Hot Rods 57 FORD Build #2... Glutton for Punishment.

Nope, not headed down this year. Honestly, it’s been a long time since I have been to the roundup as well. Silas wants to go, but we just have too much going right now... Maybe we can get his truck done and take it next year. He wants to debut it at the Gathering at the Roc, but if it was done by LSRU, I am sure he would want it there first. And, if we could get stuff ironed out on his Edsel, we might have time to work on the truck.

 

The key to building a car on a budget is to buy it 15 years ago.

There also seems to be an extra sense of pride or accomplishment to use up something you've had laying around for a long time. For me it's great but also kinda dangerous because I'm encouraging myself to hold onto lots of random junk "just in case", hoping to hit that high again of having what I need. At the current prices, every bolt out of the hardware cabinet, scrap of sheetmetal made into a patch panel or pint of old paint used up feels pretty great.

 

I've learned that the hard way, I kinda wish I lived back in the 80s or 90s and even 00s so I couldn't have to invest so much money into only a couple parts, and there were still a few ford junkyards near me back then too, all gone and turned into houses now...

 

The hobby isn't cheap for sure. If there's one thing I have learned from my Mom passing young and then losing Dad last year, who wouldn't spend a dime in his later years, is that life is short and you can't take it with you so as long as the bills are paid, spend the rest on what brings you joy. Build both them Fords the way you want and don't hold back. Then when my 56 is done we can arrange that factory wars grudge race somewhere in our great nation!

 

I do feel bad for you young guys just getting started now. Wisconsin still has some junkyards with old cars in them and some real good swap meets, but there were 5x that number of junkyards 10-20 years ago and what we have left is drying up quickly. And the quality of stuff that shows up to swap meets seems to get weaker and weaker as the prices go up.

It's good you've got a starting point now and you're in it early. I've got a feeling 15 years from now, this will feel like the good ol' days.

 

It can still be done, you just have to want it bad enough.

 

Yep, part of it is making connections with old guys like us that know where parts still are...

 

I quit jacking w/ old stuff in the '90s when everything dried up here. Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy to get back into it this stage of the game but there is one good thing around now we didn't have then, internet search. All I had when I quit was Hemmings phone book and a 3 month wait. Keep plowing.

Back to the Jeff show.......

Joe

 

...........OUCH!

 

You have to be willing to DIG for parts. Find out who has parts and or parts cars. I know a local guy who buys out old dealers and parts houses. A decent guy to deal with and he almost always has what I'm looking for. He's also plugged into services for having things made like front brake cable assemblies or getting things rebuilt.

I try not to hoard up things that others could use on their projects, like trim. I have had 3 sets of some things, I cherry pick the best and sell the rest.

 

Hey...you may actually be older than I am...lol

 

...Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

 

I've been playing with the car hobby since the mid 70's...I don't recall a time where people were saying, "boy, things are sure cheap this year".

 

say, did the car have a windshield when you got it? or did you remove it when doing the floors?

 

In the future my car might need new seals, do you advise letting a shop do it or removing the glass with some help, replacing the seal, then reinstalling?

 

This is the most accurate thing I've read all day!

 

My headliner is very shot, only the back window leaks under heavy winds and rain, the front window is rotten but does not leak, i need new dew wipes, windlace, vent window seals, only good seals on the car that wont need replaced or refreshed are the rear doors rear windows.(the cowl vents do get my feet wet when it rains, so that explains the rear floor rot).

 

Old glass is brittle, it breaks easily. My windshield was broken and the gasket was a fossil, all that went into the trash. I had a mobile glass guy I know install the new one, ran me $125 in 2015 and the guy earned every cent.

I have yet to see anyone who makes the rear glass for a '59 Custom 300, so I'm careful with it. I can get a gasket no sweat, but taking the old one out will be a white-knuckle experience. I've installed plenty of curved glass in the past, definitely a 2 or 3 man job.

On my car, the lower windshield trim goes into the gasket first, so does the rear window.

With these old Fords, leaky windshields on a car that has sat outside for years, often the firewalls are rotten. I had my interior completely out including the dash, no rust damage thankfully.

 

my car was built in august of 57, that first pedal looks like mine, and its original.

 

no firewall rot for me, only the foot pedal fell off, and the rear floors arent very good.