Bob Belsley

Return to a 1950 Ford

It’s a Mid-Life Thing

Bob at the 2007 Eastern National Meet in Fairfax

This is the interior.

If you want to hear the full story keep scrolling. Otherwise I hope you enjoy these few shots of my mid 50s cruiser.

Growing up in the ’50’s in Washington, DC, was great. I graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1955. I bought the 1950 Ford Tudor Custom from Dave Thompson. I have known Dave since the first grade and we still go to car shows together. He sold the Ford to buy a 1955 Chevy. He now has a ’57 Chevy 150.

Although these pictures are black and white, the car was painted an off white, probably Snowshoe white. It had a black and white Naugahyde interior with a white perforated headliner. The engine was stock. Checkout the 1957 D.C. license plates in the picture above.

 I sold the 1950 Ford and bought a Corvair. I can’t believe I did that. But I did trade the Corvair in for a 1963 split window Corvette. That made more sense. The Corvette is another story. In 1963 I sold the Vette and married Sandy Shaw (there she is with the car) a Walter Johnson High School graduate. We have  two children, Justin and Meighan.

My first car was a 1948 Crosley Station Wagon that I bought with another high school friend, Larry Hawley. We were crazy and I was almost 16. Look at what people do with Crosleys today. Took this shot at some auto show.

Fast forward to early 1994. I develop a Mid-life Crisis and need to have a white 1950 Ford. While killing time in a bookstore waiting for an airplane, I pick up an Auto Trader magazine. There was my new baby waiting for me in Wheeling, West Virginia. A fast phone call, a few dollars and a flatbed and the Hawthorne green 1950 Tudor Custom was mine. Ironically, the original color of my first 1950 Ford was Hawthorne green.

I could have driven it home but did not want to take the chance of a breakdown. It was a good driver with the original interior. I drove it for about six months without doing much to it. Six months after I got the Ford I received a flyer that the 40th reunion for the Woodrow Wilson class of 1955 was scheduled for October 1995. 

Here the restoration begins in October, 1994, with one year to complete the job so we can take the Ford to the reunion. Out comes the original but worn interior.  The headliner was in fair shape but the interior was removed and was replaced.

We did not do a body off restoration but anything that could be unbolted was removed. Front clip, trunk, doors, glass, interior, engine, all of the wiring, lights, everything on the firewall, etc. Doug Jennings, of Automotive Machine and Repairs, in Sterling, Virginia, did a lot of the work removing items to get the car ready for the body shop, including the dead mouse found under the rear seat. Not much left but some ratty fur. The car would return to Doug after the bodywork.

Off to the body and paint shop to see Hamid, owner of Century Auto Service in Sterling, Virginia. Here is Hamid with an old and new body to frame brace he made.

Back to Doug Jennings who installed the rebuilt engine. He also did the new original style wiring which included a 6 to 12 volt conversion, and solid state ignition, window glass, brakes, the remaining drive train, duals and all else necessary to get the Ford running and on the road.

Next, the car went to Bill Moore in Cumberland, Maryland, for the red and white interior.

Here is a view of the back seat and white headliner. The trunk is also upholstered in the same theme.

Here is a side view of the car.

Here is a three quarter shot of the car.

Check out the vanity tag!

Spinner hub caps of course.

Dual exhaust & blue dots complete the look.

The infamous class reunion. Why do people stand in front of a car when you say  “Hey, let’s take a picture of you with your car?” The reunion was great.and the car was a smash hit. That’s Tommy Hunt’s 1940 Chevy to the left. It’s the same car he had in high School. It has a 383 stroker under the hood and it is fast. Nice car!

The only other person in the family who cares to drive the Ford is my daughter, Meighan. She handles the car well. At first, a shift on the column, a separate starter button, and a manual choke were somewhat foreign to her. She mastered the car in 15 minutes. Here is Meighan with her Dad at the Sully Plantation Show, Father’s Day, 2002. Oh yes, that is Robbie (Bob) Armstrong’s 1955 Chevy in the background. I have known Robbie since the 7th grade at Deal Junior High School. Robbie, Dave (57 Chevy) and I still hang around together and attend car shows and automotive flea markets.

I can’t end this on a Chevy note so here is another picture of the 1950 Ford. I drive it almost every weekend, attend a show anytime I can get a “Kitchen Pass” and have received some nice trophies. Thanks for looking.

Okay, just one more look. Have a great car day.