1952-59 Ford Take 2....New (old) Ford

It's been a while, but I'm back in the game. Bought me another 1954 Ford.
Not sure how active this group is anymore, used to log on a lot back in the day lol. Anywho thought I'd share & make a build thread.
Quick run down, I was 21-22 when I got my 1st one. Loved it, Tore the whole thing down, pretty much snowballed into a huge project, Car was all cleaned & almost put all back together but life got in the way & I pretty much had to let her go...
Fast forward 10yrs, I still had that '54 chip on my shoulder. By chance I went to a local junkyard with a friend & saw two '54's sittin in a gated lot next door. Stopped me dead in my tracks.
Few months later, I decided to see if it was still there. Surprisingly it was, so I made deal & now I'm back on the 'ol HAMB

 

Here's how she was when I first saw her. Not one but TWO '54s! Never thought I'd see that. The blue one was a little rougher. When I went back a few months later it had sold...

 

Some pics when I sprung her from the joint!

 

Nice score, looks like a lot of fun.
Back when I was on the dark side, I think there used to be a GM yard near there.

 

Welcome back.....you're gonna like all the stuff Jeff has been putting together here.
That 54 looks really solid. If it's a solid as it looks, it'll save you years and big bucks. What are your plans?
Keep us posted.

 

Awesome score....welcome home.

 

looks like the port a walls did not stand the test of time you are lucky to live in a state that does not need the roads salted.my car came from there.here after sitting the 2 years between you seeing it and buying it a pile of rust would have been a that remainedas others have said a great score

 

STIG! long time, how've you been!? I remember you being out in the i.e and going to the rotolo Chevy dealer car show. I see you're in Oregon now, hope all is great with great with you.

 

Thank you! Yes, I've enjoying reading up on the "sticky" section. Some good info!
Car is super straight! Except for the driver & p***enger floorboards & a 3x3 square section of the bottom of the fenders (typical) nothing that a simple patch cant fix.

 

First thing I did when it got home was clean out all the ****/dust that's ac***ulated over the years & evicting the spiders that's been calling the '54 home, ugh! Removed the seats and all that insulation.
Car was originally a v8/3spd. Not sure if it was with overdrive or not. Engine is long gone tho.

 

Couple more interior shots, I tried to see if I could save the seats, the vinyl looked good cleaned up but the cloth was so dry that any pressure caused it to tear. So much for that lol.

 

Yep, got out of CA, do miss the weather and never ending car shows but not the mindless govt and soooooo many people.
Good luck with the car.

 

Plans for the drivetrain:
Getting 302/aod, yblock is gone so saves time. Drivers hood hinge is busted, luckily p***. side is good & lubed up. Definitely going to try to repair or replace it cheap as I can. Cant see myself spending crazy amounts on a hinge.

 

Here's the donor, '88 Merc Grand Marquis. It's heart will live on in the '54.

 

Motor and Trans pulled, that was a damn mission! Glad that's over with.

 

Doing the same thing with my '53, albeit much slower!

I would appreciate photos of the hinge repair, as my p***enger side is hooped, but I got a spare with the car, so that's something on the list before inspection.

Great progress so far!

 

My hinges were pretty bad, both trunk and hood. What I did was take the springs off and lay the hinge pivot pins on an anvil and took a big hammer to them all. Tightened everything up nicely. I havent mounted the hood yet, but the trunk hinges ffunction nice and tight now and trunk opens and closes straight. Just dont forget to oil everything up

 

Thanks for the tip! Once I ***ess the hinge, I'll definitely give it a try!

 

Looks like a great car for starters! Welcome back and keep us up on the build!

 

Kustomline54's 302 has the oil pan you will need in a 52-53 car as a '54 swap will require this one. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dark-Blue-...965887?hash=item2cd872d73f:g:DP8AAOSwZGRbWg~x

 

If you have a 52-54 Ford this is your hinges best friend apply monthly about $5 at Home Depot.

 

Just ran across this: https://offerup.com/item/detail/730611567/ (p***enger side hood hinge)

 

Awesome!!! Welcome back. I’m a newer member with a 54 as well. Located in Rialto, so you’re right up the road from me.

 

Whats up neighbor! Haha, Great Ford you got yourself! Hope to bump into you at shows once this thing is up n running.

 

Small updates..
Gutted the interior and started tackling the rusty floors. Going to finish the front & move onto the back.

 

Got my package from c2cfabrication, heard good things so thought I'd give'em a try, but man it was like pulling teeth, a lot of back & forth messaging until they finally gave notice about my item being shipped weeks after I had paid.
Not crazy impressed but for what they cost, it'll do.

 

Scored a '53 style dash, always liked the way it looks over the '54s. It's a little crusty around the edges, but soda blasting should take care of that!

 

So I took a quick glance behind the 53 dash, beside the 2 bolts on the bottom, how do you remove these 2 plates off? I'll have more time on the wknd to look over better but any input ahead of time will be appreciated so I'll have an idea going in. Thanks!

 

I think if you undo those small nuts(carefully)they look as though they may be part of the chrome moldings and sandwich the dash panel itself.just a guess without being there.there may be 2 more at the top

 

Thanks for the reply! I did take those 2 little nuts/bolts off & nothing budges. Nothing on top. It's always the little things that are a pain in the a** for me lol. I'm sure I'll get it, just doing some research while at work. Figures somebody has taken these dashes apart before.