Terry Elliott’s 1950 Ford Custom Fordor from Arizona

The Restoration Work Begins

As Told to John Emmering

When a 1950 Ford Custom Deluxe Fordor pulled into his family’s driveway in Arizona back in 1978 Terry Elliott was surprised to learn that it was his father Carl Elliott’s latest purchase.  As a teenaged boy when the 1949 Fords were introduced, Carl liked them and the 1950 models immediately and remembered them well.  While he always wished for a sporty club coupe, Carl jumped at the chance to own the 1950 Custom Fordor when he saw it offered for sale at a used car lot in Phoenix.  Terry’s Dad Carl Elliott is a real fan of Ford automobiles and has owned a 1947 Ford Convertible, a 1953 Ford sedan, a 1953 Ford panel truck and a 1957 Ford pickup over the years. Working as an over the road truck driver Carl went on the use the 1950 Ford to drive from his residence to the trucking yard where the rig he drove was kept.

The 1950 Fordor had been painted over the original Sportsman Green, with the same tan color used on International pickup trucks.  The 28-year-old car was a little worse for wear when it came into Carl’s possession back in 1978.  The front seat was out of a two door sedan. Carl replaced it with a modified office chair equipped with a seat belt. The Ford turned out to be a reliable daily driver for many years, as the engine had been rebuilt.  Carl eventually took it out of use and stored it for seven years, finally finding a buyer for the car. When the buyer did not follow through Terry offered to purchase his father’s “shoebox” Ford and take it on as a restoration project.

Having always appreciated the look of the 1949 and 1950 Fords Terry was happy to own the Fordor.  Terry stored the car in Arizona and in 2015 decided to trailer it up to Chicago where he now calls home. Once again, the Fordor spent some time tucked away in a rented garage.  Finally, in the spring of 2019 Terry decided to get going on the 1950 Ford project and set about to get it running. Terry discovered that the he would have to unclog the fuel line.  He removed, de-rusted and sealed the fuel tank, cleared the fuel line and rebuilt the fuel pump.

Next Terry installed new points, plugs and other ignition components giving the car a major tune-up. Of course hoses, belts and other components were replaced.  Further he replaced the brake wheel cylinders. Finally, Terry got the old flathead back to life and running once again after its long dormancy.  The electrical system had a bit of a problem as mice had chewed much of the wiring.   Terry taped and patched the wires so that they would carry current once again.

As Terry began work on the ’50 Ford he decided to join the Early Ford V-8 Club of America and our Northern Illinois Regional Group to get input from the organization and members about his car.  Terry hopes to bring his car around to become a good touring car he can take out to club events and cruise nights without putting a huge investment into it.  He is considering repainting the car in its original Sportsman Green.  Locating a set of seat springs at Desert Valley Auto Parts in Arizona, Terry installed them. He hopes to restore the interior with an upholstery kit at some point.

Terry has a challenging process ahead and we hope he will keep us updated on his progress.  Any members with some 1950 Ford items lying around they are not using might want to let Terry know what they can share with him.  Let’s hope we will be seeing that 1950 Fordor out to a meeting or event soon.