1952-59 Ford Advice needed with '55 Customline fuel system

Hi everyone

I am Will from Belgium and a proud owner of a '55 Ford customline 223 L6 Ford-O-Matic, with vacuum wipers. The car has been build in Belgium.
I would like to have some advice on which combination of fuel pump/carburator I should place, while keeping the wipers going on vacuum.
The carb has to be replaced, I can rebuild the fuel pump, but before doing that, I rather make the right choice of parts and methods.
It's not intended to be a race car, just want a reliable and (as economic as possible) fuel system.
The fuel pump now is an original AC 4207 with dual vacuum(with gl*** bowl)
The Carb is an original 1904 Holley 1BBL(the one with the gl*** bowl, which always leaks )

Greetings from Belgium

W.

1955 Ford Customline L6 223, Ford-O-Matic by Will71 posted Aug 26, 2017 at 3:16 PM

 

Welcome, Will. That's a very good looking car, I had no idea Ford had a plant in Belgium. If you want to keep the vacuum wipers then your fuel pump choice is limited to another dual action pump or rebuild the one you have. One other option is to place a vacuum canister (a device intended for the storage of "nothing", oddly enough) in the vacuum line between the intake manifold and the wiper motor. That way if you switch to a single action fuel pump your wipers won't stop when you step on the gas. The carb is a different can of worms. If all original, the ignition is the Ford Loadamatic system. Essentially the carb and distributor are a matched pair; the distributor has no centrifugal advance. All the ignition advance is accomplished by vacuum through special p***ages in the carb. If you change to a different carb that does not have the p***ages the distributor advance won't work correctly. If you change to a later distributor that has both vacuum and centrifugal advance you can use any carb except the original.

 

Hi Dobie

Thank you for your reply. It is indeed the system that you describe. Vacuum line from dist to carb.
Question is, which is the best choice regarding reliable driving and as economical as possible?

Greetings!

 

If you mean economical as far as getting it going then rebuilding your carb will be the cheapest way. If that's not an option then replace the distributor with one for a later model that has both centrifugal and vacuum advance and a later model carb that doesn't have the Loadamatic p***ages. If you had a V8 I could tell you exactly which distributor and carb you need, but since it's a six cylinder I have no idea. I'm sure someone on this forum will know and will chime in.

Update: I just checked Rockauto and they have a remanufactured carb for $148 USD. They sell them on an exchange basis so there is also a core charge of $75 which they refund to you when they receive your old carb. They also have a rebuild kit if you'd rather go that route. They do ship internationally.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+223cid+l6,1338612,fuel+&+air,carburetor,5904

 

The Loadamatic system was designed with fuel economy in mind and it worked well for that, it just wasn't good for high performance. I don't think switching to a later distributor and carb will gain you much in fuel economy, at least not enough to justify the cost. That in mind, I suggest you replace the carb or rebuild it and replace the distributor with a rebuilt one, also available at Rockauto by the way. Replacing both will ensure both components of the "matched pair" are in equally good condition. These old cars in their as-built configuration are quite happy on the 87 octane regular gas we have over here. I don't know how octane is rated in Europe but I'm sure the equivalent will work just as well. No need to spend money high octane fuel, your engine doesn't need it.

 

Hey Dobie
That is what I'm going to do, My intuition tells me the same.
Examined the dist today and I noticed that the contact breaker point gap was too small. Problem, one of the 2 screws holding the contact breaker is totally screwed up, done by the previous owner. Not the first time, had to fix much other engines and stuff caused by ... how do you call them? I allways first examine and check manuals before doing something :/
Dobie, you gave me good advice and hints.
If I can help, let me know, or better, if you ever plan to go on vacation to Belgium, I'll show you the coolest places and introduce you to the world's best beers
If you're not a beer lover, there's still our famous chocolate or the fries we've invented. ;-)
Beside all this, we have much meetings, you'd be amazed when you see what people have here.
What is, or, what are your projects? Let me know, always interested.

Gratefully thank you, I'm on the right trace now, love My car

W.

 

I usually call them things I can't say on the forum...

I do like my beer and I love Belgian chocolate. Fries? I thought they were French...

Thank you kindly for the invitation and if I ever do visit Belgium I will let you know.

My project is a 1955 Mercury Monterey coupe lead sled. If you're unfamiliar with the term, a lead sled is a customized car. Originally lead was used to fill body seams, contour panels, etc. hence the name. Mine is done in the style of the late 50s/early 60s mild customs.

 

Hi Dobie

You're welcome
Yes, lead was used a very long time ago, quite a good way to full and to work on. Didn't now they it like that
That's a really nice car, and from the same year.
The car is lowered in the rear, isn't it?

 

Yes, 3 inch blocks in that photo. I've since changed to 2 inch blocks to reduce the strain on the rear u-joint and so I don't have to sneak up on high railroad crossings, driveways, etc.