1955 Ford Tudor

Description

There are pretty rods and there are rods that are built to run, but some, like this 1955 Ford Tudor sedan do both equally well. Just off the 2016 Power Tour, this stunning red Ford delivers big in all the ways that matter: great bodywork, a cool semi-custom look, comfortable interior, and plenty of horsepower. Oh, yeah, and it's very reasonably priced. Can you dig it?

The best customs are those that take the original design and tweak it without completely erasing the vintage character. That's exactly how it happened here, with the sleek Ford bodywork being mostly restored rather than reworked. Some trim was deleted, the grille is a fantastic custom piece, but otherwise it's pretty much the way Ford designers envisioned it back in the early '50s. Now original doesn't mean boring, and someone clearly invested the time to get this one straight enough to show up on the national stage without feeling out of place. Those big quarters were straightened, the original character lines are crisply rendered, and they just let the original shape do the talking. There's still plenty of chrome, don't worry about that, ranging from the heavy bumpers with substantial bumper guards to the beautifully finished taillights that were the beginning of Ford's jet-age enthusiasm.

They didn't go too radical inside, either, where you'll find stock bench seats wrapped in tasteful gray upholstery that mimics the original patterns so it looks right. Everything is new, from the door panels to the carpets to the headliner, so it has a very high-quality look and feel when you slide behind the wheel. And speaking of the wheel, it's a funky custom job that wouldn't work this well in any other car. The instrument panel is a custom engine-turned set of panels and there's a trick console underneath, complete with a pair of cup holders and an AM/FM/CD/Bluetooth stereo head unit. VDO supplied the white-faced gauges and it's loaded with accessories, from ice cold A/C to a tilt steering column, all designed to make this a fantastic long-distance cruiser. The big back seat looks inviting, not claustrophobic like in many 2-door rods and it includes a huge fully finished trunk with a full-sized spare and jack, perfect for a car designed for the road.

Ford fans, look away now, because under the hood you'll find 350 cubic inches of Bowtie muscle. We have to admit that it's a nice fit in the engine bay and looks great wearing chrome and polished aluminum dress-up. An Edelbrock 4-barrel carburetor and matching intake manifold supply the fuel and an HEI system lights it up. All the wiring is new and the accessories are fresh, helping to ensure reliability, and you already know the TH350 3-speed automatic transmission is practically bulletproof. There's also a giant aluminum radiator and twin SPAL fans up front, pretty much guaranteeing that you won't have overheating problems in this car. The power Corvette master cylinder works on cross-drilled front disc brakes and a set of Jet-Hot coated long-tube headers dump into a fresh dual exhaust system that sounds mellow. The rest of the undercarriage is pretty original, save for the Mustang II front suspension, and there's an 8-inch rear end out back with highway-friendly 3.00 gears inside. Cool aluminum wheels with spinners look suitably retro and carry blackwall radials for a low-key look.

Nicely built and a proven long-haul cruiser, this neat Ford is enough out of the ordinary that you'll have no choice but to get noticed. Call today!