Technical starting an 8BA after sitting 36 years

STARTING AN 8BA AFTER SITTING 36 YEARS

After reading the title my first thought was "you need to see a doctor asap, worry about the car later".

 

I'll get an appointment scheduled tomorrow! HA! HA!

 

Well, after seeing my Dr. last week, I'm back at it. Prognosis is good! Only a few scrapes, bruises and a sprained wrist, nothing broken. My dogs got tangled up in my feet and I fell over like a big old oak tree! Anyway, I rebuilt the carb and fuel pump and reinstalled them. Also, I replaced the coil, points and condenser, cap and rotor along with the wire from the coil too the distributer. No spark! After looking for the problem Trouble shooting, I found the problem. When I tightened the screw with the ground wire that secures the points, the ground wire turned with the screw and made contact with the points, shorting them out. I'm putting the plugs back in and connecting the plug wires back on today. Getting closer to starting the old girl up!

 

Yesterday I installed the radiator hoses and ran a fuel line to the pump. I put 2 gallons of antifreeze in the radiator. I added an ounce of Marvels mystery oil to the fuel and primed the fuel pump. I checked for leaks-none! Today, the big day, is finally here! After a few tries, it popped off for about two seconds! I set the choke on, pumped the throttle a couple of times and walla! Just like that, She's Alive! I'll try to post a video of it later. Oh yah, no blue smoke! The water pumps are a little noisy.

 

After a closer inspection, the right water pump is a little noisy, the left water pump doesn't turn at all. Hence the smell of rubber burning. I am going to rebuild both water pumps as soon as I get a 10-ton press from good old Harber freight. I have three 1950 ford coupes. Only one that runs. I want to get the one in my avatar painted. but I don't want to have nothing to drive as it gets blown apart and painted. I LOVE getting these old 1950 Ford coupes on the road and I would save every one of them I see that is sitting in a field, or for sale! I Love the 1950 Ford Coupe!

 

FWIW, I just bought two new water pumps for my 59AB from Mac VanPelt way cheaper than Speedway. I was going to rebuild the ones I had but VanPelt's price was just a couple dollars more , with ceramic seals, than a rebuild kit and I didn't have to do it.

 

Thanks, I will check them out for sure! I have more I need to rebuild, but I if the price is right-no brainer!

 

I would love to see the pan dropped in the meantime. It's not that many bolts. I would love to hear, "See, no garbage in there!" I would almost bet money there is at least crap in the screen but most likely sludge sitting in the pan. Less and less need to avoid this simple task, especially if you are delayed for other upgrades.
Ran into a buddy at a show today with an old original T I helped get started this spring. It had been stored indoors in a showroom. All looked good and even so after an oil change and 20 miles. He saw the screen was dirty this am and rushed all morning before the show to pull the pan and remove all the sludge not evident at first. I told him I would never run one again without that simple preventative procedure. He had to admit it would have been the right thing to do. I think he got first today.
A) I want success for you long term(not just to see it run - I know it will.)
B) I want to be proven wrong! Please prove me wrong and I'll owe you a favor.
Best of luck,
D

 

Well, I bought two water pump rebuild kits from Vanpelts a month ago. My friend told me he would rebuild them for some parts he needed. Long story short he broke the impellers while trying to press them on and then one of my pulleys could be put on by hand(loose). I gave up on them and found a pair (of pumps) on Ebay for $75.00 with shipping included. Rebuilt but sitting on a shelf for years. I cleaned and painted them and installed them last week. I removed the thermostats a couple of days ago and cleaned and painted the housings last night in my basement. Too cold outside. I plan on buying a camera scope to look in the pan and oil pump screen and pulling the intake off to take a look and paint it also. My plans are to get the car road worthy and leave the body just as it is. I will pull the pan if it needs cleaned out. Also, to paint it. Lipstick on a pig

 

Pull the heads and Intake, fill the lifters/cam and piston rings with 50-50 mix of acitone and ATF. Let ir sit till it drains thru, tap the open valves with a plastic hammer turn the engin Tap the rest of the valves to loosen then all. Turn the engine over by hand to free up the rings in the bores. drain all the oli mixture out and add 50 weight oil, thru the cam opening to oil up the cam good turn the engine over 5 to 10 revolutions. put it back together and fire it up.

 

I got the thermostats in a couple of days ago. 160 degrees with two 3/16 holes drilled at 12 and 6 o'clock as suggested by Shoebox Central. Pics of the old ones I removed.

 

This video is from Sept. 2, 2022.

 

This is also on Sept. 2, 2022

 

Cool. What was that squalling? Didn't sound like a belt to me.
How many miles does it have on it as of this time almost a year later?
D

 

Did you notice what you had for oil pressure? For me, that would indiicate the next step with the engine. From what I can see, the car looks pretty solid. In the short glimpses I did see, there didn't seem to be any large rust holes and the grille looked good.

I have a '51 club coupe and I really like these cars.

 

Fantastic. Well done!

 

The coupe has 79, 000 miles on it. The squealing was a belt sliding over a stuck water pump and the other one was squealing as well. I replaced the water pumps, thermostats, coil, points, starter switch, oil, filter. ground strap and a few other small items. I rebuilt the carb and fuel pump. I removed the radiator hoses, radiator, generator, belts and fan assembly last fall. Yesterday I rigged some brass fittings together and installed a mechanical oil pressure gauge. I filled the fitting that screws into the oil filter can with solder and drilled a .0595 hole in it for the restrictor fitting (Irwin drill bit #53). As soon as I get the radiator cleaned out and reinstall the belts hoses generator and fan. back on I am going to check the oil pressure.

 

I couldn' wait to put the cooling system back together. The oil pressure was still coming up when I shut it off. I only ran it for about 30 seconds.

 

Thanks for posting and showing all the details of your process. Very helpful to others. All this great care should make for solid rescue of this flatty.

Could you explain why you felt it was necessary to use a restrictor fitting?

 

I posted a thread (8ba low oil pressure/restrictor fitting) From what I understand the restrictor fitting allows the oil pressure to remain high in the engine and the oil pressure in the oil filter canister to be reduced helping to keep the lid from blowing its seal and leaking. Hope this helps.

 

I'm gonna guess that most of the old canister / bypass systems used a restrictor, not just Ford.