'58 Ford Fairlane Resoration/Build

Well, I am picking up this '58 Fairlane next weekend, and it is going to be one hell of a project.

It needs some serious rust repair work, especially on the back end, under and inside the trunk. After the trunk is fixed up, I will be mounting a secondary fuel tank in there after replacing the primary fuel tank.

The engine will be seeing some wrenches for sure, and if I have my way with it, there will eventually be a swap in the future. And during the swap, I will be finding a way to stick a manual trans in it. Once I get that swap done, new headers, exhaust, etc will be going in.

In the more present time, though, after the rust, I will be working on the suspension and electricals.

The suspension has terribly rotted bushings and weak springs. Rather than replacing everything with OEM equivalent, I will most likely be putting bags on it

The electrical issues abound on this one. Headlights work... Barely. Highs don't work, Fans don't work so I can't test air or heat, the tail lights and brake lights don't work, and I don't think a majority of the dash works.

The exterior doesn't look terrible, but then again it was recently primered, so I have no idea what's underneath. So the body will be getting a thorough sanding, probably before I start on the rust work, just so I can make sure I hit any possible rust underneath the primer. Surprisingly, the biggest exterior issues I have seen so far is the chrome needs to be rechromed, and the trunk latch and lock needs to be replaced.

The interior on the other hand, is a mess. Floor boards are rusty, seats are torn up and stained, headliner is stained, but in one piece. the doors are all screwed up. Three of them are lined with plywood and carpet, and one was cut up to remove a stuck latch and lock.

So this is going to be a long, painful process. Once I have the car back home and start cleaning it up, I'm sure more skeletons will be popping up, and I will be asking a LOT of questions.

Video of the current condition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk7ZGpi5szY

Pics of the exterior:
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/7707/dsidefull.jpg
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3376/frontfk.jpg
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3020/psidefull.jpg
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/5871/rearze.jpg

Possible paint jobs:
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3402/fairlaneburntorange.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/726/fairlanecandyred.jpg

 

Alright here comes the first set of questions:

1: Looking online, I think I would like to eventually swap in a 429 or 460 with a T-10 or T-5 trans. Obviously the question here will be; Will this stuff fit without body/frame mods?

I know I will need to do some body work to put in the clutch and floor shift knob for the manual, since my car is currently an auto. But is there going to be anything else I should know about?



2a. In terms of rust repair, I have been looking at the POR-15 kit. Wirebrushing the flakes, rust inhibitor spray, degreaser, and undercarriage paint. Anyone have experience with this?

2b. In last case scenario on the rust, has anyone ordered panels from http://www.rustrepair.com/ ? Are their panels accurately sized and easy to put in? Is there a better place to get panels from?



3. Where is a good place to find suspension, power steering, or power brake parts for this car?

 

I put a 460/C6 into my '58 using engine mounts, trans crossmember and headers from Crites.

http://tiptopwebsite.com/websites/index2.php?username=colson43&page=4

It fits easily. You will need to cut the tops of the radiator mount to move the radiator to the front side of the mount for more clearance. Use a 1968 Mustang 24" radiator. Fits like it was supposed to be there. I used a dual fan from a Taurus SHO. The dual fan fits best because the low area between the fans clears the water pump. People may tell you about a "low profile" water pump used on the 1968 TBird. Don't be fooled. it gives you just 5/8 inch and screws up your pulleys. Don't waste your money or time fooling with it.

 

Swapping to a clutch is easy, just need pedals and mount from a 57-58 stick car (which most were) i would caution against a t5 behind a big block if you like to play, but if you drive easy it will work. There is a local guy here that cruises a 63 galaxie with a 390 and stock t5 and for a daily driver its pretty smooth. Good luck on your build, hope yours moves along faster than mine does!


-LUKEY-

 

looks like a decent starting point good luck one thing at a time it will come together


i parted a 57 four door

 

First of all.... Welcome to the darkside....thanks for saving an old car. Don't be fooled, you have a good car to start with. It has 1/4s and rockers an looks to have not been hit. You should see some of the junk we have to build here! One question... You have a running y-block... Why pull it? If you do pull it make sure it is still complete and undamaged. It will sell fast with a vid of it running. A sale will offset future parts costs. Good luck and have fun!

 

58custom; Thanks for the info on the swap parts. On that website, which vehicle set should I be looking under? I'm guessing the 55-67 Galaxy-Mercury tab?

lukey; So the T-5 is purposed more for a small block? In that case I should be looking primarily at the T-10, especially if I'm a bit heavy footed?

clean cut; The engine swap is one of those things that will happen most likely a couple of years from now. I would rather get the current engine running 100%, make sure the current trans is happy, clean up the rust, and fix the electrical issues before even hoping to get to the swap. Still, it's fun to dream.



Another thing, pertaining to my previous question for brakes; I just found a website/company called Scarebird. Apparently they have kits that allow disc brake conversions for older cars. Has anyone used, seen, or heard of these guys, or their quality before?

 

Yes. Anything 57/58 will work. You may have to talk to them if you plan to use anything other than a Toploader. Maybe you won't have to have a different rear crossmember.

 

i believe scarebird is a member here

 

We are, yes.

 

58custom; Excuse the ignorance, but what exactly is a Toploader? Taking a wild guess, I would think it is how the shifter is connected to the transmission?

Scarebird; I'll be sending you a PM soon about some brakes.

 

im doing a 460 swap into my 58 fairlane, i have my own build thread with everything you'll need to know and come across, also did the scarebird disc brake swap, new wiring harness from rebel wiring, and countless other goodies too. im in the end stages now of getting it finally driveable

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Toploader_transmission

THE Ford 4 speed.

 

luvs; I think I looked through your thread a few days ago. How long did it take you to get it back to a drivable level? And which Rebel harness kit did you go with? With how bad the electrical stuff is on this one, I will probably just buy that kit instead of trying to find the bad wires.

58custom; Thanks for the link, that explains it. Sounds like the Top Loader is a better transmission for a heavy HP/Torque build, correct? Might end up with one of those instead of a T-10.

 

Ill tell you this... Im building one right now with a small block ford in it and the rust repair on these cars is a Mutha Fuker... we sectioned a whole new truck floor in... Ill tell you to look at the rockers, quater pannels, top of front fenders where the lights are etc... those are the main areas of bad stuff ive seen on all of these cars..

I got some custom 300 stuff thats pretty clean... dash, doors, trunk, a little interior pieces, if anyone is working on a 300...

looking for a fairlane trunk lid though if anyone has a spare... the one we have is way too rusted out to rework

 

stubbs; I've been worried about that since I first looked at the car. Particularly inside the trunk. I found that rustrepair.com site that has floor pans and outer panels, but I haven't seen anything for inside the trunk. I'm just hoping there isn't very much rust or bondo under the primer they put on this thing. But I have a feeling that hope isn't going to hold for long once I get to work on it.

How did you go about cleaning the rust up on yours?

On a side note; I just finished getting funds together and reserving a car hauler to bring it home on Saturday. So Sunday is probably when I will be starting on the underside rust work.

Another question I just thought of; Since I don't have a garage to keep this in, how would I keep this best protected from the elements? It will be sitting in a parking lot similar to what you would find around some apartments as I work on the small stuff. Would a regular fabric car cover be fine, or would it be a better idea to get one of those temporary car shelters or a really big sleeping tent that has a removable front?

 

petti, where are you located? that would be a deciding factor on what type of cover to use

 

57/60; I'm in Montgomery county, TN. Fairly humid air spring to fall, very rainy spring, kind of snowy winter.

 

i personally would do a good car cover and all bare metal spots you have spray down with some spray paint when your working on it...

truck floor I had to get a parts car and cut out and we cut 1/4" from the seams on the old one to give some structure to weld to etc... wasnt going for 100% restoration quality on this just functional and strong... you can barely tell on the topside we put another trunk in but on bottom side the spray undercoat makes it look stock under there also..

 

kool car...the video is like a bad acid trip

 

if your going to park it on blacktop for long periods supposedly the oil? in blacktop can dryout all the rubber ch***is parts i heard that somplace dont know how accurate it is

i would get a waterproof car cover at least sounds like you have the same basic weather that i get

 

i went with the 9+3 wiring kit. unless you plan on adding a ton of accessories. if not this is more than enough for you.

well.. my grandpa died in february, and about march 1st or so, i towed my '58 from my sisters backyard to my grandmas house so i can work on it over there again with all the extra room and tools and shade.

i had to first wait 7 weeks for my crites motor mounts and crossmember to get here to get the motor in, then i had trouble with the oil pan and had to get a new one, got it in there finally. then realized i needed a new wiring system to make sure it'll fire up correctly, had to mess with that for a while, then it hit me, this thing needs disc brakes to stop such a powerful motor. had to spend the money for that. then i got to thinking, 'this carb and intake manifold just arent cutting it for me', so i spent the money and ordered new ones... then i needed a new radiator to cool the beast of an engine, and also i realized 'oh wait my driveshaft wont work' so i had to get a new yoke and shorten it and balance it....

8 months later....

its still needs new tires, and i had to replace ALL brake lines. i messed up somewhere along the way with those so i am for sure taking those to my trusty mechanic steve and ill have him do the brake lines for me.

also i had to order the headers, those took 7 weeks too....
if i had the new tires, brakes working, and my alternator wired up. then i can drive it right now.

all in all: 8-9 months. but it depends on how much money you have, and how much time you put into it. im 21 years old who was a cart pusher for the majority of this build before getting promoted. i had tuesdays and thursdays off school and work, so two days a week for 4 hours i would work on it.


theres your long complicated answer lol

 

Never had a bad acid trip , but i do own a Galaxie 500
"AND THE BOWTIE ROLLS ON"

 

If you were thinking about a T-5 for the overdrive and maybe better gas MPG behind that big block Ford, you may want to keep an eye out for a late '70's-early '80's top loader. Sometimes they were called a 3+1; a top loader 4 speed case with 3 speed gears ( 3rd = 1:1 ratio) with an overdrive gear where 4th used to be. Might be a good compromise between strength and fuel economy. Probably cheaper than a vintage top loader, as well.

Later, *****6

 

57/60; From what I have seen so far, the entire frame and suspension will need new bushings and such anyways, so for right now, I'm not worried about that, true or not.

luvz; I have a feeling this build is going to go the exact same for me. Buy one part that requires me to buy three more. Lol. I should have a little more time to work on the car, since I only have a 9-5 job with weekends off. I will probably need it though, being a noob, and especially since I won't have a decent work space.

*****; Thanks for the info. That might be what I end up doing. Still haven't fully decided what I will be dropping in, but I will add it to my growing wish list.

 

Interesting 58 Ford, if you haven't noticed, there are very few 58's around and I see very few on the road. I have a 59 Ford ranch wagon so I am aware of the Fords at events. This needs a lot of work but could be a great hobby cruzer with out a total restore, whatever you do, just make the best of what you have get it safe to drive keep it clean and do what you can do a little at a time. When a lot of folks tear a running car apart to "fix it up", it is a goner, sitting around in your way and becoming a nusiance, just take it easy, and drive it as much as you can, just my humble opinion. My 59 needs a lot of body work but I drive it daily and have a blast with it. Not a bad way to go. Good luck pal. ~sololobo~

 

There is a good looking '58 near me...I wish I had the time and space to get it, but I don't.

http://peoria.craigslist.org/bar/2670657363.html

 

first things first, if you are getting a 460, you HAVE to order the crites motor mounts, crossmember, and headers ASAP. unless you wanna start diggin into your build only to call and order them, and sit around for 8-9 weeks maybe.

i'd cough out the money now before anything, that way by time you tear everything apart and clean up stuff, and get ready for the build, your parts will be shipped to you.

 

first things first, if you are getting a 460, you HAVE to order the crites motor mounts, crossmember, and headers ASAP. unless you wanna start diggin into your build only to call and order them, and sit around for 8-9 weeks maybe.

i'd cough out the money now before anything, that way by time you tear everything apart and clean up stuff, and get ready for the build, your parts will be shipped to you.

 

solo; I have considered that idea - Driving it around in between small fixes and such, but since I have an 06 Ranger to drive daily, and can use it to haul unneeded parts to storage as I work on the big stuff in the lot, I think this Fairlane will primarily be a project car until I feel confident that I won't have to do a small fix every three days to keep driving it around.

Yeoman; I wish I had the time and cash to go grab that one up. I would ALMOST feel fine not doing a ton of work to it. Lol.

Edit

luvz; I know what you mean, but at this time I still haven't decided what I want to do to this car in terms of further down the road. Right now, I'm more focused on getting it road ready again. Once it is at that stage will I start really worrying about what and how to swap stuff in. Right now I'm just researching, basically. But if or when I do decide to swap, I will definitely be taking that advice.



Kind of a random question, and this may sound crazy, blasphemous perhaps, but what would you guys think of me "moderning up" the interior some? CD player, a reasonable sound system (an 8" sub, 4x4" mids and 2x2" highs built into the rear deck), keeping the steel dash, but putting digital computer screen gauges and such in with some stained wood faceplates around it all?

Considering I need to fix almost all the electricals anyways, I think it would be an interesting way to blend "then and now" into a car. Or should I just shoot myself out of sheer stupidity?



Edit 2

Also, I think I found the paint that I will put on here at the end of it all:


Mocked up with MSPaint: