Hey guys, long time lurker. bought a car and now joined, lol. I got a 1954 ford customline 2dr from a guy who started a project but then lost interest. I love this body style. The guy did good work, took the body off the frame cleaned & undercoated the underbody & painted the frame. Put the body back on & it then sat until i bought it. Question is- i dont have any of the bolts to put the front sheetmetal back on. I know some of you guys made great cars with pretty much just a shell and a dream & came out the otherside with fantastic rides. How do i go about this. Can i just get the bolts from a bolt store? Anyone know the size? Or any ford suppliers that carry bolts? Dont have $ for a parts car since i just bought the 54... this is my 1st car im building & im learning as i go along. Might've bit off more than i can chew, but I have the passion if that counts.... thank you
I know this is not exactly the traditional way, but I used fastenal hardware. I plan on using their hardware again but I plan on grinding and polishing them to make it cleaner. I also built a 54. And this is what I did. Hope that helps.
Did you try both Bob Drake or Dennis Carpenter? I know Like the Mustang crowd has bolt kits I betcha Drake and carpenter have em too~!
The '54 Ford Club of America also has a on line site with some very knowledgeable guys that can be a big help. Some of the hardware is available through the catalogs (we have a vendors) list on the web site),,,if you are doing a restoration,,otherwise a lot of the bolts are as close as your local ace hardware,,that's where I got most of mine.HRP http://www.1954ford.com/
You can get the correct bolts in sets on Ebay. These are the fender bolts. They are stainless steel but they can be spray bombed it it matters to you. The heads are recessed.
Finding correct size and thread won't be a problem and most will be 5/16 for sheetmetal and you may be able to fins a doner car 52-53-54 which are close in construction ,sheetmetal and bolt size
thanks alot guys, i really appreciate all the advice. Will look into it. Ill be back with more questions im sure, haha. thanks again
Dennis Carpenter, Macs, Concours Parts all have great catalogs. Get all of them and in there you should be able to get a bolt kit for what you need. If I need a bolt I just go to the hardware store and get what I need. Depending on if its going to be in an area that has lots of water or its seen every time you open the hood I try to get stainless. If I need a bolt for strength I go for grade 8 fine thread.
I go to my local junkyard and get a set price for pulling so many bolts. I remove as many as I can. They are all grade #8 or better, with some sheetmetal screws thrown in. That's the stash I keep at home. Always comes in handy. Your Ford will use 5/16 or 3/8-16 bolts for most stuff. Newer bolts are better because of improved metallurgy. If you go to the local hardware store, avoid the junk bolts (galvanized, no marking on the head). Three slash marks on the head is grade #8 I think. Stainless bolts can be polished, but you lose some strength.
Super important is that you have the correct bolts that connect the hood hinges to the hood. They're not regular bolts, they have shoulder on them that the hinge pivots on, and they also have holes in the head so they can be wired together to avoid them backing out. Those will not be available in a hardware store type setting so you'll probably want to find original ones. Those hood hinges are expensive so you don't want to take any chances. The rest of the front sheetmetal should use a pretty standard bolt that you can get at a place like Fastenal or in a kit as mentioned above.
I just bought some for my 54 Crestline, at of all places Ace Hardware. Probably wasnt the cheapest but drove 2 miles and was in business.
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