1952-59 Ford Doing it the hard way: My LS-powered 1954 Customline build thread

Well, I took some videos but I can't figure out how to embed them in this thread. I just keep ending up with a few lines of code. Can someone help me out?

 

As far as I know, you can't embed them here, just on the main board. You could do that and post a link here.
Here's a link on how to post video. Post #4.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6463736#post6463736

 

Great job, I'll never have a bad thought about a chev motor in a Ford again!

 

great job, I'll never have a bad thought about a Chev motor in a Ford again!

 

Haha, thanks. You must not be too ******** of a Ford guy or my little project wouldn't have swayed you so easily.

 

Also, thanks for the help, Stig. I guess if all I can do is put up a link, I may as well skip the HAMB board and just link to the videos on youtube.

So, here you go. The first is startup, idle, and a few revs. The second is a quick drive.

http://youtu.be/RBj-g0etiIQ

http://youtu.be/Lg3YZSzsAF4

 

So here's what I learned while shooting video...

First, the Flip camera I used is really cool but it doesn't pick up low frequencies very well. There is a lot more b*** rumble inside the car, especially at a stop light in Drive.

Second, I think the first video represents what the car sounds like in person pretty accurately, but the second makes driving in my car seem relatively quiet and smooth. It's really not. I like Flowmasters a lot, and used to like them on my car (when I was younger), but I have a different opinion now. They just don't fit the image of the car. I need something much quieter to maintain the sleeper look and make the cruise more comfortable.

Third, my brake pedal squeaks a lot. It's annoying.

 

Hey, my brake pedal squeaks too!! i hate it, sad to say i have just been too lazy to spray some lube on it!! its put away now for the year so i can worry about that when its nice out again! good job on the build, im a 50/50 chevy ford guy so i like the ls1 alot, but im also a ford in a ford guy. great work and put some miles on it!!!!

 

Very nice installation. Very clean, sounds good too.

 

I haven't posted in over two years but I have been working on the Ford from time to time. Big changes are happening lately, and I started a blog to keep myself accountable. If you're so inclined, follow my progress at http://54customline.blogspot.com

 

Awesome, thanks for sharing.

 

11 months since the last update, at least on this forum. I've been slightly more active over at 1954ford.com. Just thought I'd bump the thread here in case anyone's interested in what happened to my car in 2014.

http://54customline.blogspot.com/

 

As a Ford guy, I'm not crazy about Chevy motors in Fords. That being said, people have been swapping motors for years - Olds, Cads, etc into Fords. And being a custom, it really doesn't matter whats under the hood anyways. At the end of the day, its your car so do what you want. The fab work is awesome - I love to see a craftsman at work. LS engines are great motors and seem to be pretty bulletproof so I imaging that you'll experiencing some trouble free motoring for years to come.

Keep up the good work.

 

If you are true blue Ford why not this instead of a "scrub" motor? http://fordracingpartsbydonwood.com...s/5-0l-4v-aluminator-eng-11-0-1-m-6007-a50na/ Maybe someone could put it in a '54 Bel Air too Just raggin' on Ya Paddycake ,you did some great fab work on your '54.

 

Haha, if only I could afford that motor and the parts to make it work. Maybe one day when I win the lottery I'll put a Ford engine in another Ford car.

Thanks for the kudos, guys. I'll keep plugging away...

 

At least it's not a boring 350. Nice job on the install. I think your ***esment of the 4.6 not fitting the stock suspension in your opening post was correct. From the guys I've talked to with a 4.6 dohc in an older-than-57 Ford, they have had to do a Fatman clip, or similar to fit it in. They do fit the '57's up with oem frame/suspension..tight but they fit.
I don't want to hijack your thread, so I'll do another one later tonight concerning a suggestion for those doing something different....your thread reminded me of it.

 

any updates?

 

Yeah, I've been busy. I'll try to get another blog post or two up this week.

My dad and I spent the last couple of weekends rebuilding the transmission, which is now done. The brake and fuel lines are 90% finished. I used NiCopp for everything. I also spent a little time under the dash, working on reinforcing the brake pedal bracket and mocking up a used Vintage Air evaporator I scored on ebay. When I'm sure I have nothing else to weld or patch on either side of the firewall, I'll try to finish sanding and painting the engine side. I've been avoiding that job for quite a while now.

 

Texas57 reminded me that I haven't posted anything here in a few months. Since December I've done a ton of work on the Ford. I painted the whole underside of the body with bedliner and set it back on the frame. I finished up the firewall and painted it, then decided to keep going with the paint job and I stripped the rest of the body down to bare metal. I fixed a few holes and have most of the body in epoxy primer as of today. I'm working on the trunk and rear fenders now - hopefully I'll get those done and primered soon.

 

Mustang tank going in?

 

very impressive work, Paddy!! I can't believe the speed your getting this done at. The condition of the car is remarkable. Keep up the good work, and thanks for the update.
Nice setup with the portable paint booth, btw. That, combined with hvlp guns sure keeps the overspray manageable.

 

Yeah Jeff. It was in there before, but I redid the floor to move the tank closer to the rear and give me more space behind the back seat. I am going to put my battery and amps back there someday. It'll also be easier to make a nice fuel filler neck/door/cap thing. I have the 22 gal. tank and if I had a few dollars to throw away I'd get a stock 16 or 17 gal. instead. The popped-up part of the big tank really cuts into my trunk space more than I thought, and the smaller tanks with EFI provisions and pumps are pretty common now. Oh well - I'll run my big tank and external pump for a while and see if I still care about it when the car is on the road.

 

Thanks Texas. The old girl is in pretty good shape, even after spending quite a few years outside in a field. Guess that's just California livin' for you. Funny you think I'm moving fast, since I feel like it's taking forever. I know that's just how we all feel about our own projects. I can't wait to be at your stage of the process with the body and paint done. I'd much rather work on the "go" than the "show."

 

Mine has been 10+ years to get it to this point. 3 1/2 years on body rebuilding alone. Not full time of course, I just retired a few years ago and I've also been rebuilding an 85 year old house.
Now that I've harr***ed you about updates, I've got to update mine.

 

Very nice work. I'm jealous.
Also very cool to see another 4 door.

 

Fantastic thread and well written I must say. Pure inspiration. I just got a 1954 Crestline Skyliner 2 months ago, am going the 302 route but this thread has got me pretty excited to get working. The blog is great as well. - Jesse

 

Thanks man. You reminded me that I haven't updated any of my threads lately. I'll try to do that. Good luck with your Skyliner. Where in CA are you?

 

Some work on the Ford since May.








That last one is the 5x10 storage unit I rented because I couldn't walk around the garage and work anymore without tripping over Ford parts.

Unfortunately (for the Ford), I think the condition she's in at the moment will be the way she stays for a while. We found a great house across town that we decided to buy, so now we are in the process of selling the old place and starting to pack. The new garage (still a 3-car - I'll never downgrade) will be full of boxes and **** for a while, I expect. So car work will stall until we're settled in.