1952-59 Ford My new 1956 Fairlane Sedan Project

Well, I went to rebuild the idler arm yesterday and ordered new bushings only to realize they are incorrect. I ordered the rubber bushings and it turns out the rubber bushing style is for power steering optioned cars while the metal bushing style is for manual steering and my car has manual steering so I need to re-order other parts for that.

The other unfortunate part is last night was the first time I had the car up on jack stands and while working under the car last night to check into that idler arm I noticed a lot more floor pan rust towards the front p***enger compartment area then I initially could see in that dirt parking lot when I first saw & bought the car, and potentially signs of accident repair in the front end underneath which may be why the hood doesn't open and close 100% perfectly. Luckily I have been learning how to weld at work so it is definitely work I could do myself but I was hoping to not have to.

 

One thing I have learned on projects is the there are always surprises no matter how much you look a car over. For me that's part of the fun. Be sure to post lots of pics for us to drool over as you make repairs.

 

Everyone here knows EMS is the way to go for replacement panels

 

Good to know about EMS, thanks. While I wait for other parts to come in I went ahead and pulled apart the rear axle so I could get the 3" blocks in there and will finish that up this weekend when I have more time. I also replaced the leaking oil pressure switch. Plus I removed the road draft tube and the valve covers so I can delete the draft tube, install a pcv setup, paint the valve covers and replace the gaskets. The lever style brake switch came in although I haven't decided how I want to mount that yet.

My car has single exhaust, does anyone know if the current exhaust manifolds can be flipped around so I can ditch the cross over tube and run dual exhaust? I hate the way that looks and can imagine it would help keep under hood temps down by removing it. My current exhaust can use some work anyway.

 

I guess you would want these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1957-1962-A...ash=item4646d2dc34:g:W1oAAOSwf-VWWna4&vxp=mtr There are more for over $400 on ebay ( y-block stuff is crazy priced these days) You can find some fun Y-block stuff here too: http://www.spotlitekustomaccessories.com/store/p8/Ford_Y_Block_Headers.html They posted a picture of their headers installed on facebook,very nice !

 

when I got my ford the the cross-over tube was capped and the driver side manifold collector was snaked down with a hook that cleared everything, I'm sure a good exhaust shop could do it, the I pic my restoration album slightly shows it

 

Thank you for those links, both look like decent options.

I could deal with the capped cross-over tube for a bit but a snaked forward and then back exhaust tube, no way. I was hoping that the driver side manifold could be flipped 180* and used as is but I guess that is not an option.

 

Well, I finally found some time today to work on the car and ran into some problems.

1) While installing the front aerostar springs I found the left front lower shock mount welded to the lower control arm spring plate. When I finally got the shock removed I was going to work on removing the rest of the weld and mount but I realized a lot of the metal had been cut out making a standard shock mount impossible to use when I put it back together. I know its common for people to remove those plates by drilling out the rivets and installing spacers so has anyone ever found a replacement or know when to locate one?

2) I went to install the new idler arm only to find that the steering center link is also worn out bad enough the new bushing won't even tighten down into it. This is another part I can't seem to locate on any of the parts sites.

3) Any tricks to bleeding the brakes on these? We were pumping and pumping and pumping and could barely get any fluid out of it. I eventually tried to let it just gravity bleed to get it started but even after a while I had no fluid coming out of the rear brakes.

 

I finished up the install on all the brake components. (brake shoes, hardware, adjusters, wheel cylinders and lines). And also finished up the front suspension and spring install. I ended up just making my own front lower shock mounts to work with what I was dealt on the lower control arms. I hope to one day find new arms or at least plates, but this can be a foreever fix if needed.

I am not getting any fluid out of the rear wheel cylinders so I need to address that, and I also picked up a low pressure brake light switch to replace mine before I try installing the lever style switch. Before I install that low pressure switch I did take a few minutes last night to check the bulbs and also jump the wires at the switch and still have no lights so I need to diagnose that more this weekend and look at the wiring, fuses, grounds and turn signal switch. The only lights that came on on the dash are the 2 red lights in the left gauge cluster, none of the other lights or gauges are working. Time for me to brush up on my electrical diagnostics and volt meter usage!

So here she is seeing daylight for the first time in months and with the Aerostar springs(and polyurethane isolators) and 3" blocks. I didn't put all the chrome wheel centers on because I was having a really hard time getting them on without denting them.



I also put the rear seat belts in it so the car seat fits now and I can take my little guy on cruises. We did take the car for a ride around town and she ran pretty well. It does have some significant oil leaks and a radiator leak that both need to be tackled before I take her to any cruise nights or anything but luckily Champion makes a nice cost effective aluminum radiator replacement.

Lastly, I tried to replace the idler arm only to find the center link worn out, the center link I got from a member here is for a 57/58 and won't work so I am waiting for another one to come in and hopefully that will tighten up the steering enough that I can do an alignment on it.

My biggest problem right now is that by the time I have her ready to go cruising it is going to be 100+ degrees here in Phoenix every day and I am not going to want to be in this car without AC or anything!

 

Looks good. I like the way it sits with the 3" blocks. As soon as I can get the scratch I'm taking out the 2" blocks in mine and putting in 3".

 

http://hawkhardware.com/index.php?m...ucts_id=1399&zenid=3ll84q3j08uqc4egfodr0t9867 And this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SANDEN-CLONE-SD-508-DOUBLE-PULLY-AC- COMPRESSOR-AND-CLUTCH-/262423744966?hash=item3d19ac91c6:g:f-cAAMXQUmFSiaNR&vxp=mtr

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-UNDER-DASH-AC-EVAPORATOR-12V-/121762760912 You can get the hoses made locally at AAPAC

 

Alright, well its been a long time since I have updated this thread. For starters I finally went through the car a bit more and also inspected the chrome it came with and I confirmed my su****ions that it is in fact a CUSTOMLINE and NOT a Fairlane. It just has a Fairlane hood and trunk, which explains why the green can only be found on those body parts and not the rest.

This past week I went ahead and replaced all the leaf spring bushings out back and also put in some new rear shocks. While I was doing that I saw the p***enger rear axle seal was leaking all over my brand new brakes I installed a few months prior, so I pulled the axle and replaced the seal and bearing. The pinion seal was leaking heavily too so I replaced that and topped off the fluid.

I also went ahead and installed the Sunpro 3 3/8 tach on the left side of the column and put the Sunpro triple 2" setup under the dash but haven't had time to finish that up yet either, but I most likely won't yet because...

Turns out the generator/alternator is on its way out and I almost got stuck with it twice while I was cruising it this weekend. Between this, the oil leaks and multiple other issues I have with this drivetrain I am just at the point I am ready to pull the motor and find a donor car with a 302 I can swap into it and have something a little more powerful in it.

So the 302 and T5 swap are next on my list, as I am acquiring parts for that I plan to start shooting some primer or something on it to make it all one color.

 

Cheap builder core if he still has it and budget friendly and close by too. https://offerupnow.com/item/detail/131946313/1987-ford-302-cui-engine 1987 possible roller cam too.

 

Also local posted 2 months ago shown with bell housing if he would throw in the clutch linkage clutch and flywheel & shifter too maybe will negotiate ? https://offerupnow.com/item/detail/146393562/borg-warner-t-5-transmission-for-a-mustang-50

 

Why not a 351w? I did it with my 56. It was a little more complex but not too bad.

 

Definitely a cheap core, however to make things a little complete I think I may look for an Explorer thats either wrecked or has a blown trans or something this way it has all the accessories and what not. You can usually find them going pretty cheap, then I can part out a few of the more common parts and s**** the rest.

$450 seems about the going rate typically. I keep seeing though that the S10 T5 is preferred due to the shifter position?

I am not against a 351 by any means, its more or less whatever I can find at the best price once I get all my ducks in a row. The first step is I need to get an engine hoist to the house and get that Y block out of there and check it out in more detail.

The biggest thing slowing me down honestly is just getting funds together for it, times are a little tough right now but I am in the process of trying to improve that as well, fingers crossed.

 

I definately understand the funds part. I had my 56 for two years saving as much money as I could, plus I sold just about everything I could to be able to have my 351W built. Stay focused on it and it will all come together. Keep reading this forum becasue these guys on here know what they are talking about. I could not have done it without them.

 

I had an annoying drip from the daily driver last oil change I used this and now it's gone this also has added ZDDP for older engines https://www.walmart.com/ip/Quaker-S...fault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n

 

Great ideal , thanks for the info.

 

Hang in there and keep plugging away!

 

I was able to keep my 2 year old content enough in the garage yesterday that I got the charging gauge and coolant temp gauge wired up.

It verified the fact that I know I have a charging issue.

And it also makes me question the accuracy of the mechanical coolant temp gauge, either that or I have a stuck thermostat. I removed an adapter pipe from above the thermostat and right in front of the carb, I ***ume it was for the heater at one point? (Which I don't have any parts for yet so I won't worry about until later) Either way, I put the sensor in that location and it never once rose above 120* during a 30 minute cruise yesterday. I would still think the gauge would have shown warmer so I may just end up moving it to the location of the factory sending unit towards the back of the drivers head but I did not want to do that initially because I would like to get that working eventually. That sensor looks quite old/nasty and has the correct 1 wire hooked up to it but the gauge inside is always stuck in the upper half of the range. I don't plan to tackle the original gauges until after I rewire the car this winter.

 

Your Sunpro gauge set is that a volt meter or amp meter ? What are you getting for a reading ?

 

It says volts, under 12.

 

Lots of random little work done lately. A few posts back I was venting my frustration with the current drive train. Since replacing it is not in the budget and driving it is on the top of my list I spent some time and some money dialing in what I have. Which ultimately means a commitment to the Y-block platform and keeping at least the motor period correct and keeping that sound!

1) New alternator
2) New Balancer
3) New Belt
4) New Throttle Cable (the one that was in there was a hack job, same with the choke setup)
5) New Choke Cable Setup
6) Repaired the major oil leak I was having after I tracked it down to the oil filter setup by converting to a new style filter setup. Thanks to a local member for finding one for me last weekend!
7) Did some work on the rear axle to fix a leak

With those couple changes and some minor carb adjustments(even though I barely know what I'm doing with the carb yet) and she is running better than it has the entire time I have owned it and I finally feel confident driving it around town.

Next up on my list is:
- dropping the fuel tank to repair/replace any wiring to the fuel gauge sending unit so I have a working fuel gauge
- inspect some slop in the driveline
- install the front windows so I can drive it to the gym, work, whatever and finally be able to lock it up
- get a proper exhaust on it

Then maybe I can finally start on sanding the body down and get some primer on it.

 

I drive around in the Phoenix area enough to understand wanting a reliable ride! Not exactly like hitting a farm road in Nebraska!
You're making good progress..keep it going.

 

Glad to hear the y block is staying. Be sure to post pics of your progress.

 

Another update. I put some more miles on the car this past weekend and made a stop while out. While walking back I noticed a sizeable puddle under the car towards the back of the motor. So I drove the car home and checked underneath, the oil adapter is holding up great but it seems that since that is sealed up now it has only made my rear main oil seal leak that much worse. Since this is not something easily repaired with the motor in the car I am going to take it off the road for a bit, yank the motor so I clean it up and reseal it but not before doing a compression test at least. And then I will also start doing some body work and get some primer on it at least.