Well, nothing precisely, it's just still apart, and periodically comes apart further. LOL You know, I pulled the seats out during shut down two years ago for a "quick" do, but it didn't go as quick as I expected and I'm still finishing up the front seat. Then, a few weeks ago, i sent the radiator off the have the filler moved the back side under the hood so I could fit the 32 grille shell. I am kinda shooting for having it all back together for the SK....we'll see.
Here it is the end of April and the SK500 is a little over a week away, as always I am looking forward to heading up to Dewey for a fun weekend gathering of Kool Kats with Kool Kars! Mike and I are planning on heading out Friday morning around 9:00 so I need to get busy going over the '56 and making sure it's up to the trip. Nothing major, just a good cleaning and service! I guess the ladies are going to head out a little later with one of the daily drivers, I don't understand their "not wanting to ride up in the '56 because it don't have working ac", oh well! I think that there are a few guys in Russellville that are planning on heading to Dewey but they are leaving on Thursday, the last I heard, so unless @drdave has a change of plans, we will be traveling by ourselves.!
Heck, might as well wait until Thursday evening to check it over. Wait, that may just be me... See you soon Jim!
Looking forward to the weekend....fingers crossed that the Chevy will actually make a trip to Dewey and back and behave the entire weekend. LOL. So far, still planning on heading out Thursday evening after work.
Got her serviced and all shined up for the trip to Dewey. Leaving Clarksville around 8:30 in the morning, looking forward to another great week-end with a bunch of kool kats with kool kars!
Very beautiful, tastefully done '56. Wonder how many "post cars" were made? Here's an interesting thread about cruiser skirts. The ones you have without the chrome trim strip look best on your car. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/merc-cruiser-skirts-on-a-57-fairlane.1066768/
All things considered, I was happy with the way the '56 performed this past week-end. Only used 1qt. of oil, 1qt. of transmission fluid and 30 gallons of gas for the trip to Dewey and back! Oil consumption was a little less than last year but gas mileage fell off a couple mpg., last year it averaged about 17 mpg but only 15 this time. I have decided, after fighting the winds heading home, that it is time to finish going through the front suspension. Time for new ball joints, control arm bushings and tie rod ends. Plus I can finally install the Aerostar springs that have been sitting on my work bench for over a year! Thanks to Travis Lee and Travis Miller for the following photo's
Good getting to see the car and hang out with you as always Jim! I need to rebuild the front suspension in mine as well. Pretty sure it is time.
Well it's getting to be that time again, L.A.D. in Dewey, @drdave are you planning on driving the Chevy up again? We would enjoy tagging along if you do! I know that after fighting the wind on my way home from the SK500, back in May, I said that I was going to rebuild the frontend when I got home but guess what.... I didn't! All that I have accomplished between then and now is to add more miles to the odometer! Well that and finish installing the rest of the Vintage Air a/c stuff. I still need to get it evacuated and charged, hopefully tomorrow and then wait on the al;ternator to come in. I tried using the 63 amp 10SI that I had put on it a couple of years ago but with just the electric fan and the a/c blowers on it was charging the battery at less then 12 volts. I ordered a 140 amp, it should be in by Thursday. That's all I got....
You beat me to the punch. I've been out of town the last two weeks and on my list is to check and see if you are going. LOL Yes, I'm going and hopefully the Chevy will be going as well....it's been off the road since before the SK and the Merc has been off the road longer than that. Don't do your own home renovation and addition when you have cars apart....that's all I have to say about that. LOL I do expect the Chevy will be ready to make the run by next week. Pretty sure I'm heading over Friday morning, but uncertain of the time yet. Probably leave here by 7 at the latest.
My fairlane 500 has dual visored wide mirrors, the passenger side one is useless as it isnt concave, so it doesnt bend the light correctly and there isnt enough adjustment to even see behind you. I would attempt to find a concave mirror so you can properly see behind you.
You look behind? Wow, now that's a noval concept! lol Actually, I can't see shit out of my right side mirror with those peep mirrors. Good thing I can still turn my head to the right!
Here's my week after L.A.D. update and I can honestly say that it is not a stellar report! I picked up my nephew Mike and we met @drdave at exit 55 here in Clarksville. Took off west on I-40 and all went well leaving Arkansas and heading into Oklahoma, we turned north on the Muskogee Turnpike and as it was nearing noon and the day was warming up, I decided to turn on the a/c and enjoy my new addition. Wrong! A/c would not blow cold air, cool but not cold. I also noticed that my temp gauge was starting to creep up as we pulled into the toll booth. Since we were planning on stopping at the service plaza for fuel and such a few more miles ahead, I figured that I would check things out then. Found that the electric fan was not running and after checking things out decided to run a jumper wire, bypassing the temp sensor, and just run the fan in the on position full time. I also assumed that was why the a/c wasn't cooling. It wasn't! We pulled off in Owasso, north of Tulsa, as @drdave wanted to make a stop at a store there and the temp, once again, started raising. Nothing critical but high enough to make me uncomfortable, it never rose above 220 even in the stop and go traffic. While stopped, we checked things over and came to the conclusion that there wasn't enough air flow going through the radiator. Once moving again out on the highway, temp stayed steady around 195 and 200 degree's. Tried the a/c again and had the same results, slightly cooler but not cold. Arrived in Bartlesville around 3 pm and checked into our rooms before heading on up to Dewey. Had a great time and was able to visit with a lot of the Kat's both there in Dewey and also back at the Fairfield Inn parking lot. Had also stopped at a AutoZone and picked up a bottle of Wetter Water and added that to the radiator after it had cooled down. Woke up Saturday morning with a sore throat and runny nose but didn't think much of it, took a couple of pills to dry up my sinuses and headed back up to Dewey for a day of visiting, bullshitting and to attend the Ron Myers life celebration. Half way through the afternoon things were starting to go downhill fast! Sore throat was worse, developed a cough and was beginning to run a fever so after much prodding from Sue and my niece Cindy, I agreed to go to the e.r. and get checked out. After a few hours of testing and having a temp of 103.9, I was informed that I had a full blown case of Covid! Spent the rest of the evening in my room burning up and fighting the chills. It was a miserable night, one I wouldn't wish on anybody. Checked out of the room, Sunday am, and headed back home feeling a little better but happy that Mike was along to drive. Spent the remainder of Sunday, all of Monday and Tuesday in bed finally starting to feel better Wednesday. Finished off the Covid medication that I got from the hospital and this morning tested negative for Covid! Thank god!! Unfortunately, Mike, Cindy and Sue all came down with Covid that I assume that I passed along to them. Sorry! Tomorrow, I will get back on the heating problem with the '56 and get it straightened out before heading up to the Old Geezer's Show in Lamar, MO. in a couple of weeks. Anybody have any thoughts on the overheating?
I guess that I should point out that it never had a heating problem prior to intalling the rest of the a/c underhood components. Radiator was replaced last year with a 3 row aluminum Frost Bite radiator, installed a Spal low profile 16" puller fan at the same time and all the hoses and the thermostat are new. Only thing nor replaced was the waterpump.
Sorry your AC affected your cooling. I took me a few years to get cooling back to what I remember as normal in 1956 in to the 60’s when the car was sold. (I still blame todays fuel and my stubbornness of not wanting to accept 200+ as normal as it wasn’t then) Everything I did is well documented on the hamb and Yblocksforever site; many helped. When I added AC 2 years ago there are only minor engine temp changes maybe 5-10* if stuck in traffic on a 90*+ day but almost none when cruising on the highway/freeway at 70-75. The newer compressors do not load as much as the early ones which I’m sure is a help. Hope you figure it out.
Thanks Sancho. Sorry that we didn't get to visit, probably for the best though. Would hate to infect anymore than I did.
I read on another thread, I think it was Dos Cinco's, that you replaced the Y-Block water pump pulley with a 289/302 pulley and it along with a 6 blade fan took care of your overheating issues. Do you recall what year motor the pulley cam off of? Were there any issues with installing it or was it a straight bolt up? What diameter fan did you use? Thanks...
Pulley was from Summit chrome if you like that…A 1967-68 302 I didn’t want to eBay a stocker. They show single and dual belts. I bought the spacer kit with it to help align the belt. As I remember there were 4-5 narrow parts to get it correct. I had to put one or two in front of the pulley also to miss the fan on the 3rd crank pulley on mine. At the time I had the stock generator and needed to get a shorter belt. You probably won’t need to do that. The fan measures 17” and a standard part. My shroud was from a place in Texas and fit the stock radiator. I also use a high flow Mr Gasket 160* degree thermostat for a 318-340-360 MOPAR. I’m sure I’ll go be going to hell for using a 160 but it works perfect for my application as does the brass-copper US Radiator I bought 10 years ago. Good luck
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