My 1953 Aero-Eagle

[jneely]

Hello from metro Detroit!

After many years of sitting in the corner of the barn, I think it's finally time to start in on my Willys project car. It's been waiting patiently, while I finish other projects, all the while hunting for parts and saving up some cash. It seems there are a few folks here with Aero projects- and knowledge - so I figured I'd join up and share.

I bought the car years ago from a family friend in Arkansas, who I normally went to for Model T and A Ford parts. The car was complete, running, and in decent condition. It has been repainted and the driver's fender replaced at some point, but is original otherwise. I don't know much else about its history. It appears to have spent most of it's life in Missouri, based on the old inspection tags left on the windshield. It is in decent mechanical condition, and I've driven it around the yard, but the brakes are out. There is some rust in the drivers floor, rear quarter and trunk lid.

My plans are to restore it, as completely as I can (and can afford.) Although, I have considered upgrading to a Brazilian twin carburetor setup. I think it would be neat to have a subtle hot rod, that most folks would never realize wasn't factory. We'll see if I can manage to find and get the parts required.

I've started on the teardown last weekend. The front clip is off, but it's slow going to take a bunch of pictures and bag and tag everything. More to come in the following weeks as I make a bit more progress.

[Barnum]

Welcome to the club! I am in the UP. Look forward to hearing more about your car!

[r1lark]

jneely, sounds like a great project! Way before I became interested in K-F products, I was a big fan of the Willys Aero. It probably started when I read an article (or maybe a book) about Clyde Paton who had a major (or the major) part in the mechanical design of the car. The car was impressive to me because it was quite advanced mechanically for its time, plus nicely styled. I've always wanted one..............

But I've gotten off on a rabbit trail. 

Looking forward to progress reports and pictures on the progress of your Aero. Welcome!

[MarkH]

................... going to take a bunch of pictures and bag and tag everything......................

Congrats on starting your project!

Buy a variety of ziplocs & a good permanent marker for your parts, and take more photos than you think you'll need.You definitely won't regret it.

[jneely]

I keep having issues uploading pictures for some reason. It will upload the attachments, then the page goes blank, and the post is nowhere to be found.

I'll try photobucket, but it is a bit less streamlined.

[Barnum]

It will be fun to see your car come back to life. The two antennas are interesting ....two radios ?

[MarkH]

I like the color.

Pics are always welcome!

[r1lark]

Good looking car. Looks like a really good cleaning inside and out would make it presentable to drive, but I know you are going for a full restoration.

Love those Aero hardtops! 

[jneely]

Yeah, I'm not sure what someone had in mind with adding a second antennae... Symmetry? Improved reception? They aren't exactly the same - I expect one is an aftermarket or from another make.

So perhaps you all can help with this; the ID tag on the firewall is perplexing to me. From what I see in the parts manuals, the definition of a model 475 is a vehicle equipped with a flathead I-4 engine. Mine has an F-head, which I believe to be original, which I also believe was standard in a '53 Aero-Eagle. It should be, therefore, a 685, correct? I'm trying to figure out if the tag is from another car.

The color scheme on this car has also been somewhat perplexing, as well. I can see remnants of the black paint on the roof and the maroon color underhood and inside the car. Raven Black over Saber Rouge should match up to my color codes, if I'm not mistaken. The red and white vinyl interior has always thrown me. It's hard to envision the car with everything the way it ought to be, and the white seems to clash - such that I've considered just painting the roof white. Does this seem correct to you folks? Have you ever seen a black and red car with a white and red interior? The 1954 color combinations are well documented in the dealer reference book on CircleKF, but the 1953 is less so.

Any help appreciated.

[MarkH]

I'm with you on the 475 designation. I read somewhere that the 475's were export only but a 4cyl Aero turned up in a MO. scrapyard a couple yrs ago. From what I've seen, not all Aeros are built according to advertised standards.
I don't know much about interior trim codes but the seats are usually part cloth, part vinyl.

Here's a link you should check out http://clubs.hemmings.com/willysaero/

[Barnum]

I agree that the seats should be cloth where the white inserts are. Here is a pic of a 53 Red and Whits car with red and white interior...looks that perhaps yours was redone at some point

[Aeroman]

The 475-2DR-DLX belongs to a 1953 export Lark 2-door, of which there were only 47 built (much rarer than your car). Taylor showed you a pic of what your interior trim should look like.
Wish I had my papers handy, I could translate the "94" code in the trim section. I thought it was in the parts manual, but it's not. Will have to research it a bit.

[MarkH]

Any help appreciated.

Your tag raises some interesting questions for me. It's attached with what looks very much like original screws and has over-spray, so it's been attached at least as long as the repaint. I also wonder (if it was originally properly stamped/attached) how 1 of 47 export body tags ended upon your domestic car.

Since you're tearing the car down, I'd look carefully at the alternate engine crossmember bolt holes on the frame rails for evidence of the crossmember being mounted other than where it is now. I would also pull the body tag and carefully examine the back for anything that would match or mismatch the firewall.

One thing you've got going for you is the trim & paint codes, it should be easy to see if they match the paint under the re-paint, and the year of your door post tag.

I have a left over '53 titled as a '54 and there's times i think it was assembled from whatever was within easy reach as it went down the line.

Tags are easy to swap but I wouldn't automatically discount a factory error, especially is your door serial number is late '53.

[r1lark]

Would a car going to Canada be considered an 'export' and thus get the 475 designation? I notice the owner lives in Michigan so could a Canadian car have easily migrated across the border  to Michigan?

[jneely]

Wow, this only gets more and more confounding…

Anybody know what the Body Number on the tag indicates?

I won't discount anything - be it a factory misbuild or a Canadian car. But that said, I brought the car here from southern US. It wasn't a short trip from Canada.

In any case, it is definitely a hard top. There's no B-pillar. Everything other than this body tag (and perhaps the upholstery) is all 1953 Aero-Eagle 685A Hard Top Sedan. VIN is 653-MC1-15###. I believe the exports were all conventional 'post' sedans, correct?

The front cross members have not been relocated.

I just picked up a copy of the green parts book, which is the excerpt that Aeroman posted. For the 685A HTS, there are two options in each of three color schemes of green, blue or deep red. Codes 87, 89 and 91 have dark gray cloth inserts and 93, 95, and 97 have light gray vinyl inserts. There is no 94 trim code listed. 91 or 97 codes would correspond to the deep red options. Perhaps the second digit was re-worked? I don't know, but none of the 90-something codes would have been available on a 475A car.

The interior on this car is in decent shape. There are enough stains, scuffs, cracks and tears, that I intend to completely replace everything, but they are good patterns. There is some yellowing, but it is clear from the less visible areas that all of the insets were a plain white vinyl. They are old - the vinyl is cracked, particularly on the top of the rear seat where it would've had some UV exposure. IF it was reupholstered, it was done long ago - on what would've been a pretty new car. The door panels are puffy. I don't know the proper term, but the upholstery is over a spongy foam surface. I don't know if that is original, or how hard it would be to remove and reupholster…

I am now entirely uncertain of what the interior of my car needs to look like. Was it some weird special order that I need to recreate and preserve? Should I recreate someone's vision for customization from decades ago? Did somebody tamper with the Body Tag, and I should just put it back the way it left the factory?

I recall, it's been about 10 years or so ago, that there was a black and red 53 hard top on Ebay, and I downloaded and saved all of the photos from the listing. It was in decent original shape, and I knew they'd be good references. Now, I have no idea where I stashed them - I've been through a couple of PC's since then. I don't recall what the interior on that car looked like.