This 1953 Henry J is a cool little barn find we found for you today. Back in the day, these cars were produced by the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation to steal customers away from the Big Three, who were still slow to return to the sale of newly-designed cars after World War II.

Kaiser-Frazer was just breaking into the market at the time, and was unfortunately forced by budget and federal loan constraints to make a car that looked and functioned like a sheet metal rowboat. The Henry J also had fewer features than many of its competitors, so people would often choose something else, such as the slightly pricier Chevrolet 150.

Kaiser-Frazer was never able to truly compete in the American passenger car market. Despite this, the Henry J was loved by hot rodders for its inexpensive price, and its small size in a land being populated by heavy, oversized cars.

Enter our humble Henry J. It’s rusted, has deflated tires, and has been stored in a shed in Charlotte, North Carolina, since 1975. It’s now being auctioned off on eBay, and the seller hasn’t asked for much, with a starting bid of just $2,750.

Granted, it’s not in great shape, but that never stopped the hot rodders of old, and it shouldn’t stop you, either. It could make for a very cool resto’, or an awesome conversion project to make it into a hot rod.

But it will take a lot of work. The metalwork will be the most arduous, as there are places in the frame where the metal has rusted all the way through. With some welding and patchwork, however, it can be restored.

Blast off the factory paint and then prime it, paint it, replace the tires with some classy whitewalls, fix up the interior with leather or velour, drop in a V-8 and new drivetrain, and voila! Your very own Henry J hot rod.