Going to reach all the way back to November 2007 when I bought this old Custom out of Dallas, TX. It was an ebay find, 1000 buy now or offer..I offered and got it for $850. It wasn't much to look at, all glass had been broken out after sitting in a field for years. It was last registered in 1968, according to the inspection sticker in the corner of the windshield, and the license plate which now hangs in my garage. It had been raced as a low level gasser, had 390 4 speed at one time, lots of broken valve train parts in the trunk when I got it home. The front end had been all welded together into a flip front, pretty heavy unit. I will post a few pics as I find them and get them resized, and/or scanned. These are as I found it, in the previous owners back yard. He had rescued it from the field two years earlier, and decided it was too much of a project for him.
This is on the trailer at my house, a 650 mile drive later. Lots of crap in the trunk, and in the interior. It had a 54 Ford seat in it, which I threw out due to the condition of it.
Man it was a little rough, but the price was right! I am dying to know the details on the 427 aquisition.
Mmm, 427 has a nice ring to it
What colour was it originally? Kinda hard to tell but it looks like it has paint dividers.
It was originally doeskin tan and colonial white. The doeskin is the one that really looked more like salmon pink. Anyway, it did have one divider, the other was missing. I had a friend that needed the divider for that side so I gave it to him. Figured I would never find an opposite side, and in the almost 8 years I've had it, I haven't. I just welded the holes shut and finished it. I have more photos, lots more, will just have to find them, may take a little while. Those were just the ones I could get to easily.
I am following ya brother bear..... with ernest!
Lynn, it actually wasn't that bad, very little rust, just had a lot of cheap paint on it that was flaking off in various places. The driver side qtr had been hit at some point in the past, and sculpted back with bondo. I figured that out when I put a set of 8 inch rims on back, and the driver side fender was closer to the wheel. It looked solid, so I thought the axle was off center. Well, I started looking, and found that the fender lip was about 1 inch thick bondo, looked really good, correct contours, etc. When I used a torch to melt out the bondo, that lip was almost flat with the body. Apparently, sometime in the past, some one had either gotten hit, or hit something and scraped down the whole side. I figure the latter, as the driver side also had a `58 Custom 300 door on it, and I had to weld up 14 trim holes. Anyway, I will post pictures of the quarter panel rehab, as soon as I find them. I just looked at them the other day. I will try to find them this week.
Experimenting with different looks here...The lowered look has been dispensed with, and it now sits at basically stock height. May lower slightly when I put the 427 in it.
The first pic here is when I discovered the damage to the driver side quarter panel. I have some additional photos, when I find them, I will post them.
This is with the car jambed in white...I kinda wish I had left it this way now...oh well.
I remember well the slogging around in the rain and mud at Glenn's place when you rescued that quarter!
Yeah, that was fun, lol...Even better, after we got finished cutting it out, it stopped raining, lol. I have a bunch more pictures of fixing that thing, I ended up using one of those cheap rocker panels to repair the lower front of that quarter. It had a little bit of rust at the very bottom, not much though Much better shape than what I cut off it.
I was just beginning to get rid of some of the stuff I didnt plan to use here, like those stylish Western Hurricanes...Note the pink looking paint on the firewall.
Here are some of my early purchases, the Cragar Super Slot (I was a huge Bob Glidden fan, still am), the only thing I truly regret getting rid of on this car..They fit perfectly, looked incredible. Someone came along with a giant stack of 100s and i couldnt resist...Now I'll never find those sizes and offsets again...stupid move. The Crites hood and trunklid are great and on the car now.
some random photos of before and during stripping process
Finally, full set of delete plates...more photos later.
I will try to get some more current photos up soon. I am currently working on my 427, took the intake and timing cover off last night, as well as the rocker assemblies. I will be putting the valve springs on tonight, maybe stab the cam in. I will be putting in a Comp Cams 294S, nice little solid cam. Should run pretty good, should sound great. I will run it like this for a little while, and later on, maybe put in a 3.98 or bigger crank. I eventually want to wind up with some of the Survival FElony aluminum heads, a dual 4 Tunnel Wedge intake, and a Tremec TKO 5 speed. For now, it will knock around with either an automatic or maybe a T5, which I know won't survive launches, but with a little babying, it will last to drive like a sane person. That being said, I am thrilled to finally have my dream engine, even more thrilled, that after having spent a great deal of money on my 312, I was able to parlay that into a 427. As soon as I remember to take my camera to the garage, I will get some pics, and put them here. I am debating on whether to paint my block and heads black or Ford blue. Help me out...Blue or black? Will most likely use chrome pent roof valve covers, maybe aluminum pent roofs, depending on which I find in the next 2 weekends.
Black 427.... black.
I think I may have to part with a few 392's to get my favourite Ford FE....
I painted my 390 black. I got tired of it quick, it was in a black engine compartment. Painted my 462 Ford Red like a 312 just for grins. I have a set of baldy valve covers for it and I want to put '57 decals on them. :003:
289 HPs and 427 HPs were black from the factory. Since your's is custom, any color you want. Like Chip Foose says, it's like a jewelry box...it should POP when you open it!!!!!! Just like you color coordinate the outside and interior, so should the engine compartment have a plan. A 427 side oiler is an outstanding start...just do it proud.
PIC 1 - old Ford blue?
PIC 2 - I don't think 460s were factory painted aluminum, but with polished and smoothed black firewall and inner fenders...aluminum gray is my choice.
well, I am a pure vintage fan.. and red was (and maybe still is) going on my engine.... but since you have the real deal James.... this engine in 63 was just for photography... but I dig a factory look.
427 in a Merc (Marauder--very rare)
If it was my car and the lower half of your firewall is black and guessing your inner fenders are also going to be black then I'd be painting it body color.
Zap- :unitedstates:
James,
Looks like your project is coming along very well, looks great. Did you get an FE 427 or the stroker small block 427 for your ride? It would be nice to see it completed by 2017, we would love to have you in the Fabulous Fords Forever Car Show at Knott's Berry Farm held every April here in California to celebrate the 60th anniversary of our beloved 57 Fords. Plus Bob & I would love to meet you as well. Bob & I will be recruiting as many "stock as possible" 57 Fords for our milestone display area of the show. Keep the progress pictures coming, love to see them. I will be doing a custom one off power steering project on my 57 when my show season ends at the end of next month, and some suspension upgrades as well.
Rick,
57 Tudor
:unitedstates:
I found an FE 427 Rick. It is currently getting a new cam, lifters, springs, intake and oil pan. Hopefully will have it ready to put in the car in a couple weeks. There is so much going on right now, I don't have time to do anything. It seems like we have something going on every day of the week, and we do this week, which is a drag. This week is Cruisin the Coast week here on the Gulf coast, and I have something to do every night this week except Thursday. I suspect, if I look more closely at my planner calendar, I will realize I have forgotten something on that day. Pretty much, it is a wash. Hopefully, things will slow down enough to get something done.
James,
What year 427? and is it a top or side older, side oiler is the better engine, but still cool ether way and a nice bolt in engine. Well, 2017 is still a ways off so keep us in mind.
Rick,
57 Tudor
:unitedstates:
Mine is a 70 casting, originally in a Chris Craft cruiser, very low hours. It is cast as a side oiler, machined as a center oiler. For my use, it is fine. If I was running it on a road course, NASCAR or something like that, side oiling would make a difference. You can still see the crosshatches in the cylinder bores. I am resealing it with new gaskets, since it has never been apart. I bought it from a friend of mine, who had both engines, apparently both were standard rotation, as neither had any reverse rotation stuff on them. While I have mine down, I am putting new valve seals and springs to match my Comp 294S solid cam, and installing a T-pan for 8 quarts of oil, and for now, an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake. I eventually plan to swap on a set of good heads, preferrably a set of the Survival motorsports FElony heads and Tunnel Wedge intake. Of course it will have a man pedal, likely a Toploader or T10 for now, eventually, as I save up, a Tremec TKO 5 speed. Like I said before, I had almost gotten to the point that I was going to get it running with the 351C and trade it off for something else. Now that I have my dream engine, I am excited about it again. I can't wait to crank it up. I am so anxious, that I plan to build a run in stand for it, so I can crank it up and at least get the cam broken in. I have some paint work I want to do to it before I put the engine back in. I am changing colors from the yellow in my avatar. Still sort of debating that with myself now. I had almost decided to go with red, and may still, but I am liking basic white too. If my body was a little bit straighter, I would do a darker color, dark blue or black..still torn on that. I had actually bought red, but I plan on redoing my 61 F100 soon, and I am leaning toward red on it, so the paint wont go to waste. Still thinking..any ideas, guys?
Each to their own, but I'm not a yellow fan, so a move away from that wouldn't bother me. Are you thinking single colour or two-tone?
Single color. I had already moved on from the yellow last year, just haven't updated the photo yet. The next avatar will be of the car painted whatever color I pick...It's been a long time coming. Whatever the color is, it has to be worthy of the 427 going in.
James, mine was originally white and I wish it were still white instead of black and white. I find that strange because my favorite car color has always been black. I love that Colonial White, also the Willow Green, but we have a 427 Willow Green floating around.... :003:
If you're going to switch away from yellow consider a really HOT orange, the 3 american oems had a few and Ford has had a few lately on the Shelby and mustang GT. The 2015 stang has one that is killer.
Am told that its a very small percentage of people that will buy a yellow car new or used. I love yellow cars only drawback to them is they seem to attract hornets by the dozen.
Zap- :unitedstates:
Well, the color has been chosen, the jambs are done. Hopefully, this weekend can get the rest of the blocksanding finished, and the rest of the body painted maybe by Thanksgiving weekend. Have a looky...
Got a lot of cleanup to do in the garage, hang plastic, then will be ready to do the deed. Can't wait to see this old heap in color, finally. The 351C C6 combo will be coming out very soon, and replaced with my 427 and manual trans. The FE was the big motivator behind all this, and really got me stirred up about it. Ready to drive this thing, hopefully by New Years...
Yes sir!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PERFECT.
Looking good!!!
Yes...looking good. Can't go wrong with red. THIS New Years??? lol
Is that red????????
Looks GREAT! Glad you are going with the FE, just what the doctor ordered for a 57...
Yeah Bill..the more I looked the yellow, the less I liked it. When I snagged the FE, thats when I made my mind up to go with red.. and yes, Rich, THIS new years, lol...thats the plan.
RED is a great color as long as its not resale RED, lol
Zap- :unitedstates:
Looks nice, real nice.
Naw, Zap, this red is called James' Favorite Color Red. .not going anywhere.
My 427 MR heads got here yesterday..I'm like a kid at Christmas time...can't wait to get this thing screwed together. Rings and bearings also here, should be together this weekend, and maybe back in the car next week. Have some more painting to do before I put it back in. Still have to get my flywheel resurfaced and clutch bought also. It's coming, and it's going to be bad.
You know what they say? If you want to get something done, give it to a busy guy. LOL Looking good Mr. Potter. 427, that will get you into the Battle in time to do some slaying.
It's been a while since Ive made an update. It will be a little longer before I get pictures, but I am about 2 days of sanding away from starting paint on the body. My roof is finished, all my seam sealer around the drip rails is finally done, and almost all of the blocking of the quarters is done. I have to remove the deck lid, and do the rear pan and trunk rails, then finish the rockers. Hopefully, by Saturday, it will be ready to spray. I may take a day off next week and spray it. Can't wait to get my doors hung again. As soon as the shell is cured out, I will be getting the headliner in, and glass installed. At that point, I can start installing the engine/trans. Hopefully will get new photos of a bright red Ford this coming week. 427 goes in next week.
Your thread takes me back. these things are a long road. Glad i'm down mine and it looks like you can see the end of yours. anyone who hasn't done one cannot appreciate what it takes to get where you are. Nice job, it looks really good!
You are definitely right about that. Most people see these things being built in 7 days like on Overhauling, or in a couple weeks like on Fast and Loud, and think anyone can do it. It takes a lot of time, work, money, dedication to bring one from a basket case with most of the basket missing, to a finished, or even a running, driving car.Now that I can see the end, I am even more anxious to get after it...Photos soon.
Anxious to see it in color. Glad you decided on the red, although yellow would have been good also. Somehow you're filling the void for another red car I felt I left when I decided to go silver, lol.
I didn't know cars came in any other color then red........
I like your attitude there, Bill, lol..
Ordered my side glass today, in smoke..Will pick it up on Friday, and put away until my doors are painted in a couple weeks. Then will have to get my anti-rattlers, glass runs, etc. Any suggestions on setting the glass in the window channels? What secures it? What are the correct measurements as to where the channel installs to the glass? My original glass was all broken out, so I have no reference points. Finally, how does the vent wing glass seat into the frame? My last 57 had all new glass already mounted so I didnt have to mess with any of it. And Rich, I know you're reading this: How did you take up the extra space with your Carpenter 1/4 window seals? I remember you complaining about the poor fit of the rubber around the rear of the glass. Let me know so I can bypass that trouble. If the weather cooperates, I will be putting the color onto the body soon. I need to roll it out, blow it off real good, wash it again, and get it done. The weather here has been loopy the past couple weeks, so I will just have to wait for it. Everything is ready, except the weather, lol.
James where did you get your glass? I will be following the glass install, I would like the fixed rear windows as well... Man you are right about the weather, yesterday was crazy... we got a little rain, no wind, a couple of lightening bolts while 10 miles away a tornado hit a gym and a few other businesses and about 40 miles away another tornado hit a trailer park and killed at least 2 folks. I know that front passed your way....
The glass is held in with "glass tape" and simply pressed in the channel, I would have to get mine out. Silicone might be better..
I had mine cut at a local glass place here, Larossa Hardware and Glass...All 6 side glass pieces cut and polished edges for 179.00 plus tax.. I just dropped off my templates yesterday, they called today to let me know they were ready. I got the smoke tint. I started to get the factory green tint, but wasnt sure how it would look with the red. Going to pick it up this afternoon.
The glass looks awesome, and I cant wait to get it installed. I also ordered all the remaining stuff to assemble my doors last night...$210 for the fuzzies, the window runs, some glass setting tape, and the vent window rear seals, the small ones. Wow, the little stuff adds up quickly.
reporting in from Phoenix.......lol, I'll try to answer some of your questions before I have to leave for the day.
The wing window glass......set the glass in the frame, and cut some very small spacers to keep the glass centered in the channel,making sure the spacers can be pushed in and covered with the sealant. then just squeeze in sealant both side all around and let it set up overnight. Trimming carefully with a xacto knife after it sets up. You can just let it get messy and not worry about it until after it has set up....the excess cleans off easily.
the fixed window rear quarter......gets a little involved, I'll have to come back to this tonight or tommorrow...but, I've got to ask...did you get the brackets from John Gambil for the back window, and if not, what did you use for a template for the glass? The glass is different sedan to business sedan.
I set my glass in the channel with adhesive sealant...The glass was so tight with the glass tape in the new glass channels on the electric windows I was installing, I was worried about breaking the glass, so I went with the sealant and glued them in. I'm pretty sure I gave my old glass away with the brackets still attached, or I could answer the question about where they mount.
James..the rear quarter windows. They are a pain, but I believe can be done right. As mentioned, the glass grove is too wide. That seems to be everybody's opinion except Dennis Carpenter's.
Mine will be redone at a later date. I did not get them in as good as I believe I can, but finally gave in to "good enough for now".
What I did was to use a glass edging that the glass companies use for 1/4 shower door installation into the alum. frames. I trimmed it short, so it wouldn't show, figuring I'd fill it with sealant. That didn't work so well in the actual final installation. Trying to fill that gap with something as fluid as sealant just doesn't work well.
My next attempt will be to use a product I wasn't aware of when I did the glass install. 3M makes a thick rubber tape with a strong enough adhesive I would think will stick to glass no problem. I'll try it when I get home to Texas, but I'm thinking filling that space with something solid should work better than the too-fluid sealant. Anyway. The edging I talked about I have used will be replaced with a layer or two of the rubber tape the full depth of the seal's groove. I got that tape a Lowe's or Home depot in the electrical dept. I'll get a pn for it when I get home.
Glass pattern.....when I got my glass brackets from Gambil, I had the glass cut to the template he supplied. What I found out, at least in my opinion, was the corner radiuses on the template were too big, so that the glass was not pushing the seal into the corners of the body. I built up the corners of the glass using GOOP, so I was adding maybe 1/4" of material. That worked good as far as pushing the seal into the corners tightly. I talked to John a few years ago about it, and he said he had a similar problem, so was going to change the template. I don't know if he did, something to check when your doing a dry test fit.
I got the kit from John, but made my own template from the top of an oem glass, with the amount John specified removed from the bottom. I then fitted my template to my car to make sure it was right. Fit the rubber ok, but you can tell where it is going to be a pain, so I bought a roll of glass tape for that. I will tackle that as soon as my quarters are painted, hopefully three weeks from today, my car will be completely painted. WIfe and all kids are going on a road trip to retrieve some heirloom furniture and visit friends for a couple weeks, and I plan to pull several midnite shifts in the garage, as well as some all nighters on the weekend nights. Should have some progress photos very soon.
As most of you know, everything changed with my job about 2 days after I made this post. Still presently unemployed, waiting for the call back from work which should be Monday, next monday at the latest. If it doesnt pan out, I will probably start beating the ground for a career change. At any rate, the planned trip for my wife and kids was greatly abbreviated, lasting only 2 days, and I was gone during it, so no work was done on the car. However, I did finally get some paint on it. will post the pics when I get them off my phone. The red looks awesome, and as soon as I am finished with the quarters, etc, I will start installing the headliner, glass, etc. In the meantime, I loaded up a bunch of stuff to take to the Columbus Spring Swap, in hopes originally of buying a bunch of parts for my car, but instead, holding the proceeds in hopes of being able to wait out the contract difficulties a little longer. As everyone knows, the swap meet sales are slow, lots of people walking around, no one really buying anything. Bargains were commonplace, for instance, I was able to buy an NOS day night mirror, in the FoMoCo box, for a 58 Thunderbird, will bolt in to my 57, for $20. Found a scattershield for my FE which typically sells for 350 and up, with the plate, for 150. If sellers were willing to deal, they did ok. I made enough to pay for my trip, gas, hotel, food, etc, plus buy a couple choice parts, and come home with a little under 800, so I was happy with that. Now that I have some paint on the car, apparently rainy weather has set in, and has rained hard for three days now. Eventually, I will get to paint a little more, still have trunk lid, doors, fenders and hood to go. Will have to order more paint, as I wasted a 1/3 of a gallon of mixed paint, the roof had to be redone, plus the waste from that. Lesson learned. Dont mix more than you will use in a session. I also need to replace my respirator., the elastic has stretched out, and it is becoming unsafe. Before I spray anything else, I will be replacing it. I still have some work to do on my passenger front fender, but it is almost there. Also have to get my hinges sandblasted and check to make sure they;re both good. I am certain that my passenger side upper and lower are good, the drivers, I may need to rebuild. Then, the final blocking on the doors, after which I can install the seals and hang them for the last time. It is finally about to look like a car again for the first time in the 8 years I have owned it. As soon as I get my pics off my phone I will post one or two.
James...Completely understand about Job uncertainty!.... happens with me...weekly!
Don't stress,it will all work out.
Yea... get some pics of the car here.... need some eye candy.
1
Looking great, James. That was pretty much the color mine was going to be originally. Hey...I need that door!!, lol. Good luck with the job thing.
James you're looking good! While painting I use the graduated cups to mix. Single stage and clear urethanes as you know will not last. Life can be extended for about a day buy placing in a refrigerator. I mix a gun load at a time, maybe two loads depending on where I am with the application. Base coats are thinned in an empty reducer can (gallon) to keep the same density for the entire process. I found my gun will make one lap around a 65 Bird and still have about 1/4 of clear left so I mix just short of a full gun for the second and lay it down pretty heavy. Hope this doesn't sound down to ya, just relaying my procedure to keep from throwing out material. And do get that mask! That paint puts out some nasty stuff that will totally mess up your lungs!
Keep the faith, the job thing will sort out....
Yeah, I just went and bought a bunch of those cups, pretty cheap actually. I wont be wasting any more color, that stuff is spendy. Once I get this thing all red, I will go over it with 800 or so, and buff it to get rid of the orange peel. This paint is supposed to be mixed just with the activator, but is just so thick. I ordered some reducer and used it on the roof, and there is some oem looking orange peel that I just dont want to live with. I will buff it out and it should look pretty good.Yeah, I picked up a new 3M mask yesterday. My other one was to the point where the elastic in the straps were coning apart, so I bought one with adjustable straps instead of the elastic. I like the new one a lot better. I have to go out and get some lacquer thinner to clean my gun with before I paint again, and some tape and paper. I went out specifically for that yesterday, and forgot it. Have to shop for bargains on that stuff. What I need, is a couple sunday papers, lol.
Progress...have a couple small runs to deal with, plus buffing the whole thing to shine it up a bit more. I did see a couple places i missed, very small, not worrying about it at this point. This is single stage urethane so it can be fixed anytime. The body us certainly better than when i got it, and probably as good or better than when it left Ford. I tend to be nitpicky when looking at bodywork anyway. At any rate, i am pretty happy with the results..
1
Looks great James!!
It is the right color and it is looking gooooooooood!
another with the top unwrapped..
Very cool!!!!
AWESOME!!!!!!
Got my doors and hinges painted last night. The driver side, I may have to block back down a scratch appeared after it dried. Missed a sand scratch, wont take much to fix it, then a little more paint. Plus a winged critter flew into it and wallowed around for a minute before I could pick him out. Didn't mess it up to bad. At least it came out straight...
the one that still needs help..
James, I know its just pictures, but the doors look great from here... Great job!
Exactly what I was thinking. Looking good, James!!
SWEET looking color! Gonna be one snazzy looker!
Quote from: JPotter57 on 2016-05-05 10:50
Plus a winged critter flew into it and wallowed around for a minute before I could pick him out.
Why is it they can't have the common courtesy to just land and die? Gotta wallow around for ever and get themselves buried deep before finally stopping......arg!
Looking very nice there James, minimal sanding and buffing and great body work!
A couple updated photos. Got the door seals glued on, only have a little bit to clean up...aggravating stuff, but it holds great, the Black 3M is the best.
Note the 275 60 15 under the fender, no trimming, no re-rolling the fender lis, just careful measuring. The wheels are rare 80-81 F100 with the 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern. They are almost 15x7, I think they actually measure at a hair more than 6 7/8, yet not quite 7, but clse enough for me. The tires do not balloon out too much, and they have a nice tread pattern.
The front wheels are equally as hard to find as the 15x"7"s, they are 15x5 with the larger center register to fit over the Granada brake hubs. They are wearing 215 70 15 and look great on it. Hoping to get the brake lines plumbed once I get the 351 out, then back in with the 427. Once that is done, I will start back on the front fenders, hood and deck lid, then it should look like a 57. Once everything is together, then I will cut and buff it. It's not perfect, but it is sure a nice 8 to 10 footer. I have done 100% of everything on it, hate the headliner, it will have to be redone, had a bow seam sewn into itself, and made a pucker that I cannot get out. I have tried everything.. Since it has been 3 years or so since I bought it, I cant really do anything about it.
Not much to report lately, had some home improvement projects that kept me busy for the last few weeks. I did get some holes welded up on the firewall and got it repainted semigloss black. I have the brake lines partially done, and hope to finish them today, get the brakes pumped up. The last bit this weekend should be bolting the 427 and 4 speed together, and getting it ready to set down in the frame. I need to get a new pair of motor mounts as mine look pretty sad. I am considering making another set of solid mounts. After I get the 427 in the car, I will have to get my Holleys rebuilt, shouldnt take long, just have to invest in the big 5 gallon pail of carb cleaner so I can fit the body and baseplates in to soak. Cant wait to see it all together finally. Getting antsy, ready to hear it. If it stays like yesterday and isnt too hot this weekend, I may try to finish up my fenders and get them painted. It has just been so hot, I havent gone to the garage. Oh yeah, got one step closer to crawling under it to install the gastank yesterday..the straps are in the trunk now, and the tank is at the back of the car, lol. Maybe this weekend. More soon....
James:
Looking great. I think yours will probably be ready before mine is. At least the painting is just about done on mine and body work is finalized, too. I haven't a clue how long the reassembly will take to get it done right. I guess I'll soon find out.
Bob
57 AGIN
Mines not near the caliber of yours, but its been fun, and im sure the pleasure of driving it will be the same, at least the smiles on our faces will be the same...Mine should be a nice 5 to 10 footer visually, but should knock it out of the park for coolness sake, I hope anyway. I cant wait to hear the sound, and it will be cranked initially with open headers. Thats a tradition with me and my cars, the first start is and has always been open headers. I dontdo it at 3 am like I used to as a teen, lol...
OK, I would rather do two more weeks of body work than have to install windows. After 5 hours yesterday, I finally got the door glass installed and working right. Yes, it sucked mightily. Hopefully, the passenger side will go a little easier.
LOL!!! Door glass installation was invented as payback for our misspent youth! :038:
Yep...today went easier, only took 2 hours to get the passenger side in...
I will have to do driver's door...and windshield. Think I'll chicken out on the windshield...let a professional do it. Too damn expensive to screw it up. Congrats on the door. Do you still have hair left? or was it all removed in the process? LOL!!!
James....wondering how the back side glass went with the seal and how you ended up doing it. I'm going to try to get mine better than the first time, so any suggestions appreciated. I've got them out now for the repaint. What's your opinion on the glass channel width? Do you see any other choice except the fact they're made wrong?
Also, PM sent re new member application.
Havent gotten there yet. I spent the weekend installing my 427 and 4 speed. I'm still pretty disgusted with my headliner so I havent started on the side glass yet. My headliner had a bow pocket sewn under which caused a pretty nasty gathI took it out and clipped it out as best as I could, but the gather is still there, and sticks out like a turd in a punchbowl. Right in the middle of the car. I wish I had been able to find a proper cloth headliner, those vinyl ones suck if there is a sewing problem. When you rip out the seam and redo it, if you're not careful, your vinyl headliner will be full of holes, and really look bad. For $120, I really expected better. Since it's been a couple years since I bought it, my only recourse is to live with it, or throw it in the trash and buy another.
Here is the 427 and 4 speed going into their final position. The Hooker 6114 headers, made for 68 Mustang with 428, fit like they were made for the car. The wives tale about turning the motor mounts backwards did not work out. It put the engine too far forward, the headers hit the pitman arm, the motor mount on the driver side, put the number 8 tube very close to the steering box, z bar would not match up to the pivot on the block, plus it would have put the fan very close to the radiator. Installing the motor mounts like they were on the Y block, closed end toward the radiator, the engine sits back where it is supposed to be, headers clear at all normal interference points nicely, everything looks good. The only problem is one of my own making. I used a Canton T pan, and it is just too close to the passenger side lower control arm for my liking, so I will look for a standard deep sump pan or pull this pan and angle cut the corner, plate it, and repaint it. Not sure yet, but I wont be able to drive it with it that close, dont trust it. Otherwise, the FE install is nearly complete, and hopefully can start it soon.
Oh I am jealous...still need to get the rest of my car stripped, do the metal work and then get the engine built before I can insert it. Looks good...keep on rollin'! Maybe some street time before the end of the summer!
Oil pan? How close is too close. Milodon pan will not allow the engine to go straight down without hitting the lower control arms. I have to 'thread' the engine in and around the lower control arms but it fits when in the mounts.
Gasman, if mine was a Milodon, with that style of T, then it would work. Mine is a canton, with what is basically a box welded onto the bottom of the pan, and because it is straight up and down instead of angled in at the top, that is what hits. I was afraid I might have problems with it, but took a chance...
I put my windshield in a couple days ago. It was my original one, so there is some slight delamination around the bottom and top edges, but it will do to get it driving. I had hoped to get a new one delivered to Cruisin the Coast this year, but my company is still screwing us over on our pay and backpay, so it may or may not happen. If it does, I will call and have them bring it to CTC, and replace it afterward. The only complaint I have with the cheap ebay seal is that on the driver side at the dogleg, there is a slight pucker. Nothing to compromise the sealing just doesnt lay as flat as I want it to yet. I don't have the stainless corners on it yet, only the top and bottom parts. Still have to get something done about my oil pan, will work on that when I get back from mom and dads..their 50th anniversary is day after tomorrow, so we're making the trip up. Also on the board for when I get back, I found a 4.11 gear in my garage that I forgot I had, and it has the long pinion yoke on it, so I will be swapping that into the car when I get back, along with my aluminum driveshaft. After that is done, I have to replace the long brakeline from the front to the back, then I can put the car back on the ground and get the back window installed.
I just decided to go ahead and live with the headliner for the time being. If I find another in cloth later I will buy it and install it. I figure the one with the puckered pleat is better than none at all.
Once all of the above is done I will get my license plate holder and rear bumper installed, then wait for some cooler weather to happen so I can get my trunklid and fenders painted. Just been too friggin hot, over 95, for the past several weeks, and it dries looking like gator skin, even with high temp reducer and activator.
Started masking off my dogdish caps to redo the white. I tried gold, like the 58 caps, but didnt like it, so stripped it off and masked it again, have one done. Will use those with trim rings from a mid 80s Ford F100. They have two red pinstripes around the perimeter and look pretty good to me.
I will try to get some photos up in a couple days, havent really done a lot that shows, so I didnt bother taking photos.
Just a head's up, James...I got the fixed rear window seal installation problem solved and I'll be doing a thread/post on it shortly. I've got one side 3/4 the way done and it is looking like I always thought it should be, but couldn't get until now. Forget the glass edging I suggested earlier, btw. it is not needed.
Hope to see it soon. Going to try to get my rear glass and quarter glass installed this weekend. What did you end up using?
I'll do a step by step with pics on a seperate thread so it can be searched for.
Basically, I used just the glass cut to the pattern supplied by John, his brackets, and the Dennis Carpenter seals. To get everything to fit tight, I used a few sticks of 1/4 x 1/4 wood from Lowe's and a package of plastic shims that are like the construction type shims you'd use for door and window installation on your house, but narrower. I found those at Sutherland's Lumber. I got one side done today. The way I ended up doing it got the seal to fit the body tight outside with no gaps or puckers, and fit up against the glass both on the inside and outside.
James
I just want you to know that I have been silently watching your progress. You are doing a great job of bringing another 57 Ford back to life. Keep up the good work. Jay
James has an end vision.... it's gonna look spectacular.
Getting there slowly but surely. About to get my front inner stuff painted and installed this weekend. Have to do a little bit of repair under the battery box, but its not bad. The above pic was a couple minute photoshop to see what the old feller would look like with chrome reverse wheels, like on the Graffiti cars. Since my build is meant to sort of represent what would have been done in 62-63 time frame, this is what I have decided on. Not a fan of white walls of any kind, I will run the blackwalls in a fairly tall tire. I am hoping to get my fenders done and on the car before I go back to work, we'll see. This week is Cruisin the Coast in Mississippi, and of course my car wasnt ready so I am a spectator again this year. The 57 is getting closer to being done, at least running, so my new goal is CTC 2017. Hopefully. I'd really like it to be close enough to take it to the FE reunion at Beaver Springs in April. We'll see.
It's been a little while since I have updated mine, because the stuff I have been doing is hard to gauge progress. I have been building my fuel line with hard line and AN fittings, etc. I was able to get a set of new, correct 427 2x4 carbs from Carls Ford Parts. Other trinkets have been added to the engine as well. I got correct alternator brackets for it, and am getting ready to wire up my Ford 3G alternator up. All of my glass is installed except for the quarter glass which I plan to try to tackle when I get back from my work trip. I hope to have the rest of my panels painted this month, then assemble it all, cut and buff and enjoy for a while.
Towel City is calling your name James.
Yeah it is...wheel smith is too
James
Your car is looking great. The color is nice and bright. I too favor the black wall tires.
When shopping, you will never have to worry about the ice cream melting before you get home.
Jay
It's been a while since i updated this thread. I dont have photos at this time but will try to get some soon. The last time I had time to sit down and update, I had typed out a lengthy post, and before i could hit submit, the power went off. It pissed me off, so I didnt go back and try to go back and redo it. This time is similar. I have time because it is storming outside, so the power is apt to flash off again.
Anyway, for my latest work on the car, I have swapped my fiberglass fenders to a friend for some steel Custom fenders that needed some work. I ordered new EMS headlight bucket and lower fender corners to get them back up to snuff. I have one of them roughed in and in primer, and havent started on it yet, mainly due to the lovely rainy weather that plagues south Mississippi this time of year. Most of my welding is done in the doorway of my garage, away from my painted stuff. As for the car, the front of the car is assembled and on the car except for the fenders. I have started the 427 and broke in the cam, and it sounds sweet. I cant wait to drive it. One issue I had is that when I reassembled it, I used a Melling 57HP pump, which is a high pressure pump. When it is cold and idling, it is over 120 psi, which I do not like. I will be pulling the pan soon and replacing the pump with a standard FE pump, no hi volume or high pressure this time around. I have a 7 quart T pan on it now, but it is very close to the lower control arms, so I will be replacing it with either a Milodon deep pan that I have or a stock pan. I will probably put a stock pan on it with the standard pump, so it wont need the extra capacity of the bgger pan. As soon as that task is complete, I will be putting the exhaust on it. I will be using 3 inch pipe with some kind of loud muffler on it. I have a pair of 2 chambered Flowmasters but I dont want to use them on the 57, would rather have something a little more aggressive sounding.
Next up is my upholstery. I have a friend here on the forum who lives down the road from me. His wife does upholstery as a way to unwind, so I contracted her to do my seat covers in traditional tuck and roll in dark gray naugahyde. So far it looks good, and I cant wait to see the covers on the seats. As soon as I get the seats home, I will get the carpet installed and the seats in. Cant wait for that.
Some of the photos I had posted previously, had the 427 outfitted with 1/2" fuel line and a lot of AN braided stainless. Since then, I have removed the 1/2" line for use on another 57 project, and replaced it with 3/8 line as well as the factory 427 fuel log and lines, even including the cool looking stock 427 Ford canister fuel filter. It looks like it is supposed to now. I also made a custom base for my oval air cleaner to move the entire assembly forward an inch and a half, along with some offset carb studs to fasten the lid down. It looks like it came that way now, and my factory latch will work, not requiring me to use pins now.
Next thing to go on this car will be the Traction Master lift bars that I also bought from a member here a while ago. These are original units from the 60s that were run on his car back then. Everything I am using on this car I am careful to try to use period correct stuff, except for the 3G late model alternator, which I have been careful to hide with early low mount alternator brackets. It also has a Ford hi-po large diameter pulley on it to help with belt slip and so forth with the singe V-belt.
The only thing that I wish I had done now that I wont redo, is to have painted the engine black instead of the later corporate blue. Too much work to redo all that, so it will stay blue. Hindsight sucks.
Another future project is to replace my silver painted steel wheels with chrome reverse steelies. That, and some vintage Stewart Warner, Sun or Dixco gauges. I have been searching and the ones that I find with the right look are either rusty, dont work, or very friggin expensive. I will get a set, as well as a cool Eelco cast aluminum gauge panel. I also decided to use my original instrument cluster instead of the one that I made with Equus gauges.
Another change I made was the move to a 58 steering box instead of the 63 Galaxie box I was using. The way the 63 box was made caused the clutch linkage to bind, plus the rag joint interfered with the clutch equalizer (z bar). The 58 box was nice and tight, plus, it was free. I cleaned it up, painted it and bolted it in. I used an early Falcon floor shift column instead of the 58 column. This allowed me to use the very cool early Falcon steering wheel I had restored and painted. It looks cool in the car and is a little bit smaller than the stock steering wheel, but still looks like it could be original. As soon as I can get some photos of some of this stuff together, I will post them.
That sounds cool - you have done a whole lot of work there. I look forward to seeing some updated pictures.
Sounds like you are doing it right James. You're a hard worker. It takes time to dig up all of those period correct parts. Jay
Dang JP...you made me tired just thinking of all the work you have gotten done. And jealous. I am stalemated with mine waiting for an investment house to sell...who would have thought it would still be on the market 13 months later? The car is sitting waiting for more cash flow.
Sounds like you have made great use of your time. can't wait to see pics!
:unitedstates: It sounds sweet.Cant wait to see what the motor looks like.I have a 1958 steering box where the column was cut with a sawzall just above the nut on the steering box.Can I save the box?
Thank You for all you do for us and good luck........racton
Quote from: racton on 2017-07-16 22:06
:unitedstates: It sounds sweet.Cant wait to see what the motor looks like.I have a 1958 steering box where the column was cut with a sawzall just above the nut on the steering box.Can I save the box?
Thank You for all you do for us and good luck........racton
I don't see why you couldn't add the rest of the shaft by using a collar and welding if you have a long enough piece coming out of the box..
Sounds so nice Seamus!!!!!!.... hahaha
lol Jeff...Once my Jasmes Potter profile gets out of facebook jail, I will be good with that one, since that is where all my buy and sell sites, all my friends and family, etc are. I will use the new profile to speak my mind on political issues, and let Seamus sit in jail instead of my real one, lol...
For those wondering what this exchange is about, I had a little altercation with a muslim on fb the other day, and I said a couple things that got me tossed into facebook timeout for a week Because I had a couple deals on parts going and had no other way to contact the sellers, I had to make another profile, and instead of duplicating my name, I just used the Celtic spelling and pronunciation of my name so I can keep them separate. Its funny the amount of folks texting or PMing me to let me know that someone was using my profile picture as theirs, lol. I probably explained that a few dozen times last week. Anyway, as of right now, I have about 5 or 6 hours left in the hole, and I will be back online, a kinder gentler me.
since it takes two, did the other guy get a timeout?
LOL James..I am just kidding with you....Your Tops in my book and that was funny........Your 57 is D Y N A M I T E !
Funny story. And yes..inquiring minds want to know...did the other chap get a time out as well?
No, just me. Long story...
James:
I really was wondering if you had a doppelganger out there Mr. Seamus. Thanks for clearing this up. Loving your car build.
Bob
57 AGIN
OK, I finally got a pair of fenders together and painted, using supposedly the best parts in the business to replace some sheetmetal. Was not happy at all with the fit of these parts, particularly with how much I paid for them. Honestly, I have bought parts from Schott Manufacturing (old supplier from back in the day) that were better quality. Long story short, I made them work, and got some paint on them. They are race car nice, and will not be staying on my 57. I will eventually use them on my gasser 57. I have bought a set of fenders from a member here, having them shipped via Greyhound. I cant wait for them to get here. They are pretty nice, and need only a little work. I found a pretty good deal, I think anyway, on a pair of NOS FoMoCo headlight panels. The repro ones I paid 175 each for, these NOS perfect Ford replacements with Ford part numbers, invoices, and wrappings, I paid 250 each for. If the best in the business can charge near NOS prices for their stuff, it had better improve a LOT, or I will be sourcing all of my future replacement sheetmetal from NOS sources. What this all amounts to, is that if I were not planning on using these fenders anyway on my race car, I would have just flushed nearly 600 down the toilet, as I also bought their lower rear patch panels, which fit no better. Honestly, i could have hammered them out of flat sheet and looked as good as these. I can handle a little sheetmetal fitting, but the lines should at least match up, especially for 130 per side, plus shipping. Anyway, the front fenders are on, temporarily, until my good ones are done and painted, then these will go on to the gasser project.
You're not giving me a lot of confidence in the stuff need to replace. GULP! >:(
Several years ago I tried to save a fender that needed the headlight panel. The aftermarket panel was a total waste of time and money. I was fortunate to get affordable NOS panels. The NOS panel made this an easy repair. A fender that needs a headlight panel is likely in need of lower, rear repair making it near worthless.
Looks awesome washed! :003:
Mustang6984 and others contemplating this......it CAN be done, but difficult. Both of my fenders have headlight panels (not EMS).they were a nightmare, but got them done with alot of work. Unless a pair of Ford nos panels are found, I would think it would be next to impossible for other than a master sheet metal guy to replace the panels and RETAIN THE OEM SEAMED FACTORY LOOK. The easiest way is to remove the back sheet metal flange , reshape the profile, and butt weld to the fender. That was fine with me, as I was eliminating as many seams as posible anyway.Just my 2 cents.
your 57 definetely looks HOT by now, James! love the silver steelies and hubcap on front.
glad I never ordered those headlight repair panels for my rusted DelRio fenders. trying to fix them myself.
for a custom look I love the way you did yours Rich. very smooth. wouldn't want them on a pretty much factory car like my Country Sedan though. Maybe something I will consider for the DR.
Actually, if I ever had to do another, and wanted the seam, I'd carefully cut the badly formed back radius/flange off as I mentioned earlier, but I think with some careful planning, a new flange rear flange could be fabricated and welded on to produce the small radius as original.
Yeah, I was lucky to find the NOS panels...The EMS panels are as ill-fitting as the cheapie ebay panels, they just cost like 3 times as much. I only paid 75 each more than the EMS panels for the real FoMoCo deal, and am glad of it. I cant wait to get the new fenders home, get these panels in, and finish them. These fenders are race car nice, but I wont be leaving them on this car. As soon as the others are done, I will be swapping them out. I dont mean to bash EMS, but for the money I spent on this stuff, I really expected a LOT better quality. I could have bought the Schott panels and been as happy with the fit.
I guess, in the end, I can live with them, especially for a race car, and on this car until I get the 2nd set of fenders on the car. Don't be too scared to use this stuff if your current ones are completely roached, because they are better than none at all. Be aware, they dont go on like OEM stuff, there will be no seam between the fender and headlight panel, and a LOT of metal work and finishing. If you can do that, you can work with these.
Still have a little bit of work to do, passenger side fender doesnt pass my scrutiny, so will be redoing it. Also, still need to sand and buff the whole thing, then put on quarter trim and other trim, mirrors, etc, For now, I plan to drive it and fix thngs as I go. Its been a long time, guys, 10 years this month since I dragged the completely gutted shell home. Before and after pics below...
That's quite a change. A lot of work to make a great car.
Long time coming and you nailed a massive task James..... So well done.
Looks like a lot better now. You should be proud...great job!
Looks really good, James. Can't see any issues with the fr fender in the photo. 10 years......almost exactly what it took me. Heck, you probably only had a half dozen or so kids back when you first got the car.
Very nice James! Well done sir. Makes me smile to look at the starting point and where it is now. I still remember that wet, rainy day the quarter was cut off the parts car.....
Man, that was a miserable day wasnt it? I was glad to get that put on the car, it sure made a world of difference in my attitude towards it/ Man, I was almost ready to sell it before Glen gave me that quarter..
Great job! I hope mine looks that good someday!
what a mission !
She looks terrific in red with silver wheels and OEM hubcaps,
WOW !!!