Hot Rods 56 Ford Mainline

The ”old” radiator ***embly, the surround is cut:

 

Most of the cars I drove back in the day were manual drum brakes.Keep up the good work bud!

 

Thanks, I will!

I am test fitting the aluminum radiator. Wish I had an original radiator, but this is what I have right now. Anyway, I have a new problem. The radiator is for a 56 Ford. But it touches the fan blades, so have to put it on the outside (front) of the u shaped frame/surround. It should sit on the inside, right?

Is the spacer behind the fan supposed to be there on a 56? Removing it can solve the problem. See image below. Engine is from a non air conditioned 1957 car:

As usual, the problems I run into is that I often have no idea of how the OEM parts should look or be installed.

 

Use a shorter spacer or no spacer if fan clears everything.... Use with a shroud also.... You will also need shorter bolts.....

LynnW

 

Yes, engine side or “inside”.

Yes, the spacer should be there. It should be 1.18” long including the pilot stub. It’s hard to tell if that will give you enough room. But, your present one does look pretty long. The radiator should sit fairly close to the fan when mounted. On my ‘55 Mercury the radiator is about an inch from the fan.

I wish I had a good picture of the cooling system for ‘55/‘56 8 cylinder cars. The one in my parts book indicates it’s typical for ‘55/‘57 8 cyl cars but only shows the ‘57 parts. Not much help for you!

 

I found some pictures I took of the engine in an local original 56 Ford. And that engine ha no spacer at all. So, I removed the spacer and the problem was solved! Radiator now fits.

I saw some shorter spacers sold online, marketed as fitting an engine with air conditioning, so I guess some parts must come from an AC car at some point.

Repro chinese battery tray is something like $230 here, so I made my own rock solid arrangement using Volvo 140 parts. Quality stuff and available here in the parts pile in my barn. Cheap battery types will fit, also a plus. I can always switch to the correct OEM parts later on.

 

I keep working on the car. Front is back together, the brake booster now has a small dent in it to clear the left valve cover and the carb/kickdown linkage works freely. A hundred little issues to solve, and this takes hours and hours.

Saw four holes in each door, for a badge or piece of trim. What is this? See pics below, I tried to outline the holes with a red line.

 

I don't think the holes on door are for trim.
Were they used with sheet metal screws to remove a dent?

 

No, holes are nice and clean, and the pattern is identical on both doors. I think the holes look like they are for pins for old tags or emblems. No stock Fords had badges on the doors, very strange.

 

These 56 Ford fender badges attach with 3 studs that look like the same pattern as your doors have.

 

Well, the pattern is four holes, so it remains a mystery. My guess is some kind of badge for a company or simular.

I have solved lots of small problems. Biggest step forward is that I have made a shifter mechanism from a combination of automatic and three on the tree parts. It works well. Lots of cutting and welding but it really went smoothly.


The car had an 80s looking race car type floor shifter. It looked wrong and probably did not work with the Ford-o-matic shift pattern. See image below from when I did a mock up with the column shifter. Plus, I do not want to cut a hole in the new carpet I intend to buy later on.

 

Question 1: How do I attach the wire to the oil pressure switch? A special clip?


Question 2: Here is the hole for the speedo cable. Am I missing just the cable, or are there other parts missing as well? I think a cable with a bushing and an o-ring could lock into place here. But, I do not know what a 1957 speedo cable looks like, in detail.




Question 3: The driveshaft looks like a modified 1989-98 GM unit, where you melt away locking plastic material to remove the caps. In the pic you can see the 1957 Ford-o-matic yoke + the chevy drive shaft hanging there. Any suggestions on how to proceed?

An original 1956 drive shaft is hard to find, and is also probably the wrong length, as the 57 transmission is longer.

I was thinking of finding a u-joint that can function as an adapter between Ford and GM patterns. But the stupidity of the melt away stuff, instead of a clip, complicates things.



Another problem are the rear ”mains”. Bubba put a small piece of sheet metal in there, to make the cap fit…

I guess I have the correct Ford yoke and the right Ford u-joint to the rear. A custom made drive shaft that fits these points would probaby be the best option.

 

The local driveshaft shop can usually find a u joint to mate any yoke with any driveshaft.

 

1. This one is easy; just use a 1/4" female blade terminal. That's what Ford used.

2. If you have the OEM speedo cable, it should have the clamp and a gear attached. But pretty much any Ford p***enger or light truck cable will work up to the early '60s if it's long enough. The speedometer end is what was usually changed after that. The several flys in the ointment is there's several different drive gears installed on the trans mainshaft depending on the OEM rear axle ratio and depending on which side of the tailshaft it goes in changes the 'pitch' of the driven gear. I used to know this, but can't remember...

3. Up to '56 Ford used a somewhat oddball u-joint, then in '57 they changed to a 1310 ****er type. These are available with either an internal snap ring or external snap ring, sometimes both. Basic dimensions remain the same. Internal snaps to the bearing cup, external fits a groove in the yoke/driveshaft. Here's the u-joint dimensions... Understanding U-Joint - Currie Enterprises I suspect that's what you'll find at the front. If the front yoke is smaller, look for a newer one with the 1310 dimensions; they're out there, probably even in Sweden. But truthfully, I'd throw that driveshaft away because of the home-made conglomeration you've got at the rear u-joint. You have the OEM rear axle/u-joint and that 'adaptor' isn't right (which explains the shims), plus the way it's welded to the rest of the shaft isn't something I'd trust. Almost Any Ford p***enger driveshaft from probably '57 through at least the '80s will have the common 1310 u-joints and will work if it's long enough (a lot of same-era GM cars used the same u-joint, so there's even more possibilities), one could be fairly easily shortened to fit. You'll still need a conversion u-joint at the rear axle however, a NEAPCO 2-0291. These used to be much cheaper, but it will pay to shop; I saw prices from $66 (Denny's Driveline) to over $120.

Hope this helps...

 

Thanks for the replies, I couldn´t possibly succeed with buildning this Ford back, without all the knowledge people on this forum has.

I lucked out today and was given a 1957 Ford driveshaft by a helpful local HAMB:er. I feel like I just won the lottery! I will do some measuring. A front 1310 u-joint, a shortened/lengthened driveshaft and a rear 1310/old style 56 size adapter u-joint can possibly solve the issue.

 

If that driveshaft pictured has not been balanced it may cause some severe vibration by the looks of the weld. Great score on the aforementioned '56 driveshaft.

 

It did balance perfectly, someone was lucky. I didn´t like the metal strips squeezed in next to the caps, to make it fit the rear u-joint... but it worked and gave a smooth ride!

 

I have put s lot of work into the 56 since my last post. Loads of little problems solved. The driveshaft that I got did not work out, it was damaged beyond repair and a new one was made. I am in the process of starting the engine up, but I ran in to some new troubles of course:

1. It gets no fuel. Modern bad gas is acting up, it cannot even sit for 6 months. Fule line was clogged, fuel pump acts su****ious and the Edelbrock 500 doen not squirt or anything, despite fuel in the bowls. Question: can air or carb cleaner be blown through the mixture screw holes? I would rather not dismantle the whole carb.

2. Small red ATF drops under the Ford-o-matic oil pan. Leaks as it sits. I have gasket material and will make a new gasket. Question: is the filler tube sealed by an o-ring, into the pan? Or do I have to order a special gasket for the tube?

3. I am fitting a new one wire alternator, and I am fabricating/modifying brackets for it. Problem is that I am missing the two screws for the stock triangular bracket that screws into the water pump. These seem to be the same size as the manifold screws. Or are they…? They fit nicely, but spins in the holes as I tighten them. Question: what size screws were used for the triangle bracket against the water pump?

 

All Fords of that era mark their spot. I stopped my ford-o by re-routing the vent line up onto the firewall with a breather end.

They have many places to leak… front seal, oil fill tube fitting, vent, oil pan, governor plate cover, rear yoke, and shifter linkage.. good luck.

 

Sounds like you need to dis***emble the carburetor. But first make sure the line is clear and pump is working. Maybe think about adding a fuel shutoff and running the carb dry of it sits for months at a time.

I don’t think it is possible to entirely stop a fordomatic from leaking. If it’s not pouring out I would just park on a piece of cardboard.
The dipstick tube is a flared fitting where it enters the pan and doesn’t have a gasket.

For your alternator, they are probably 5/16-18 or 3/8-16 bolts. If the bolts you have are spinning they are either the wrong size or the holes are stripped.

 

I remember them being pretty long (going through the front cover, into the block). So, I checked my Ch***is Parts book. They should be 5/16-18 x 2 3/4”.

 

Thanks for the advice.

I guess the threads are stripped. Plumbers hemp and inseed oil could work on the threads but I will look into that issue later. Very annoying - water pump need to be removed if I decide to put Helicoil threads in it. This project has been fighting me all the way, and removal will be a time consuming nitghtmare of broken bolts, rust and more stripped threads. But, I am to stupid to be a quitter.

Fuel pump seems to be toast. I can blow through it, both directions. It is a sealed unit and cannot be opened, I installed a temporary electric pump/flame thrower, and ran compressed air through the mixture screw holes on the Edelbrock. Engine fires a little but refuse to start. Accelerator pumps still do not squirt. So I will have to dismantle and clean the carb.

 

Carb clean. Someone had used silicone to mount the heat plate and primary venturis. I removed the sticky mess and blew it clean with carb cleaner and compressed air. Accelerator pumps now work as intended. Not sure what the problem was, the Edelbrock ran very well on the 305 in May this year.

But, engine won´t fire all the way. I obviously have spark, but I suspect some ignition problem. Wierd things happen as cars sit. It this case: fuel line clogged, fuel pump valves broken, carb clogged and now also probably ignition. Iĺl look into this tomorrow. File the points and so on.

 

If you’ve replaced the distributor or the condenser recently then those parts are suspect. It is really hard to find quality ignition parts for old cars these days.

 

Does the ignition use a resistor? or is the coil a resistor coil? This can be a confusing issue on ignition systems of this type.

 

I have not touched these parts, but condeners age and are often a problem. I changed it out for a new unit today, but problem remains. I get a good visible spark at the points and on the plugs.

I will try to run new fresh gas directly from a jerry can.

Engine ran well when pulled from a 57 Ford two years ago, according to the seller. Carb came from the 305 I ran in the car. Gas is some 6 months old.

I measured the coil. Primary coil is 1,6 ohm and secondary is 8k. So ok, as I understand it. Also, I tried a coil from an old Saab - same results.

Points, rotor, cap, wires and plugs ”look ok”. I need to replace them to avoid going mad at this. I try to keep things very budget, but I fail of course.

Also, will check firing order and compression.

 

It has a separate resistor. Resistor and coil was on the engine at purchase. I will try to look into if the engine used to run with these exact parts.

I know the seller of the engine changed it out for a big block. Who knows, there could have been a mixup.