1952-59 Ford My Project

I wanted to give everyone a little update on what I've been up to.

First, Thanks to everyone for the information and advice so far. I appreciate all the help. Second, when I introduced myself I said I was new to "old" car thing, I meant to say I am extremely new. I have learned in the past few weeks that I have nothing and I know even less. I guess the silver lining is that I am young, single, have a decent job, and am stupid-if you say I need to get it then I most likely will. I have, I think, put together a decent little workshop in my garage.

This past week I finally did some serious work on my car. I had torn out most of the interior before, things that I could do myself. Saturday I got the oil changed, not too big of a mess, but needed a little advice, again, thanks to everyone here for the information.

 

Even if you think you don't know too much..... there are guys on here willing and quite able to ***ist you in anything you need.... that is what's great about this group. By the time you're finished with your car, you'll be an expert giving advice to the new "new guy". Keep up the positive at***ude!

 

Be sure you are very organized when you dismantle something. If you dont in the end youll end up with a pile of nuts and bolts not knowing what they went to!

 

You've come to the right place. There are all levels of knowledge represented here. I fall somewhere in the middle, and am continously learning and doing/trying things that initially scare the hell out of me, but with excellent advice and attention to detail, I usually succeed.

Vein gives some good advice there about dismantling things. What I do is keep a box of ziplcok sandwich baggies handy and some post-its. When the nuts/bolts come off of something, they go into a sandwich bag with a note that describes what they're for, with enough detail that I will understand it months or years away. (I was using s****s of paper, but the post-its are cheap and are the perfect size)

This little process has saved my tail with my current project. It got put on hold for two years due to a job layoff and now that I'm piecing it back together it is oh-so-nice to have all my fasteners in nice little bags with descriptions, not to mention the expense that I'm saving by not buying fasteners.

 

Vein makes a very good point. The solution is what I call "Foose Bags", a term coined on the TV show, "Overhaulin'".

Foose Bags are plastic freezer bags with zipper tops which come in lots of different sizes at the grocery store. Keep a supply of bags handy and, as you dis***emble each ***embly, put the fasteners in a bag...then mark it.

Everything makes perfect sense one day, but as I get older, it may not be quite as clear after a week or three has gone by. The bags make the whole process soooooo much easier!

Yes, your situation has a very good side, as you've pointed out. Most of us have had at least one project delayed...sometimes permanently...by a girlfriend who isn't into cars.

Here's another bit of advice you probably don't want to hear: Girls and cars don't mix.

Live it...or don't. But at least your car won't smile...and then plot against you.

 

I'm kind of in the same boat as Felty. Experience-wise I 'm still a novice, but with advice from generous fellows here, and some time working on my ride, I'm becoming more knowledgeable every day. My advice to you is to get your mitts on as much literature as possible and read read read- even if it doesn't make sense to you right away.

I got my ride in July '08 and I was doing research for at least 2 years before; not on my particular make and model, but the years close to it. I read car 'zines up the yin yang, study this beeyuteeful place called the HAMB, get lots of old Hot Rod and Rod and Custom compilation books, talk to as many "old timers" who have been in the life forever as I can, etc.

Even though I haven't done a ton of work on my car ( I got lucky, and she doesn't need a lot) I've been doin work. Dont feel stupid asking questions- we all learn from them.

 

Thanks for all the good advice. I really believe this is going to be fun.

Got the wheels back on tonight, after filing the socket to fit the recessed hole on the wheels. Took it for a little spin around the block, up to about 35 mph with no real problems. The brakes feel much better than before.

 

I find plastic cups work even better than the baggies if you have a good shelf or something to store them on. My buddy is in the Marines and they were throwing away these awesome aluminum shelves. I can hold just about an entire car dis***embled on those shelves. Thank god for governmental waste!

 

Yaaaay, Chris!!!! Don't the wind in your face feel better when you're behind the wheel of your own hot rod! Congrats!

 

I am super new to this as well - just gat a 53 ford coupe. my first real project. I have NO car experience so an experienced guy told me to go buy an autoshop type highschool/college textbook. his second piece of advice - take a digital picture of the things you are taking apart so that yo can look back at it if you have to.

seems like good advice so i p*** it on to you

 

Hey 4oldfords! You're near me! I saw that car listed a couple times on the local C-List and even thought about going to look at it. Looked like one hell of a deal! Glad you got it and have decided to throw in with this group of n'er-do-wells here on the HAMB. You'll like it...and as a beginner, perhaps you can benefit from the little bit we know. Don't be afraid to ask questions, even ones that you may feel are simple or stupid. The only stupid question here is an un-asked question. So, if we can help, ask away!

So, in what part of our fair state do you live? I'm in Burleson on the way to Mansfield.

Welcome aboard!

 

i am fairly mew to this site but i agree with the ziplock bagee idea it is wht i use though i don't use post its i use 3x5 cards and a sharpie for extra security i use clear packing tape as a sort of lamination just in case it comes in contact with contaminates i.e. grease . the other advise i can give to you if you are new to the hooby is "DON'T TAKE IT ALL THE WAY APART " limit yourself to what you can do in 2 to 6 months down time . that way you can enjoy the car every year . if you take it too far it could be years til it is back . if ever . it is to easy to lose interest if it takes too much time

 

"...the other advise i can give to you if you are new to the hooby is "DON'T TAKE IT ALL THE WAY APART " limit yourself to what you can do in 2 to 6 months down time . that way you can enjoy the car every year . if you take it too far it could be years til it is back . if ever . it is to easy to lose interest if it takes too much time."

Boy, is this ever good advice. More good projects go astray this way than I can count. Just look at Craig's List for evidence. There's hardly a car on there that's in once piece! Thanks, vintagetinman!

 

Thanks for all the great advice. I finally have a little time off this week. A much needed vacation from work. I am going to register my car this week then check out a few body shops in town. I have been looking at the rusted floor pans and trunk flooring and think it might be more than I can handle. Does anyone have any idea about a decent bid on body work. The entire trunk pan an inner wells and the front driver and p***enger floor pans are pretty shot and most likely need to be completely replaced.

 

All I can say is hold onto your wallet! Finding a shop that will do rust work will not be easy...finding one that will do it right will be even harder!

I do not envy you. I have seen so many poorly done floor jobs...and rocker jobs, and quarter jobs, etc., etc.,... You really need to find a good hotrod shop in your area to get this done the way it should be. Most body shops just can't (or won't) handle it the way it should be handled.

If I were you, Chris, I'd concentrate on getting the mechanical aspects of your car straightened out first, so that it is completely safe and dependable - not just around the block or around town, but for long-distance travel. Cut some sheet metal and screw it down over the bigger holes in the floor if there's any safety issues with the rusted areas, though.

Set the stance you want and be sure the brakes, shocks, bushings, universal joints, engine, cooling system, steering, electrical system, etc. are right up to snuff.

Then drive the car as much as you can, going to cruise nights and local rod runs as often as possible. There's nothing like the sight of an unfinished car to draw other car builders. There's no law that says you need to be an old timer or have a finished car to be active at these events.

While you're doing all that you will gain some familiarity with the "hot rod scene" in your area and make some valuable contacts...and some new friends. These are the people who can guide you to the shop you'll finally use to do your rust work.

By that time you will know what to look for as well. As a newbie you probably don't know good work from bad...but you will learn. And as a knowledgeable consumer you'll be able to pick and choose between the shops/individuals your new friends recommend.

There was a time when a primered car in need of bodywork was looked down upon by "street rodders" and those who have come to be called "gold chainers".

But today's "traditional" hot rodders and custom car builders embrace the unfinished car as an intergral part of the process. So...

Make it safe and dependable, make some new friends, and then make it pretty.

Just my $.02. Hope it works for you.

 

You could think about taking a welding course from a local community college, and going to a rental place for a welder when you get ready.Floor pans are available for decent prices,if you do it yourself you won't get ripped off and you will have the pride of "I DID IT !" plus you will save some$$$

 

Sound advice as usual from the gents in this group. I think replacement floor pans from Dennis Carpenter are $65 or around there.
I've spent the last year doing the drive-in / car show thing and it does work. People who dig your car will talk to you and you'll be able to glean valuable info from them. Don't feel bad about being a newb- let them know you're new to the game and they'll often be happy to help, or at least help you to find out who can help.

 

Very true. I've found that the car scene has changed over the last 20 years.

Back in the 80's and 90's the restorers were more numerous than they are now. I remember being very dissapointed taking my obviously worn 54 to some local meets and having the restorers snub me. Then, the street rodding thing got really big with the advent of Goodguys and the m***ive growth of NSRA, however a lot of these guys were the gold chain, power parkers who could snub with the best of them.

Over the last 5 to maybe 10 years however, I've noticed a resurgence of the average Joe driving basically what he can afford, but more importantly it's guys who tend to be more open to less than perfect cars and are more into doing things themselves (and I'm not talking about the ridiculous rat rod thing...I'm talking about mechanically sound cars that may still be works in progress)

I think this is a great thing, in spite of the fact that I tend to like things more stock looking.

 

Aside from the whole rat rod scene, which I believe holds a lot of (not all) posers and wannabe toughs, I think a lot of us have always suffered (blissfully) from nostalgia. I have been absolutely blown away by the design of the two generations that preceded me. From industrial design to automotive design, I've been stoked from a very young age.

I have wanted a "cl***ic" all of my life. I would pore over my Dad's pictures if all of his old cars and just dream. Last year I was finally able to get my mitts on one and I ain't lookin' back. My ride isn't "show", but I don't care- I'm happy as hell to have it and I'm not gonna let it sit in a garage for who knows how many years before I get to enjoy it- the time is now. I think that there are a lot of guys (and gals) out there feel the same way I do.

 

I've decided my plans are to leave the engine as is for now, eventually putting something with a lot more power into it. That being said, which order would you go in to get it ready for a different engine?

 

I'm confused, Chris. If you're going to leave the engine that's in it now in place, you don't need to do anything...except to make sure it's dependable.

If it runs perfectly, just replace all the rubber stuff and service the cooling system. It would also be a great idea to replace the two water pumps with new ones of the new design which uses ball bearings and curved impellers. Speedway carries them a**** other places.

Doing an engine swap will involve upgrading the entire car - engine, transmission and rear axle. It will also involve a complete rewire and conversion to 12-volt. And probably an upgrade of the brake system to bring the stopping power into line with the going power.

There is the temptation to upgrade just the motor, but this is not a good idea in my opinion. While it is true that swapping in a bigger V8 is the way it was done "back in the day", it is simply not a viable alternative today...for a number of reasons, most of which will become evident as your automotive knowledge and experience grows.

I was planning to replace the flathead in my Vicky by adapting a small Chevy V8 to the original Ford transmission when I first got it. It's an easy, bolt-in swap that's been done a million times. I even got the mounts and adapters to do it.

Then reality set in. Finding repair parts for these cars while on the road is close to impossible. A failed universal joint, rear wheel bearing, throwout bearing, transmission, etc., etc., etc. could leave me stranded for a long time if it happened in East Egypt. (The movie comedy "Doc Hollywood" revolves around this happening to the main character. It's a great movie and really puts travelling in a cl***ic car into perspective.)

I may be in the minority wanting a car that can be easily and quickly repaired using parts available at any auto parts store or wrecking yard in the country.

But I have been there, and I have learned my lesson...the hard way.

So, to answer your question directly I'd suggest that you don't do anything (except a lot of planning) until you're ready to actually do the engine swap. Then do everything at once.

Just my $.02

And, while I've got you on the phone...please post some new photos of your car. Us looooooves pictures!

Eric

 

First, just p***ed another milestone. Drove her to the DMV and registered her in the great state of New Mexico. Amazing that $63 will get the ***le transferred and car registered. Now I need some seatbelts.

I guess what I was meaning is that if I am going to swap the engine should I start working on the other stuff first, the rear end, rewiring, brakes, suspension before I do the engine swap? I would like to do a little at a time as much as I can on my own. I thought, since I have torn out most of the interior and can see every wire, all three of them, that I would work on the rewire first. Not sure where to really start with it.

 

I'm going to stand pat on my previous answer, Chris. I'd still suggest that you make your car completely dependable in it's current configuration and drive it that way until you are ready to do the engine swap. Then do the engine, transmission, rear end, suspension, brakes and electrical all at the same time.

Why? Because otherwise you'll end up doing everything twice.

And, your car will be apart a lot more than it'll be together.

Neither of these is desireable, in my opinion.

Once you get a handle on what you want your car to be when it's completed you can put together a plan on how to make the transformation efficiently. You can gradually gather the parts you'll need and slowly save the money to pay for the work you can't do yourself. This will take time.

All the while you can be driving and enjoying your car in its original condition.

Once you've got your plan, your parts and your savings together, you can do the car fairly quickly...and do it right...and do it only once.

As a newbie, this may not make a lot of sense to you, especially today when you're fresh from the DMV with legal tags and a giant load of testosterone from finally getting your first hot rod legal and on the road.

But once you've built a few cars...and wasted a lot of time, money and energy doing everything twice...you'll understand where I'm coming from.

Just be greatful that your first hot rod is road-worthy now...and that you can enjoy it now. Don't be so anxious to tear it apart right away. There will be plenty of time for that later. Honest.

Eric