New Ride - Survivor 1956 Ford Fairlane

That looks GREAT! Damn!

 

I don’t see this thread before. Looks like a good one.

 

You know this is where I come in recommending lakes pipes right?

 

Well, ended up missing out on the heads on Marketplace. Pretty sure they were a great deal but the guys phone went dead for a week. Once he got it fixed, he had several folks wanting them and I wasn’t first on the list. Anyway, hopefully I can come up with a couple good ones between the free 59 292 I need to go pick up and maybe the 59 292 out of my sons Edsel sitting in the shop now. Both of those engines have one 113 each, so maybe I can make a good set?

One of the next things on the list is rebuilding the front suspension and steering. The power steering has leaked some since I got the car and has gotten worse recently. A few years ago, I ended up with pretty much all new steering parts off a 57. Anyway, I haven’t verified if any of those parts will work, but hoping at minimum the power steering cylinder is the same since that is my main leak.

EDIT: Just did some looking and seems the power steering cylinders for 56 and 57 are different... I may just have to do a physical inspection to see what is actually different since I have both.

 

I'll be curious to hear how she rides out back with this setup. I have worn out original springs with 3" blocks and I have to be careful over speed bumps or it will bottom out. Put folks in the back seat and air shocks are a must

 

With some crappy weather, I haven’t had the car off the lift until today when my son needed to help a buddy do some work on a Bronco. Anyway, also headed to pick up a 292 tomorrow for the heads hoping I can end up with a good set.

 

Enjoyed your thread !! I had a Y-block Ford in high school back-in-the-day.
292 and 312 stuff interchange somewhat (Although it is STILL A FORD!)
I had a 54 but the 55/56/57 has always been a favorite of mine.
Seems like just 'shaving' the heads and dual exhaust made a HUGE difference on mine !
I tink a slight exhaust leak is almost mandatory on a Y-block ! at least ALL I remember had that little
"comforting sound" !!!
I will be following along
6sally6

 

I had a 53 coupe transplanted a Y block , for a year or so then an FE and never looked back . Sold it to fund another project

 

Enjoyed the read so far, thank you.

 

Picked up the motor and some other stuff too…

 

Rides pretty good with just me in it but hits the bump stops every now and then. Pretty sure I’ll need air shocks to carry a load.

 

I'd probably go with those trailer "coilover" helper shocks over air shocks. Increase load capacity without the air shock pains.

 

Couple random thoughts. The 113 heads are posted and can be milled more than the non posted heads. If you haven’t seen it, that’s all in the info center on Mummert’s site.

jimmysix had a post (maybe on another site). He put together a list of seals for the p/s ram and solved his leak problem, after a couple “kits” failed. Might be worth a pm.

Looking good, coming together nicely.

 

After driving the car around quite a bit last night, thinking I may actually raise the back up a bit both for ride and looks. The overall shape and lines of the car seem to almost exaggerate the stance making level look like a major taildragger from several perspectives... Anyway, I'll continue to evaluate, but just thinking out loud...

And, I need to get my 113 heads off a couple different engines now and get them checked out to see if I have a good set yet. I have been somewhat distracted by committing to go sell stuff at an upcoming swap meet in less than a month now. It has probably been 25 years since I have sold stuff at a swap meet so I have a bunch of junk (I mean valuable treasures) to go through...

 

I used to want everything to be as low as possible, now I'm into a good stance without compromising comfort or accessibilty. Have you had to remove a rear tire after lowering? I remember it being nothing short of a nightmare on my old '54 Ford with 3" blocks and little 205/60R14's out back. If so, raising it up a bit would help that too.

 

I haven't tried taking a tire off yet but need to I guess just so I can answer the question. I'm running 6.70-15's on 5" wheels so they are pretty skinny. I think they can come out, but won't know until I actually try. And, I'm with you on not sacrificing ride or function just to be cool. There is a balance for sure and I have learned not to make something no fun to drive.

 

I don't disagree with you Jeff. Looking at the pics, even though it's level, it does give the impression of tail down a hair. Maybe an inch or a smidge more back up in the back for a hint of a rake

 

Reminded today why I am building a different engine than the one in the car…so I can still enjoy nice days like today until it is done.

 

What you'll find is you have to jack the frame, not the axle. I was on a cruise and a guy had a rear flat on his lowered Crown. He tried jacking the axle first and couldn't get the tire out.

 

Yep, I have pretty much always had to do that since I even just had the 2" blocks in it. I am just questioning if the suspension will now fall enough to get the wheel out even jacking it up that way. Also, after my 40 mile or so round trip yesterday to go get a haircut, the ride seemed similar to what the lowered mini trucks were in the 90's. So, I'm either going to have to figure out how to get it stiff enough to not hit the bump stops regularly or raise it back up an inch or so. Still debating...

 

I had to disconnect the rear shock on the side I was removing the tire from on my old '54.

 

Hmm…so, it seems like someone here told me to try Meguiar’s Number 7 on my dead paint instead of buffing it again considering how thin it is getting. I tried a small spot on top of the fender and am impressed so far. I figure I can run over the whole car with that by hand a few times to help revive it. I may see how that spot looks after a wash. What I seem to remember about using Number 7 on lacquer paint jobs back in the 80’s before I could wax them is that it didn’t really last long. I have never tried it on old dead paint though. Hard to see in a pic but maybe you can see the difference from fender to hood? Looks much better in person anyway. Feels much better too.

 

Would a coat of good carnuba wax after the #7 work , #7 is a polish and doesn’t have any protectants, so it won’t last.
Dan
PS looks really good

 

I used a whole lot of #7 on my Pontiac in the early 80’s before I stripped the old paint. And yes, without waxing it, the oxidation came back pretty quick

 

Nice Family!

 

Thanks! Those kids are now much older. The oldest is 26 and the other three are 20. I have decided they were cuter and easier to deal with when they were younger like in that pic. Now, the youngest girl has a son that is approaching their age back then. I guess that is part of why I am rebuilding the car to make sure we can have memories together as well including this car.