Hey guys, long time lurker and decided to join the hamb. I just bought a 54 ford customline 2dr. Wanted to do my intro and ask questions at the same time, lol. Im learning as i go along, my first build so bear with me... -bought the car from a guy who started the project but then lost interest. -body has been taken off and put back on, underside was cleaned & undercoated - front clip is off. So pretty much needs everytihng put back together, from fuel/brake lines to motor and trans. Im not going to lie, i know i bit off more than i can chew, but i have love for cl***ic cars, and melted when i saw this one and wanted to save it.
It has a new gas tank 4 it, interior is gutted. Pretty much just the body on top of the frame thats rolling.
Didja' get all the parts, or just the body/frame/doghouse? If you didn't get 'em all, where are the parts that were taken off? Can you get 'em back? If not, it's time to look for a parts car. Replacing all the missing parts one by one will cost a fortune and take 'way too much time. Welcome. Post pix. We'll try to help.
Thank you. My camera broke, hopefully ill get pics soon. I have everything for the car, its just all dis***embled. Where can i get the bolts to put the front fender and inner fenders back on? Can i go to a bolt store? also what size and kind of bolts do i ask for? thanks
Ohhhhhh... If you didn't get the fasteners for the car you're in a world of hurt. Many of the bolts, nuts and clips are proprietary Ford and are used pretty much only in one place on the car. Suggestion #1: Where ever the original fasteners are, go get them! We can help you sort them out, but first you gotta have them. Suggestion #2: See suggestion #1. Seriously, if you don't have...and can't get...all of the fasteners, start looking for a parts car. That's the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to get all the fasteners you'll need. The good thing about a parts car is that you can re-sell it after you've picked it over for all the stuff you'll need and recoup a good portion of the money you've spent. A wreck or a long-abandoned car would be your best bet for a parts car. Avoid heavily rusted cars as most of the fasteners will be rusted, too, and will break as you take it apart. Sometimes you can find a non-running 4-door for the price of hauling it away...it's happened to me. Scour your town for similar models in run down condition. Look in driveways, side yards and back yards. Chances are you'll find several. Then knock on the doors and see what happens. Ya' never know... Another possibility is a rural wrecking yard or a u-pull-it yard. They usually only charge for the parts, seldom, if ever, for the fasteners. If they've got a car like yours you can probably work a pretty sweet deal. The sad truth is that even the best Ford parts department won't even begin to have the fasteners you need. Same for the best nut-and-bolt stores. And even if they did, you couldn't afford them on a onsey-twosey basis. Good luck!
Welcome to the group. I would suggest contacting skoh73, have him put you on our group map & then see if any of us are near enough to help with your car.
oh man, please dont tell me that well pretty much have every part for the car minus eng/trans, but thats later. Im hoping i didnt already step in the wrong direction with this car..ugh. And as of right now, i dont have the money 4 a parts car after buying my 54 ANY BODY HAVE FRONT SHEET METAL BOLT 4 SALE IN THIS GROUP?? THANKS
i think you can get them at a bolt store. Not 100% though. Bump. I might need help with this also. Any know?
Guys you just haven't looked in the right place,you would be amazed at how many special bolts can be found at ACE Hardware(wife says it's my 2nd home) those fender bolts with the integrel washer are there,all the br*** fittings I needed for the brake upgrade,same place when I added the extra wiring for the relays the prices were better than the chain auto pats store and USA wire.
Welcome to the group. Sounds like you jump right into a $h!t sandwich but that may be the way you make it sound since you stated this is your learning car. I'm pretty much in the same boat of having my first old car and learning from all these guys too. All I can say is that you are in the best place to learn. The headaches may have just begun but don't get discouraged, I've had my car on the road five weeks out of the last six months because of problems that always come up. My car was put together by someone that was just interested in selling the car and not doing things right. I'm now the guy trying to right the wrongs and it's a painful thing to tackle but its fun at the same time, and the best way to learn.
Hello customline and welcome. Have you tried the local body shops in your area? The body shop that I work at has a nut and bolt supplier who can get about anything that I have needed for my Fords and Chevy's. Even the hard to find bolts (weird thread)that is hidden behind plate in door jamb to hold front fenders on. All the bolts and retainer nut clips(fine thread) that hold fenders the inner panels. Interior screws etc. Hope this helps you...... Charles
Welcome customline54; sounds like you have a great project. Have fun and enjoy the ride. Bill, Spring, TX
Jeff's right , I do the same thing . If I don't have it , I go 5 mins up the road to an old time hardware store where I can still buy 1 bolt or 1 washer if I need only one and can get any grade I want to . Now that is my kind of place . I have gone into a so called "Home Store" where I have to park a 1/4 mile away to walk all that time to get into the Super Mega Store's front doors , just to fund out the piece I want is in isle 45 and I am at isle 2 ! So off I go to make another hike to isle 45 to get the pieces I need . So I finally get there and look down an isles that is longer than my house with walls full of metal hooks with more packages of nut , bolts & screws that I thought one store could ever have of these little plastic tubs of 12 or 18 pieces in an "Econo" package when I only need one!!! Then I find out the damn things are all made in china ! WTF ! So by now I am so pissed off because all I needed was 1 damn bolt and 1 washer . Then I hear this , Can I help you find something ? So I turn around and here is some snot nose kid that might be 16 years old and he wants to help me find the 1 bolt & 1 nut I want . OK so I made the mistake by saying YES ! So I tell him just what I want . Now this kid starts asking about want color , what head design , what am I going to be using it for and so on . Then I say STOP ! All I want is this ! I show him the bolt & nut I wants. So off he goes and starts trying to see what it fits on this long board of bolts sitting there so when they figure out what it fits so they can look at the size it says it is and then get me what I want so I can go home and finish my job ! BUT NO , he start walking up and down the isle looking for the sizes I want . Then he comes back with 2 packages with 25 in each one . I say BOY , I only need one of each . Then I hear "OH" and off he goes , then a couple minutes he comes back and says , sorry we don't have just ONE of each ! OK so what is the smallest size pack do you have ? Then off he goes again and comes back with a smaller pack that have 12 or 15 in each package . I say can't I just buy the ones I need instead of taking stock in the damn company ? I ONLY NEED ONE of EACH , I tell him again . His remark was , They only come this way . I don't think you could ever buy just one of something . He said he never say anyplace like that around here selling parts like that . But Sir just think of the money you are saving when buying this big pack of 50 ! I then ask him to tell me how I am going to save money buying something that is over $10 per pack when I want just 1 bolt & 1 nut , that will be about $1.25 . Where the hell did you learn to do your math at ? Why should I spend $20 for something when all I need is a $1.25 worth of hardware ? Can't you understand that at all ? He just looked kind of stupid like at me and said , "This is what they teach us in training" . They told us you save more money by buying the bigger packages that cost more ! That is that dumbest **** that I have ever heard of when it comes it training people to take care of your customers . So I very politely told him , have you ever heard of a hardware store ? His remark , Yea I read about them in school back in the olden days ! By now I am ready to just ***** Slap him till the Police come and get me ! I waisted oner a damn hour trying to get a bolt & an not . Sorry but I will go out of my way to buy just the one I want , drink a cup of coffee with the owner and listen to his BS for a while as he rings me up a $.50 nut with washer . I miss those places where you actually got real service with real USA products to hold my American car together ! Now this is the tiny town I live in and there are 2 hardware stores like that with in 15 mins of each other . I will pay more at the little hardware store any day of the week than having to deal with the ***holes at the Mega Stores ! They just plain ****s and I hate those damn places and avoid them like the plague ! Jim
Hey customline! Dragonknucks is parting out his '54 4-door which was rear-ended. Bet he's got all the nuts and bolts you'll need to put your '54 back together...
Welcome to the group! I see your in So Cal. There is a place in Garden Grove called Hilco Fastener and they have alot of factory type nuts, bolts speed nuts, etc. I've used them for nuts and bolts for our '62 F-100 Unibody. Lots of stainless stuff,too. Their address is 7522 Park Ave. Garden Grove, Ca 92841. 714-6577442. They may be able to help you out.
Thanks alot you guys. I really appreciate all the answers. I PM'D Dragonknucks, so theres hoping. Just incase it falls through with dragonknucks which i hope doesnt, do you think these will work? there on ebay. Is it the right size? its 5/16-24x1 or would i need 5/16-18x1? thanks once again you guys! happy holidays
Good advice on the molding and other clips and small attaching parts. Best to either get a parts car or if you can't to that, find another car & take your camera and a tape measure along & get some pics & sizes for reference - it'll make things a lot easier if you have to buy replacements. We found many of those old clips are so far gone that they're not reusable. Unless you're doing a points/correct repair you only need to find acceptable clips, not necessarily 'exact match' items. You might also want to check around for a parts book. I think Ford listed molding attaching parts kits but they don't illustrate them for the '54s. But at least you'll have another reference from which to work - the Ford part #s; some places might be able to cross reference them. When John started on my '56 we gathered the old crusty, rusty clips, bolts, nuts etc. & started researching. I found a place 2 miles from work called Motor City Fasteners - they had nearly every clip or fastener John needed for the moldings. I bought an Auveco catalog from them, money well spent since it includes full scale illustrations of many clips & fasteners. They sell only in boxes - no singles. Hmmm, so either I spend the $$ now & get more than I need, or spend time & gas $$ looking around for onesy-twosies. I bought boxes. Leftovers will go out at the next swap meet as onesy-twosies. But that was me, others might think differently. Oh and Jim - I don't particularly like the box stores either but sometimes they're a means to an end. Kids gotta start someplace. Sometimes the smart ones get a good education in "social behavior" from working there. One of my daughters started at one about 8 years ago while at home & in college, she's now an ***istant manager at an Orange Box Depot in Canada. She has some stories to tell from the "snot-nosed" side of things too! And if you're a vet, make sure to tell 'em! Apply that 10% discount to some 'anxiety medication'
Here's another place you might try. But as I mentioned before, it can get VERY expensive in a hurry! http://www.mrgusa.com/index.html
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