Another Update

I’ve probably put around 8,500 miles on the car since I put it back on the road.

The junkyard 5.0 is starting to make some sounds that I don’t like (bottom end sounds) and I’ve also just come to the point where I want the car to be nicer and more finished.

So…I think I’m going to park it for a short time (a few months) and concentrate on my other cars. Then I think it’ll be time to pull off the front clip, remove the trim and glass,  and get a proper paint job and interior done. I’ll also install a fresher engine and transmission and a better rearend.

When that starts, I’ll document it here.

 

Update

I’ve had several followers of this blog inquire if it’s still active and what the status is of the car, so I figured I’d take a second to update things.

I’ve been driving the car every chance I get and have put over 7,000 miles on it since putting it back on the road. None of that makes for very good blog entries so I haven’t posted any.

Other things that have occupied my time are my other two old cars, a ’66 F100 and a ’24 Model T Touring. Both are my favorite type of car…survivors wearing original factory paint. I drive the ’66 a lot and although the ’24 runs, I’m going through the mechanicals completely. I’ve had the F100 for several years and recently replaced the 240 I-6 with a hopped up 300 I-6. The Model T sat in a barn in west Texas from 1969 until 2016. It was filthy and was missing the interior and top fabric but it was mostly all there and under all the caked on dirt, there was original Ford paint (I won’t get into how I know that here, but it is an interesting bit of detective work).

The next convention for the ’54 Ford Club of America will be in September 2018 and I plan to drive the car from Houston, TX to Memphis, TN. And, before that happens, I plan to complete several upgrades and fix several little things, all of which I’ll document here. Those should start happening after the first of the year (2018).

So, until the ’54 improvement projects begin, I’ll keep driving it A LOT and enjoying how effortlessly it handls everything I throw at it. If you have any questions for me, feel free to contact me at don@1954Ford.com

 

 

Insulation (3)

Installed insulation on the floor. It’s also from Lowes, but it’s a different type than the peel-n-seal that I used on the roof.

I used 3M spray adhesive to glue it down. You spray both surfaces, let it get tacky for about 30 seconds, then apply. Then you use a metallic seam tape to seal up the seams.

This is like bubble wrap encased in a metallic wrapper. I think it’s “proper” use is on water heaters. It’s very good at sound and heat insulation….probably better than the stuff I used on the roof, but this won’t stay stuck to the roof.

 

 

Insulation (2)

Finished the insulation in the roof of my tudor.
I painted first with some Rustoleum Almond Gloss that I already had, then I used Peel-n-Seal from Lowes (I swear the stuff is just like Dynamat) and taped the seams with the sealant tape.
My son and I took it for a drive and the change was very noticeable.

Insulation (1)

Nasty job today that I’ve been avoiding.
I scraped the “tar-paper-like” stuff off the roof of my tudor and painted it with phosphoric acid to kill the surface rust. Next I’ll paint it with black rustoleum and finally add a layer of Peel-N-Seal.

The tar paper removal and acid portion is done….that was the terrible part. The painting and insulation will be enjoyable.

Radio Delete

I’m sending my original 6v radio out to be converted to 12v and have an aux jack installed.

While it’s out, I’ll be sporting this radio delete plate.

It fits the spartan Mainline theme of the car.

Mirror

Added an outside rear view mirror over the weekend.

Got this one from Dennis Carpenter. It’s high quality and has the Ford script on it.

Leaking Axle

The gear set I installed prior to my Fredericksburg trip started leaking out of the pinion oil seal after I got back. That should an easy fix…hopefully it’s just a matter of removing the driveshaft and replacing the seal.

Back To It

After thrashing on my car to get it ready for the road trip to Fredericksburg from Conroe (5 hours each way), I took a break from any major repairs and have simply been driving it for the last few weeks.

Now it’s time to jump back in and continue to improve the car and work out more small issues.

First up is getting my fuel gauge back in working order. And, in the process, I’d like to make the original gauge work instead of the under-the-dash gauge that I currently have.

I ordered a Runtz voltage reducer and will install it as soon as it arrives.

After that, I’ll get the turn signals and horn working.

Road Trip

Last weekend, I took the 54 on a road-trip from my house to Fredericksburg, TX for the 2016 ’54 Convention.

It was a 5 hour trip each way and I was a bit nervous to say the least. This was the first time I’d taken the car out of the local area. A breakdown within 10 miles of my house is one thing but a breakdown 4+ hours away on a busy highway would’ve been something entirely different.

I’m pleased to say that the car handled flawlessly without even a minor hiccup.

There are stretches of Hwy 290 between Houston and Austin that have a 75mph speed limit and I ran the 54 at that limit for more than an hour. I averaged around 23mpg which is good, but I think I can do even better with a smaller carburetor (I think the 600cfm Edelbrock I’m running is too big).

Here’s a video taken on day two of the convention. My car appears at around 1:18 in the video.