My Ranchero Resurrection

[KYBlueOval]

[RICH MUISE]

That's all going to go a long way towards cleaning up the engine compartment. Hope you never have to remove those inner fenders though!

[KYBlueOval]

Yes, I gave that some thought, but decided I liked the look.The AC lines on the other side will be done much the same. You'll see very little of the hoses. I'll work on the other side when I return from Texas.

[Ford Blue blood]

Lot of time to figure out how to get out of the engine compartment as cleanly as possible.  A couple of hours in the NAPA hose area found the rear hose of the two with a molded 90* in it.  This is the only hose with a "splice" in it. 

[Ford Blue blood]

OK, not sure why the pictures doubled up?  Have more to learn!

[KYBlueOval]

Been working on the core support, radiator /fan clearance issues in between out of town trips.The radiator needed to go forward to allow for the fan/shroud to clear. While making those changes, the AC condenser was added.
Looking down on the radiator, it has been moved far forward and you can see the fan to water pump pulley clearance.


The next photo shows the core support somewhat bolted in with the radiator in place and the brackets for the condenser


The next photo shows the condenser in place. I'm running the AC hoses inside the car to the driver's side and then out through the inner fender etc. The AC compressor is on the driver's side and I'm using the Ford factory brackets for AC,PS,and Alt. A new Sanden compressor arrived yesterday to replace what you see in the photo.

Next is the shroud and fan. Plenty of room to install some flaps or louvers, if needed.I purchased the used fan at the Pate Swap meet in Ft.Worth. It is a $193.00 Spal fan that I bought for $10.00! Every now and then ,one gets lucky.

[Ford Blue blood]

John the slog is long and tedious but well worth the effort!  Keep on keeping on, you're lookin great!

[KYBlueOval]

Been awhile since I posted any updates.Below are photos of how the hood hinge springs were converted to gas shocks. This modification was covered here on the Forum years ago.........I'm just getting around to it.
The gas shocks are rated at 120#. I've had them on the car with a stock hood and it all worked fine. The hood did not come up rapidly, but rather what I would call a normal rise.
When the '63 T'Bird Hood skin is installed on the '57 hood frame, it might require a stronger strut. The hood conversion is a ways off at this point.
I hope the photos explain the changes that were made to accommodate the gas struts. If not, I'll explain what was done.

[KYBlueOval]

Headers are next. Finally found a pair that would work with some massaging. Photos to follow when they are finished.

[mustang6984]

Looking pretty phenomenal there.
Question...which company should I buy stock in? Bayer, Tylenol, Seagrams? LOL!!! Cause I KNOW there has been a few needs for something after ll that brain work!

Looks really good!

[RICH MUISE]

You'll be really happy with that lift mod for several reasons, including making the area under the hood hinge brackets usable for running A/C lines. My lifts have been on for 6 years and still work well, although the last year or so there is a slight drop in the lifting power.

[KYBlueOval]

Looking pretty phenomenal there.
Question...which company should I buy stock in? Bayer, Tylenol, Seagrams? LOL!!! Cause I KNOW there has been a few needs for something after ll that brain work!

Looks really good!

Thanks Hugh. Don't know about Bayer or Tylenol stock, but I can tell you that there is no Seagram stock to be bought or sold. I worked for Seagram and ran the southern part of the country. I left in 1987 for a better opportunity and Seagram sold out 2 years later. My exit timing was perfect, but it was not because I was so smart.....just lucky.

[KYBlueOval]

A long overdue update. Below are photos of my hood with a '63 T'Bird scoop. Took both hoods to Indianapolis and had them chemically dipped.
The original plan was to remove the "skin" from both hoods and install the '63 skin on the '57 hood frame.After the hoods were dipped, it became apparent that there was more rust in the nose of the T'Bird hood than I had anticipated.
So plan "B" was used. The scoop area was cut out and a like portion of the '57 hood was removed. Initial fit was pop riveted in. A friend has a spot welder with a sizeable reach, so the hood was taken to his place and spot welded.Then it was TIG welded.
Plan "B" resulted in the bottom side of the hood being rather ugly, as you could see where the hood was cut and scoop welded in. The fix was to make aluminum panels to fit into the recesses, and hide the "ugly"
What you see are cardboard templates, which were used in fabricating the aluminum panels. The large brown cardboard piece did not work. Clearance issues, so those three recessed areas have individual pieces as well. 3M Panel Bond will be used to secure the aluminum in place.
And I should acknowledge that the scoop will not be functional. Had I been able to use the entire T'Bird skin, it would have been functional.
The individual aluminum panels, used to hide the ugly portion of the installation made it non functional, and I'll block off the scoop.
When I get the panels glued in, I'll post a photo or two.

[RICH MUISE]

Man, I really miss doing fun stuff like that. The hood is looking great. That scoop is nice and subtle, as we know from Gary's.

[gasman826]

The '63 hood looks great.  Mine was a '65 donor...very similar but different.  I really enjoyed changing the hood skins.  It took many hours to hammer/dollie all the way around the perimeter.  If I were to attempt this again, I would bead roller the entire edge of the skin.  Rolling the entire perimeter 180 degrees via hammer/dollie is very difficult to maintain a uniform and straight edge.  I also really like adhesives...no dealing with heat shrink and much faster.