what happened to the original seat? I wouldn't put these in, the original is the best seat for this car.
Back In the 70s or so, the previous owners buddy had a 50 shoebox and his seat was all ripped up so he gave him the original bench seat out of the 51, since he planned to run buckets in it.
im sorry I reread your 1st page post, sorry, the bench seat is so cool, you can have your girl ride right next to you, I like that !!!!!
your car is so clean and straight, I would just clean it up and fix the little rust spots and blend the paint and , presto ! a real surviver !!!!! it's a real looker. you can't beat the roof line on these cool old coupes !
The silver ‘51 coupe in Rod n Custom pic is mine. I still have it. It’s been garaged mostly since finished. Good luck on your build. I haven’t been on here in awhile but I’ll be watching.
+I am glad to see you went with the drum brake rears the disc brakes on the rears almost never work right on a conversion. also on the engine choice I don't want to start a pissin contest,but IMHO it s hard to make a sbf look good plus a sbc is just a smoother running engine and parts are interchangeable and available every where JMO Tom
To us real Ford guys making a small block Ford look good isn't a problem. They look good to start with, just add dress up as preferred just like Chevy guys do. As far as running smoother than a Chevy? Come on, if you can't Tune a Ford to run smooth you also can't Tune a Chevy. I call B,S. We all have our own point of View and I'm good with that just don't tell me my stuff is Junk just because you look at things different. Just so you know my 51 Ford runs a Small block Chevy because that's how I wanted it not because I didn't like Ford motors, I have plenty other Cars with Fords in them and they all do the same job with the Hood down and in Gear. If you know what your doing it don't matter the Brand or if it's Motors or 4 corner Disc Brakes. The Wizzard
Looking for some rear wheel information.. if you read through my post you will know i have a 9 inch housing from a 66 ford bronco. im going to run 11 inch drum brakes on it. I already have this so please dont tell me about maverick or explorer rears.. Ive been told that with the 58 inch long bronco rear, the stock wheels will not fit on the car. Im looking for someone that used a Granada, Lincoln Versailles, bronco or any other 58 inch rear in their 51 shoebox. Ive read that the frame is different on the 51 then 49-50. Normally id just jack up the car and set it on jack stands and swap the rear out and measure everything then find then order the wheels and tires. this time i will be doing all the suspension work at my buddy's lift. i can only get in there for the weekend so if i swap the rear and springs and cant bolt on the stock wheels, im kinda in his way. right now the car has the stock tires and rims on it. i was hoping i could put them back on while doing the rest of the work, but i was told i wouldnt be able to. can anyone verify this, and if so what size tires and wheel did you use? im trying to get everything together so i can get this done in one weekend and be out of his way. ive front and rear springs,brakes and rear to do as well as a motor and tran swap. So its gonna be a long and busy weekend and hoping for no issues where its gonna be stuck on the lift in front of his garage. Any help on the wheels, will be greatly appreciated Tony
I know.. I’m having the axles redrilled. I know several guys have run the Granada rear which is the same length as the bronco. Just want to see what size wheels and tires they are using and if there were any issues.
Looking at going something like this.. http://www.jegs.com/p/US-Wheel/US-Wheel-69-Series-Raw-Rat-Rod-Wheels/3840745/10002/-1 I can get then with at least 2.25 back spacing or more if needed.15x5 or 15x6 . From some of the things I’ve been told I may have been given bad information. Hoping to clarify it from someone with a Granada or Lincoln Versalles rear Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Pipes; didn't we go through this last year? Seemed like I gave you the Stock 51 flange to flange measurement as well as my rim width and back space and tire size on my Vicky. I don't remember those numbers now and looked on line for the stock 51 width but no luck yet. I don't have a stock 51 to go measure anymore. I have not gone all through this thread to try to find our conversation today. The Wizzard
Wizard.. I think we were talking about the rear and tire size then. You told me you had a 75 Granada 9 inch which is 58 inches with an 8 inch rim and 215/75/14 inch tires. You said the 8 inch was a bit tight. I had planned on going for 15 inch wheels.. I shot you an email about the back spacing but you said you think you just found a set of rims that were laying around that might have been off a 72 Torino.. so you weren’t sure about what it was. I did nt want to keep bothering you to see if you found out or not. So I figured I’d post to see if anyone else knew what it was. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Pipes; That info is spot on. At the rear most spot on the tire to inside edge of wheel well opening is just One Inch of space. I have never rubbed a tire but I'm not running stock springs either. Never feel bad about asking me to double up on an answer, sometimes I forget to follow up. What I did find today online was stock 51 Ford wheel flange to wheel flange is 57". Now that don't sound right to me but I could just be confused. If that's the case then just changing your Lug pattern and bolting on your Stock 51 wheels should go just fine. The Wizzard
Anyone have the front shock number guys are using with the aerostar front coils? I had it writen down but cant seem to find it now and dont recall where i saw it.
From page 1 of the long Aerostar coil spring thread: My stock shocks don't appear to be bottoming out, but I found an alternative if they do. Monroe PN 5821. They are 1-1/4" shorter in compressed length and over 2" shorter in extended length. I forget what they were for...some kind of early 90's GM car, but the mounting pattern is the same.
I ended up ordering a set of Monroe 5829 after speaking to a guy that been running them, and loves the ride. He says they are 3 inches shorter then the Monroe 5751 and get the full stroke when used ith the aerostar springs..
on a side note.. my front room is looking like a UPS warehouse. So far here's the list of parts waiting for install.. 9 inch rear housing from bronco Yukon axles 3 inch lowering leaf springs Rear shocks Bushings, bolts and Shackles Aerostar front coilsprings and insulators 3 inch block kit 11" rear drum set up from Quick performance Front disc brake set up Jamco small block ford motor mount kit steering upgrade kit Camber adjustment kit electric remote trunk latch(mine was missing the key so previous owner took out lock) 12 volt conversion guide and a few other parts and pieces.. parts due in this week.. master cylinder /power brake booster and pedal assembly from Jegs proportioning valve complete engine gasket kit for my 347 stroker engine cart for the 283 (p.s anyone looking for a 1967 283 with 6000 original miles give me a shout!!) Still on the list to get.. brake line kit front and rear sway bars wiring kit tires and wheels exhaust bunch load of other stuff.. oh and i need to get head light bezels so i can finally get rid of those hokey jc whitney ones.. is there a reason why i cant use 49-50 bezels? or a way to make them work?
Great start on this little Ford looks like it will be a pretty easy build, if there is one that is ever easy. I am a Hot Rod guy, never even looked at the Custom car area here on the HAMB until last week and I have been a member for a decade. I really have always liked open wheel cars and exposed engines, that's just me. Then about a week ago someone posted a thread on "Sectioned and not Chopped" not really my kind of deal put I looked anyway. And I'll be damned if there weren't quite a few shoe box fords pictured in that thread. I feel in love with those damned old Fords. The coupes are just cool, even though I have "NO" desire to section one. So the hunt begins. Going tomorrow to look at a coupe a 50 model in the next over state. Not nearly as nice as this car not by a long shot. But I think it will fill an itch I am having over these little Fords. Looking forward to seeing what you do to this very nice little car.
Hey thanks! Good luck on the 50! Post a pic if you get it. I used to be more of a muscle car guy. My dad grew up drag racing, then took me to the drags as a kid and I was hooked. My first car was a 68 fastback mustang. And I still have a 68 coupe now. My first shoebox ford I had was a 50 choptop that needed a lot of work and I ended up getting rid of it to help out my parents I regretted it ever since.. not the helping out my parents part. When this coupe popped up I had to jump on it. I figured I saved a ton just on sheet metal alone. I slowly became a custom guy.. just creeps up on me , and one thing I learned about going fast , it cost a lot of money. I figured a custom just needs to be low and slow and it’s cool. Then of course the going fast part tugs at the corner of my mind and now the stroker motor looks like it’s getting taken out of the mustang to be stuffed in the 51.. best of both worlds..
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