Q: I own a 1954 FordSkyliner. I have read some-where that Ford tested aSkyliner with the Plexiglasand one with a steel top in1954 in Arizona with allthe windows up. The re-sult was that the Skylineronly got 5 to 7 degrees hot-ter than the steel roof.As for my ‘54 Skyliner,

I’ve had it now for aboutnine years. It was origi-nally a California car andthen brought to Florida.Next, it went to theChicago area for a couplemonths where I bought itand brought it back toFlorida.I call it the great-great-

grandfather of all the sun-roof and moonroof cars wehave today. It’s VERY pop-ular everywhere I take it,as there aren’t many of the1954 Skyliners left.My car has a one-year-

newer engine, but is other-wise original. The original239 horsepower enginehad issues because it wasthe first year of the over-head valve (Y-block) en-gine.I always kid about how

the Ford engineerscouldn’t get their stuff to-gether for 1953, which wasthe 50th anniversary yearfor Ford. The 1953 Forddid not have many innova-tions or new things fromthe prior year. Then camethe 1954 Ford with a newengine (overhead valve),ball joint suspension re-placed rack-and-pinion fora smoother ride, astrodialspeedometer and, ofcourse, a new Skyliner

model. You’d think thesewould be things for the50th anniversary celebra-tion but they weren’tready. — Jim Pierce,FloridaA: Jim, I am very im-

pressed with your ‘54 Sky-liner, as it sure looks like apristine example of one ofFord’s most popular andnovel creations. I’m glad I

christened the ‘54 Skylinerthe “Godfather of Ameri-can sunroof/moonroofmodels.” I’m also im-pressed you have the ‘55 Y-block engine, as it’s biggerand produces more horse-power. Additionally, Idon’t feel it impacts thevalue of your car one centdownward and actuallymakes it more valuable.(I’ll probably hear fromthe purists.)Greg Zyla writes weeklyfor GateHouse Media andwelcomes reader interac-tion on anything to dowith collector cars, autonostalgia or old-time mo-torsports at 303 RooseveltSt., Sayre, PA or atgreg@gregzyla.com.

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CARSWE REMEMBER

1954 Ford Skyliner beauty

Jim Pierce of Florida sent these photos of his beautiful ’54 Ford Skyliner, which is an excellent example of Ford’singenuity in 1954. Ford introduced its first overhead-valve V-8 in ’54 and had the first-ever American-built sun-roof/moonroof. JIM PIERCE PHOTOS

GREG ZYLA

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TIP OFTHEWEEK

Winterize now“Today’s cars and

trucks are overall morereliable than ever be-fore,” says DanWoods,host and producer ofSpeed’s “Chop Cut Re-build” series. “Still, cer-tain systems in allvehicles are more sus-ceptible to cold, snowand ice. It’s importantto prepare those sys-tems to handle colderweather.”Woods recommends

owners give these areasspecial attention whenprepping their vehiclesfor winter:

� Tires�Visibility� Battery

- ARA

CAR Q&A

Jumpy carQ: I own a 2010 ToyotaCorolla 1.8 liter four-cylinder automatic with47,000miles. At lowspeeds, especially 35-40mph, the car is verysensitive and jumpy. Ihave had the car to twodifferent dealers, andthey say the car is nor-mal, no problem found.A:When I hear com-plaints like this I ask theowner to drop the vehi-cle off so we can testdrive the vehicle in nor-mal driving conditions.The computer wouldpick up any conditionsnot considered in thenormal operatingrange. Leave the carwith your local techni-cian and let him drive itovernight and get hisopinion.

- Junior Damato,GateHouse News Service

THE LIST

Jim Pierce of Florida shows off his ’54 Ford Skyliner. Ithas a ‘55 engine but is otherwise original. He says, “It’sVERY popular everywhere I take it, as there aren’t manyof the 1954 Skyliners left.”

COOLEST RETRO BOX CARSAccording to Popular Mechanics:

�Volvo 240 (1975-93)�BMWM3 (1988-91)�Mercedes 500E (1991-94)� Jeep Cherokee (1984-2001)

�Chevy Blazer (1973-91)�Dodge Spirit R/T (1991-92)� Ford Mustang LX 5.0Notchback (1985-93)

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