1952-59 Ford More work on the 55 hot rod mainline

more work on the 55 with the rad fan and upper housing done




exhaust is done


rear seat back steel done



and the dash holes hogged out and moved to put the dials in having smoother out the top dash also the radio push ****on hole has been filled and will be cut out for the idiot lights

 

Nice work.

 

Looking good. What radiator did you use to fit in the slot like that? Would love that extra room but didnt want to cut up the piece to achieve it.

 

The rad was custom built for me by a race car radiator builder and has an adjustable fan switch so you can chose the temp that the fan kicks in at

 

That fan/radiator set up is super nice.

 

Your metal working skills are over the top. One really nice car there.

 

not my skills but my friend Mark at
http://www.wisbechengineering.com/

 

Roll bar going in

 

Looking great so far. Love the radiator and fan set up.

 

Looks nice. I am interested in those wheel tubs. How big of a tire are you running and did you change the rear suspension at all?

 

That dash looks great. HRP

 

hi the tyres are 28x10 00r15 mickey tomson sportsman sr and the tubs are as far back as the ch***is rail will allow . the axle is from a 69 -70 mercury cougar (absolutely no cheby parts on this car ) which has been shortened and converted to 31 spline and large bearings with .track lock diff .strange shafts and converted to disk brakes using English ford granada calipers all on a stainless steel 4 bar with control rod and adjustable coilovers

 

Looking great.

 

I checked out the pics on the link you posted. I can't believe you can fit that big of a tire in there with the stock frame rail. I can't wait to see some more pics.

 

Its very very tight in there and changing the wheel is going to involve taking off the lower coilover mounts and jacking the car right up in the air leaving the wheels and axle behind untill the opening clears the wheel

 

I keep trying to figure out how the exhaust pipe exits out the side in front of the tire. Are you rolling in under the ch***is or did you exit behind the spring arch in the ch***is. I would like to do that and was thinking of hugging the ch***is behind the spring perch.

Ralph

 

yes the exhausts run back and then turn out where the ch***is arches up where the front spring mount used to be

 

Thanks for sharing the pictures. The floor is so low in these cars that rear suspension options are quite limited IMO. You did a nice job of fitting that 4 bar in very little space.

 

That side exhaust exit had been on my to do list for a while now, but I just couldnt imagine how to do it to clear the frame.. and I'm a bit ashamed since, from your description, I still dont get it. If you got the time, could you please post a pic of it from the muffler to the tip?
Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work.

 

i will do that but it may be a few weeks as the car is all stripped down now and is off to be blasted and painted however as soon as the ch***is is painted i will be re ***embling the rolling ch***is with the engine and exhaust and then i will be able to show you properly how it works .. im not sure if the way its done on this car would even work with the old leaf springs in place as the 4 bar mounts are further back than the origional spring shackles

 

just found these and in one you can see the ch***is curving up




this shows the finished job with the tube chaneled into the rocker



hope that helps Dunk

 

It sure helps and your work is really clean. Very good looking.
I've got the stock leafs, so I'll have to think a bit more. I guess I can have it exiting behind the wheel, but that way I'll have to go over the axle like the stock exhaust did.
Lets see.
Keep us posted.
Regards

 

At last the mainline is out of the workshop and at the paint shop . I go in next week to take the body off then the ch***is will be blasted and have all the old unused holes welded up and a coat or two of black gloss and then i can start the re ***emble while the paint guy gets on with the bodywork .

 

A while back someone had grafted the front fender flares unto the rear fenders it looked good and took care of the tire changing issue,just a thought as maybe someone could Photoshop that so you can see the effect.

 

I thought of that but didnt want to go that way and before i removed the body from the ch***is i had a go at changing the back wheel and its no big deal really its just one bolt on the bottom of the coilover shock and lift it a bit further than you normally would but well within the reach of a normal trolly jack . I wont be carrying a spare anyway as i have AA cover .
Got the body off and the ch***is is at the blasters and will be painted next week then i can get on with ***embling the rolling ch***is with engine fitted and ready for the body going back on

 

More info on the four link would be helpful!

 

best thing to do is when i get the ch***is back i will take some detailed pics of the suspension and exhaust before i fit the body and take measurments if anybody wants them ..There are some pics on my 55 mainline build gallery that may help . The 4 link rear isnt from a kit it was all made to fit for the car taking into account that i didnt want a fuel cell in the trunk and the battery had to be in the back so the control link had to go forwards rather than sat behind the axle .Like i say the best thing is in a couple of weeks the ch***is will be back in my workshop and i will do some detailed pics of the suspension going back in and hopefully that will answer any questions ...Dunk[

 

I'll try to keep watching. For some reason even though I am watching, I don't get email notifications on this site.

 

found a ton of chair wadding and walnut shells in the ch***is so must have had rats living in it ? im glad none of it caught fire while the ch***is welding was going on

 

Looking good.
My ford has olive leafs in the most incredible places.