It's like eating an Elephant, one bite at a time. I'm also right there with you on an OT project. Looks good, motor sounds good! Put straight pipes on that 292... We are heading to DSM for GG. You going?
I do like the fairlane trim. But agree the straight simple side trim is a clean look. I think I might be in the minority but I prefer the 55s to the 56 too both grill and customline/mainline trim. It's pretty handy with a driveway that falls about 4-5' and the drive is only 35' long or so. Definitely going to get a rope and snatch block at least. The sliding tow strap was a little sketch. Haha. Come along works too but I'd have to reset at least a couple times I think.
Thinking we're going to spend the 4th in Okoboji with my parents. First time in a long time I won't at least make an appearance at good guys Des Moines. Bringing any cars up or just visiting?
That tub was citric acid works well for removing the rust. Just make sure you clean as much oil and grease as possible or the solution gets pretty nasty on the surface. Machine shop hot tanked the block and then I soaked it at home Looks good great stance. Curious what the extra weight will do to my stance when it's back in the car..
I’m bringing up my 39 Ford Sedan But also having a ceremony and internment of my step dads ashes for the Iowa family who couldn’t make it to the Texas funeral, he passed from complications from Covid on Jan 30.
Oh no. Sorry to hear that man. Time with family is always a good thing but it stinks when the occasion is someone's passing.
I purchased a HF 120 winch and concrete anchors. I remove it once the car is inside. My wife sure thanked for doing that.
For what it's worth in spite of me coming late to the party, my first car (besides the hand-me-down mid size pontiac station wagon...) was a 1955 Ford Mainline with the 223 and 3 on the tree. Over the course of owning it I did an engine rebuild, and the rod knock you describe could of course be a number of things, but in my case I left out a rod cap lock nut and eventually that rod loosened and knocked until the rod cap came off and the crank pushed the piston rod through the side of the block by the generator. The knock was getting louder towards the end. The reputation on the 223 was that due to its length oil passages would become blocked and something towards the front end would get starved for oil. All that's peripheral since you're using a Y-block. New windshield and rear window rubber should have the groove for the trim, the only way to install the trim is while the glass is out. I went through that because I wanted to upgrade my trim to fairlane trim. For the sedans Ford used Town Sedan on the Fairlane Fordor Sedan and Club Sedan on the Tudor Sedan. If you're sticking with Customline you don't have a piece of trim on top of the top edge of the quarter panel like I had for the Fairlane, but I will tell you that finding that piece was the most difficult piece for me to find. It's unique to Club sedan and there were not many to be found, and that was in the late '80's.
New weekend, New Project I started before fully finishing the previous one lol. Used some 1/8" strap cut it into a bunch of pieces and booger welded them together to make a fuse block mount fir the new wiring harness. If yall remember my thread in my old '47 ford the wiring was one of the last things I did. And seeing the state if that I wasn't going to make the same mistake of waiting until last to ditch the old shitting wiring. So the engine is done I finished the PCV valley cover swap and got some shiny headers to replace the cast stock manifolds. The transmission was done but I went back to Flat O and got one of his shift lever kits for the C4 problem with that is I have to pull the valve body off to install. That wasn't here last night when I started the fuse panel mount but it showed up today. So as soon as I get that installed and paint the firewall I can install the drive train in the car.
Pretty stoked. We're going to IA in 2 weeks for a few week trip plan is to have the motor in before we leave. @Dan Hay sounds like I may be able to go to good guys on either Friday or Saturday for a little while. Maybe I'll run into you
Hell aren't there a couple guys in Northeast OK could just make a tour out of it to show everyone my crazy family haha.
Still plugging away. Got a new adjustable shift linkage from Flat O for the C4 but had to pull the valve body back off to install. So I did that Tuesday night before I had to fly to IA Wednesday for work. Pretty simple took about 30 minutes and I just did it while the Trans was still hanging off the back of the engine on the dolly. Then while I wait for a dipstick that I completely forgot I didn't have I took a stable at the kickdown linkage... It's not right yet by a long shot. I'm currently hard connection to the throttle linkage which isn't going to work at all. Need to get a slotted end on the linkage so it only operates kickdown at the end of the throw. I.e. foot to the floor for a "passing gear" downshift. Got a couple ideas on how to do it. And if my plan doesn't work you can run no kickdown on a c4 with no ill effects other than needing to manually downshift to pass since these transmissions control regular shifting via vacuum modulator unlike the Chevy th350s and such. And if I really decide I need one I can just buy a lokar kickdown cable. But those are ugly. Got some shiny exhaust manifolds to replace the cast stockers.
Posted on IG too but yesterday I went out and pulled the trans so u could install the torque converter I had intentionally left out while I was waiting for the correct size thread extensions from Flat-O. They arrived as well as a new vacuum modulator and fill tube. All that and it was time to install but first my oldest and youngest had a dance recital. So I had to take a break for that. After recital and getting the kids to bed I went back out and got it installed in the car. Of course with a small garage nice new parts and fresh paint it was a little sketchy but otherwise uneventful. I was even able to install it with no damage and while heeling starter/generator/headers all still attached and not so much as a scratch on any if them. Calling that a win. Plenty of clearance around the steering box for the headers
Haven't done much getting things ready for our trip to Iowa next week. But I'm still bench building per usual. Been thinking some lately about a simple louver pattern on the hood. And now I need y'all to talk me out of it lol.
Yea, what Dan said. Engine looks great! If I were to do louvers, I might use that basic pattern but make the rows longer to cover more of the hood.
Have fun at Okoboji! Spent summers there as a kid and my wife did Summer Theater there during college. Great place and Jackson Speedway is close enough to shoot North for a night of some of the best Sprint car racing on the planet!
Agreed its fun place. Never been to the speedway but might be a tough sell to the family since I'm usually the only car guy lol when we're up that way. Saw you were in hills. Been up there a couple times this year for work. Really ought to start reaching out to people more when I'm traveling. Never been good at initiating meeting fellow car people though lol. Just ask Tim.
A little more custom than mine but do you see what I see https://www.facebook.com/groups/956906891095004/permalink/5164801676972150/
Should be back up there in August sometime to check on some Yesway stores we're remodeling. I'll have to remember to send ya a message around then.
Well it's been a few weeks. Been working on a lot of different things to try and get it finished for a road trip to the gathering at the roc in Oct. As a spectator only obviously. Anyway, been plugging away at wiring, Reassembling the body, changing out tailights, transmission cooler lines, fuel line to pump, radiator install, etc. etc. etc. Lights are all wired except for the dome light, Engine is all wired and cranks, haven't started it yet because if the fuel line and the trans cooler lines aren't done. While reparing to install the 60 Dodge tailights I bought for this thing. I didn't love them, and that's when I remembered the 62 fairlane lights on had sitting in a box that I've had for years. Wouldn't you know it they fit the body almost perfectly. The fairlane lights are sunk in though so I cut out the body to fit the barrel of the light. Then i ran out of welding gas so I walked down the street to my neighbors house and used his shear tipping ties in a bead roller and had him tig some 7" cookie cutters for me to use as a spacer to mount the lights. I'll try and get decent pictures of the mounting later but the lights fit the car and look great IMO. The rest of the stuff I've been working on is pretty boring and not very photogenic. Wanting to get the rest of the under car stuff figured out in the next week or so so I can put it on the ground and then take it to get exhaust and a driveshaft made. My to do list is getting shorter though.
If you look closely you can see how the yailights are mounted. Basically just a sandwich job. Tailight from outside Body Spacer ring Modified factory fairlane mounting bracket. And then here are some engine shots of showing the wiring.
The Jalopy Journal
