1952-59 Ford 55 Ford Fairlane Blogaroni

Don't know how many of you get on the other 2 sites I frequent but I thought I would post some things here for your reading and comedic pleasure!

I have always been impressed by others on this site who let us into their world of all things Ford by posting their work in the form of words, diagrams, and photos. The craftsmanship and attention to detail is simply amazing. For the past several years, all that I have been able to do is work on sub-***emblies - carburetors, transmissions, engines, etc. Now I have delved into the realm where only the talented and dedicated dwell - an all out ***ault on your vehicle, by yourself, to do the mechanical, the body work, the paint, etc. At one time I had visions of grandeur on this scale when I put a 55 Sunliner project in the garage. The need for the family budget finally overwhelmed the whole idea, and alas - it was sold piece by piece. The sum total of its parts was definitely worth much more than its package value, but the old gal helped many a man complete his own Sunliner project in places around the globe. Well, all the while a 55 Fairlane sat idly by waiting her turn for attention. Some of you may remember that several years ago this car received a rebuilt 292 that really screamed even though an original Fordomatic was weighing her down and robbing her horsepower.


Here is the plan... to put her back on the road again with the following changes and facelifts:


1. Remove the 292 and check her out on the portable engine run stand.


2. Remove the original Fordomatic and lose it in the garage somewhere.


3. Prep and install an original 3 speed/overdrive manual transmission and all ***ociated parts including the column shift.


4. Remove the worn out 55 steering gear and wheel so that I can prep and install a 1956 Steering gear, column, wheel, etc.


5. Remove the entire front end sheet metal to begin the prep for paint. The firewall will come first. Paint with the existing color scheme, SS Urethane red over white. (anyone ever use Summit's paints?)


6. Consider A/C to the mix - the wife is requesting it.


7. Finish the interior - the dash and sheet metal garnish are all painted and ready to back into the car. The headliner is 90% installed. Need to remove the rear gl*** first.

That's enough for now. If you are wondering how I removed the hood by myself, first of all you can see the large blanket there on the cowl. I basically put that all the way across until it bunches up against the rear edge of the hood. Then I put the my engine hoist boom up against the front of the hood near the latch. I unscrew all 6 bolts where the hinges attach the hood to the car and then lower the boom up front. Voila! No scratches and the hood is free. I can then pick up the hood from the front, grabbing both sides and then set it aside. (don't worry, I will have help when I reinstall!

Anyhow, this is what I accomplished this afternoon - the 292 has been removed and has been placed on a run stand. I am going to wire it all up, change the fluids, finish the accessory list, and hopefully fire it up tomorrow. You can see the starter hanging out loose in the Fordomatic. I just unbolted it and left it there before I removed the engine... why frustrate yourself?

100_1511 (2) by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:26 PM

100_1515 (2) by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:26 PM

 

Day 2 on the 55 is down, and I did not have much time today because of school supply shopping with the wife and taking her out to eat (tax free weekend in Virginia for school related items). We still have 3 kids in school. The oldest will graduate this year. Anyway, I did get the engine all ****oned up on the engine stand. In addition to installing those headers, the 54 radiator and electric fan, I also changed the oil and spun on a new filter. The run stand has an electric fan that I installed last year (operated by a toggle switch), a tray for the battery, its own gas tank, a gauge panel (I added a tachometer and a light for the ignition), and nice polyurethane wheels that I installed to replace the original casters that were too short to put the engine hoist under (go figure). The polyurethane wheels make this thing GLIDE across the concrete floor. The difference is amazing - those wheels make the load to push seem much, much lighter. The engine fired right up and sounded good, but I detected a miss - after checking all 8 spark plugs it looks like a few need to be replaced. Over the past 4 years, the engine has not been run that long, and when it has the engine never really got hot enough to burn off any deposits. The compression is still excellent. No leaks as of yet - well I take that back. The radiator cap needs to be replaced. The 54 radiator I installed has no overflow tube so the corrosion you see is the coolant leaking from there and then dribbling down the front of the radiator. I will take some time over the next few months to tune the engine and get it to where I like it for reinstallation.

292 Ford Y Block Engine Run Stand by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:33 PM

292 Ford Y Block Engine Run Stand Close Up by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:33 PM

Tonight on the front end of the 55 I began removing sheet metal. I removed the radiator valance, horns, brackets, hardware, etc, and starting organizing the items I removed. I looked again all over the engine bay and have come to the conclusion that I need to get a steam cleaner to do the best job I can. I remember using Steam Jenny's when I was a teenager and I just loved those things. They cut the grease and grime like ****er. I called the only place in town that rented them - $300 a day. That's no typo - $300 a day. I called a place about an hour and a half away - $145 a day. Then, when I was out with my wife I got a lead on an acquaintance of mine that has a steam cleaner I could borrow. I have not called to confirm, but the mutual friends we have said it was so. I will find out early next week - won't a steam cleaner be a big help?!?

100_1538 by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:33 PM

Parts Bins by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:33 PM

You can see in the second photo what I am doing to store all of the hardware. Instead of throwing everything into a large box, I am using those cheap $ store containers (4 for a buck) and then marking what the hardware goes to, which side, etc. I got in this habit when I rebuilt that 3 speed/overdrive unit this past Spring. I would think this will be a lifesaver (at least something to keep headaches at bay) later on when it is time for re***embly. I did have a snafu tonight - one loud "POP!" when I was at the rear of the shop. I had no idea what it was. I searched to see if something fell, something "sparked" (it almost sounded electrical), or what have you. But wouldn't you know it? When I picked up my air ratchet, I found the end had burst a hole. This air hose was one I got from china freight (harbor freight stores) several years back. It has worked well but I think the rubber is about to give way. I should probably use a whip hose. The hose that burst is attached to a retractable wheel - so I don't relish replacing it anytime soon.

Busted Air Hose by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:33 PM

Repaired Air Hose by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:33 PM

I took some time to repair the hose before I left the shop tonight. How long this hose will last... I am not sure. I have a nice GOODYEAR hose but it is a larger diameter than this one. I definitely do want to use one of those PVC hoses on this unit. During the winter months it would be like unwinding solid cable!

Tomorrow is the Lord's Day and I will be busy. Maybe I can get back in there tomorrow night after our evening services. On Monday, I am taking the day off to travel down to Felt's Machine Shop in Suffolk, Virginia. They have a crank and a set of heads for me.

 

I am taking my time with the sheet metal removal and ***essment, identifying and storing hardware and doo-dads as we go along. I figured there would be some rust out, but not in this particular area as I always believed this was the car's strong suit. I was surprised by the fender splash shield (I obviously broke off the tab) and inner fender strength and condition - not much rust at all and the parts are very, very solid. All of the bolts have backed out of their nuts and hardware fairly easily, with the exception of the one of the lower bolts near the rocker panel.

100_1605 by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:42 PM

100_1606 by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:42 PM

100_1607 by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:42 PM

100_1609 by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:42 PM

100_1613 by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:42 PM

Drivers Side Fender Washers by danman55 posted Jul 10, 2017 at 9:42 PM

I am pretty sure that the front end sheet metal has never been off the car (but I don't know about that washer stack - read below), so the condition and minimal corrosion surprised me. The fender itself is very solid as you can see - especially around the splash shield area near the rocker panel. There is a bad spot about a foot above that - it will need attention. I think the other side has the same issue. I do not know what that is all about. You can also tell that the front lip inside the headlight housing is a little soft (the lip that attaches to the radiator deflector) - it may need some sheet metal welded in there too. So far the worst I have found is that driver's side air deflector, but the sheet metal to the left and right of the rot is very solid. I have already been banging on it with a hammer to find out how solid it is. I can cut that lip off and weld in some metal for a repair with out having to take out the whole thing, that way the measurements should be a lot easier to make and the fitment of new metal to the piece should go much easier.

If this is all the rot I find, I would be very happy and count myself blessed. However I am expecting more! :angry:

One last item - you see the stack of washers there on the firewall mount for the fender at the rear. What is all of that about? Is that something Ford did? I will have to check the manual - it seemed like a Mickey Mouse setup.

 

Lots of work but well worth it

 

I can't say whether or not that was something Ford did (although it wouldn't surprise me) but seeing the size of that stack of washers would lead me to believe that the car was in an accident at one time or another. Just my $.02

 

My '57 had a stack just like yours. They had to have some way of adjusting the height. Not very hi-tech, but this was the 50's and it worked. No different than stacks of control arm shims the way I see it.

 

Sounds right on the stack of washers I guess. There are others that match on the p***enger side. Others have said that 56's kind had the U-shaped shims instead of washers. Thanks for clearing that up fellas, just seemed kind of odd to me.

 

Back to the grind here... my parents came up to see my wife and I - and their grandyoungin's - and we had a great time together. I didn't get to work as much on the 55 as I had planned but spending time with mom and dad was well worth it. Besides, ol' Pops carried up a small pickup truck load of parts for me and I was pretty pleased with what I saw. It was from a Craigslist deal down in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, and dad had agreed to bring up the whole lot for me up here to Frederick County, Virginia.

I did get the entire p***enger side front end sheet metal removed. This time I had to simply remove some bolts by twisting them into two pieces but there were only two. The rest came out pretty easily. This p***enger side air deflector is in excellent shape compared to the driver's side. Also, the fender lip underneath the headlight bucket is very nice. There are a couple of body work places on this fender, and I am thinking that I will have to completely remove the brace that runs the vertical length at the rear of the fender to get these repairs right, and then reinstall the brace before mounting. I had one hangup that was hard to to deal with at first - the hidden stud that goes through the body (behind the kickpanel under the dash) just spun and spun when I tried to take off the nut. There was no corrosion there so I couldn't figure out what the problem was. The stud just spun with the nut. I had to insert a long screwdriver and keep pressure under the washer as I tried to back out the nut. 5 minutes later we were ready to pull the fender and serious trouble averted. I have no idea how someone would get that fender off if that nut seized up. I don't really think you could get a grinder or cut off wheel in there. Anyone ever face that problem?

100_1657 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:42 AM

100_1654 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:42 AM

100_1651 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:42 AM

100_1649 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:42 AM

100_1644 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:42 AM

The parts were all degreased and I hit them with a pressure washer for a little while today. The splash pan is also in good condition and will clean up nicely. I will have to put some of these parts up in the rafters in the garage until I can get to things later on. The firewall and the frame is really what I want to attack first and get the car ready to place the transmission and engine back in there. There is definitely some body work to do. I am not going to be able to simply sand and paint, but I was expecting to have to work things over. It will be a learning experience for sure.
I have had some questions about why I left the bumper on the front of the clip while removing everything else. It "should" be easier to remove the bumper after all the other parts are removed. I am expecting some very rough hardware on those bumper brackets and being able to get at them from the TOP with the sheet metal out of the way looks to be a good thing to do.

A couple of questions:
1. What is involved in removing that brace that runs the vertical length of the fender?
2. Hardware - I have plans to degrease and blast the hardware per my ultrasonic cleaner and my gl*** bead cabinet. However, does anyone have some ideas on coating or finishing the hardware to keep it from rusting? I think the factory simply painted the heads of the bolts, but I am not going original here. If all of the hardware was one color that would not be a problem. This is a driver car for my father-in-law.
3. Thinking along the lines of hardware, has anyone made any updates to what Ford did to put all that sheet metal together back in 55? In other words, I am asking you guys that have dis***embled and ***embled front end sheet metal on 55/56 Fords with some frequency... was there any change you made to hardware use/location (fender washers, special fasteners, hidden nuts, welded hardware, etc)?

 

I purchased a front end fastener kit from T-Bird Products. It had everything and was money well spent. All fasteners had the black phosphate coating.

 

Things went really slow this week but when I look at these photos, I say to myself, "who cares?" My boy (I have 3 kids, 2 daughters and a son) came into the garage with me last night to work on one of his projects - he was making a homemade trailer to go behind one of his small Tonka type trucks. "Hey dad, can I help?" he says. "Sure thing," I tell him, and my 11 year old son Ethan (we call him EJ) grabs the air ratchet and asks what's next... . I laughed a little and patted him on the back and we spent a couple of hours removing the front bumper, the hood hinges, various hoses and wiring, the sway bar, etc. It took me a whole lot longer because while he has his own hand tools he had never used an air ratchet before... I guess he has never really asked me to. Looking at the photos here I guess I should have made him wear a pair of safety goggles - will have to do that next time. He always knows to wear a pair when he is at the grinder or using a cut-off wheel or a Dremel tool.

100_1773 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:40 AM

100_1781 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:40 AM

I did take some photos of the front sway bar after removal and of a sway bar that I had on the shelf here. As I recall, it was from a 56 Station Wagon... can I mount that front sway bar with the same metal brackets? It looks like the bushings are the same but the ID of the hole is probably different. It looks like I will need new a kit for the hardware also. Those rubber washer bushings are WORE OUT lol. The bolts from the wagon sway bar look like they are a little longer. I guess there is such a thing as a kit for a wagon sway bar?

100_1765 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:40 AM

100_1764 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:40 AM

100_1762 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:40 AM

I will have to say that with my son's interest here this week things have gotten a whole lot more "fun". We'll see how long he lasts. The last thing he told me before we went in for a shower last night was whether or not he would be allowed to drive it when he got his license. I laughed and said, "You are going to have to talk to your Papa about that one!" I'm sure he will.

 

One suggestion your local Autozone or PepBoys has the sway bar links and bushings in polyurethane,this shows how to measure for them so you can select the correct part number: http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/Universal-Sway-Bar-Bushings.asp and http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/Energy-Suspension-Universal-Sway-Bar-End-Links.asp You will find the price as good as the aftermarket rubber ones the car will handle and corner better and they are USA made,no import rubber Be sure you get the Bushings that can be lubed.

 

Well I finally had a half day off today and got a chance to get in the garage for a few hours to turn some wrenches on this old Ford. Right now my life is very busy what with school starting up (I administrate or church's academy), the new volleyball season (yep - I coach girls' volleyball... don't ask me how I got talked into that but it has to do with my daughters lol), and everything else with a family of 5 I don't know how I have time. No complaints,,,, just letting you know the reason for so much time between posts.
I removed the transmission and the crossmember along with the drive shaft. It took a little more time than I anticipated - stuff was really gunked up under there. I remember years ago that a rear main seal was dumping oil everywhere for while - guess it made the floor pans last a long time! I did find one small place on the driver's floor pan that was not solid. Everything else is good.

100_1842 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:36 AM

100_1840 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:36 AM

100_1839 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:36 AM

100_1831 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:36 AM

If you are wondering what is going on with the photo of the vise grips... I was looking around under there and found them clamped to a nut! I think the vise grips were left under there when the seat belts were installed. That's what I get for having teenagers help me turn wrenches! I should have counted all my tools after that project was done. I took them off... they are still good after 7 years or so and all the road time. That crossmember weighs an extra 5 lbs from all the crud, grease, and road grime collected on it. Gotta get that thing cleaned up and painted. I guess the transmission mount rubber is near perfect because of being sprayed with oil so much over the years. Hopefully I can get the firewall cleaned up soon and then start prepping the firewall for paint. I would like to do that before weather sets in here.
The photos of the tail pipes are a for a member who asked for them sometime ago but I could not find his post. If you know the member or remember the post... can you direct him here?thanks

100_1885 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:36 AM

 

Great pics, words and progress.
Thanks for sharing.

 

Alrighty back to work on the old Fairlane (after our first whirlwind week at school). I cleaned up the interior a bit and removed the dash and quite a bit of hardware. I already have a painted dash and painted trim pieces ready to install, just wanted to get all of this removed to make the firewall work easier. I also have plans to put in the clutch/brake pedal ***embly that I have ready to go. On the list are quite a few grommets, a new wiring harness, and various pieces of anti-rattle/anti-squeak pieces. I am also going to replace the carpet.

100_1874 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:36 AM

100_1876 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:36 AM

100_1882 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:36 AM

100_1884 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:36 AM

I also pressure washed the firewall and front end trying to degrease it... wasn't too successful there. I need a steam cleaner - anyone got one to loan out? After it dried I broke out the sandblaster but it did not work too well. The sandblaster is a decent one I got from Tractor Supply a few years back. Of course I was blasting in 90 degree weather and high humidity so that did not help, but my air getting to the tank was dry. I think the tank itself had some condensation in it working against me. I turned it over and put my flashlight through the hole to see the valve. On the interior of the tank at the bottom there were some "runs" of water leading to the valve. If you guys got any tips on sandblasting in hot weather I am all ears! I only got a little bit done on the firewall and had hoped to do a lot more today before being pulled off on another wifey project to make an antique headboard for my oldest daughter's bedroom. Maybe I will put up some photos of that project too. It is being made from a turn of the century door and vintage trim that is about 6" wide. She wants me to make "homemade" crown molding - haha, we will see how that turns out. I did order the Ford Wimbledon White for 66-69 Mustangs from Eastwood yesterday. Hopefully I can get this firewall painted (and maybe the hood hinges) before weather sets in.

 

Been a long time since I posted anything, but to be real honest it has been a long time since I did anything in the shop. This past weekend I did some more blasting after I got my issues with the sandblaster sorted out. Once I changed over to a finer grit (I use that Black Diamond black sand from Tractor Supply Company) we got to cooking with gas. No worries and it went well. I am pretty sure the frame and front end will clean up pretty easily. I did make the mistake that weekend of not priming right away so after a few days flash rust had set in. A little bit of Naval Jelly and the rust dissolved right away. I removed the steering gear and column this morning - the three bolts that hold the gear to the frame were in excellent shape. I have seen pretty rough examples because moisture has a tendency to get trapped up inside there. After that I did some more blasting and prepped for "direct to metal" primer/surfacer. I have used the primer before on some stand alone parts but never on a panel... It sprays very well out of the gun and I like the coverage. The company is called "Tamco" and is based in the Richmond, Virginia area. The white paint for the tutone color is a 66-69 Ford Wimbledon White Mustang SS Urethane from Eastwood (made by Kirker). We will see how that shoots out of the gun. I plan to paint the hood hinges first and see how that goes. I might get the 56 steering column out, clean that up, and then paint that with the WW topcoat also.

100_1970 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:30 AM

100_1971 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:30 AM

100_1962 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:30 AM

I also had the chance to blast in the cabinet this past week so I got some of the frame pieces finished and linkage rods finished. I also sprayed the Tamco primer on the hood hinges. After doing so much dismantling it feels good to finally have something ready to go back into the car. Question: I need to modify the split cover plate that goes around the column and screws to the firewall. My cover plate is obviously for a Fordomatic and not for a manual transmission car. Does anyone have good measurements on where that hole goes and its size? Does anyone have a split cover plate they would "part" with? EDIT: just found one - thanks fellas for your offers!

 

Just ordered a set of durablocks from Amazon... great price and free shipping!
Don't know how many already have a set of Durablocks but Amazon has them listed for $36.93 at the moment with FREE SHIPPING. I bought a set... I think this is the best deal going. Anybody know different?
link below...
http://www.amazon.com/DURA-BLOCK-KIT-PI ... anding+kit

 

Spent a few hours today with the trusty sandblaster and the front end. I was surprised at how well my air compressor held up. I didn't blast continuously and would try to let the air compressor "catch up" from time to time, but I was happy with how it did and happy with the results. I also blasted a bellhousing - the pressure pot made QUICK work of that piece and the engine paint turned out nice. I only have about 5 to 6 hours on the pressure pot sandblaster I got from Tractor Supply a while back but I am not impressed with how quickly the "stopper"? is wearing out on the deadman's valve. The sand has worn away the tip on the closer (not just the ceramic tip - that is another story) but the top piece that slides over the tip - that piece is so wore out that the blaster now will leak air when the spring loaded lever is completely closed. I guess it is cheaply made. If there is anyone out there that has any good suggestions on a quality tip/closer I would appreciate it. I am going to look at TP tools. I have one of their Blast Cabinets and have used gl*** beads for 10 years now. I reckon I have spent countless hours using that gun and have only had to replace the nozzle about 3 times. I know sand is more abrasive, but come on... 6 hours???? :ermm: Maybe I should take some close up shots of the tip just to show the erosion that has happened pretty quickly.

100_2012 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:30 AM

100_2014 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:30 AM

100_2051 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:26 AM

Next up - dis***emble the front end so that I can paint the frame and separately blast the pieces in the cabinet. I have new rubber for up front and I have new Aerostar coils as well. I did locate a split sheet metal surround for the steering column and shifter column, and I have started preparing the 56 column and other shifter parts for painting. I also have those hood hinges about ready for topcoat.

If you have been wondering where some of the time goes for projects like these and why it has been a while since my last post, at times my wife gets me side-tracked on things like this.

100_2018 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:30 AM

She found this door today at an Apple Harvest Festival about an hour away from us. "It was only $10," she gloated as I unloaded the thing from the van. "Where do you want me to put this?" I asked, knowing what she would say.... "Oh, just put it in the garage, honey." :kiss: And so the buffet the garage has been on for the past several months continues. I have never seen a garage hold more ****.... let's see - all the camping gear, outdoor gear, snowtubing and snowboarding toys for the kiddos, gardening supplies (yep - I likes me my peppers, padre!), woodworking tools and table saw, several golf bags, bicycles, fireworks, MY grill/smoker, etc. And my wife laughed when I originally told her we needed a 60x40 instead of a 40x24. What was it she said, "How much room do you need for crying out loud?"
Maybe I'll just take the latest project she found and put it in the bedroom! I'm sure that would fly!

 

I got quite a bit done on the 55 Fairlane last night. The front end of the frame is about completely bare save a couple brake lines. I did not have a coil spring compressor but I opted to leave the shocks INSTALLED until after I had disconnected the ball joints. This left some tension on the shocks but since I used my jack underneath the lower A arm to offset the pressure and the upper shock bolts were removed first. After that the jack was released and the coil just slid right out. I will disconnect the shocks from the lower A arms once I have them on the bench to remove the bushings.

100_2043 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:26 AM

100_2033 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:26 AM

100_2051 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:26 AM

Speaking of bushings, some of them were so old and worn out they literally fell off in my hands once the bolts were removed. The only difficult item to remove was the large shoulder bolt holding the front of the lower A arm to the crossmember. It was rusted pretty well and once I had it removed I noticed it was pitted badly. I think I have a good used one somewhere. The reason for the rust? As you can see from the photos, years ago a previous owner had made a repair to the crossmember by welding in good metal that seems to be thicker than stock. Unfortunately no weep holes were never drilled in thebottom so all these years the moisture had collected in the crossmember with no place to go. The crossmember is very stout and I beat on it with a hammer all night long, but I think I am going to have a welder friend of mine look at it and shore it up in a couple of places. I made a note to myself to drill a few holes when he is done. I also started dis***embly/cleaning of a 1956 Ford steering column and gear I had purchased a few months back. I like the 56 wheel better, and from what I understand the 56 steering gear had a 3 tooth sector over the 55's two.

Does anyone know why Ford had to put these shims in the FRONT of the Lower A Arm pivot point? I am wondering if they have anything to do with alignment (like the shims used on the Upper A Arm) or is this just something that Ford used because the crossmembers were never square? I don't think they have anything to do with alignment but I could be wrong on that.... I plan to put them back in because they were there when I dis***embled the arm.

100_2039 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:26 AM

I did get a little hungry last night while working in the garage for a few hours and decided to break out the deep fryer and throw down with some homemade apple pies... yep - I put together the crust and all from scratch. You can see my kids tearing into these things. Nothing like a snack before the youngin's go off to bed!

100_2046 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:26 AM

100_2048 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:26 AM

If any of you have any tips on dis***embling, cleaning, and inspecting the steering gear I would appreciate it. When I took off both of the covers of the gear housing last night, the gears themselves looked pretty good, I think I saw only 2 or 3 pits as I rotated the gears on the shaft and knuckle.

100_2027 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:26 AM

 

Thanks for the tip on the crossmember. Mine was also reinforced previously with thicker metal than stock and now that I think of it, I dont see no weep holes.
Good shots. Keep it up.
Regards.

 

On those shims, my '59 had them on the driver's side lower arm only. I cleaned them up & saved them. Turns out I didn't need them with the new bushings in the arm. They look like some spacers they used in the factory to take up the gap between the bushing and frame.

 

Thanks for the replies fellas -- I was looking at the crossmember yesterday and decided to go into the depths of crossmember hell. Healthy repairs had been made to the crossmember before (20 years ago) with metal plates about twice as thick as stock. Unfortunately no one had thought at the time to drill weep holes for the water to drain out and I suspected that there was some rot. So, after showing a few photos to my welding buddy (that's his full time job) he said it looked ok and he would bring some plate over to weld to the crossmember so long as there was good metal to weld to. After removing the very front angled "bumper" with my cutting wheel, I snapped a photo or two of what was behind it...

100_2150 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:16 AM

100_2101 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:16 AM

100_2100 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:16 AM

Yep if you look at the photo of the bag of rust on the scale, you will see the readout - 2 lbs and 11 oz of rust and scale !!! :w00t: The irony in all this is that the metal from the repairs 20 years ago is as stout as it can be and I can take a hammer to it all day long. The crossmember itself is still very strong but I am glad I opened this up. I plan to sandblast the inside and get where I can. After that I will treat the rust and then paint. My welding buddy will come over and put good metal plate to cover the front from top to bottom and from the thick reinforcement of the shoulder bolts from side to side. The other side is not quite as bad but I will have him weld there too.
I did try to remove the bushings from the lower A arms, but not having a shop press, I spent 30 minutes with a ball joint press, a hammer, and gorilla type force. I got one of the bushings to move about 1/4" -- that's it. Any tricks to removing these bushings or am I going to have to take them to a shop to have them all pressed out?

 

Gotta get the bushings pressed out and the new ones pressed in. Shouldn't take any shop longer than an hour of labor.

 

My brother showed up with his OTC front end press and used my stout bench vise to do mine. he's built like a gorilla anyway... but find a shop that can press them in & out is a better idea. Mine would not budge using an air chisel to try to drive 'em out.

 

Fellas thanks for the advice and ideas. I too decided to push out the inner bushing/sleeve by heating up the rubber (some of it was so worn it had just about disintegrated!) and just yanking it with a pair of pliers. After that I cut a deep groove in the ID of the metal bushing to get me started and then just simply tapped them out. One of them I obviously separated. It was not too difficult to say the least and now I can go ahead and blast those arms and then paint them up pretty. I barely nicked the edge of the ID on the arms, but I don't think it is going to be any big deal. Looks like those were the original bushings on the car.

100_2117 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:19 AM

100_2116 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:19 AM

100_2115 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:19 AM

 

There are many ways to skin a cat... but most will make you puke...

You went the junkyard method of removing the bushings but it worked. File out any of the nicks, hit the bores with emery and you're good to go. I installed mine with never-seize and pounded them in using a piece of modified fence pipe and a BFH.

 

doh!
I feel stupid.
I looked again at the box and shaft/worm ***embly tonight when I got home late and follow AussieBill's advice. Gripping the shaft, a simple tap, tap, tap on the box with a hammer of negligible weight and size and the crazy thing just slipped right free. Here are the shots.

100_2131 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:19 AM

100_2132 by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:19 AM

100_2135 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:19 AM

100_2140 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:19 AM

Looks like it is time for a new worm gear however... the oil and grease were covering the chips, nicks, gouges, and what have you. Rough!

 

My welding buddy talked to me the other day and he said he wants to get on the project so that motivated me to get out the sandblaster again and go to town on the metal in question. You can see the photos below (looking from the firewall) I only need a few plates welded in and we are good to go. Could I get another crossmember from a repro shop? Yes. Would I feel confident in getting the geometry right? No. :hehe: I am sure there is a good way to do that with the measurements and all, but I figure if my buddy is telling me that it won't take much to "shore it up" why bother - he's the metal man, not me. The front is pretty simply - one long piece and we are good to go. The rear will need 4 pieces as the lower metal is very solid and does not need to be replaced but the wall itself needs attention.

100_2195 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:16 AM

I also did some work on those front end parts as you can see... blasted with gl*** beads and painted with semi-gloss black Rustoleum. The center link was in very good shape and dis***embled easily. It should be a breeze to put it back together. The other parts in the box are just the start to the rebuild of the front end of course - gotta get this thing back on rollin' wheels before I put the 292 and 3 speed overdrive in the car. The steering gear is ready for a new sector seal, worm and shaft, shims, etc. I soaked it in solvent in a parts washer for quite some time and then cleaned it thoroughly. I took a wire wheel to the exterior and painted it in semi-gloss Rustoleum as well. All of the parts I need for the rebuild are on their way and hopefully I can have that thing ****oned up by next weekend. Can't wait to feel that steering tighten up. The original was as loose as a goose!

100_2143 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:19 AM

100_2144 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:19 AM

100_2149 (2) by danman55 posted Sep 2, 2017 at 8:19 AM

 

danman55, I gotta toss my $.02 worth in here regarding that cross member. As a welder I would have to say that yes, you can shore that up but should you? NO! There are hundreds of other areas that you can cut a corner on in this fine project of yours, this cross member isn't one of them. By the looks of it, the plates that someone else attempted to weld on there are tacked in place at best. The walls of it have been blown/burned out because the remaining rusted metal is too thin to weld to. The extra few dollars you spend on replacing this now will be a very small investment on the headaches it will save you down the road. If your welder friend is worth his salt, he could whip up one of these in no time. Replace it, don't patch it.

 

He welds structural support framing for a living so I am going to have him look at in person and follow what he thinks is best to do... no worries there. I am definitely not a metal man. I will also have to chat with my FIL and get his .02 on it too since it is his car I am working on. I am going to show him the plans that Jeff posted also.

 

Rebuilding the Ford steering box is a real adventure,,been there done that,,still know all the swear words I used doing so. HRP