Tom Buscaglia's 1951 Ford Custom Tudor

By Gary Osborne

This year is the 70th anniversary of the 1951 Fords, so it is fitting that we start off with a look at the Buscaglia’s Custom Tudor. Most of the membership in our regional group have seen this car many times and may have even had a ride in it. Since it’s restoration it has been driven to quite a number of club events. But first let’s look back to the time that this car came off the assembly line.

In 1951 the economy was still in fairly good shape as evidenced by the number of cars sold. Ford sold over a million cars that year, just as it had during the previous two years. The United States was embroiled in the Korean War, and under the Russian nuclear threat. However, people still wanted to purchase houses and cars. The suburbs were expanding, roads were being built, and road trips were in vogue. Ford was able to help out with part of that need by making sure that people had several choices of its products.  

Ford was now into its third year of using the same basic body shell. The “all new Ford” was introduced in mid-1948, as a 1949 model, improved on in 1950, and now required more changes to interest buyers. The most evident change made to the exterior was the new “twin turret” grill that was certainly easy to spot. This gave the car a wider look with more chrome that many consumers enjoyed. A new hood ornament as well as larger tail lights, accented by chrome “wind splints” were used.

The car could also be enhanced with chrome bumper guards, fender skirts, side fender shields, rocker panel trim, and wheel trim rings. The interior of the car received a new dashboard and instrument panel. The upholstery had new patterns to give a fresh look. Mechanically, the venerable Flathead V-8 was still being used with some minor improvements for reliability and smooth operation. The big news for 1951 was the introduction of the optional Fordomatic Drive Transmission. This was an automatic transmission for those who didn’t enjoy the challenge of a manual. Now the car could be driven without the use of a clutch. 

Getting back to the present time, let us look at Tom and Judy Buscaglia’s 1951 Ford.  In 1989 Tom saw an advertisement in the paper for two 1951 Fords for sale. One was in the middle of a restoration, and the other was to be used for parts. After looking at them, believe it or not, Tom chose the parts car! When you know that’s the one, you don’t hesitate.  He brought it home and began the restoration process. This was to be a labor of love as it brought back memories of the 1951 Ford that he had purchased from his Dad when he was 17. That was the car that he proudly cruised all around the area with. Being a “hot rodder” at heart he would drag race anybody who was willing, and of course that led to many nights down at Skip’s on North Avenue. Those were the days, right?

Swap meets, newspapers, and phone calls were the way things were done back then, so Tom spent a LOT of time searching for the many parts he would need. Remember, his car started out as the previous owner’s parts car. With help from fellow Early Ford V-8 Club of America Northern Illinois Regional Group members, he eventually acquired all the needed parts. The next few years were spent making the car come back to life and becoming road worthy once again.

During the process Tom needed to make some decisions as to anything that he wanted to improve mechanically about the car. He installed an electronic ignition, a roller cam, heavy duty sway bar, headers, front disk brakes, dual exhaust with glass packs, tinted windows, and air conditioning. He also installed a correct completely rebuilt Fordomatic Transmission, in place of the existing three speed manual. The body was painted Alpine Blue and all chrome was redone. The car now looks and runs great just as Tom intended.

The car has been driven all around the country over the years to various events and tours. It has won several awards from different shows including the Chicago Tribune Press Award at the Cuneo Concours de Elegance. The car has been used in the Buscaglias’ daughter’s wedding.  It has brought a lot of good memories, fun, and conversations to their family.

One such funny event was when Tom put diesel fuel in the tank instead of gasoline. The car smoked and sputtered for quite a bit, but sure brought a lot of laughs and friendly jokes with the Club members on the tour.

If you are a newer Club member and have never seen the car, take the time to go over and talk to Tom and Judy at one of our next events. They would love to tell you about some of the experiences they have had with this car. You can also go back into the Road Chatter archives on our regional group’s website and read more about this car in an article that Tom wrote back in March of 2007.