More Pics as Promised.

[TDC71]

Here's a few more pics that I said I would take and show of my '58 Commander. Previous owner installed the green carpet and seats. That will get changed when I can afford to have the headliner replaced and the front windshield also as well as the rear window re-sealed. Also needs driver side glass and all window seals like the wiskers and what not. I just did all the windlace and the driver side door seals front and rear. Still have to replace the passenger front and rear door seals. Door seals and windlace.......................HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT. I like the mechanical stuff more. Oh and I just got the clock working again after disassembly and cleaning. Pretty neat way they keep it wound. An electromagnet fires every 78 seconds and triggers a winding mechanism. Really smart design for so old. Sorry enough yapping here are the pics.That last one is of the original "Prison Made" plates the P.O. let me have and I was able to register the car with them legally. I think it is cool having vintage plates with a classic like this. Todd

[SN-60]

Very good progress....You're doing all the 'pain in the neck' stuff that will make a big difference later on!

[StudeRich]

That is a very beautiful Commander, and it is very good to have the Overdrive, most 4 Door Sedans were ordered with the Flight-O-Matic Trans.

The Seats have been nicely reupholstered in a near matching/contrasting Green, just not so much of a Blue Green like the Car, with Cloth Inserts very much like the original Cloth Interior design would have been with a bit more/different placement of Vinyl than stock, what is wrong with it?

The only mistake you made is not doing the Headliner while the Windlace was out of the "Claw Strips". That headliner looks like someone walked on it!

[mbstude]

What a cool car! I bought a '58 Commander sedan exactly 5 years ago, from the grandson of the original purchaser. It was the typical "sitting in a barn for 35 years" story. I did the bare essentials to get it driving, buffed the paint, and put 15,000 miles on it as a daily driver. I sold it a couple of years ago to another young kid in North Carolina who, last I heard, replaced the tired engine and was driving it everyday.

Thanks for the post.. Makes me miss my old girl.

[TDC71]

Thats the factory headliner from what the P.O. said. It's kinda trippy. Has those grey mayks like it was hit with a paint brush and thin white ones too. I didnt do the headliner cause the material gets pinched into the seal of the back glass and it looks like the front too. Headliner gets done when I pull the back glass out for re-seal and replace the windshield. Very nice car Mathew but I am a little biased. Really shined up nicely after some elbow grease.

[52 Ragtop]

Nice looking car! But, you'd better get that battery hold down replaced BEFORE Bob Palma sees it! <G>

Jim

[jclary]

Nice looking car! But, you'd better get that battery hold down replaced BEFORE Bob Palma sees it! <G>Jim

Jim, your post prompted me to take a closer look at the battery. It does have some form of "holder." I don't think I have ever seen one quite like it. It is better than a bungee cord. More like a battery containment device than a "hold-down."

[TDC71]

Awe man It will be gone very soon.

[BobPalma]

Todd, that is sincerely a nice car; congratulations.

(Don't let 'em give you any raspberries about the battery hold-down. I'm a stickler for properly-restrained batteries, so it's kind of a joke around here.)

Your battery appears to have a perfectly good hold-down; just a different design than the original. for having it, and best wishes with the car.

(StudeRich is right; the overdrive is cool beans.) BP

[southbend]

Thanks for the additional photos. Such a nice car! I used to collect license plates with my dad when I was a kid (the collection was sold after he passed). I remember we had a Montana license plate from the '50s that was stamped "PRISON MADE" on the bottom. I don't know of any other state that did it.

[stephenj]

That's a great looking car.
You will love the way it drives at any speed.

[pinehurstbob]

Once nice looking car. Good to see someone who appreciates the "last year for a big car" as a previous owner of stepenj's commander used to say.

Bob
64 Daytona & 60 Lark convert

[TDC71]

Thank you everyone for the nice comments and the ones made in jest. I really like this car alot. She drives down the road so nice and smooth. My wife even commented on what a nice ride she has. I'm trying only to fix the needed stuff to keep her as original as possible. I think it's more fun to view a time capsule rather than a full on restored car. The only reason I want to do the headliner is because it is so fragile and when I have the back glass done I'm afraid it's just gonna fall apart back there.
Todd

[BRUCESTUDE]

Congrats on a great ride! I had a '57 President for several years-it was a daily driver too, and I enjoyed driving it. I like the green interior; it screams 1950's!!!

[StudeDave57]

Lookin' gooood!!!!

Sorta makes me wonder what things would be like had I bought that one in Hesperia, CA waaay back when...




StudeDave '57