What kind of car is this?

October 20, 2018 11:27 AM

Can you help identify the make, model, and year of this car, despite the fact that it has a few scratches and dents?

My wife and I were wandering on a trail in our town when we came upon this abandoned car. Obviously it has been there for a while. There were no labels, logos, plates or other means of identifying it.

It was about 100 feet from a dirt road and whatever path they used to get it there has since been overgrown with trees.

Based on the shape of the door and the bumpers I'm hoping someone can figure out what make and model it is, and especially what year. I estimate 1950s or 60s but I don't really know anything about cars so I could be way off.

There's no pressing reason I need to know this, I just enjoy figuring out the histories of things I stumble upon in the woods.

Please show your work.

posted by bondcliff to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (10 answers total)

Best answer: The engine is a "flathead" V-8, I think Ford was the primary company which sold flatheads in a V-8 configuration. Ford stopped making the flathead in 1953, so I'd say it's most likely a '53 or earlier Ford.
Note, the Ford V-8 was a popular engine swap in to other cars to hot rod them, so Ford engine doesn't necessarily mean Ford car.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 11:50 AM on October 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Looks like a 1957 Ford Fairlane
posted by parmanparman at 11:51 AM on October 20, 2018

Best answer: I'd say a 53 Ford Customline or Crestline based on (missing) the rear door trim. Example
posted by Zedcaster at 11:54 AM on October 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

I doubt it's earlier than 1950.
posted by SemiSalt at 11:55 AM on October 20, 2018

Just to expand on the "showing my work" aspect, the engine is missing its cylinder heads and you can see that the valves are in the block. You can also see that it's in a V-configuration with four cylinders on each bank. So, it's not an overhead valve (OHV) type engine, so it's a valve in block "flathead", it's V shaped and it has eight cylinders.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 12:00 PM on October 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Based on parmanparman's answer, I searched, and I'm seeing the front bumper is probably from the 1955 Ford Fairlane Victoria, "de-bulleted" on the front, and with slightly different rear parts. I also can't find an example with the smaller trunk lifter, just the full-width trim.
posted by rhizome at 12:09 PM on October 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

It is not newer than '53. A '55 ford would have a Y-block overhead valve engine.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 12:20 PM on October 20, 2018

The trim on the rear door puts it as a '52-'53 Ford.
posted by arto at 1:20 PM on October 20, 2018

Best answer: Zedcaster has it right, based on the front and rear bumpers and most distinctive, the fake air scoop on the rear door panel. The air scoop with chrome trim appeared only on the 1952 and 1953 Mainline or Customline or Crestline Ford, different price levels of the same car. And the flying wings on the rear trunk latch appeared in 1953 and are not on the 1952. The flathead V8 was only used up to 1953, as Larry David pointed out. So 1953 Ford 4-door sedan (Mainline, Customline, Crestline) with flathead V8.

As rhizome pointed out, the front bumper is missing the bumper guards.

Lots of pictures here. Note the front and rear bumpers, the chrome trimmed air scoop on the rear door, and the flying wings on the trunk latch.
posted by JackFlash at 1:38 PM on October 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. I think 1953 Ford Customline sedan is definitely the car.

Now I just want to know the story behind it. Whose was it, how did it get there, why was it abandoned? I don't think there's any way of finding out so I'll just enjoy the mystery.
posted by bondcliff at 7:31 AM on October 21, 2018