1952-59 Ford 54 Customline Build Thread

Ok, so I have finally decided to do a build thread. Obviously I have never done this before, so be patient with me. This build is starting out as a mostly stock customline. With much time and ****** knuckles, I hope to have a nice mild kustom. I bought this car in Oklahoma. I live in Arizona. Paid $3,200 for it.

Here are some pics of what I am starting with and the long journey from Oklahoma back to Arizona.




















When I bought the car it came with a 223 with 3 on the tree. This will be swapped out with a 292. More plans in the future as well. Too long to list right now though. I gotta get back to work before the boss comes around.

Rocky

 

Lets get that in tomorrow.

 

And so the adventure begins. What a great car to start with. Clean and looks to be rust-free. Bet you guys in the rust belt are jealous, eh?

The swap to a 292 will make all the difference in the world. I'm not against sixes, but have always preferred the sound of a V8 with duals. The Y-blocks have such a unique exhaust note...

More progress = more pix. So what's keepin' ya'?

 

There is a saying" Some guys can fall in a S@#t hole and come out smelling like a rose" looks like that accident may have seemed bad at first,but you came out a winner,Nice Ride!

 

I cant wait to see the progress

 

Looks to me that you already have a mild custom. Nice buy!

 

Nice score! Shouldn't take much to make a real head turner...

 

Soo... I went out this morning and was cleaning up the bellhousing and the cover that goes with it. Guess this engine was yellow before. Was that a factory color? Or is that someone else's handy work? Anywho, cleaning up the rest of it tonight and gotta clean up the engine compartment before I drop this y block in it. Also got my distributor in the mail last night. YAY!! Its packed full of Pertronix. Here are some pics.


Here is the inline 6 that I pulled. It is now sitting in my 4 door donor car.



This is taking its place.





See.... YELLOW! Lame!



And here are some of the goodies going on the y block.







Also, anybody got any advice on how to clean this?!



More cleaing tomorrow morning. Hope to get it all painted too. We'll see how much time I have to work. Thanks to everyone for the kind words.

Rocky

 

Don't let anything happen to that 6 cylinder motor. It certainly has a market value to help offset the cost of your other stuff. Try HAMB Cl***ifieds, eBay and Craig's List.

Take your manifolds to the neighborhood sand blaster. Be sure to ask him to do the insides as well as the outside. Then use a quality header paint, bake 'em and set 'em aside for later.

 

Any idea how much these 6's go for? I have no clue. I do have a video of it running too.

 

Search the main board for rust removal with mol***es to clean your intake.

 

I think you are going to need a newer Y-Block distributor, '57 or newer is the one you want. should make an improvement over the one you have in the picture.

 

If you get them blasted, make sure you clean out the intake runners REAL good! Had a friend blast and powdercoat his intake on an O/T car, didnt clean it out so well, installed it, and ended up sanding the insides of his engine!!! Had to do a full rebuild lol! Still give him **** for that one.

 

Rocky , a TrammelDremmel tool is really good to have for things like cleaning the the rust up in there . Make sure you get the extension cable . You can get a whole kit for around $60+ . I love mine and you can even do some porting work with the Dremmmel tool . The 4 bbl will really wake that Y block us especially with the newer distributor .

You really made out goo on that car ! Looks really nice too ! Wish mine was 1/2 that good when O go mine . It really helps having a good base to start with .
While you got the engine out , make sure you replace the clutch , pressure plate and throw out bearing while it's all out !
It's also a good time to clean up the engine bay area and paint it while everything is in the open ?

A good running 6cyl should get $200 to $400 I would think . I might be wrong but a good running engine is Worth a lot more that anything !

Good Luck with you engine swap !

Jim

 

Baron, thanks for that heads up, I would have cleaned it, but now I want to be extra careful. Dont want to rebuild this engine. Jim I am in the process of cleaning the frame now. Gonna paint it all up when done. Also going to install a new dual master cylinder and brake lines. Got a pressure plate, clutch disk and throwout bearing waiting in the wings for this thing. they were on it before, but I decided to go with that ginormous Ford o matic. So I kept them. Good thinkin if I do say so myself! Will probably do the Aerostar springs too. And remove all shocks that were placed on my 4 door. They are all brand new. Mark, how can I tell what year my distributor is from? Thanks guys!

Rocky

 

Rocky, Pre '57 distributors have a duel diaphragm vacuum advance like the one you have pictured, '57 and later distributors are prefered for any performance gains. Some of the early sixties Y-Block distributors can be converted to Fords Duraspark electronic ignition, its a better convertion than the Pertronics conversion because if you break down on the road you can walk into any parts store and get the ign. module or internal distributor parts. All of the parts needed can be bought out of a salvage yard.

 

Ok. Well since I just dropped money on it, it will go in. For now at least. Or maybe I can take the Pertronix out of it and put it in the one on the 292? I was told that engine came out of either a 60 or 61 f-100.

 

Those Ford dual diaphram distributors are garbage for performance,take Mark T's advice and mine and get the later distributor, part# Car-Done 30-2808 $56.99 exchange at Autozone.Pertronix has an extensive website so you can check compatibility and a tech line for help.

 

If anyone wants it to do a Duraspark conversion I have an '84 Duraspark distributor as a freebee just pay shipping.

 

Hey, if I need to change distibutors and the one already on the 292 will work, I'll trade you an 18 pack of pbr bottles for it! I'll just have to look at it in the morning.

 

Wait, are you talking a 302 distibutor? I forgot you went with that engine.

 

Rocky - the best (rebuilt) distributor for the y-blocks looks like this...its a Motorcraft body

under the cap it looks like this.....

The Duraspark distributor that Jeff has looks like this.......

The upper rotor shaft - and all of the good trigger parts will swap into the y-block dizzy in 25 or 30 minutes or less. You take off the reluctor as below and start tearing it down - and all of a sudden you will "get it" and the rest will be easy.



This little clip is in both distributors - getting it out means holding your mouth right...



You would really like to find the upper rotor shaft with the "13L" limit - that works the best - but second best is the "10L" - don't use the "15L" or larger.

this wiring scheme will give your engine electronic ignition - for cheap - and you will be able to get parts for it anywhere.

 

I wrote an article about the duraspark setup if you go that route. I had never messed with one before, was a piece of cake. Duraspark Recurve

 

Jeff the 84 has the cast gear right? It it has the steel gear on it I may want it

 

I looked at the distributor that is already on the y block. Its only got the 1 vacuum line on it. its not like this new one that I got. So I'll leave it in for now. Will look into the Duraspark. I just wanna drive the damn thing already. Gonna try to get the engine in tonight and the trans ready to go. Confident that we can get it done tonight. Then all the small things this weekend. On the road by Sunday? Hope so. Then off to the muffler shop for dual Smittys! Wish me luck!

 

That car is smooth looking. I am quite jealous that you got such a nice car for that low of a price.

 

'84 was the last year for flat tappet cams which mine has so it does have a cast gear,Rocky you only want the "guts" from the Duraspark I have to install in your Y-block dist as per above by GREENBIRD56,there is also more text info on Google,put "Duraspark conversion" in search.I even have an HEI with 4 pins laying around all you would need is the Bosch relay with matching plug,I picked one up at Fry's Electronics for $9.

 

Jeff, what do you mean matching plug? The bosch relay is only 4.99. Not bad.

 

Rocky,
I think that I p***ed you in Newcastle, Oklahoma a couple weeks ago. I had seen the car on the OKC craiglist and when the car p***ed by on the trailer I told my son I thought it was the one on craigslist because it was a unique color and had the cragar wheels.

Good score, keep us updated on your progress.

James

 

That's awesome! Was us, no doubt. Appreciate it, and will update all the time. Just stay tuned.