I finally after a whole four days, had my car delivered from Oregon to my humble abode in San Diego. This is my first cl***ic and I can't wait to start working on everything. Being new at this whole game, I have ideas, some tools, a little money and more questions then answers. So far today I have figured out that I don't like the stock wiring harness and want the dash lights brighter along with the headlights. Now all I have to do is figure out what the best harness is that I can buy for an automatic 54 without cruise control. I know that I don't want power windows or locks and that I would like to do it all myself. If anyone has suggestions comments please feel free to let me know.
There are several points of information we could use to help you out.First,is the car still 6 volt and are you planning on changing to 12 volt? If your '54 has been sitting for a while and still has original wiring after all these years the cloth insulation is probably shot and may fall off just by touching it leaving it prone to all kinds of electrical gremlins.If this is the case as it was in my '54 I would remove all the old wiring and replace it using a good kit like the 9+3 from Rebel Wire send a pm to member glenn33 for more info.As far as improving illumination there are several things you can do if it is now 12 volt,also what modifications do you have in mind for the future of your build? WELCOME to the group!!
Welcome to our little group! I would be very surprised if your car has not already been upgraded to 12-volt (looks like a 12-volt battery in the engine compartment photo), but it would not surprise me if the guages, radio, heater and perhaps dash lights are still 6-volt. As Jeff pointed out, fresh wiring and a change to 12-volt operation would be the most logical step to improve the overall function of your electrical system. This is not difficult (for most of us who are not electrically challenged) but will require doing some homework. Your most difficult area will be the light switch and turn signals which are pretty mickey-mouse on these cars. Several of our Social Group members have, or are in the middle of, replacing their wiring and doing the 12-volt upgrade. Use the search function of our Social Group Discussion for more info specific to our make/year cars. (I didn't know we had one until Jeff pointed it out to me just today!) The main board also has a search function which may also be helpful. Just beware that all cars are different and that "mine was a piece of cake" usually means that somebody else did it. So, welcome aboard. We'll do everything we can to help you with your project. Looks like a really good one!
looks like a 302 with a gm alternator . im saying its 12 volt . upgrading the wiring harness is not that bad with comon sense and patience . theres not that much to have to wire up on these cars if your not going to add a bunch of stuff . some of the kits from the diffrent company come with a guide bokk call wiring for dumies. its realy handy . if it dont come with it get one there about 8 bucks i think . looks like a decent ride there . already had power brames done . disk? or drum? 302 . thats a good start.
Jeff asked for more information so here it is, the car has been converted to a 12 volt system. The only thing that works on the dash is the headlight knob. The cloth over the wires does not appear to have any fraying but there are several things not connected because they have been cut off at the point where the wiring can not be hooked up again. Rockabilly, I like your comment because it is so true and unfortunately I do have a small twinge of a heart attack every time I hand over the debit card for anything. You did give me a good laugh. I'm quite surprised that it looks like a 302, but hopefully I will find out for sure when I take it to the guys at the VFW. The brakes are still drum all around but I want to change them to disc in the front if not all four. Thanks for all the information.
I see you already have a dual master and booster,you might want to scroll back to 4-12-2010 and look for :'55 Ford Bags or springs/disc or drum, the facts regarding stopping distance were from Motor Trend in 1954.What people do not realize is the '54-56 Fords use the same front brakes as the '67 Big Block Mustang the rear shoes are the same as 61-67 F-100's you are talking HUGE contact area,read the post it may save you some $$$ if you have wires cut off under the dash you will probably need a wiring diagram to fix it they are available on ebay for $5 I took mine to Fed-Ex Kinkos and had it blown up to 11"x14" and laminated which makes it stain proof so you won't screw it up in the garage.Since you are doing the blue and white scheme,you might try this option I used,Pep Boys has LED lights in various colors in a 3 pack (I used blue) get some small rubber grommets from Ace Hardware to adapt the LED's into the larger Ford dash holes.Now to have brighter headlights you should add a relay,for some great info on relays check out this site:www.watsons-streetworks.com/current_topic.html I added the 70 amp relay to reduce load since I have electric fan & fuel pump and stereo.
Yes Jeff, what you said about the brakes. I posted to the Yblock page on this topic since you (54hotrod) also posted over there. Since you have either a 302 (probably) or maybe a 351W I doubt you'll be on the yblock page much longer. . . Lots of good stuff here that'll be useful for you. ron
Gee Ron,I hope they don't run us off there is so much info to be shared about our cars even if we no longer have a y-block in the car.I have had quite a few Y-blocks back in the day and did very well running them on 1/4 mile dirt in the late 60's early 70's ,they were more than capable of kicking the ****s of the "scrubs" 2nd in points in 68-69 with a '57 Ford 300 running a 312.
I doubt that will happen! You're right about there being a lot of stuff to share about these cars. Even over on the - uh - ch**y forum I found a bunch of good folks that helped me out with repairing my window flippers - found out they're nearly identical mechanically, between the 2 door mid-50s Chevies, Pontiacs and Ford hardtops (probably had the same supplier). So far I've only put about 400 miles on my Fairlane but the Yblock does have some punch to it. I want to get the front end tightened up a bit more before getting on it too much. Still learning to 'drive' a 50s car again.
that is a very good start.my first project looked nothing like that it was missing a motor/trans windows and alot more.thats a nice car.welcome to the club.ypu will like it here.
Thanks for all the responses, I'm sure all the information will help. Jeff thanks for the websites. I've had two people tell me that the engine might be a 351w but I'm not sure how you actually find out the right size. If anyone can tell me I would appreciate the information so that I can end the mystery.
i say it's a 351w..just looking at the size of it. but you might have to remove the starter..the engine block code is there..sometimes you can see it without removing the starter. there's tons of sites that you can research engine codes..find out what year it was made.that will really help ya when getting new parts.
also i recommend getting a painless or similar wiring kit. i would go with something over 8 circuits..i put an 8 circuit in my 55 and i used every single one. everything is already there for you.you just have to hook it up..the wires are even labeled! i might have a link for your wiring but i think all mid 50's wiring were the same. it may look like a mess and a huge job..but really it's not..just hook up one thing at a time..do it nice and neat using proper connectors and it'll last a lifetime. if you have any questions on wiring let me know..
Seems to me that the 351W is wider at the intake than the 302, but not sure. Some Ford guys should know if it is.
Comparing the width of the intake and other things by eyeball to my 302 in my '54 it looks like it is a 351W.
Today I will figure this engine out for good and Jeff we will see how well those eyeballs are. Thanks for all the response. I will update once I know for sure.
Well sir you win a coffee, I went to a dealership and it is a 351 Windsor for sure. This was confirmed after three mechanics and an hour of eyeballing everything under the hood. The firing order was the deciding factor without the actual engine code being seen due to it being against the fire wall. So the size is known but the year is still a mystery. On to a new chapter in this new adventure I may name as "Goodbye wallet!"
They are certainly tough to tell apart especially to the untrained eye. Windsors are wider but still hard to tell from a 302. There's a casting # on the crankcase but I'm not sure just where. My son has a 351W sitting in his garage, if I get over there I'll check & let you know where the #s are. ron
This is a good source on Ford codes: www.mre-books.com click on the Ford High Performance Interchange book,look to the left in blue letters and click on blocks and it shows code ID's.This book has a lot of great info, you may want to add it to your collection.
That book is awesome. Once I stop being a cheap a** I might actually buy one. The book even tells you were the casting numbers and date codes are located. Also it explains the date codes. Date codes are actually pretty easy. Thanks again for awesome and helpful information. The work on this little girl will begin in a few hours.
FWIW, here's the casting # on my son's 351W - it's on the right lower/rear, and would be very hard to see while the engine is in the car. I didn't decipher it but I know it's a '72 casting, should be a good one. Probably going in his '76 shortbox F100. I'm gonna have to get one of those code books too.
Just a hint for the frugal,put the ***le of the book into search on www.half.com I have found several books there for $2 or $3 in great condition that have $25 or more cover prices.
So the weekend news is that I broke the carburetor doing a rebuild. So the $14 project to stop a fuel leak will now be a lot more. I may have decided to go with buying a completely new one vs. a rebuild one since eventually I will want a new one and in the long run it makes more financial sense to me. The problem so far is that finding a 2 bbl is more difficult then previously thought. So far I've only looked for carbs from Edelbrock and Holley with very little positive possibilities. Its all very frustrating and makes me say Grrrr. Ron I have not actually been able to look for the code on my engine but I hope it will be less difficult than your sons. Jeff thanks for the information, I will take a look today and probably get invested with literature and hopefully it will teach me a few things of the millions that I need to know for all this work that I'm going to put into the chunk of metal that seems to be draining the wallet at lightning speed.
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