Projects Resurrection of a Family Heirloom….

My dad is actually hanging on to it for me till I start using my 53 regularly. As funny as that sounds considering I'm almost forty him being a long time comic and collectible guy means it won't be at risk for damage until I start keeping it in the truck. This cooler is in actually pretty good condition. Could use a repaint but original paint and lettering is readable and very vibrant. Best part is in a functional aspect it's mint. So I'll actually be able to use it

 

And I'll keep an eye out for a Pepsi cooler. I see vintage coolers of different makes fairly regular

 

That’s kinda what I’m thinking about but I know when it comes to the paint and body I want to change a couple of things but nothing drastic. That has been the issue with me because I look at a car and want to cut it up and make it better so to speak and my dad who always has his original did appreciate me and my hot rods. I think deep down he was wanting another one but couldn’t bring himself to alter this one. I have his woody that is a 998 point Grand National winner in both the AACA and won the Dearborn Award with the V8 Club so that one I will never touch other than keeping it clean and running.

But for right now a change in stance and some modern upgrades are in order and after driving it for a while I might do more things to it when I tear it down for paint and body. Just me getting the garage cleaned and organized felt like a violation of his privacy so to speak but I did get over that and now I’m embracing the privilege of being able to work in there and using the tools that we amassed through the years. It’s kinda weird emotionally and I’m just getting used to carrying the torch so to speak.

 

Sweet please do!!

 

When I install the air conditioning in my shoebox I never ever considered the under dash unit that simply looks awful so I chose to go with a more conventional system setup behind the dash with ducted outlets. I chose to use Old Air Products who are located in fort Worth Texas because unlike anybody else's design the coil and fan arrangement is such that the fan is on the downstream side of the cooling and heating coils. That arrangement makes your system a lot quieter than a blow through arrangement plus the coils are able to operate a little bit more efficiently due to a more even velocity of air through the coils.

Here is a link to my website showing how it's done.. and if you choose you can tap the Home*****on in the upper left to check out everything else I did to build The Judge!

I'm glad to see that you don't have plans to go crazy with modifications.. That's a great looking car with truckloads of memories..(even the paint job). Honor your dad...

https://49fordcoupe.smugmug.com/Air-Conditioning-System/

 

Thanks for the input and I can tell you that Old Air is the way to go! I had one of their heat/def/ac units in my last 51 that was my daily driver for many years and it worked great. The best part about the one I used it sat in the exact spot the heater lived and was just about the same size and looked factory. I even had the control panel that went into the dash where the original one was so it was a very clean and simple install.

I’m going to try and make this install look more like “if Ford did put in ac” and not have a lot of extra stuff like polished this and chrome that and if I can hide the lines then I’m for that too.

The only thing that bothers me and I’m trying to figure a way around this is the wiring. Dad put all new harnesses in the car and they are from Dennis Carpenter and I’m sure they are still in great condition but doing a 12 volt conversion I’d rather have my Painless Wiring harness in the car but that’s where it gets tricky. I have to pull the old out then install the new which is not that big of a deal and makes it easier for a conversion. But I have to pull the headliner out or at least undo it on the drivers side to run the wiring to the back. It’s 35+ year old cloth interior and yes it’s in mint condition but it’s still over 35 years old and I’m afraid of it falling apart and that would really*****

With all of the under hood mods I’m planning it would behoove me to change it out. OR…….. find more cloth wire and build my own or modify another harness from Carpenter that would fit the factory installed look that Im shooting for. Hence the “Pro Traditional” look

 

I also used the painless kit with maximum circuits I think it was 28 but don't put money on that. The only thing I can think of that would involve your headliner would be your interior lights on the b column. If you choose to put your battery and fuse block in the trunk you can run your bundles over the right rear fender well and down to The underside of the car and forward inside a PVC pipe for protection. Then if you can trace your existing wiring to the b column for the lights You might be able to tie that in under the dash and back feed it without disturbing the headliner.. Check this out..

https://49fordcoupe.smugmug.com/Wiring-the-Car/

 

If the present 6 volt wiring is in good shape and handles the amp loads safely, it should be more than sufficient to handle the 12 volt conversion. The higher voltage = less amperage, right? How many new circuits would be needed to add the A/C?

 

I’m thinking about adding 4 to 6 just so I have enough just incase. I’m going to put an electric fan on it along with whatever it takes for the ac and possibly an electric fuel pump if I decide I need one later in life

 

The over riders are crazy cool, but it must be a right pain to get into the far corners of the trunk or the hood.

 

I use an Old Air Products in my 56 and cannot say anything other it’s a great unit. I know it’s 12 volts but the total draw on my car with the AC on high fan, lights on, and stepping on the brake is 32 amps. With the ran on low it’s 27 amps. The original wire size to the dash is a #10 with is rated for 30amps and has a protection factor of more. The AC fan is never on high because it will freeze you out and I rarely drive at night. I did change to an alternator because of the AC compressor mount.
As a point of interest a friend has a 62 Fairlane 260 V8 Sport Coupe with Factory AC and a 40 amp generator and he is the original owner.

 

You know I really haven’t tried digging in the trunk yet but as far as under the hood it’s not bad at all.

Okay tried the trunk and it’s not too bad but I’m reaching in as far as I can over the trunk guard. So yeah it looks like it might take a little finagling

 

I'd agree that for a driver you'd want to replace the 12 year old tires. But instead of discarding them, maybe someone could use them on a "trailer queen" or on a static display vehicle. Maybe hang them up as wall-art. Or if you spend any time at the lake you could make some mighty fancy dock bumpers out of them!

Maybe @Moriarity or someone else has some cool old service station tire display stands that need a new-looking wide whitewall donut stuck in them. If you're worried about somebody actually driving on them, just drill a couple holes in the inboard sidewalls and you'll be able to sleep better at night.

From looking at the pictures, I don't know that I'd be too anxious about repainting the car if the current finish is still sticking on it good. It's got a sort of appealing "glow" to it as it sits. At least to my slightly tired eyes.

 

Sorry you lost family. That cherry Ford is in great hands, just beautiful shape, too. Yes, someone could use those expired tires for mockup.

 

Well I sorta put them on a car that I’m trying to get out of my backyard so I can build a bigger shed for all the parts that I have in both of the garages. The tires on it were new when it was parked and there was no saving them so I tossed the wide whites on it because they hold air and they make it a selling point

 

That is a beautiful car!!

 

My two cents regarding "old" tires. I bought a set because I needed to mock up the Jaguar XJS IRS that I put in The Judge, and that was back in 2011. In 2020 I made a 400 mile round trip up to Dallas from Austin, and on the way back (about half way) everything started shaking. Thinking that it was a bad job of finishing the roadwork, and subconsciously realizing that the prudent thing to do was to let off the gas (75 to 80 mph), about the time I got down to around 20 mph, BOOM ! Passenger side front tire let go. This was at sundown, and the AAA website was down and I could not reach a single person. So I had to find my own wrecker to get me home..... I got home at around 11:30 for $400. Nine year old tires, perhaps 1,000 miles on the tires. So I bought a new set......expensive.. nearly $700 for the pair. Back in the old days, we would only have to buy new tires when the tread was shiny... They are doing this on purpose, ya know....

Did you peruse the Air Conditioning Gallery on my website?
Additionally, if you DO repaint, and you DO take the dash out, you may want to consider what I did to mount all the A/C control knobs in the dash. As you know every dash hole is different and real goofy shapes. Including the radio mount. I welded it up and bought a conventionally shaped radio/amp..I'm sure you already know all you have to do on your gauges is install a 12V/6V voltage reducer on the instrument panel feed wire.

Here is the Interior Gallery which contains the dash modifications to mount the A/C controls and a bunch of other stuff.
https://49fordcoupe.smugmug.com/The-Interior/

And as for the tire replacement....GRRR
https://49fordcoupe.smugmug.com/New-Rear-Tires/

 

I finally ordered the parts I was missing from Shoebox Central for the front drop and got a call from Chris wanting to know if I would be okay with some shocks that were returned or I could wait until next week for a unopened box set. I told him that it didn’t matter and while he was here……. I ended up buying the rear leaf spring kit to drop the back a full 5” and it should sit nice like my previous Shoebox. I will say this Chis is one hell of a nice guy and super helpful!!

 

Well kids since it’s warm out (70’s) I couldn’t wait to get out of the house and start doing something to my car. So I started putting the disc brakes on and while I’m at it go ahead and put the dropped springs on. After messing around with trying not to mess up anything I said to hell with it and pulled the entire front end off the car so I can clean up the frame rails and under the wheel wells and paint them. And even though the front end didn’t have around 10,000 miles or so on it the rubber around the ball joints and a arms were looking kinda soft and since it’s been 25+ years since dad rebuilt it I figured I would replace all of it since I only have 20 of everything you need to rebuild one. So now I need to clean and paint all of the stuff I pulled off and maybe paint it next week if it’s going to be nice out. And yes it does kill a car just sitting there not doing anything because it’s nasty and tons of spider webs underneath it.

 

Well I finally have an update on my car!!! Since I am still working on the house here and there and I have a lawn company that loves to put the fertilizer to the yard I haven’t had much time to stay focused on the build but I sure have an intimate relationship with the lawn equipment around here I have put all new front and rear suspension, new brakes and tires and detailed a lot of the undercarriage to get it to this stage. Although all I did wash give it a good wash it still needs to have the chrome polished and I’m going to buff the paint out and go fill it up at Costco I am just tickled pink to be able to enjoy it now.
So yesterday I was able to get the car out of the backyard and actually put a mile or two on it! It’s actually an act of God to get anything out of the backyard because of the other cars and trailer that’s parked in the driveway but after a few hours it was sitting in my front yard thanks for the help from my granddaughter Ava.

 

Yesterday I finally found time to take the car on the road for a substantial drive and do a shake down. I ran some errands mid morning when the traffic was light just incase something went south on me. No problems at all fortunately but later this weekend I’ll be getting under the car seeing why the emergency brake is sticking. I’m thinking that it’s sat for so long that the cable or handle is frozen and needs to be repaired or replaced. Other than that it felt really good to get out and enjoy the view from the windshield.

 

Well kiddos it’s time for an update on the little rascal. I haven’t really done a lot to her other than driving her around ever so often, but that’s going to change as soon as I finish painting my house this weekend/next week. Since @guthriesmith got his shoebox he has been influencing me in a good way and I’m fixing to start driving her way more and working on a few things while I’m at it.

The first thing I’m doing is putting a 6v fuel pump on her since the fuel evaporates so fast after sitting for a couple of days and I’m swapping the muffler out to a glass pack. I plan on driving the car more and make it my daily per se’ while I’m working on my OT Lariat. Since I’m doing the body and paint on it I’m gonna do a little shaving on the ‘51 and clean it up a bit by nosing and decking it along with shaving the emblems and extra trim off. Yeppers it’s time to make her mine now!

 

Very cool! Looking forward to the updates!

 

Yeah you say that now but when my dad comes back to haunt me I’m sending him straight to you!

 

As usual life found a way to get in the way so now I’m able to work on her to make her a daily driver. I’ll post some pics of what I’ve done/doing when it gets light out and I get out to the garage. I did install the fuel pump and it works great but you have to make sure the wires are connected right otherwise it will run in reverse. And since it’s a positive ground you need to ignore the instructions and play it by ear.

I did find out that the flexible hose to the fuel pump had a bunch of cracks and sprayed the engine bay when I hit the switch for the first time so I replaced it with a NOS one I have and it works perfectly. In fact I dont think I even need the electric pump on it now but I’ll leave it on anyway. I drove it to Sam’s to fill it up and grab some goodies for the house and I found out that the emergency brake cable is very stiff (didn’t want to retract) and the speedometer cable is acting stupid with the needle bouncing around. So after searching the forums for information on how to remedy the situation which is a huge blessing since I can’t bounce anything off my dad anymore, I ran to O’Rileys and picked up the stuff I needed. Also the wiper motor is a bit sticky so I got some Kroil to fix it and that stuff went up in price to $28 for the small can.

It really hurts a car sitting around so I’m gonna have to work through the bugs so it’s reliable like Jeff’s car.

 

Sounds like it's getting all of the little bugs out. You mention Kroil for the wiper motor. Are you just freeing up linkage, or are you putting it in motor to soften up the paddle?

 

You must have forgot that my car is still broke? Hoping to work on it this evening. And, glad to hear you are getting stuff done. Also, good reminder on the positive ground when considering putting the electric pump on. I haven't gotten to that yet. Just squirting gas in the vent tube with a little honey bear squirt bottle (that my wife wasn't too excited when she saw I used it)...

 

@guthriesmith I bet you she'd be even more upset, if you left that honey bear bottle on the breakfast table!