1951 Ford

BlueChip Motorcars is pleased to offer this extraordinary 1951 Ford Custom Club Coupe with the desirable flathead V8 showing 53,893 miles on the odometer.

This ’51 Ford Custom Club Coupe is a spectacular example of post-war craftsmanship at its prime.

Incredibly well-mannered on the road, original in every respect with arrow-straight smooth, round bodylines and subtle touches of chrome. The quiet and reliable 239 cubic-inch V8 offers the kind of performance one would expect on the highway or in the city.

Like all post-war classics, this car features an in-cab engine choke within driver’s reach for those winter rides, a throw-back to a simpler time in life. Once underway, the driver and passengers have plenty of legroom and travel in total comfort.

With nearly $20,000 wisely invested (itemized receipts available) in service and restoration work in 2015 alone, this ‘51 Ford “shoebox” is ready for a new loving home. Add to that, the paint is fantastic and the interior is show ready.

To the best of our knowledge VIN B1LB109917 was painted in a luxurious Hawaiian Bronze Metallic with complementing interior and upholstery colors. Even the engine and diff cover were dressed in shades of the exterior color. As noted, the interior and upholstery work is flawless, and that’s just for starters! Just check out the cool Fifties whitewalls. The factory “Magic Air” system, which was state-of-the-art at the time, works and the car comes with several original factory manuals.

Here’s a short list of the service and restoration work completed in 2015:

• Fuel tank replaced, including all rubber and metal lines as well as carburetor.
• Fuel pump and fuel filter replaced as well as sending unit and associated parts.
• Radiator replaced with new four row unit.
• Water pump replaced as well as thermostat and associated factory correct hoses.
• Complete brake system restored or replaced, including new master cylinder, wheel cylinders, plates and shoes.
• Replaced and/or restored differential carrier assembly, axles, seals and bearings.
• Driver door glass replaced and mechanicals repaired to factory correct condition.
• Engine removed and completely rebuilt to recommended specs.
• Associated engine parts like ignition rotor, distributor cap, plugs, main bears, rod bearings, timing chain, V-belt and oil pump were replaced.
• All fluid systems were cleaned and refilled.

It would be a challenge to find a single area on the ’51 Ford that wasn’t inspected, serviced or restored. Consider this a super rare shoebox that would look great in the garage of a true aficionado.

Thanks to the expert work of Family Service Center in San Juan Capistrano, the ’51 now drives and handles like new again. It starts without hesitation, and drives without any rattles or odd noises. There is absolutely no engine overheating issues and all the interior gauges function, including the turn signals and the original AM radio.

This ’51 Ford Custom coupe is ready to win some awards, or set for a drive in the country with the same confidence buyers discovered when the car rolled off the assembled line and into showrooms.

The door panels, electrical system, truck area and everything about this car is first-rate, no expense spared to bring it back to like-new condition.

Thanks to one observant collector on eBay that saw the car featured there, we were able to decode the car. His information that he got to us is much appreciated! See below:

VIN: B1LB109917

B = V8
1 = 1951 Model Year
LB = Long Beach, CA assembly plant
109917–Ford started each assembly plant off at 100001 for each model year. Ignoring the first 1, your car was the 9,917th car assembled in that plant that year. 9,917 matches to a car assembled early in the model year. See assembly date below.

CODES: 72B K F 26A 196 taken off of firewall.

72B = Custom Deluxe Club Coupe
K = Paint Code for Hawaiian Bronze Metallic.
F = Interior Code for Custom Broadcloth Two-Tone Brown (M5085Z). The current upholstery is period correct, but probably not original. The two-tone with leather is more proper for a Victoria or a Crestliner.
26A = 26 is day of the month and A is code for January. So this car was assembled on 26 January 1951. This matches to the low assembly sequence number
196 = The meaning of this number is in dispute. It could be (consensus opinion) the 196th car assembled in that plant that day. It could also be a boy body number or an assigned dealer number.

The car has a full-horn ring and codes stamped into the cowl are which are both consistent with a car produced before mid-year. The circle on the speed indicator is red.