Take 2!!!

[1930artdeco]

Well after the previous attempt fell through to get a 57 sedan I was going to wait awhile. Then I found a station wagon for sale. Well asked questions of the seller and between him and Guenter it was road trip time! So we went down over the weekend to take a look and the wife even loves her.

Got there and in the yard was 58 retractable, 63 galaxie, cougar, falcon, mustang, model a, and other Ford items. He pulled the station wagon out and she really wasn?t bad looking for sitting in the desert for decades. She is minus the power train and has essentially zero rust (there is one spot of cancer which should be easy to fix). BUT, she has factory power steering! So now the wife is willing to drive her. All of the hard to find bits are there. So plunked down a deposit and will pick her up later in the month. And this one doesn?t have a squirrelly title! The owner even added a hopped up 390, so now I just need a rad and tranny. So here are the questions:

1) she comes with a dead FOM, I am guessing that won?t mate to a 390. So what years of a c4 should I look for?

2) what size rad should I be looking for? Like 57-64 full size fords and trucks.

3) where do I get a factory power steering system rebuilt?

I originally wasn?t going to post yet but my excitement got the better of me. More questions and pics to come-guaranteed!

Mike

[abe_lugo]

I hate when this happens

[1930artdeco]

Thank you. I have no idea on how to fix that.

Mike

[abe_lugo]

I usually keep my phone in the same orientation as I took the picture when posting.

Otherwise you open it in the viewer and rotate it and resave it.

That wagons looks nice, you will again need more images. Make sure all the funny wagon ONLY parts are there. like trim.

[1930artdeco]

I sent some picks to Guenter and from what he could see all of the goodies are there. Especially all of the special wagon parts.

Mike

[59meteor]

If you are going to use the 390, no C4s were ever made that bolt up to a FE engine. There are aftermarket adapter bellhousings, but they are quite pricey. A FE C6 should be not too difficult to find, and is easy to put in the 57. Just be sure it is not a short shaft /bolt on rear flange unit from a PU truck. Later 75-6, possibly a bit earlier, used a conventional  long shaft/slip yoke style. For a radiator, a 58-9 332-352 radiator will fit, and cook OK, assuming it is in good condition. On my 59, I am using a new aluminum radiator that looks almost identical to the original radiator. I bought the rad from Auto City Classic in Minnesota. I have no answer for having the original power steering system rebuilt, but there must be someone able to do that, no idea how costly that would vs a new aftermarket box.

[1930artdeco]

Thanks Meteor, just want to make sure on the tranny. Use something before 75/76 or after that date range?

Mike

[KULTULZ]

Here's one re-builder - http://www.stangerssite.com/rebuildingindex.html

Here's some swap info - https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ford-fairlane-500-1957-engine-swap-v6-to-fe390.953789/

[mustang6984]

Where do you live? I have a spare C-6...of course I just moved it 2100 miles across the country...

[RICH MUISE]

I'll echo what 59Meteor said....aluminum radiator from www.AutoCityClassic.com keeps my dohc running cool in 100* traffic jams. Also what he said about aftermarket PS systems. I went rack and pinion because Borgenson PS boxes were not yet available at the time. Either one will give you a much improved steering ratio, but the Borgenson will not increase the turning radius as the R&P does. The R&P takes up less room in the exhaust header area however, but you would need to check specifically about whatever power train you end up with...........I vaguely remember there being something common it would NOT work with.....FEs???

[Hoosier Hurricane]

With 352/390 bellhousing, converter, and flywheel, the 390 will bolt to the original FOM.  With those parts, later cast iron Cruisomatic and FMX can also be mated to the 390.   John

[brushwolf]

Looks like a great foundation to start with...

[1930artdeco]

Mustang, Thank you and if you happen to be driving by Walnut Creek in California with that spare C6 then feel free to drop it at my house to lighten your load back to Mo . Well, this is sounding easier to deal with now. All I need to do is win the lottery .

Hoosier, thank you for the info, if I can find those parts do you think the FOM will hold up to a 390? Allegedly it came out of a work truck and it was hopped up pretty well. I don't plan to drag race, this is just a weekend/cross country cruiser.

Here are some more pics. Can anyone tell me what the vent tube is for that is attached above and to the right on the firewall? Again, I apologize for the pics, I tried to fix them in my phone and that does not seem to help.


Mike

[djfordmanjack]

Not a vent tube Mike, those are the heater hoses.
It is great to see the power steering pump still in the car, so you just need to mount it on the 390 and go with the original setup.
Hoosier Hurricane's information about the bellhousing mating the 390 with the Fordo sounds great. you wouldn't even have to modify the driveshaft.
I honestly like the 3spd 57 Fordomatic which you can manually shift for taking off in first.

[1930artdeco]

Sorry, this is the hose above and to the right of the master cylinder that I Was talking about. I have seen other patch panels there and was just curious.

Mike