Splash Guard?

[hiball3985]

I've never had a problem with them missing, and most of my 57's over the years didn't have them, must be a California thing.

[Ecode70D]

Splash guards actually served a purpose in rainy climates. Back when distributors still had points it was easy to kill a car by going too fast through a "puddle". I can't tell you how many times I had to dry out the distributor to get my car started again. It was a common experience around here "in the day".

   Clarification.   Sorry to have misled you.   I do have my  (inner fenders) metal splash guards in place.  It's the rubber pieces with the staples that I did not replace.   

[hiball3985]

When talking about splash guards I was referring to the rubber pieces also..

[lalessi1]

Nah, I was talking about the rubber parts. They were intended to help keep water out of the distributor. When I switched to an FE  (front mounted distributor) the problem was not as frequent. We get over 60" of rain annually here sometimes at rates of 4" an hour. The ground is flat and streets flood frequently. Cars are still stalling but not as often. I don't drive the '57 in the rain but if I did I would make sure all the rubber splash guards were in place.
Splash patterns can be wild. I have been driving reasonably slow, hit water and seen the splash from the tire in front of the car!

[petew]

Those staples were sent home in about 30 seconds by the nice man at the factory.

To replicate them I buy the staples with the splash guards and using an awl and some needle nose pliers painstakingly poke holes in the splash guard to match the original holes on the inner fender , insert the staple and bend it over with the needle nose pliers.

This generally leads to a little blood flow, some harsh language and eventually a finished job. Once you get a rhythm down it goes pretty fast.

[jumping jack flash]

Yep, that's the method I use also.

[SkylinerRon]

You can also freeze the rubber and use a Dremel and tiny bit to drill them.
Stainless wire bent into staples w/ 2" legs makes it easier to pull thru
then bend and cut off.
Goodluck,
Ron.

[Lucky'57]

Looks like there are some for sale on the Ebay. Only $20, I might get a set just to say I have them. Even got a pic of the install location and what looks like a little bag of staples...

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1957-1958-57-58-FORD-CAR-FRONT-FENDER-SPLASH-APRON-SEALS-GASKETS-NEW-/190662572230?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c645ff8c6&vxp=mtr#ht_698wt_867

[RICH MUISE]

Thanks for posting that. What's interesting is the Ebay store that that poster has. Anybody use them?..Vintagefordparts. They've been on ebay for over 10 years, have 350ish '57 - '59 parts listed in their store 99.4% positive on 14,000 transactions.
It got me to thinking maybe we should have a section in our supplier links for ebay stores.

[Lucky'57]

That's actually not a bad idea Mr. Muise, there are several Ebay specific Ford "suppliers" out there that when you do manage to get to a website after a Google search, you get redirected to their Ebay store.

I've gotten a couple things from this outfit (+/- $100) with no problems. They are from Indianapolis.

[petew]

I purchased a bunch of stuff from them. It arrived fast and was good quality.

[hiball3985]

I've used it a few times, never a problem.

[lalessi1]

I have used them for several things. Very efficient. I got the impression they are reselling Dennis Carpenter stuff at a slightly better price. I plan on using them again.

[djfordmanjack]

vintagefordparts....they also have good international service, for all of us non-US 57 owners.