ive always loved a shoebox. been very close to buying one many time but something always happend.. i found this one a little over an hour away from me and picked it up last sat. it was restored about 10 years ago and shows. its a 20 footer but it runs and drives. it needs some love and some things switched up.
my original thought was to pu my cragar mags on it but i like the 14" wheels. i have some 14" E-Ts that i like better than the am racing but theyre starting to grow on me. i will remove the front and rear bumper guards. and try to find a larger steering wheel. its a A/M 14" i'll look for a 15. its been awhile since ive owned a car without power steering. the motor is a 70s 302 i believe. havent looked to far into that yet. for now just clean it up and change up a few things so i can drive it the rest of the summer i have to fix or replace the hood hinges or springs. something wrong is going on there.
Sure is a really nice shoebox hopefully you can just WD40 the hinges and be okay. I don’t know exactly what the difference is between them but the ‘49 hinges are a different critter than the ‘50 and ‘51’s. But the spring should be the same
If it doesn't already have one be sure to install a safty catch on the hood. The 49's are known for hoods flying up when traveling.
I love these cars and have many.The 1950 Fords were advertised as improved in 50 ways because of the squeaks and rattles in the 49s. You may want to compare the 49 and 50 to see what Ford did to make the 50s better
Hood hinges were one of the "'50 Ford, better in 50 ways" that Ford itself admitted to. I don't know if the '50 hinges are a bolt on update, but it would be nice if they were.
I think that they bolt to the car no problem but the brace in the hood is different?!? I had a ‘49 but never got past chopping the top and fitting doors
I agree, very nice 49. I noticed the lack of good Hood fit right off. The 49 is well known for the Hood flying up at speed more so than the 50-51's. The 51 hinges are better in that they have a bolt horizontal through the firewall and hinge bracket. That stops them from flopping up and down with road bumps. The other Major issue with all 3 years is the stock Core Support, or should I say lack of support. They are extremely week in the support department. They are nothing more than an open at the top U bracket. Also, the reason the Rad brackets are torn loose from the top tank. Add to it the factory air dam. There is virtually No support to stop the weight of the fenders from spreading the U bracket apart at the Top. Now add it the Crappy Spring and single bolt dead center at the Bottom of the U mount. You now have a Rock-n-Roll system damaging the total bolt together system and also why the Hood Latch lets go and Up goes the Hood. Look it over and you'll understand what I'm saying. Hit a good pothole at any speed and the front fenders shake sideways and that movement shocks the hood latch slide and releases the latch, you can't stop in Stock form no matter how nice of a fit adjustment you have and that fit will never stay there if you really drive your car. The Top rear corner Fender mounts to the pinch weld also add Nothing to the support system. I've cured these issues many times (every one I've worked on) over 50 years with my own updates. It's also been years since I've done one. Wish I had photos of the bottom modification I do but I don't. I add a pair of ears to the bottom corners of the big U mount bracket and remove the center bolt/spring joke. Now I can adjust and shim the outside corners as needed. Elevation there is critical to Hood Fit and Latch. Don't F that up. Next is tie the Top of that big U bracket together. I do have a photo of that, but you have to look close to even know it's there. A simple piece of 1"x 1/8" angle iron bolted to the Top ends and fits under the Top Tank of the Rad does the job. Now the fenders can't shake sideways. End of problem, well at least for me. This car now has 85K miles on it and never had the latch fail. Knowing how to adjust properly and good pin and finger also helps a lot. Best of luck to ya. This works well for me, you may or may not have the same results.
wed i removed the bumper guards. yesterday i bought extra stainless steel carriage bolts to replace them. somethings not right with the steering wheel. i removed last night. i'll try to finish that up tonight. i found some year correct license plates on ebay. i'll buy some this weekend so i can get to the dmv and make this thing legal
Is the steering wheel hub splined or Keyed? Are you trying to get it centered while going straight down the road?
Beautiful car. I like it all except that those "eyebrow" headlight rings that just frankly steal from the factory designed "smoothness" of the 49-50 Shoe Box cosmetics. If those were a factory accessory, I understand.
He beat me to it, those are very distracting from the looks of the car. Especially with mag wheels, They might fly with wide whites and caps but with the mags it needs the simpler original rings. The big problem with them is that they just flat stand out too much on that car and you see them before you see the car it's self. Stuck on as an afterthought rather than a working part of the package.
I don't agree. The stock hood emblem, The standing tall antena, The back-up light and door glass shades, scuff guards on the door handles all go together for me. The Torque Thrust D's and exhaust tips would get changed if it were mine but I'm not the owner.
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