petes79f150 is where I got the 51 ford from. He turned the corner and there it was and then he gave a link to a piture of a 51 ford. Sorry for any confusion.

 

If you just want a driver and don't care aboug how much money you're going to lose on it, you might want the 56. You will be amazed at how much gas you will burn for so little power and how far cars have come since then. The steering, brakes, wind noise, handling, etc. are awful. I've had my 62 Fairlane 500 for about 20 years and when I want to see how far cars have come, all I have to do is to take a drive.

If you want a nice car, buy one someone wlse has already restored. Restoring one yourself will be very expensive and time consuming. You do it only if the car is something very personal thing for you.

 

The trick is to know which old car is worth putting alot of money into.

 

Form the way he talks, it may not need a lot. Besides, the true value of a car is what it's worth to the owner.

 

Well i went up north to take a quick look at it (we've had some really heavy rains the last couple days) and it turns out that its a 1959 Galaxie? or mainline 2-door sedan (with door pillars) 6cyl with a 3 speed stick not a '56. Its one sharp lookin car! Just looking over it and not actually fiddling with anything, all i can see that needs attention is just some minor body repair and a new coat of paint, it has some minor surface rust around the wheel wells; the frame is solid, floorpan is solid with the exception of the trunk where it has a couple little rust holes. but other than that its complete, the interior will eventually need to be redone but its all there, all the trim is intact, and all the glass is good and the windows function. The front bumper will need to be re-chromed, the rear bumper still looks ok. I didn't actually try and get it to start due to the foul weather but i will be going back in the spring and the owner and i are gonna get it started so hopefully i can get it on a car hauler under its own power. So i will hopefully get some pics up by then. Like i stated in previous posts i dont really want a show car right away, i just want it to run well and i'll slowly make improvements as funds allow. So far to make it roadworthy it needs a radiator and just minor tinkering, but for what it is i dont think i can pass it up for $700-800 bucks!

 

As the former owner of a 1959 Ford F-100, welcome to the old(er) vehicle club. The Hollender interchange manual is going to be your best friend.

Good call on the 3-spd stick, the Ford-O-Matic is crap.

 

Go for it you never plan on getting your money back on a car look what happens when you buy a new one. Some people miss the point when it comes to maintaining and cruising or even using for a daily driver especially if you do the work and customizing and or restoring anybody can buy a new or restored one.

 

Thanks for the encouragemnet guys, Its actually a Custom 300 tudor white over blue. Im excited to begin my project i just gotta get in touch with the owner to seal the deal and then head up there with a trailer. What is the Hollander exchange manual? Is it a parts manual? Im starting to try and locate some of the parts i know i'll need right off the bat like a radiator! Does anyone out here know of a good online source of antique parts to find somthing like that? I've got some people on the lookout for one so hopefully i'll get lucky!

 

"YIKES", a 59?, I guess it would still be cool, but a 56 would be the car to have and restore. 1956 is one of those golden years for ford cars and trucks, both are highly sought after. The first car we had that I can remember as a child was a 57 ford 2 door fairlane, with 2-tone paint and a 312 thunder bird special. The 2nd car we owned I can remember is a black 59 ford galaxy 500. My dad had a 56 ford crown vic, but that was when I was first born and can't remember it, but all sweet cars. I was born in 59 just like your car. Restoring is a cool hobby and keeps you out of trouble, except for money trouble ha ha. I'm restoring a 52 ****** jeep CJ3A right now. It's pretty easy to restore as they still sell all the parts for it. You could actually build the jeep from the ground up with aftermarket parts. Good luck with your project and enjoy it. "good luck"!!

 

Heres a pic from an original sales brochure:
the one im considering is white over blue

 

Hollender Interchange Manual. It's online now.
Example orginal door hinges for Mustang are expensive and hard to find, door hinges for a Falcon and avaliable for cheap $$$.
Hollander Interchange: The Best Tool for the Right Part

 

The 59 hasnt been as collectable as the ones made in 55 to 58 or even the 61. The appreciation will continue to rise however . I have always liked the 59 body style. It being a 2 door is inportant. These cars can still be found at good prices. I saw a 59 2 door with the v8 in very good condition 3 years ago for less than 1200 bucks. Wish I wolud have got it. Who knows which cars will be "discovered" by collectors in years to come but my bet is the 59 will be one of them. Falcons for example were not wanted 10 years ago and they were cheap. Now it takes gold to buy a good one such as the 64 sprint or other fast back models and rag tops. With fairlanes the only one NOT in high demand is the odd ball 65 model. The movie "grand torino" will make that car go up in demand. Untill now that model was not in demand by serious collectors for serious money,but it will be now. Im no expert but I do know the market on fords from themiddle 50s to early 70s.

 

I think I threw out an old Ford 3 speed overdrive, the unit was rusted solid.