1957 country sedan build

[1930artdeco]

I am guessing that they went 4 wheeling as indicated by the dents and maybe busted the driveshaft and at the same time two shots went off in the back seat.

Mike

[mustang6984]

With that theory...gotta hope they still had 10 toes! LOL!!!

[Ken 57Wagon]

Tons of work to do.  As I was wisely directed, bag and tag it all even if you don't think you will still use it.  I look forward to seeing  it.

[1930artdeco]

1st day of cleaning update:

Well we started vacuuming today and went from back to front. Took out a several pounds of dirt, rocks and sand, plus the gas tank. And there was still gas in it :icon_scratch:and boy did it stink to high heaven. As far as I can tell it is still a good tank-the sending unit I will have to take apart and clean thoroughly and hope it still works. Took out the seats and ripped out the carpeting, horse hair insulation, floor mats and that is where it went straight down hill-fast. After I saw all of the rust flakes I knew I was doomed and I am. Both front floor pans need to be replaced and maybe the pass rear as well.

Bullet update: I found another hole behind the driver seat, and a large caliber bullet in the glove box, plus two shotgun shells. We also found some small kids toys (for a boy and a girl), plus a previous owners registration tag from 1976. and I found out it had a T&C radio in her, so that makes two options!


But I have some questions for the gurus:

1) How do I get the back seat hold down bolts out? They are body mount bolts and appear to be a bolt within a sleeve and the sleeve rotates so I cant get the bolt out. And the rubber hockey pucks are flat as a pancake and hard as a rock.

2) Is there a way to tell if the car came with A/C from the dealer? I have some holes I cannot ID. There are two round holes about 1.5" ID right next to each other on the firewall and then there are two small holes on either side of the tranny tunnel?

3) What type of 9" do I have? I rotated the pass. wheel and the other did not move. However, I rotated both wheels and the pinion yoke did rotate.

I will put more pic in another post.

Thanks,

Mike

[1930artdeco]

more pics.....Oh does anyone want to buy an FE short block-I have one as one head is toast. So I am going to sell it for parts.

Mike

[mustang6984]

Guess it wasn't bullet proof eh? LOL!!!   

Where are you again? How much for the FE? I have heads...more than blocks...   (I need my head checked buying another FE...but...)

[1930artdeco]

I live in Walnut Creek, ca. How about $300? I don?t how much FE?s really
Go for.

Mike

[glr7533]

This something I found on the internet.

Determining a Rear Axle Ratio of a Non-Posi Rear
Jack one wheel off the ground, put the transmission in neutral and take the parking break off.  ***Be sure to use jack stands under the axle for safety precaution***
Mark the wheel and the drive shaft with chalk or masking tape.
Turn the wheel TWO revolutions and count the number of driveshaft turns.
The number of driveshaft rotations will help you determine your rear axle ratio.  For example, if it turned 3 and a half times, it's a 3.50:1 ratio.  If it turned 4 and a quarter times, it's a 4.25:1 ratio.
For better accuracy, turn the wheel 20 times and divide by 2 for your rear axle ratio.


If you are unsure whether you have a Posi Rear or not
Jack both wheels off the ground and turn one wheel.

If the opposite wheel turns the same direction or doesn't turn at all, then the rear axle is posi or limited slip.
If the opposite wheel turns the opposite direction, then it's probably an open rear axle (non-posi).

Determining a Rear Axle Ratio of a Posi Rear
Safety first! Chock the front tires so your car won't slide off the jack stands then raise the rear of the car with a hydraulic floor jack and place heavy duty jack stands on either side of the rear axle housing.  Lower the car onto the jack stands.
Turn the driver's side tire a quarter turn counterclockwise to remove the slack in the drivetrain.
With a piece of chalk or masking (painters) tape make about a 6" line along the driveshaft that can be easily seen from the side of the car and make another mark on the tire.  It's good to make this mark in a place that is easy to line up, like the edge of the wheel well or the 12 o'clock position.
Rotate the tire counterclockwise while counting the number of times the driveshaft rotates until the tire has completed one complete turn. (You may need a helper if you can't rotate the tire and see the driveshaft at the same time.) Be as accurate as possible.
The number of driveshaft rotations will help you determine your rear axle ratio.  For example, if it turned 3 and a half times, it's a 3.50:1 ratio.  If it turned 4 and a quarter times, it's a 4.25:1 ratio.
Remove the tape/marks from the driveshaft and tire, raise the rear tires again and remove the jack stands before lowering your car back to the ground.  Remove the chocks from the front tires.

[mustang6984]

I live in Walnut Creek, ca. How about $300? I don?t how much FE?s really
Go for.

Mike

Honestly probably a decent price given the lack of knowledge about the condition. I'm not sure what the shipping cost would be. Will be heading west in mid-June...but going via I-90...Alvin has been patiently waiting for me to pick up my hood since '19 when I started my back and forth trips on my apartment bldg. Between moving and snow...been a challenge.
I have no idea what the charge would be, or who would ship it.
Where is Walnut Creek in relation to say San Diego? I'll be there in late August.

[1930artdeco]

Mustang, I am about an hour east of SF. I am now either going back to a Y block or a small block and AOD. I like the originality of the Y but the tranny choices/HP of a small block.

GLR-thank you for the info about the diff. I will get underneath and look a little closer at it today. This project is getting bigger by the minute. And is more than I wanted but one step at a time and she will turn out just fine.

Mike

[mustang6984]

My daughter lives in Sacramento...near the airport up north...we will probably head that way once we are done with SD.

[glr7533]

I had to use a grinder and ground the head of the bolt off. My interior was out of the car so I didn't have to worry about sparks. If you are tearing out your headliner make sure you keep the bows in the right order. They don't interchange and once you have them out they look the same. On my sedan one end of each bow is painted a different color. The color and location of each bow is listed in the service  manual.

[1930artdeco]

Thanks GLR, looks like I will Jack the body up just enough to replace the rubber hockey pucks. Hope I dont have to though.

Mike

[SkylinerRon]

There should be a tag attached to one of the differential studs with the gear ratio.

Probably 3.10 or 3.56 ratio.

No factory limited slip rears until 1959.

POR-15 Sells a kit to fix floorpans you might check out.

I'd buy a body mount kit from Dennis Carpenter and replace all of them. Too many problems with junk mounts.

A Y-Block or FE are drop ins,  Small block is a lot more work for no real gain.

Ron.

[djfordmanjack]

Mike, not that bad, don't worry. Everybody here has to repair these things on a car that has been off the road for decades.

The rubber doughnut is wedged between 2 large dished washers and the frame bracket. then a smaller  hex bolt threads in from above and holds them together. that short hex bolt has internal threads for the body ( bench seat) bolt. now it's all rusted together solid and when you want to unbolt, the large washers and threaded insert bolt won't come off, because the rubber doughnut has sagged and there is no friction. you need a pair of welding pliers and try to grab either one of the washers or insert nut (on lower washer). hopefully the pliers will lock against the frame or body crossmembers. that, and a good dose of WD40 or rust penetrating fluid should get the bolts out or shear them off. Only do the most important body mounts, or it will take you a long time to undo all 16 (or 20?) of them ! Just leave them be for now (except for bench seat bolts)! jmho.