Messages Page 125 of 127

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