Projects SHOEBOX BARGAIN PROJECT

As for the door latches check out my website again for the gallery that's named The Doors

 

Today's progress on the '49 Ford: Rear bumper off, front fenders off! I had to ruin the fenders by cutting them off, because all the bolts, and sheet metal were so rusted! Anyone got any rust free fenders for a Shoebox Ford?

 

My car was Birch Gray like this one, and will kept this color. It will have a color matched dash, with a red interior, some red pinstripes, and red wheels with Dodge Lancer, checkerboard hubcaps, mounted on wide whites. Mine will be lower in the ass end than this one as well.

 

I like how that one looks with the rear vent window deleted. Cleans it up somehow, to my eye.

 

It going to have dumps like that one.

 

In your area ? I would try this guy: https://www.facebook.com/Rudys-Classic-Auto-Chop-Shop-1527267377494142/

 

For what it's worth I have a pair of front park light lenses and the chrome trim, got them at an old Ford Dealer that had closed. If you are interested let me know, I'll make them affordable. I've got some parts for Shoebox Fords in the attic of the shop, mostly small stuff, and that I'd probably give to you. Anyone with Stude in their name can't be all bad I live near Council Bluffs.

 

Very interested in anything you have! Let me know.

 

Thanks!

 

I have a few good parts too I'll shoot you a and I'll shoot you a PM

 

Cool car, good luck !

 

Slow down....Stop, think! I'm not trying to be an ass. In fact I want you to succeed. Here's mine from way back when. It was my dream car. I was fortunate to have it a little while. We have make sacrifices, that's just part of life.
DSCN0237 by Travis Brown, on Flickr
1. Why are you taking this car apart right now?
2. Do you have a place to store this?
3. You are going to have a heck of time finding good loose fenders. Model A stuff is relatively easy to find, 49-50 Ford stuff, not so much Ok 51 too but same deal though.
4. Save those fenders! They may be the only decent ones you find within 1000 miles.
5. A good welder makes the impossible possible. It's game changer.
6. Expect some significant floor, trunk and structural rust under the mats.
7. Expect some possible chassis damage at the driver rear area.
8. There's no reason to destroy anything on a car. With this said you may have to take some extreme measures but destroy goes right along with lack of patience. There is way. This stuff is hard to find. Like F1s the good parts are on good cars.
9. Hind sight is 20/20. When a mistake is made...move on.
10. It's not the mistakes we make (I've made some duesies.)....It's the recovery.
11. Most of the time you do not have to completely dissemble a car to fix it. Case in point I really believe those fenders could have been repaired on the car.
12. Unless they are presently wadded up in a ball, I think they still can be repaired.
13. This is a long haul, a marathon, slow and steady is the way.
14. These were good handling and driving cars. ( It saved Ford Motor Company after the gangster, murdering leg breaker Harry Dent nearly ruined the company....Fords Wartime profits...Gone!) They really need nothing to improve them.
15. '49 Fords are quirky. They are truly more like the designers had in mind. The door handles, trunk bullet all that stuff is worth preserving in my opinion. This is what makes a '49 special.

Ok.... I'm done with the list and this is just some thoughts...
Look at this crusty old bastard.....Note the rusty bedside.
20638843_10210061010938680_7763083619531741752_n by Travis Brown, on Flickr

IMG_0182.JPG by Travis Brown, on Flickr

Fw: by Travis Brown, on Flickr

They are only in original paint once. That car may have had enough to shine up for one last date. Maybe it still does. I would be real conservative with that car with an eye for preservation. Needed repairs sure. Total to bare bones resto....not on that car but that's just me. I would love to get my hands on it.
Go slow...really think. Good luck.

 

Let me address your fears and advice topics. I love talking cars, so your response is welcome. While there is a whole movement that loves PATINA, or RUSTY cars, I am not one of them. I believe each car should be restored, or customized, based on what you start with. When you find a project, you should inspect it top to bottom, to see what you have, and how bad it is. Then decide whether it is too nice to chop up, etc. I look at rusty body panels, as in a state of decay, and were always meant to be painted to protect them. Why try to polish a turd, or rust? I have already located several fenders, and the fasteners could not have been torched off, etc. without damaging what they were bolted to, so I had to cut them to gain access, for surgical removal. In my area, fenders are not so rare as to save at all costs. Now for my plans on this car:
1. My garage is full of other cars, done and half done, so this car has to be worked on outside, only on nice days, hence the hurry. It will be tarped when not being worked on. I have a detailed plan for this car, so why not get going?
2.This car only has 49K miles, and is all original, never wrecked, and hasn't been driven since 1964! It has rust free inside floors, but will need the front clip sheet metal due to rust damage, both rockers, and both lower rear quarters patched.
3.The car has original paint in good shape on the cowl and in the jambs. The firewall even has factory writing that I will preserve. The original Birch Gray will only be resprayed where needed. I may add red pin stripping, and eliminate the two piece quarter windows. The rest of the body will be stock.
4. The flathead will be hopped up with aluminum heads and intake, along with twin carbs, a performance cam, and headers. The original trans and rear end will be restored and retained.
5.The steering will be updated with the safer linkage kit offered by vendors, heavier sway bar, and a 2 inch lowering kit. All front and rear suspension parts will be restored, and lowering blocks added to the rear. This will be an on frame resto, but it will be blasted, primed, and painted underneath, because I hate rust!
6.The interior will be all stock, but changed to all red, to offset the Gray outside. I want it to stand out in a crowd! The wheels will be red, with Lancer hubcaps, and wide whites.

This is one of many frame up builds I have done, so I know what I am doing, which may look like rushing through. I assure you the good is being preserved, and the rot replaced. I am very picky, and will not cut corners, just to get it on the road faster.

 

I believe you are the Guy this old car definitely needed
Keep up the good work!

 

Thanks Low!

 

I bought these wheels off a junked mid 80's Lincoln, and had them powder coated a few years ago. I also have a set of checkerboard Lancer caps. The wheels are 15x6, and look like they will fit just fine, so this will be my rolling stock.

 

They clear the front hubs as well, so if you need some cheap rims for your Shoebox Ford, the early to mid 80's Lincolns are plentiful. They are only lacking the little nubs for poverty caps.

 

Rusty pig in a blanket? Lol. Winter sure knows how to slow down progress on the '49!

 

It finally hit 50 degrees here today, so I was able to finish the front clip removal. Next, the engine and trans.

 

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude... Nice little 49. The back bumper is a 1950...has the rib across the center of the face bar where 49s were all smooth. I've had a bunch of those shuboxes and I really like em. My son is doing a 50 [with '49 grill] with an O/T 427 cu in, twin turbo LS and a 6 speed.
Your car is not gray...it's that light green they painted about 17 million shuboxes. My son had a green parts car and I had a green 50 tudor sedan......used the good flathead from my son's car in it and flipped it. My last one was a 49 coupe I bought as a 6 cylinder stocker out in Ashland. I went with a 355 sbc/350 turbo/maverick 8 inch. Flipped the spindle supports, cut the coils a bit and used lowering blocks in the back....incorporated a trans-am 1.25" front sway bar in the front.....was a nice handling car and went like stink. I sold it to a guy in Otumwa , Iowa in '93. Wish I'd kept it.
If you want I can ask my son if he'd be interested in selling some of his extra front fenders.....
Oh, BTW....the chopped 50 is one I got from Davey Schienman in Fremont. He did the chop, sbc and mustang front...nice driving car. I sold it to help finance another project.
Might check with the Schieneman's for shubox parts also.

 

Thanks for all the info! Nice to find a local Shoebox connection. I am doing a low budget build on mine, with a stock body and flathead. It will be lowered, and have that 50's cruiser vibe. It may look green in the photos, or due to the fading, but I have decoded the cowl stamping numbers, and this car was, and is Birch Gray. I haven't heard of Davey, so I will have to try and find a number. I need fenders, inner fenders, and a hood from a '50 if possible.

 

The stripping of my '49 2 Door Sedan continues! Started removing 71 years of grease and dirt from the frame, removed the generator, fan, and plug wires from the engine, along with removing all the hoses and exhaust remnants. I also removed the front engine mount bolts. Tomorrow, I hope to get the transmission and drive shaft unbolted, so the drive train can come out. The good news of the day, was finding out this engine won't rotate, and is locked up! Maybe that's why it was parked with 49K miles on the clock?!

 

Before you give up on that engine, you should pour some penetrating oil or other mystery solution down the spark plug holes and let it soak for a couple weeks. You may get lucky.

 

Oh, I fully intend to pour some Marvel Mystery Oil down the plug holes and let her soak. The only way I will have to find another Flat Head, is if I find a cracked block upon tear down.

 

This clock $9.95 on Amazon fits perfectly in original clock hole

 

Mine was 'temporarily' painted in my driveway 8 years ago with hot rod flatz blue. Still painted! I need to finish some stuff up on it but it runs, drives and stops like it should so....? Neat car.

 

Funny, this clock for me from Amazon is $39.89 Cdn. with free shipping. $28.50 USD

 

UPDATE: Haggled my ass off with the owner, and bought the '50 Ragtop, a '50 4 Door, and '49 4 Door all for $1700. With the '49 2 Door Sedan I already bought from him (and featured here), I now own 4 Shoes, all with clear titles. I will be storing the 2 Door Sedan away, parting the 4 Doors, and going full bore on the Rag top. The Rag top has rust holes in the front lower fenders, the trunk floor, the rear quarters, rockers, and the panel below the trunk lid, The floor is covered in leaves, so I can't see that. It will be a big project!

 

Does the boss ( your wife) know about this?


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Might want to hang on them all to get a good flathead. May make more cash parting out 4 doors. Really nice save. Green with envy on that convert