It is no secret that Ford cars built between 1949 and 1951 were game changers in automotive history.
They became known as “Shoebox Fords” because the slab-sided cars were a radical departure from ’48 Fords in overall design and were the Blue Oval company’s first major post war style change.
The Shoebox Fords remain very popular in today’s car hobby because of their unique design and have been a platform for some serious custom projects over the years.
Jim Sutherland
Waylon Hoven is a fan of the early 1950s Ford products and owns a wild custom 1950 Ford Tudor that he describes as a “massive amount of history about customizing”. His car showcases many of the custom touches added to the shoebox models by owners who wanted to make their own personal statement.
Waylon told MyStarCollectorCar that he “always loved lead sleds” and his ’50 Ford was already a work in progress when he bought it, but it needed a giant push across the finish line to get back on the road.
He chose to retain the car’s Blue Oval heritage with its powertrain, so Waylon’s custom Shoebox has a 302 Ford small block donated by a 1992 Ford F-150 to meet that goal. Waylon described the car’s exotic fuel system as a “bunch of carbs” but he has been very impressed with the Ford’s performance on the road.
He also described his Ford as a driver and has taken it on a 1500-mile road trip to Vegas from his western Canadian home on two separate occasions, along with numerous trips to an annual show in another province in Canada. In short, Waylon loves to drive his cool custom Shoebox Ford at every opportunity.
As mentioned earlier, Waylon described his ’50 Ford as a history lesson in retro custom touches, and he is correct. The car has been chopped and the headlights have been frenched in the finest tradition of old school custom. Additionally, the rear deck of the Ford now bears a strong resemblance to its famous lead sled stable mate Mercury, an early 1950s car that was also a favorite platform for a custom project.
Waylon also chose to include scallops on his car, a unique striping technique that was very popular on old school customs from the past. It would be hard to miss Waylon’s custom front grille that consists of 3 skulls, a design that he created for his ’50 Ford.
His custom Shoebox always draws plenty of attention from its wild appearance and loud free-breathing exhaust system. Waylon added a very loud sound system to his Ford, one he described as “pretty ridiculous” in a good way.
A sticker on the car reads “Danger: Ear Protection Required”, a warning Waylon believes applies to his sound system even more than his exhaust system.
There is likely little danger that Waylon will fall asleep at the wheel during a long road trip, given his ’50 Ford’s major upgrades in the sound department, but there is little doubt that he enjoys the experience every time he hits the highway in his very cool retro custom.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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