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 1951 Crosley
Super Station Wagon
"A Fine Car"

SOLD 10/20/2008!
October 24, 2008 -  Yeah, yeah - just got it on the road and sent it away?  Well, I didn't actually have the car listed anywhere, but I had a fellow out in Albuquerque NM call last week asking if I had a Crosley for sale.  He'd herd about mine through the Crosley Club.  I have a trophy for the shelf, and quite frankly I needed the space and money for the 1939 Packard, so I was ready to part with her.  We settled on a price (most of what I had in it, but not all), and the car was picked up today by a fancy enclosed tractor-trailer rig.  She has a Lamborghini for company on the trip!  Wonder what they will talk about.  Anyway, I'm happy to sell the car, and I hope the new owner will get enjoyment out of it.
September 20, 2008 -  The Crosley took a first place against a dozen other 1950-51 cars in AACA class judging!  The car got a lot of attention - I ended up giving rides around the field to a variety of folks, including the local auto section editor.  Only a few people had seen a Crosley before, and most thought it was an import.  Still, it was a great debut!
September 17, 2008 -  The Crosley left the garage today for the first time since May 12, 2007!  Under its own power, yet!  You can see and hear the engine running by clicking here.  I gave the poor little thing a much-needed bath and took her around the block a few times.  The brakes are good, and she is running well except for occasional stalling at idle.  I got in some parts from Yankee Crosley and Service Motors just n time for the big Wings and Wheels car show my club is putting on Saturday.  I still need to vacuum the interior and put on the newly-refurbished hood ornament, but she's ready to roll.  She's looking pretty good, as the photos below attest.
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September 6, 2008 -  As usual, things took longer than expected, but the Crosley is alive and well, and pretty much ready to go!  The engine compartment looks a lot better now - compare this photo with the one from just a month ago!  I got her started for the first time in almost a year with the new carb, which worked great after I adjusted (read 'bent') the accelerator linkage back to where it should be.  I ended up cleaned and painting the original exhaust system mounting clamps because they were much sturdier than the reproduction units.  The new exhaust system went on OK, though I had to wrestle (read 'bend' again) the new tailpipe a bit more to fit right.  A bad oil leak turned out to be from the valve cover, so i added some sealant to the new cork gasket and got that stopped.  I found one lug nut, but now i can't find the radiator cap.  The Crosley is registered for the big Wings and Wheels Car Show my region AACA club is holding, along with the Model A and the Centaur scooter. 
August 10, 2008 -  The Crosley is coming together pretty well - I have the engine mostly together now - have to put on the new carb and valve cover, and the rest of the exhaust.  But she looks pretty good now, with the manifolds cleaned and painted (actually, just the exhaust manifold - the intake was aluminum).  I need to finish the exhaust and put on the carb.  Oh, and replace the new battery that got knocked over and split open.  :sigh:  Still, the car is pretty close to being done.  I'll get some pictures up later this week.
August 3, 2008 -  I pulled the generator and cleaned and painted the bracket and the generator, plus the fan assembly.  I need to pick up some high-temp manifold paint, then I can pull and blast the manifolds and paint the new headpipe as well. Making a lot of progress on the car!  I think I am going to go ahead and register it for the 2008 Wings and Wheels car show my local AACA club is putting on.
August 2, 2008 -  The water pump is fixed and back on the car.  Didn't take much time when I actually tried working on it.  Butch at Service Motors suggested using a 1/2 inch drill bit - that slid in OK with almost no resistance, but I stuffed the bushing with coarse steel wool and then tried the drill bit. The grooves of the bit caught the steel wool enough to pull it down and spin. After several runs and test-fits, I have the shaft turning easily with negligible play. So thanks to Butch for getting me started (and offering to ream the bushing for me if I sent it to him).   I'll go ahead and clean things up as I put the engine back together.  bead-blast and paint the generator bracket and manifolds, put in the new exhaust system, and install the new carburetor.  Oh, and I need to order some lug nuts - two of them vanished while I was working on the wheels.  The hazards of cleaning, I guess.
August 1, 2008 -  Funny what will get me going on a car - in this case, I came within a gnat's eyebrow of selling the Crosley yesterday.  Someone asked about buying a wagon on the Crosley forum and I offered my car in a sort of knee-jerk reaction.  The price I quoted was a substantial loss, and after lots of emails and an hour and a half phone call where he pretty much had guaranteed to buy the car on Monday, he changed his mind.  Whew!   In walking around the car to describe it, I realized how little was left to finish it up and would have kicked myself a lot for dumping it.  So thanks, Bill, for changing your mind!  I went out tonight and pulled the water pump off - I need to ream the bushing, and then put it all back in place.  I have a new exhaust and carb, just bolt-on stuff.  And I'll probably pull the intake and repaint it.  But it's more progress than I have made in months, all because I almost turned the Crosley into empty space.  Will I actually continue this and get the car back on the road?  Stay tuned for the exciting...  um... well, just check back.
May 17, 2008 -  Been a wild and busy few months - my digital camera died, and I finally got a new one.  The Model A has taken focus for a while, but I am trying to get back on the other cars.  Finally got to the Crosley wheels that friend Richard Hall had done such a great job of blasting and priming.  The 'correct' color for the wheels is 'Wimbleton White' - a Ford color available in Duplicolor spray cans.  It took visits to four different stores to find enough, but I got them all painted.  Came out very nice.  Then I tried finding tubes - only one place in the area actually carried 12" tubes - a little trailer shop that charged $10.50 each.  The rims were not designed for tubeless, and the edges are rough now anyway.  Besides, tubes stems would cost points if I ever wanted to show the Crosley, so I might as well do it right.  I mounted the tires by hand from the backs, which kept the fronts from getting messed up.  Came out quite well.  Now I have to get them on the car.   The chrome came back from Hanlon, but it wasn't useable.  The hood ornament was such an awful casting that they didn't want to try anything with it.  The license light was plated, but has some blemishes from pits.  They warned me, so I wasn't all that surprised.  I am hoping to get the car on its own tires tomorrow and rolling.  Depends on the weather.  Still, some progress is being made.
February 24, 2008 -  GAAAH!  I gotta get the garage clean.  Managed to finally get the Crosley off the ground and all the wheels off so they can be repainted correct color.  It took way longer than it should have because I can't get to the car without stepping on or over junk.  Despite that, I was able to get all the tires dismounted and the one scruffy spare wheel bead-blasted (Actually, my friend Tyler cleaned it up for me while I was dismounting the others).  The wheels are not really designed for tubeless operation, which might explain the one flat, so I am going to get tubes for the tires while everything is apart. 
February 20, 2008 -  A little bit of actual work on the Crosley!  I took off the old carburetor (had to remove the valve cover for that) and the exhaust header pipe, and drained the cooling system out in preparation for removing and reaming the water pump.
February 16, 2008 -  Sometimes you can't buy the shiny stuff new - The only bad chrome items on the Crosley now are the hood ornament and the license plate light .  So I dropped them off at a chrome platers in Richmond, VA yesterday and should have them back in a couple of weeks.  I am going to try to get the car ready for a national AACA meet in Charlotte, NC in early April.  She won't be a prize-winner, but I've never seen a Crosley at a National meet before.
January 31, 2008 -  More Shiny Stuff!  Those fine fellows at Yankee Crosley have reproduction Crosley hubcaps for sale, and I got one of the first sets in the mail today.  These fill a big hole in the Crosley restoration scene - a lot of the smaller stuff, and big items like bumpers, are being reproduced.  However, hubcaps have been non-existent to the point that mediocre used sets were bringing hundreds of dollars on eBay.  The ones on my car were fairly worn looking, if presentable, so the new ones will make a big difference.  I have loads of parts for the car to install - now I just need to start focusing my attention on the car!
January 2, 2008 -  House projects and other things have kept me from accomplishing anything on the cars.  However, I have been gathering parts when i could.  At left is the rebuilt carburetor I just got from Chuck Koehler - it's so pretty I hate to run gasoline through it!  This is the correct carb for my car - he took an incorrect one in trade.  The carb is preset and came with a new manifold gasket and instructions for fine tuning.  I was very pleased with the rebuild work.  Every part looks new, and he even machined the base to ensure a tight fit against the flange.  Better yet, the Crosley Air Filter that friend Bob Parrish gave me fits perfect.  I may actually have time this weekend to get the poor little car going.  I have to pull the water pump and try reaming out the shaft bushing enough for the shaft to turn freely. 
October 21, 2007 -  Had some luck at the big Hershey swap meet, and also on eBay.  I picked up a complete correct engine for $175 off eBay from a man who lived locally, so I was able to avoid freight.  Plus, he threw in a water pump and sold me a spare tailgate for $20.  Just what I need to experiment with my rear mount spare idea without messing up the original tailgate!  Hershey provided a good spare transmission for $100, and a good radiator for $20.  Now, if i can just get some time, I can get the car on the road!  The water pump needs to be pulled and the new bushing reamed.  Not a big job - just have to pull the water pump.  Other than that, she runs well.  Oh, also picked up a bunch of valve train parts off eBay - I'll combine everything i have to build one really good engine (I hope).
September 23, 2007 -  I'd hoped to get the Crosley out for her debut at the local AACA car show, but things have been busy and I just didn't have the car ready.  The lights are not yet right, and the prospect of driving the car 25 miles with no brake lights was not encouraging.  I looked under the front to see if I could find a way to rig a tow bar, but nothing looked sturdy enough.  On the plus side, I got her running again and the temp gauge stayed in midrange.  I'm heading up to Hershey in a few weeks and may find some parts for the car there, though really what I need to do is apply liberal amounts of elbow grease.
July 29, 2007 -  Well, I thought I had the hoses all installed.  I put water in the radiator and discovered a number of leaks.  A couple of heater hose clamps were still loose, and the lower radiator hose setup dripped in two places.  The new clamps are not quite right - again, the issue with many reproduction parts.  Still, with some playing around I was able to get everything relatively watertight.  I decided to go ahead and leave the original paint on the fan for now, and got it all bolted up with the new fan belt.  Took a little coaxing to wake the Crosley up after sitting for several months, but she fired up OK and smoothed out.  I let the car sit and idle for a while, checking back.  No leaks, and the temp gauge stayed at normal (midpoint) She ran out of gas after about 10-15 minutes, but was still at the mid-point, so I think I have the cooling system fixed at last!  A friend has a tire machine, and I used it to mount the new tire and tube for the spare today.  Not much left now - I need to install the rear seat pivot mounts I got at the National Meet, and may also go ahead and install the new exhaust since I have it.  The one on the car is pretty ratty looking, as you can see in the photo.  Note the correct hoses, clamps, and bottom pipe!  Oh, and so far, the heater doesn't leak.
July 25, 2007 -  I installed the rebuilt water pump and the new hoses and clamps tonight - took a bit longer than expected, but it looks to be all together now.  All that is left is repainting and installing the cooling fan and new fan belt.  No point in rushing things, though.  I also put on the new oil filler cap and the new gas cap.  The new gas cap, a repro from Service Motors, popped apart as soon as I put it on, dropping the inner clamp down into the tank.  Oh, well.  I plan to replace the tank eventually, anyway, and the original cap is OK. 
July 15, 2007 - Back from the National!  Well, I ended up doing more than giving serious thought to going to the National Meet.  With no other Crosleys in the area and a lot of questions, I figured I'd kick myself if I didn't go.  So I hopping the the new Sonata on Friday morning at 8 AM and headed to Toledo, Ohio.  It turned out to be a nice drive and a great show.  There were at least a hundred Crosleys there, as well as most of the parts I was looking for. Plus some I didn't know I needed.  I was very pleased with some of the prices - a complete exhaust system including all hangers, clamps, and the muffler was $94.  A new tire for the rotten spare was $21.  Correct hose clamps were .75 cents each, and I was able to get weatherstripping, brackets, and other stuff.  I also bought a nice polo shirt and got a free T-shirt from the guys at Yankee Crosley.   Even better, I got to hear other Crosleys, and determined that my car is not only quite nice, but the engine noise is probably normal.  There were a couple of mostly original cars that I took photos of - they will guide me in the details for getting the Crosley straightened out.  Plus some things I could have probably lived without - but what the heck?  I had a great time.
July 8, 2007 - The terrific folks at Yankee Crosley Parts came through with a new side plate that was rushed out the same day.  He had it literally in hand before I hung up the phone.  As you can see, the original item was missing more than a little of the hose nipple.  The new one is perfect, and to my great relief, the original came off with no trouble at all. I had expected to run into rusted bolts that would snap off as soon as I put a wrench to them, but all were in perfect order.  Whew!  I am giving serious thought to driving to the Crosley national Meet next weekend in Ohio.  It's a good day's drive each way, but where else am I going to actually see and hear other Crosleys?  Not to mention find parts, literature, etc.  We'll see how i feel at the end of the week.
June 27, 2007 - Got everything ready to put the water pump back in, and made another discovery that probably explains a lot of cooling system issues.  The photo at left is the water hose nipple to the water pump.  Notice anything missing?  Like the WHOLE BOTTOM?  No wonder the hose felt loose!  Happily, the nipple is part of a removable side plate, so replacement/repair isn't a big deal.  I plan to check on a replacement, and if that isn't available, I'll have a new nipple welded on. 
June 26, 2007 - I've done a lot of travel recently, including all last week in Seattle and a long visit to New England, so there hasn't been much time for beating on cars of late.  However, I did manage to spend some time tracking down cooling system issues on the Crosley.  My first suspect of a stuck thermostat turned out to be wrong - as there was no thermostat.  Next stop was the water pump, which is driven off the back of the generator.  This brought a couple of new troubles to light.  The fan belt was loose, and so was a hose clamp on a small elbow hose that goes from the water pump tot he block.  I went ahead and pulled the pump anyway, which was a good thing.  The shaft seals were shot, the shaft was warn and wobbling in the bushing, and quite a bit of the impeller was rusted away.  Happily, the rebuild kit I bought back when I got the car included everything except the casing and outer seal cover.  I knocked out the old bushing, bead blasted and painted the two halves of the housing, and put everything together according to the instruction sheet.  Friend Jack at Advance let me browse through his hose rack in the back to find a new 1" ID elbow hose, and I bought new clamps.  If this isn't the issue., the culprit is likely to be more serious.  We'll see what happens when I have it all together. 
May 14, 2007 - An almost amusing side note.  After waiting more than two month for the seller (streetrods06 on eBay) to respond to multiple emails from me and from eBay's Dispute group, I finally gave up and left negative feedback.  Amazingly, the long silence was immediately broken with this reply:  "Well I didnt lie I been in the hospital with my heart I have to crates of parts I was gonna send you found another motor and 2 trans all kinds of mic stuff radios but seeing how I am a liar and dont describe a 50 year old car as a new one I better just keep them."  Of course, while he was in the hospital, he managed some other dealings on eBay - one of which earned him another negative feedback from a seller.  Oh, darn - guess I am out all those wonderful parts - heck, I bet he even had the deed to the Brooklyn Bridge for me. 

May 12, 2007 - For those of you who haven't seen it before,  that's the front of my garage.  Don't feel bad - I haven't seen it either for about seven years.  When I bought the Packard back in 1999, I put a lot of the miscellaneous junk that came with it in the front right bay.  It stayed there until today.  I got up early and started sorting and tossing.  Most of the stuff was real trash - not only what came with the Packard, but carpet, floor mats, wood, and anything else I didn't have a place for.  The 'junk pile' was a handy place to toss things I wasn't sure about..  I still have way too much junk in the garage, but now I have room for the Crosley and can walk around it and the Jeepster to work on them.  And tomorrow morning I am taking 9 60-gallon contractor trash bags and assorted rusty bumper, broken handles, and other treasures to the dump!
May 4, 2007 - A few more drives with the Crosley - the smoking seems to be clearing up as the engine gets worked in.  I still have cooling system issues, but I plan to get the water pump taken care of soon.  With the Jeepster finally out of the way, I can get the poor Crosley back inside where she belongs.  I took the opportunity to pose the Crosley with the Jeepster today (a side shot is on the Jeepster's page).  I have to admit that the little wagon is starting to grow on me - I originally said it was plug ugly, but now it is starting to have a slight 'cute' factor. 
 April 22, 2007 - The new radiator held up OK, and I actually took the Crosley out for a real drive today.  She is still running warm, about 3/4 of the gauge, but did not actually overheat.  I need to pull the thermostat and see if that is sticking, and the water pump is leaking still.  The car was definitely not ready for the Square Car Tour held yesterday - I'm glad I held off.  Even so, it was great to actually get the car out and drive it.  She got a lot of attention, as might be expected.  Oh, finally, some pictures of the outside!
April 17, 2007 - I dropped the Crosley's radiator off at H&H Radiator Service in Hampton yesterday, and got it back today.  As expected, the tubes were almost completely clogged and he had to cut two of them.  The drain pug had been leaking, and was corroded halfway through, so he replaced the ferrule as well.  I cleaned and painted the outside tonight and will install it tomorrow.  We'll see how well it works - he said the core is weak and might need to be replaced, as it starts to have fine seepage at 15 psi.  If it goes out within 30 days, he'll take the repair cost off the price of recoring - quite fair.  However, it may work fine as-is - the cap is a 7 -lb, so it won't even reach half the test pressure.  We'll see.  I received my membership package from the Crosley Club today.  There are two members listed in the area - one hasn't returned my phone call, and the other has an incorrect phone number.  Oh, well.
April 15, 2007 - The big Charlotte Auto Fair turned out to have a lot more Crosley stuff available than I expected, and all in one location.  Unfortunately, Streetrods06, the eBay vendor who sold me the car, turned out to be a shyster.  The promised engine never arrived, and he hasn't answered an email in close to a month.  So I was hoping to find a correct engine block.  As you can see by the display, one vendor had two NEW blocks plus all the parts to build each up.  They also had a starter and generator, plus a good pressure plate and other assorted Crosley items.  I looked and drooled Thursday, then came back Friday intending to buy an engine block and maybe a few other parts.  They made me an offer I couldn't refuse - $500 for the package.  (The picture was taken in my front yard).  I figure I can get a portion of my money back by selling duplicate items on eBay.  Assuming I am willing to part with any of it.  :grin:  I went ahead and pulled the radiator tonight, and will be taking it in for service this week.  Oh, there were two Crosley's at Charlotte - a decent 1952 Super wagon for $5,800 and what was reported to be a rusty white wagon that I never did find. And I found a taillight and mirror I wanted a well.
April 6, 2007 - Despite appearances, I haven't been ignoring the cars.  The day after the last post (March 23), a nasty power surge took out both my home computers!  It's taken me a couple of weeks to get another system ordered, set up, and loaded with all the software I need to do the web sites.  Anyway, I did get the back brakes finished up on the Crosley and they work great.  Took a bit of manipulation to get the hub puller to work with the undersized rear drums, but they came off with minimal effort.  I also installed a new oil pressure hose (top left) which helps some with the oil leaks.  Service Motors finally got my parts order in, including the spring clips I needed for the right side vent.  I pulled the gas tank and discovered that the pickup tube was clogged.  I eventually got some wire cable from the hardware store and used an electric drill to 'roto-root' the pickup tube clear.  With the brakes working and gas flowing, I was able to take the car out for a short drive.  Only to have it start heating up again.  I will probably have to get the radiator cleaned.  Still, it drove pretty well considering.  Definitely not a car for Interstate touring, but I had no trouble getting used to the controls.
March 22, 2007 - I tackled the front wheel cylinders on the Crosley today.  The wheel bearing grease had liquified, but the hard parts were in new condition.  I was able to get the seals out without damage, and cleaned and repacked the bearings.  The wheel cylinders went in easy, though the brake hoses don't fit flush.  Probably need to go ahead and get new ones to work with these wheel cylinders.  I cleaned up the brake shoes and drums while I had everything apart.  Also got the fuel pump from Yankee Crosley.   I called Service Motors today and they haven't even shipped the order I made two weeks ago!  In the meantime, Yankee Crosley has gotten three orders in my hands. They are definitely going to be the first choice for anything I need Crosley-wise.  Unfortunately, Service Motors is the only source for some items, so I am stuck dealing with them.

The coolant was full of rust after I ran it the first time, so I flushed the system out until it ran clear.  I still need to get some good radiator cleaner for the system, but the car was idling without running hot.  The new fuel filter sticks out forward and I'll have to be careful with the fuel line.  I'll eventually go to metal fuel lines again like it is supposed to have.  There is trash in the carb, I think.  It won't run unless you put fuel in the carb, but the float chamber is full.  Hope to get the back brakes done tomorrow, and get the carb cleared out so I can run the engine.

March 19, 2007 - I installed the new hood release cable and lubricated the mechanism today - works very smoothly, and it now has the correct chrome T-handle pull.  I ordered the fuel pump this morning - should have it later this week.  Still no water pump or oil line, but I can go ahead and get the brakes done this week.  Also need to flush out the cooling system.  Running her a little brought a lot of rust into the coolant - more troubles from sitting so long, but not a big deal.  I'm thinking of looking for a lawnmower trailer to carry the Crosley to New Bern for the big AACA National Meet in May.  Not that she will win anything, but I have never seen a Crosley at a show before.  Just in museums and private collections.  I should be able to have her pretty much together by then.  We'll see.
March 18, 2007 - I thought I'd throw in a quick picture to provide a sense of scale for the Crosley.  No, that's not a minivan next to it - that's my PT Cruiser.  The picture is a little deceiving.  The front end of the Crosley is about 2 feet in front of the PT's, and the Crosley's rear bumper is about even with the forward edge of the PT's rear wheel arch.  An emergency road trip to help out a friend precluded doing any work on the car this weekend.  The brake parts arrived from Yankee Crosley parts - very impressive service, as they were only ordered Thursday!  Not so hot service from Service Motors, who still haven't gotten me the water pump and other parts I ordered Monday.  More stuff to order - the fuel pump has given up the ghost, another victim long neglect.  Not a biggie, at least.  I'm over the initial disappointment and looking forward to getting the car fixed back up so I can try driving her for real.  Someone put a lot of love and effort into it a long time ago and never ha a chance to enjoy it.  I plan to put this little car to work!
March 15, 2007 - I took the gas tank over to a shop today and we determined that it is 'mostly dead' - that is, it currently holds gas, but given the rust, dents, and previous repairs, I'd be better off getting a new one.  However, what I'd thought were old patches on the top were actually places where the tank had been cut open to be cleaned - just as the seller had said.  My initial judgment on being bamboozled may have been too harsh.   It's starting to look like all the work claimed was actually done - but so long ago that a lot of the stuff has gone bad again.  So far, it looks like I'll be able to get the car going for a few hundred dollars in parts.  The oil leak, water pump, and brakes are all that have to be fixed now, and I have the parts on order.  With some luck, I'll be able to drive her more than a block in a couple of weeks.  I got my initial order from Yankee Crosley today - the owner's manual and a sales flyer, plus the correct hood release and a gear shift boot.  I was surprised to read the car has turn signals!  Sure enough, I found the switch under the dash and they work!  I put the gas tank bank on tonight and drove the car to the gas station on the next block.  A bit risky with only a working parking brake, but I kept it slow.  I am amazed at how easy it is to drive - you'd think a fellow my size (6'1" and 240 lbs) would be cramped.  But the pedals are spaced out well, the seat is comfortable, and it handles..  well, like a golf cart..  but a very nice golf cart.  The fresh gas seems to have helped even for the short run, and I am hoping that running the engine will clear up the smoking.  Anyway, I'm glad I got the car.
March 14, 2007 - I pulled the gas tank off the Crosley tonight.  When I spoke with the seller, he had mentioned he'd had the tank boiled out and sealed by a radiator shop.  Funny how the sealer they used looks like old rust.  Though I can't really say it came as a surprise - the tank was full of gas so old it was starting to turn into varnish.  Oh, to provide scale, that's my shoe on top of the tank.  Yes I have a big foot, but the tank is only 6.5 gallons.  Anyway, I called a vendor listed on the Crosley website (a great resource, by the way:  http://www.ggw.org/~cac/ ) and got some good information on either replacing it with a fiberglass duplicate or getting it boiled out.  The fellow I talked with has been involved with Crosleys since he tried to become a dealer in 1951 while still in High School!    Anyway, I will be printing out the form to join the Crosley club tonight.  They have a very helpful web site, and if Neal is any indication, some really terrific members!  I ordered the wheel cylinders, water pump, and other parts I need to get the Crosley drivable.  On the plus side, the car looks amazingly solid and clean, so even with all the ...  uh..  misunderstandings, the Crosley will work out OK.  Oh, and I got the shop manual in the mail and can start reading up on how this little beast is put together!

NOTE - Just got an email from the seller - he is sending me a correct Crosley engine to make up for the problems.  That will go a long way to making things right.  Even if it needs rebuilding, I can have it set aside for later to make the car right.
March 11, 2007 - I spent the day tinkering with the Crosley and had some luck.  The lights are now working thanks to a repaired wiring short, and the hood latch turned out to be broken, not missing.  Some new springs and an old MGB pedal pivot fixed it right up.  That helped a lot, plus sunny weather and a look over the body.  The car appears to be really solid and complete, with the original red-grained dash and side paint inside.  It looks like the brake issue is locked-up wheel cylinders.  I have a rock-hard pedal but almost no stopping power.  The more I look, the more I find wrong, though.  The heater core leaks - it was bypassed, for good reason.  And the vacuum wiper motor doesn't work either.  The wiring harness is a mess of bare wire and electrical tape, floor mat is a combination of badly cut universal ribbed rubber and tar paper.  The gas pedal is broken, and it has the wrong carburetor as well as the wrong engine, which is leaking oil in the back.  The door and tailgate weather-stripping is missing - well, you get the idea.  No word from the seller yet, but I am still hoping he is basically honest enough to cover the parts I need to make the car drivable.  Even so, I think it will make a fun little car once I get everything sorted out.  Pictures coming soon.
March 6, 2007 - The Crosley arrived tonight.  Not quite the happy occasion I expected it to be.  The 'restored' car has a lot of visible warts.  Nothing terrible cosmetically, but not what I was expecting given the hype in the ad.  There are a lot of paint issues, and some bad chrome.  I am more concerned with the mechanical issues - the brakes don't work, the water pump is leaking badly, the lights and wipers don't work, and the hood latch is missing.  It has an Airflex boat motor instead of the Crosley motor that is supposed to be in it.  Same basic motor and clean, but it smokes.  Some of that may be due to the very bad gas.  In short, it looks like I got bamboozled.  And when I expressed concern, the seller actually had the nerve to say 'it's not a new car.  I didn't send you some rusty hulk missing doors.'  Well, yeah.  But he didn't send me a car that 'needs nothing', either.  At least the car is solid and very presentable - if I get the mechanical issues fixed it should be OK.  A lot depends on the seller - if he will cover parts to make repairs, I guess I can accept it as a 'lessons learned' experience.
March 3, 2007  - This morning a Jaguar XJ6, tonight a 1951 Crosley.  I can't recall ever buying TWO cars in one day before.  Both are on my 'nice to have' list, but I didn't expect to get either one, at least for a while.  The Crosley was on eBay, and is exactly what I have been looking for - a station wagon. The later Crosleys had a cast-iron engine instead of a brazed tin motor block, and normal drum brakes as opposed to mechanical brakes on the very early models and experimental disc brakes in 1950.  It is also completely done - an older restoration, but only 100 miles on what is supposedly a total redo.  New brakes, tires, rebuilt drive train, all new interior.  According to the ad, it 'needs nothing.'   Guess I'll find out soon!  More on the car as I find out about it.

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