Junkyard Find: Customized Nightmare 1958 Ford

by Murilee Martin

Published: December 22nd, 2011

junkyard find customized nightmare 1958 ford

Everyone likes a nicely customized, lowrider-style 50s Detroit bomb, but sometimes the execution isn’t so great. Such is the case with this late-50s Ford— I’m going to say it’s a ’58— that I spotted in a Denver junkyard.

It’s been hacked up pretty well by someone that wanted the roof, but that just serves to expose the inner workings of this nightmare.

Like, say, the waterlogged, crudely-cut plywood interior.

Or the Pinto floor shifter and switch panels lifted from who-knows-what kind of car.

It’s hard to tell whether or not it ever drove under its own power with this configuration, but The Crusher doesn’t care about that. The Crusher just hungers for steel!

#1950s #1958 #1958Ford #Custom #DownOnTheJunkyard #Ford #Junkyard #JunkyardFind

Murilee Martin

Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.

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Pig_Iron on Dec 22, 2011

Here is the two-door hardtop wagon version, called the Mercury Voyager. I think its handsome, and am amazed it survived. Its the only one I know of. http://www.57heaven.com/Images/mercuryvoyagerwagon.jpg I came across it about a decade ago quite by accident when I was looking for a nice old wagon to fix up. Couldn't afford it now either.

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MRF 95 T-Bird on Dec 23, 2011

That shifter looks like it came from a Pinto/Mustang II

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Recent Comments

Zerofoo An almost 5000 pound hot hatch that fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down? No thanks.
Tassos Jong-iL This would still be a very nice car in North Korea.
Jeff One less option will be available for an affordable midsize sedan. Not much can be done about GM discontinuing the Malibu. GM, Ford, and Stellantis have been discontinuing cars for the most part to focus on pickups, crossovers, and suvs. Many buyers that don't want trucks or truck like vehicles have moved onto Japanese and South Korean brands. Meanwhile large pickups and suvs continue to pile up on dealer lots with some dealers still adding market adjustments to the stickers. Even Toyota dealers have growing inventories of Tundras and Tacomas.
Lorenzo This car would have sold better if there was a kit to put fiberglass toast slices on the roof.
Lorenzo The Malibu is close to what the 1955 Bel Air was, but 6 inches shorter in height, and 3 inches shorter in wheelbase, the former making it much more difficult to get into or out of. Grandma has to sit in front (groan) and she'll still have trouble getting in and out.The '55s had long options lists, but didn't include a 91 cubic inch four with a turbo, or a continuously variable transmission. Metal and decent fabric were replaced by cheap plastic too. The 1955 price was $1765 base, or $20,600 adjusted for inflation, but could be optioned up to $3,000 +/-, or $36,000, so in the same ballpark.The fuel economy, handling, and reliability are improved, but that's about it. Other than the fact that it means one fewer sedan available, there's no reason to be sorry it's being discontinued. Put the 1955 body on it and it'll sell like hotcakes, though.