1942 Ford deluxe coupe project

[1942deluxe]

42 ford.jpg I don't know if the attachment came thru but
I've started on my 1942 Deluxe coupe. With my friend Sugarmaker's
assistance I may be able to post some pictures as I make progress. Bought the car when I was out in Iowa the week of 9/11. Needs every bolt touched but just a really solid car. Plans are to install a 59 A-B that we brought home today. I was able to find a number of NOS parts for it thru the years.

[1942deluxe]

42 left side.jpg
Side view. I have a NOS grille ,hood emblem and the rear glass.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Attachment 480361 I don't know if the attachment came thru but
I've started on my 1942 Deluxe coupe. With my friend Sugarmaker's
assistance I may be able to post some pictures as I make progress. Bought the car when I was out in Iowa the week of 9/11. Needs every bolt touched but just a really solid car. Plans are to install a 59 A-B that we brought home today. I was able to find a number of NOS parts for it thru the years.

[mercman from oz]

1942 Ford Deluxe Coupe - from the Original Ford Sales Brochure.

[flatford8]

I like it!!.....and ’42 was limited production right?....everybody needs a project to keep you off the couch........Mark

[corvette8n]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Great looking project, if you haven’t bought this book yet it will help answer a lot of questions.
https://shop.efv8.org/collections/fo...book-softbound

Have fun with your car.

[rotorwrench]

Since the war came along after Pearl Harbor, it didn't take long for the things to change in the US. All manufacturers stopped auto production on February 22, 1942. This made all 1942 models a very limited production. Thankfully a lot of Ford parts carried through into production after the war but the 46 models did have some differences.

[19Fordy]

Be sure and save the original grille and other parts as spares as I am pretty sure 1942 Ford parts are rare. Looks like a great car and a project. Good luck. Enjoy.

[RKS.PA]

'42, this looks like a great find!! I love the lines, and the fact that WWII limited production, makes it a very rare one....that lasts forever!!

You mentioned you found a 59AB to install. Did an engine come with the car?? If so, that, too, would be a 59AB??

[5851a]

Nice find, and Iowa of all places. Must have been stored long ago.

[1942deluxe]

RKS.PA. There was oddly enough a 59 AB with the car when I bought the car. Had adjustable lifters and bored .125. When I moved from Iowa I paid a guy to haul it. The car and engine disappeared (he later went to jail for stealing classic cars). One day the car showed up but no engine. I figured I could find another engine but couldn't replace the car. Kind of like having your dog run away. You're just happy he came home! Original engine would've had an "A"
stamped on the head, "raised deck" with a crab distributor. 221 cubes vs 239 of the 59 AB's. Transmission is original with the 1942 VIN stamped on it.

[sugarmaker]

John,
Let me know how I can help. I do have some pictures of you and your new to you 59A-B engine here are a few:
Getting it loaded in my F250 At Ron's:








John unloading the 59A-B at the shop:


John (1942deluxe) checking out the heads:


First look inside. All valves working, all pistons moving! YEA!


Looking very good at this point.

Regards,
Chris

[mercman from oz]

1942 Ford Super Deluxe Six Fordor Sedan.
Reviving my grandpas rare 42 Ford with only 28k miles.
Check out this Video of this 1942 Ford Sedan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe7bdVhOFSE

[1942deluxe]

Mercman, enjoyed the video. I see the grandfather has a 1957 Chevy 4 door hardtop. My brother has a 1957 Chevy Nomad I've been helping him on. He's had the car for 42 years and doing a frame up. It will be beautiful when it's done.

[1952henry]

Good luck with your project. Don't see those everyday.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Stopped by to bother John yesterday. Found him in the garage sorting out several generators for the 42. He has accumulated enough spare parts that this should be a interesting build project for him. Things like oil sending units. Oil filter canister, and much more. John has had many of these mid 40's Fords since he was a kid. The details and the parts, he is very familiar with all of it. Sure helps when sorting things out.
Looks like he has the fan assembly about ready to go.

Was good for me to start to learn a little bit about the features of the V8 flathead world too. All new to me! He is a good teacher!

Looking forward to taking a ride with him in this Ford time capsule.
Regards,
Chris

[RKS.PA]

Chris, so amazing to have found a "flathead buddie" right there in your town of Albion!!! And, so, the learning continues!!! Certainly could have used that when I lived in the southeastern part of your state!!

[mhsprecher]

I really like the 42's. I think the grille is very handsome. Good luck with it!

[1942deluxe]

Something on the car a little bit odd: LH headlamp bezel is painted steel (black). The RH
bezel is stainless and was painted black when I got the car. It has been mentioned that there isn't any documentation of a "black out" car. Maybe that gives a little bit of evidence. Car still has the engine shields and seems to be unmolested. There's an oil change sticker from 1975 that is 6,000 miles less than it's showing now.To use an Iowa expression perhaps "rode hard and put out wet" but stored inside since the late 70's.

[Ol' Ron]

Yes, good luck, great find classic car. Must keep the 42 look. Weiand made HC compression heads withthe stock 59 head look with 8:1 CR. Just for future information.
Gramps

[sugarmaker]

Originally Posted by RKS.PA

Chris, so amazing to have found a "flathead buddie" right there in your town of Albion!!! And, so, the learning continues!!! Certainly could have used that when I lived in the southeastern part of your state!!

RSK, PA,
John had to hunt me down after he saw my split rims at the tire shop. We have hit it off well!
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
"42 Deluxe" working on his 59A-B engine and heads. He even surprised me that the hidden bolt inside the water pumps came right out with out a fight!




General clean up and inspection of one of the heads:








Good job John!

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John came over and worked at cleaning, more cleaning, and measuring on his 59A-B engine planned for his 42 Deluxe.
Some random pictures of his progress, as the evaluation proceeds. Just trying to capture those special moments for him!











Regards,
Chris

[Bored&Stroked]

He should really pull the thing apart, check the bearings, clean out the oil-pan, check the valves/seats, etc..

I'd probably put a 49-53 oil pump in it - with a pickup from Speedway. It is STD bore - so that is excellent!

[sugarmaker]

Dale, Folks,
I believe that is a portion of John's plan. Further evaluation of the 59A-B engine will continue. I was also surprised that it was std bore size.
Regards,
Chris

[Bored&Stroked]

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Or tell him to send it to me (with about $6000) and I'll increase its HP just a bit! LOL

[1942deluxe]

Looking at my 48 it looks like the engine has the wrong crankshaft pulley? Should be a two belt pulley?

[1942deluxe]

Does a Bob Drake fuel tank for the 1941-48's accept a stock sending unit? Is there a way to adapt one if it doesn't. Planning on staying with 6 Volts.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Had the chance to go with John (42 Deluxe) and his wife to pick up some parts for their 42 project at Charlie NY's place. A nice ride up I-90. I took some pictures while we were there too.
We were all impressed that several of the parts that Charlie worked on for John were on his engine on the test stand. Charlie fired it up with the fuel pump and the carb.
The transmission was on the bench with the side cover off for review and was buttoned up while we watched.








That nice 32 pickup of Charlies. I like it and his 41 also!


Regards,
Chris

[Charlie ny]

A wonderful morning it was John Kelley and the lovely Kathy along with Sugarmaker
Chris visited Sat AM and picker up some goodies John had me rebuild. Once my calendar
allows Alice and I will head down to Albion Pa to check out the 'action' at Sugarmaker's.
Charlie ny

[sugarmaker]

Charlie,
We look forward to your visit too! Always a class act at Charlies place for sure!
Regards,
Chris

[1942deluxe]

Charlie, my wife seemed to really enjoy meeting you and the tour of the shop. When we got home she took pictures of everything you had rebuilt. I'm thinking she is working on evidence for my commitment hearing. After being with me for 41 years I'm sure she could make an open and shut case!

[edhd58]

I will love following this ride being brought back.
I had the opportunity to purchase this very car from him a few months back and chickened out.
I was told by a cousin that knew what this was, after the fact of course, that I was a crazy man for passing on this one.
Best of luck to you sir, please keep us in the know.

[fortyonerag]

Handsome car! I'll watch this one too as I'm looking down under for a 59 or 99-AB for my 41.


Thanks for sharing.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
I visited with John as he was working on his brake systems. Took a few pictures and he had a question about the shocks. Here are the shock pictures. Any input would help him understand more about these shock units.

Rear shock:


Front shock:


Here he has the front brakes completed.


He is looking forward to geting his rebuilt Flathead into the car this summer. Lots of work remains, but he is making good progress on his 42 Deluxe coupe.

Regards,
Chris

[tubman]

I don't think those are Ford shocks. I bought a '36 3-window one time that had shocks like that and the guy I bought it from said they were off a GM product. I Immediately replaced them with a set of tube shocks.

[19Fordy]

Really nice car and project.
Just wondering.......will using an air driven Roloc dosk to clean the deck and heads create surfaces that are no longer level when you lay a staright edge across them to check for "flatness".

[1942deluxe]

19Fordy, engine builder is plaining(spelling?) the heads. I thought about that after word... shocks I think are Delco (GM). Spacing for mounts appears to be about the same as the Ford shocks of which I have NOS. Just curious as to as if that was a substitution because of shortages or something replaced along the way.

[meric42]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Something on the car a little bit odd: LH headlamp bezel is painted steel (black). The RH
bezel is stainless and was painted black when I got the car. It has been mentioned that there isn't any documentation of a "black out" car. Maybe that gives a little bit of evidence. Car still has the engine shields and seems to be unmolested. There's an oil change sticker from 1975 that is 6,000 miles less than it's showing now. To use an Iowa expression perhaps "rode hard and put out wet" but stored inside since the late 70's.

I believe many of the later '42's had a mix of painted parts, some mild steel some stainless steel, but all painted. I think it depends what the assembly line had on hand at the time. I've seen some cars with mixed side trim all painted to comply with directives to reduce bright work on vehicles during the end of civilian wartime production.

[1942deluxe]

I cleaned a shock really good, and it was inscribed "Delco made in Dayton USA". 100% agree Meric. No firm rules on 42's. Glass date bugs indicate 9/41. I found 10 16 41 on 3 of the 4 rims. There is KC (Kansas City?) stamped on the RF area of the firewall. I'm guessing late October or early November build. My thought was those poor people had no idea how bad things were going to become.

[sugarmaker]

John,
Picked you up a cute little 42 book for your collection.
Regards,
Chris

[1942deluxe]

Chris, your truck was also in the Early Ford V8 video of the meet on Facebook! I like cute little 42 Ford books.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John and I traveled past and back to Hamburg NY yesterday to pick up his engine for the 42 deluxe project.

Grown men drooling over a fresh build flat head engine, does it really get any better?






Some last minute details:


Block it, support it, and wrap it for the ride to Albion:




Off to help him on the master cylinder assembly install.

Regards,
Chris

[GB SISSON]

Dang, it looks like the builder got right on it! I have read so many stories where after a year or so a guy has to go pick up his partially 'done' engine from some shop where they 'knew all about flatheads' and were gonna do it on the side. That place just looks right, as does that beautiful 59ab! I am enjoying this thread.

[1942deluxe]

GB, the machine shop has been in business since 1933. The owner is 70 years old and, in the process of selling to a young guy. I saw 3 flathead blocks behind the counter when I walked in. Kevin said they all had problems but he didn't have the heart to throw them away. I may have been lucky on this one. Mains are std., rods turned .010 and bored .030. They were going to go .020 but pistons weren't available. There was a Packard engine done and a 216 Chevy when I walked in the first time. Block was pressure tested and magged and passed.

[sugarmaker]

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Folks,
Several shots as John has done work on his 42 Deluxe:




John and his wife cleaning the fresh flathead:










Regards,
Chris

[RBRanche]

Nice looking engine. Do you have contact info for the machine shop that did the work, I'm looking to have a 59A rebuilt for my 39 pickup. Thanks, Ron

[1942deluxe]

RBRanche, Klispies Sales & Service , 5914 Camp Rd., Hamburg, NY 14075. Phone is 716-649-2107. Ask for Rob or Kevin.

[sugarmaker]

Humm?? Wonder if that flathead would fit in my 32 dump truck?? Just kidding John, next year the 42 can be at the Waterford car show!
Regards,
Chris

[Bored&Stroked]

Any flathead V8 will fit in your 32 Dump truck . . . now you need to build one! LOL

[RBRanche]

Thanks John, I'll be giving them a call and maybe I can finally get something going forward.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
I get to watch John work, its a nice thing. He is doing good on the 42 project. So his goal was to remove the oil pan, install the flywheel and re install the oil pan.











Mission accomplished! Good work John!

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Again watching John work on his flathead today, I was surprised to see how it was not very easy to install the pressure plate to the flywheel! John got it fastened in place and I turned the engine over.
Guess I didnt get a picture of the pressure plate installed. Will get that tomorrow.


Pan looks real good painted too. John plans to start adding components to the engine and getting the 42 under it soon.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Ford folks,
John has his stuff together on, part numbers, parts, hardware, and details for his 42. He says he may have to get another car to use up the parts he has. ( there is the 47 four door that waits in the wings too)



Exhaust manifolds look great. A tip of the hat to Bored and Stroked for the remote information on gaskets! We continue to learn.


Rebuilt transmision mated up with the 59AB for the first time. As John would say "Its happy"!
We removed the sling chain and installed the engine leveler to the intake area. Looks like that is going to work well to stab the engine/ tranny into the 42 Deluxe in the near future.


Regards,
Chris

[Bored&Stroked]

Looks great! Did he have the exhaust manifolds ceramic coated . . . or just paint? I bet you guys will have that car on the road soon!

[Bored&Stroked]

Also, just to be picky on the 'safety side' - glad to see that you have a proper chain setup on it in the last pictures.

In the previous one where you had the engine in the air with a chain hooked to a long bolt threaded into the exhaust bolt - that makes me very nervous in that you're holding the whole weight of the engine with a bolt that is mounted in 'sheer' - which is not what that bolt was designed to do. And it appeared that John was working on the pan with it hoisted like that . . . just imagine if it fell?

It is very easy to bend/break a bolt when you're putting that amount of side load on it. You guys should get a side mount V8 engine stand adapter - makes working on these things a LOT easier.

Okay . . . enough out of 'Safety Chief Dale' this AM . . . back to my coffee cup! LOL

[sugarmaker]

Dale,
I believe that is a high temp paint on the exhaust manifolds. I thought they looks very good. With the way John his stuff organized and prepared the 42 coupe could be moving on its own in July this year!
I think he is going to mount the starter next and has his gas tank to come out for evaluation. Then we will move the 42 over here. We were considering towing it through town with one of the Allis tractors! Its about 2 miles from his place to the shop.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Originally Posted by Bored&Stroked

Also, just to be picky on the 'safety side' - glad to see that you have a proper chain setup on it in the last pictures.

In the previous one where you had the engine in the air with a chain hooked to a long bolt threaded into the exhaust bolt - that makes me very nervous in that you're holding the whole weight of the engine with a bolt that is mounted in 'sheer' - which is not what that bolt was designed to do. And it appeared that John was working on the pan with it hoisted like that . . . just imagine if it fell?

It is very easy to bend/break a bolt when you're putting that amount of side load on it. You guys should get a side mount V8 engine stand adapter - makes working on these things a LOT easier.

Okay . . . enough out of 'Safety Chief Dale' this AM . . . back to my coffee cup! LOL

Dale,
I agree with all the above safety issues. John and I did talk about those issues and we moved over the the engine leveler and bolts in tension about the same time you were commenting. I did not care for the bolts and chain. We ttried to stay away from a potential drop zone. Its always good to mention any safety related issues.
And yes, in hind site attaching on the top at the begining would have been more correct.
Thanks!
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Ford barn folks,
John and his wife made good progress adding additional components to the 59AB flathead tonight.
I believe the 42 will be moved to my shop in the next few days and John feels he is ready to install this engine and transmission. A great learning experience for me for sure! Looking forward to it! Will try to get some pictures of the progress to keep you up to date too.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,



Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
I helped John move the 42 from his garage to my place. We plan to install the fresh 59 AB engine and rebuilt transmission tomorrow.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Ford folks,
John has many stories about this 42 Deluxe since he has owned it.
Here we are loading it for the short ride to my shop:


Trip was uneventful and the 42 will get a fresh flathead today if all goes well. We did stop and vist with our friend Ron S who was the previous owner of the flathead engine. I think he liked the 42 also.


Regards,
Chris

[Zeke3]

Good looking 42 coupe, I can't wait to see it with the new engine.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,












The clam shell area was the hardest to get the fastners in place for sure. I would say not one of Fords better ideas. But it was my first time helping in that area.
Regards,
Chris

[flatford8]

Definitely “looks happy” sitting in there!......Mark

[sugarmaker]

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Folks,
Adding a little to John's thread for him. John's brother Tom stopped in to assist him on details inside the engine bay.
I believe these are some of the items tackled yesteday. Carb attached. Fuel pump installed. rods to choke and throttle and the foot throttle in place. A interference between the oil line and foot throttle linkage was resolved by Tom gently tweeking the steel oil line out tof the way. Front engine mounts were installed and a call was made to Michael Driskell to get a quick piece of information on the front mounts too.










Regards,
Chris

[rockfla]

Originally Posted by meric42

I believe many of the later '42's had a mix of painted parts, some mild steel some stainless steel, but all painted. I think it depends what the assembly line had on hand at the time. I've seen some cars with mixed side trim all painted to comply with directives to reduce bright work on vehicles during the end of civilian wartime production.

A fellow here locally has a 42 "Black Out" coupe....ALL the bright work is black!!! I figure it was a "late" run car to have ALL the bright work black. He just passed about 8 months ago, not sure what's gonna happen with the coupe?

[1942deluxe]

Rockfla, that would be a neat car to get pictures of! Again my car had both headlight rings painted. One was stainless underneath and one was stamped steel.

[rockfla]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Rockfla, that would be a neat car to get pictures of! Again my car had both headlight rings painted. One was stainless underneath and one was stamped steel.

My Dad took a couple of pictures of it years ago, I have to see IF he can dig them out, the fellow also had a 33 5 window all original too!!!

[highbeams]

Excellent photos. Is the '42 grille & '41 grille identical?

Is this an opera coupe w/ the opera-like fold-down seats? Is/was the business coupe quarter-windowless (previously termed three-window coupe) Thank you.

[1942deluxe]

41 and 42 grilles are completely different. Front fenders are the same as a 1946. No rear seats, just a package tray (wood) and storage compartment behind the front seat. The 3 window coupes ended after 1936 to my knowledge. Ford called my car a "coupe" and the version with the longer door and rear seat a "sedan coupe" in 1942.

[Seth Swoboda]

I have called those cars 3 passenger coupes or business coupes. I have a 1946, 3 passenger or business coupe.

[highbeams]

Thanks! '46= round parking lights; '47 =horizontal? or vic-versa . . . my parents had a typical (drk blue) tudor sedan md-'50s

[highbeams]

Originally Posted by sugarmaker

Dale,
I believe that is a high temp paint on the exhaust manifolds. I thought they looks very good. With the way John his stuff organized and prepared the 42 coupe could be moving on its own in July this year!
I think he is going to mount the starter next and has his gas tank to come out for evaluation. Then we will move the 42 over here. We were considering towing it through town with one of the Allis tractors! Its about 2 miles from his place to the shop.
Regards,
Chris

On the Wis dairy farm (family established 80 acres in 1855) we had an Alice Chalmers 1937 WC that my father bought in 1957 reconditioned including the paint, to be used for field work.

What a monster for a 10-year old = deeep clutching . . . my left leg was too short unless I had death grips on the steering wheel, pulling my butt off the seat; Left & right brake levers were outta reach. A beast for me!

He also had the Ford Ferguson, bought new off the showroom floor in 1944; 'road gear' installed $100, plus dealer-supplied step plates( Henry did not include step plates, headlights, or rear plowing light.

Sooo much friendlier for me than the hold-on-for-your-life WC. (the Ford Ferg was used daily for 20 years w/one rebuild. (Harry Ferguson's idea= multiple hole drawbar. Harry & Henry unfortunately were not two peas in a pod. Harry said so-long after lawsuit(s).

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John made some additional moves on his 42 project. He tweeked the install of the new gas tank and has it ready for fuel.


Regards,
Chris

[rockfla]

Chris
I need to move up to PA near you and John....your determination and support of each other is great to see and wish I had the same here in North Florida!!! I could use and enjoy friends like you two!!

[sugarmaker]

Bobby, Folks,
John does the work, I take the pictures! Seems to work out well! Just kidding, we help each other and its good to have a friend in the shop too. I am learning a lot about cars of the 40's too!

The radiator and its brackets, hardware, and hoses were installed by John today and it went pretty well! I assisted in a couple areas, and held some bolts from turning, provided my opinions and thoughts.

John tested his thermostats. They opened at about 180 deg F.






I believe it is ready for water/ coolant.
Regards,

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
A update on John's 42 Deluxe project. I really think he does better when I am not around!


Looking real good in the engine bay! Details are coming together nicely.

I have been joking that he will probably drive it home. It sure looks like it could happen soon! I know he has some fluids to add, and I need to modify the battery hold down for him. Maybe some electrical items.like a new coil and the gen and fan mount. But I am impressed!

Regards,
Chris

[rockfla]

Man. it's looking great!!!!

[RKS.PA]

Getting very close to the "moment of truth"!!

[Sal]

Doesn't that coil need a resistor to bring down the voltage? Like the '47s and '48s do.

[1942deluxe]

Sal, I don't think so as it has one under the dash on the firewall. I asked Skip that and if I understood him correctly you don't need two.

[meric42]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Sal, I don't think so as it has one under the dash on the firewall. I asked Skip that and if I understood him correctly you don't need two.

Correct you only need one resistor in the circuit to limit the current in the primary circuit or things will start to cook :P

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John reached a important point in his project yesterday. He fired up the flathead for the first time. He researched some electrical gremlins, checked spark at the plugs, dribbled some fuel in the carb and fired it up. Several short startups and the day was considered a great success! He has the fan and generator to install, then should be able to get some break in time on the 59AB engine.
Oh she sounds "very" healthy right out of the mainfolds! I like it! There may be a face book video somewhere out there taken by John's wife Cathy. I might have to see if I can find it too.
Regards,
Chris

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Attachment 480361 I don't know if the attachment came thru but
I've started on my 1942 Deluxe coupe. With my friend Sugarmaker's
assistance I may be able to post some pictures as I make progress. Bought the car when I was out in Iowa the week of 9/11. Needs every bolt touched but just a really solid car. Plans are to install a 59 A-B that we brought home today. I was able to find a number of NOS parts for it thru the years.

nice looking original paint...Use Johnson's paste wax it will look fantastic.

[sugarmaker]

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Folks,
John's 42 update. Several, ok many, times we started the rebuilt 59AB engine buy letting it sip or gulp fuel from an hand held can. The 42 had issues pulling gas from the tank to the fuel pump. We would get a 1/4 teaspoon then nothing. Took the line off the pump and tank and blew compressed air backward through it several times, seemed clear. Filled the sediment bowl, nothing. Sucked fuel through the line from the tank with a shop vac, not recommended practice but this assured us gas was at the soft , short hose to the pump. Still no prime. Nothing! John replaced the pump with a rebuilt spare. And while off I checked / learned about the assembly. I had never touched one. John had it correctly assembled on the engine! We tested both pumps manually and got a good shower of gas from both. Slow learner on this end. Found a slight leak on the line fitting exiting the new gas tank. Tightened that. Low pressure air added to the filler neck started the gas flow while John cranked the V8 Flathead. Found leak at carb end of the copper line from the pump. Well he now has the pump primed! He had a new line, and installed that. Found leak at the pump outlet. Removed line and inserted the copper into the fitting (non ferrel type) further. Got it! He then was able to start the engine with the fuel pump operational!! It ran for a couple minutes and then quit. Acted like it ran out of fuel?? That's how he ended the day. He will add the fan and gen maybe Tuesday and hopefully resolve any future fuel delivery issues as the bugs are worked out.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Some Flathead pictures:












Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

42 Flathead update,
John installed the fan, belts and generator assemblies on the Flathead and made several attempts to get it pulling fuel from the tank. Seems we are back to square one? We tried many options. Several pump changes. Several calls to Charlie NY. Charlie was great support for us. He is sending a care package to John with components that may help too. We are not giving up, just kicking back and thinking of the next moves to get this engine running on gas from the tank. We may plumb in a auxaillary tank to try that.
Just seems that the fuel pumps are not getting gas to the carb yet. Maybe we are "that" close and dont know it?
John thinks I may have to ride on the right front fender, with my beard blowing in the wind, pouring gas in the carb, as he drives the 42! Hummn??

Regards,
Chris

[1942deluxe]

Running great!!! Ran a fitting from the rubber fuel line to a fuel can. End result is probably one of the strongest running flatheads I've ever had. Charlie NY carb, distributor, and fuel pump working to perfection. I had Skip redo a coil for me and that also seems great. Only bad news is I need to replace the fuel line from the firewall to the tank. OH, well it made it 80 years. Can't recommend Charlie enough. Service and patient advice after the sale. There aren't enough Charlie's in the world in my opinion.

[Bored&Stroked]

I second the vote of confidence in Charlie NY . . . he's done quite a few things for me and will always do the best job he possibly can and stands behind his work. Thanks for posting your progress - looks like you're going to have a heck of a good ride!

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
What you have been waiting for!
https://youtu.be/vpp8FRYO6vk

Regards,
Chris

[Bored&Stroked]

Sounds great! Make sure he doesn't run it too much in the garage . . . as it needs to be broken in under load on the highway. While we all like to hear them run, the best thing he can do is take the car out and flog it multiple times - up to higher RPMs to get the rings to seat.

[sugarmaker]

Dale, Folks,
John will need to get the gas line/ new tank operational. I dont plan on riding the front fender, with the gas can while he is flogging it on the road!
Other than that I think he has it just about road worthy! Maybe a couple minor things.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Another short clip.
https://youtu.be/1DmBy3XagmI

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John came over to play cars with me and proceeded to tear into this old fuel line, which for some reason was causing us fits. He did some initial clean up along the frame and lightened the 42 by at least 5 lbs!




What he found was a slight wet spot in the old line at one of the clips. This was a rusted spot sucking air and not allowing the fuel pump to prime from the tank.


New fuel line will be installed soon. And he will be just about ready for the open hood Sherman road testing event. He told me the story that he did this same trick when he was younger and one of the neighbors alerted him to the fact that it was not appropriate. We are going to do it again in his honor!


At 80 it needs a transplant not a bypass operation!


I have come to hold Ford in high regard for the design of these smooth rounded flat top fenders on this 42 Ford. These are a pleasure to work over, lean on, climb on, spread out tools on, set your drink on, and plan the next moves!
John has been working closely with Charlie NY on the fuel deliver issue. We believe his pump rebuild work was fine and the main problem was the old rusted fuel line! In hindsite we could have tried the auxilarry fuel tank much earlier in the process, but that would have taken all the fun right out of it!

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John did a very nice job putting a gas line in the 42. Using the orig clips and brackets, and the original end fittings with new ferrels on the ends of the 1/4 inch new soft line.


So all buttoned up he has a abundance of fuel at the carb. He is is working on that to undserstand why the system has a little more fuel than required.

Regards,
Chris

[Charlie ny]

Chris/John,
The abundance of fuel aka fuel gushing out of the vent tube in the air horn
is ,I'm pretty sure, a tiny chunk of something between the needle and seat...it doesn't take much. Check my email to you sent late last night.
With you all the way,
Charlie

[1942deluxe]

I saw your email this morning. In total agreement. In the next day or so we'll check it. I'm guessing a chunk of the 80 year old fuel line decided that would be a nice place to move to! Why I didn't replace the fuel line to begin with....we are almost there!

[fortyonerag]

Loving this thread, kinda curious though.

I only have to look at my car and I can double for Pigpen.

How do you stay so clean?

Fingers crossed for the first drive!

[1942deluxe]

fortyonerag, days, weeks, and months of cleaning components. The car lived on a dirt road sometime in its life. Lots of northern Iowa dirt on the chassis. Here in NW Pennsylvania, we have a strong 5 months of winter and I spent most of it cleaning. You'll notice I'm wearing long sleeved shirts. At this stage of my life if I even nick my arms or hands I bleed like a stuck pig. That if there's one jagged edge on the car I'll find it!

[1942deluxe]

Took my first test drive today! Fuel coming out of the vent tube was caused by a pot metal shaving under the needle. My guess is I damaged a thread in all the times I was switching fuel pumps chasing a ghost. We were struggling getting ferrules fitted properly too so that may have been a factor. Runs very strong and Charlie ny rebuilt transmission shifts great. Speedometer works and I took it up to 45 MPH. Plenty more work left to do but for the first time since Gerald Ford was president the car is moving under its own power.

[RKS.PA]

John, you experienced the moment of truth....and it was great!!! We all have loved following your progress and meeting up with Chris, not to mention your proximity to Charlie, was the icing on the cake!! Loved the reference to Gerald Ford!! Thanks very much!!

[38 coupe]

Congratulations on the first drive. Now for the pictures with that grin that doesn't go away for days!

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John finished some items on the punch list and decided it was time for the 42 to make its debut! Hope you enjoy!

https://youtu.be/YHe4g0-1ARo
Regards,
Chris

[Charlie ny]

Head out on the 'hiway lookin' for adventure !!!!
Charlie ny

[B-O-B]

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AWWW to be a kid again!!!! GREAT sounding engine.
Back in 56 we had a new car dealer selling new Fords and he would take a 56 out of the showroom & drive it down the road wide open. He made a lot of people some super deals on new Fords, but I could not even afford the payments.

[Charlie ny]

John,
Now will be a good time to meet up with MARK KICSAK in Binghamton N.Y.
607 729 1693. '41 to '48....Mark has lots of unobtainium.....very cool guy.
Charlie ny

[RKS.PA]

John, not sure if it was on your checklist. A while ago Mac Vanpelt posted a reminder on how and how often to lube the radiator fan bearing on '41 to '48 Fords. His website goes into the how and why of taking care of this.

Thinking back again to you comment above, the last time the car ran was during the Gerald Ford administration, I thought I'd mention it for your consideration.

[1942deluxe]

RKS.PA, fan is oiled. Over the winter I rebuilt it using a NOS bearing, etc. that I've had for years. Charlie, I've known Mark for a number of years. Ran into him at Hershey last year.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Another one I found:
https://youtu.be/YOhI_j3VnEA

Regards,
Chris

[fortyonerag]

Great news. Well done!!!!

[Bored&Stroked]

There is nothing like starting up a newly build Flathead, then taking a car on the road that has not been on the road in decades. This is the stuff that keeps us young and keeps the fire in the belly! The engine sounds fantastic . . . enjoy the heck out of that Merc.

[1942deluxe]

Been busy at the steam show with Chris (sugarmaker) and my 45th class reunion. Last night I stopped at Chris's garage to drop a few things off. Hit the gas pedal once, pulled the choke, hit the starter button and it was running in less than a revolution! I told my wife this thing is going to be a beast when everything is done. Bored&Stroked is exactly right. First drive and you feel like your 17 again. Not much like that happens anymore. M.I.L. suggested last summer (not a car person) that I call a junkyard to take the car away. As we used to say in high school "bite me", ha!

[RBRanche]

Don't waste your time with a junkyard, they only want newer vehicles but I would be more than willing to come take it off your hands when the time comes. LOL

[1942deluxe]

RKS.PA, Funny you mentioned the oil in the fan. Yesterday after spending most of a day pounding out the dent in the roof (I had help, thank God!) I started the car and had a chirp from the front of the car. I was thinking one of the China waterpumps had a problem. Took the generator belt off and the noise was still there. Removed fan belt and the noise went away. Took fan apart and cleaned everything. There was some oil but I'm guessing not enough. Also felt the fan belt was too tight and generator/waterpumps belt was too loose. Corrected that. Started back up and we're back to quiet. Probably a little heavy on oil level in fan. Anybody have any real world experience with Drake's sealed bearing unit?

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Some pictures as John and his crew work to remove the large roof dent causes by Big Bob's Butt years ago! These pictures are graphic. No small childern or pets were injured during the process!











John getting in on the action with some fine dolly work on the inside of the roof panel of his 42 Ford!


John S heads up the dent removal team.


Jim B works some hammer magic over the 42's package tray:


The ends results were that a very thin layer of filler should allow this area to return to its prior bueaty! This is what happens when old guys get together. We had a good breakfast with two other friends and solved most of the worlds problems.
Rgeards,
Chris

[flatford8]

John & Chris......it looks like that fuel line has given up its ghost....not bad for 80 yrs. it appears the “roof dent extraction crew” knew what they were doing!! .....are you planning a complete repaint or touch up the spots that need it?......my ‘51 is getting the touch up treatment.....I’m no paint and body work guy and I don’t want to pay somebody else to do it.....my ability will have to do......your car is looking/sounding great!!!....Mark

[RKS.PA]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

RKS.PA, Funny you mentioned the oil in the fan. Yesterday after spending most of a day pounding out the dent in the roof (I had help, thank God!) I started the car and had a chirp from the front of the car. I was thinking one of the China waterpumps had a problem. Took the generator belt off and the noise was still there. Removed fan belt and the noise went away. Took fan apart and cleaned everything. There was some oil but I'm guessing not enough. Also felt the fan belt was too tight and generator/waterpumps belt was too loose. Corrected that. Started back up and we're back to quiet. Probably a little heavy on oil level in fan. Anybody have any real world experience with Drake's sealed bearing unit?

John, good to have that fan issue behind you. When I did mine...in place...of course I "over oiled" it, so some drips on a shop rag overnight and then cleaned everything up.


On the Drake water pumps, I installed a pair on our '47 when I rebuilt the engine and sent the originals to Skip Haney. My plan was to have Skip's as a permanent solution when the Drake pumps failed....that was 5 years ago!! So far, so good!!


Best of luck.....Dick.

[1942deluxe]

Flatford8, not really sure on the paint just yet. The Upholstery material should be in next month and that's the next step. When that's done I'll see where I'm at on the body. My weakness is I like bright shiny things! Dick, my pumps were from Dennis. I have plenty of cores I could send to Skip and may go that route. One reman I have in the Ford box has the Ford script on it. Kube I think said those are 47-48 so I may save that for the 48 I have.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
https://youtu.be/bXpeDW6oSeQ
Regards,
Chris

[fortyonerag]

^^^^Warms me chilly ol' heart.

[hd1937]

Chris can’t hide behind the camera all the time. Part of the “dent extraction crew”

[sugarmaker]

Jim,
I do my best to stay out of the way. Was just thinking about the doodlebug this morning. Looking forward to helping you on getting it moving.
On John's 42, I did a little more work on the right rear fender,after John had most of the crushed in area removed. It is way better than it was and almost acceptable in rough form.
John worked on the new front bumper install yesterday. The bumper braces need tweaked a little more but it is coming along well. (Pictures coming).
He has also removed the seat and the floor in this car looks really solid.
He has the severely dented trunk lid to correct.
John is also looking for a good set of trunk hinges, and spring assemblies for this 42. Any one have a extra pair??
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Some pictures of John's 42 and his progress:


Seat removed:


New bumper mock up:

We learned that if you need to drill through a hard bumper you may have to use a carbide masonary drill bit. It runined the bit but did get a hole poked through for the license plate bracket! (thanks for the tip from my grandson Nic)

New car in the neighborhood at local upholstery shop for new custom interior and carpet.
It has a flathead in it too!


Rergards,
Chris

[flatford8]

Are those Lincoln taillights?.....who is that peeking out of the shady spot????........Mark

[sugarmaker]

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Folks,
John made some moves on the front end of "Cindy" and the new grill and center look to be the ticket!




Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Originally Posted by flatford8

Are those Lincoln taillights?.....who is that peeking out of the shady spot????........Mark

Mark,
John would know on those taillights? The dog belongs to the Dave the uphostery guy. Not sure but my guess would be his name is Blacky He sleeps under the bench in the uphostery shop too, and has barely enough room to get in and out of there.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
A couple of shots as John works on the removal of the package tray. This will be used as a pattern for a new custom built unit. Trying to come up with a plan for the materials (wood). Interesting how the headliner material is tucked and tacked to the back of this package tray.








Dont let the bling on the front end blind you!


Vintage 42 plate adds to the story.


Regards,
Chris

[corvette8n]

New grill looks good.

[quik]

Originally Posted by sugarmaker

Mark,
John would know on those taillights? The dog belongs to the Dave the uphostery guy. Not sure but my guess would be his name is Blacky He sleeps under the bench in the uphostery shop too, and has barely enough room to get in and out of there.
Regards,
Chris

Those are tail lights from a 49 thru 51 Lincoln Cosmopolitan.

The 42' looks great. Nice to see such a rare car coming back to life.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John has been spending some quality time with Cindy here in the old shop. When I got around to looking over his shoulder into the car today, I was very surprised to see shiny black paint under the rear floor mat! I had expected a rusty crusty floor pan. This looks better than most 60's cars. I will try to get a couple pictures.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Some pictures of a 42 Ford interior floors:




I repaired a hood hinge assembly for him as my contribution to his project. John installed the crank support behind the center grill. He also cleaned up the floor and shot it with some protective black.
Regards,
Chris

[Clem Clement]

Sweet! What is the emblem on the '42's hood, please

[meric42]

Originally Posted by Clem Clement

Sweet! What is the emblem on the '42's hood, please

This is a '42 Hood emblem.

[Tinker]

Neat car. Had a super solid 42 tudor sedan for a bit, probably should have kept it. Great car. The fog lights and visor was probably a bit pedestrian although maybe correct.

Yours has a lot of potential, solid, and a coupe.

The grill is very rare and only till a few months before the blackout war versions.

Super neat! Have fun!!!

[1942deluxe]

meric42, just bought two more of the hood emblems off Ebay for spares. I have a spare of the Deluxe emblem that goes on the grille. Super Deluxe used the scripted emblem on the LF fender like the 1941. Tinker, had a chance to buy a twin of your 42 Tudor a few years back when we lived in eastern PA.. Car sold for somewhere around 10k to a "flipper in California. He tried to get 17k out of it. Engine was a 59 AB. He came down to low teens before it disappeared. Making money on old cars is a tough proposition...

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
A few more as John makes progress:


I am just amazed it is this great condition:




Regards,
Chris

[Tinker]

Solid floors.

[Tinker]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

meric42, just bought two more of the hood emblems off Ebay for spares. I have a spare of the Deluxe emblem that goes on the grille. Super Deluxe used the scripted emblem on the LF fender like the 1941. Tinker, had a chance to buy a twin of your 42 Tudor a few years back when we lived in eastern PA.. Car sold for somewhere around 10k to a "flipper in California. He tried to get 17k out of it. Engine was a 59 AB. He came down to low teens before it disappeared. Making money on old cars is a tough proposition...

Sounds vaguely familiar. Did better then 8k on my end. My ex-wife called it an accidental Ebay buy, well true. 6k ebay bid, transport, and other... I put a bid in not thinking it would sell at that price. Winner. hahaha... Had fun with it and sold it. It was a very solid car with no rust and a solid drive train. (not sure it was the same) Saw mine advertised though way over what I sold it for. Was able to keep the H&H heads I put on it. Sold the heads for $700. I don't think or care about making money on cars really. But if you do that's cool. It was a fun car, I experienced it, made it better, and off it went. If I was a golfer and quit golfing you can't ask for green fees either... it was fun though and I needed space at the time.


Just wasn't into the turtle back. Your coupe looks very nice.

[1942deluxe]

Got the Dennis Carpenter under dash wiring harness installed yesterday. Car will start using the remote button on the solenoid but not the starter button. Have a new NAPA starter button and a NOS Ford button coming. Any suggestions on how to test/diagnose the problem?

[deuce5wndw]

Is your NAPA starter button have two terminals? If so run a ground wire from the one terminal and from the solenoid on the other. The original starter button has one terminal and acts as a ground,

[1942deluxe]

Deuce5wndw, got it running off the starter button (single terminal). I had the original solenoid and used it to replace the solenoid I had on the car. Thought here goes a waste of time but after a discussion with Charlie about solenoids I was desperate enough to try it. Had power right away and it worked!

[Mart]

Ford starter button grounds the wire from the solenoid, if it is an original type solenoid. Is that how you have it?

[1942deluxe]

Mart, yes and that is also what the wiring diagram indicated. The solenoid on the car must have had a short in it. Would work with the remote button but no power to the starter button. When I put the one that came with the car (that I was going to throw away but kept) I had power.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
A couple follow up to John's post above with pictures, as John figured out that the steel cased selonoid had a bad internal wire connecting the power input to small terminal on the remote wire from the push button in the dash t. I can now see in my mind how this works. I have never had one apart but if we would have drawn out the wiring diagram on paper it would have lead us to the same conclusion. Bad internal wiring in the solenoid. John did a nice job cleaning up the bakelite selinoid and it functioned fine to allow the circuit to be completed and the 42 fired right off with the push button in the dash as designed.

These two pictures are the "bad" solenoid in place. All looked fine and the mechanical push button on the bottom work fine. And you could short from the power side to the small terminal and it cranked. That should have been the red flag.




Regards,
Chris

[AZ34]

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Nice coupe love the 42 grill.

[Tinker]

Just a suggestion. Get some welding 00 cable and make up same ground cables. Battery to body, body to frame, frame to engine. Only one has to be seen. Your engine ground makes me think you already know.

The standard 42 grill was great and was a bit a reference to the earlier merc's of the time.

Best of luck!

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Some pictures to update John's 42 Deluxe project! Tail light work:








Why does the song "Fat bottom girls" come to mind?




John has fresh parts to go in these areas of the tail lights. He will clean the backing plate, and they should be ready to re assemble with NOS and new parts..... More to come
The paint behind this was still very shiny.


John has had many visitors and "Cindy" has fired up every time, for show and tell! Nice work John! Love the 59AB flathead sound in the shop!

John also provided me with a tool box sticker from his Ford Dealership! A great addition to the shop!

Regards,
Chris

[flatford8]

I think of that same song when I see a coupe from that era!!!........Mark

[sugarmaker]

Mark, great minds think alike. The Band Perry's cover on the Letterman show is a good one of this song too.
Taking John's 42 thread off in the weeds here!

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John just completed the rear tail light rebuilds and install. Also he did a nice job completing the front parking lights. All of these units needed lots of attention to bring them back to working order. I do have some pictures, just need to get them resized and loaded up here.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Some updates on John's work on his 42 Ford Deluxe.
Parking lights rebuilt and back in home position:


Headlight upgrades in process. He has all new wiring for all systems:




Tail lights and NOS housings secured and fresh:


Rear deck supports in place:




Trunk floor:


Some Ford history here!:


Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Parking and headlights function correctly on John's 42 Deluxe!


He mentioned he is going to tackle the wiring from the front to the back soon too. The 42 will be road worthy.

Regards,
Chris

[Mart]

I like this car and I like the way you guys are going about working on it.

[1942deluxe]

The 42 Ford coupe project is back on track after a detour into the weeds. Completed the wiring except the horn and relay. All the gauges worked except the oil pressure gauge. Tested it and finally screwed in a mechanical gauge. 0-5 lbs. Out came the engine and back to the rebuilder. They were contrite. Ended up no bushing where the fuel pump pushrod goes thru and relief valve spring 1/4 short. Charlie Schwendler took a drive to their shop and got them on the right path. Not the first time he's done something above and beyond for me. 40+lbs. cold idle, around 20 lbs. warm and with RPM's back into the 40s. If Chris gets time we'll have some pictures of the rechromed rear bumper and some of the other improvements.

[Bored&Stroked]

Did you guys check the bearings when you brought it back to the rebuilder? Hopefully you had enough oil pressure to keep them properly lubed. With the fixes to the oil system, you should be good to go!

[1942deluxe]

Bored&Stroked, they did inspect the bearings and no damage. I was really discouraged when it happened. Had a discussion with my wife when it happened. Her answer was
"You are beyond committed with what you've spent so far. Do whatever it takes to get it fixed!". I think it was a learning experience for them too.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
In between other events I assisted John getting his 59AB set in the car. He and his brother took it from there and in a few hours it was up and running. John was happy the oil pressure was right up where it needed to be! It sounds great with no pipes!
I will try to get some pictures. Here is a teaser from the seat of my truck. Shop is a typical disaster. Amazing John can get anything done in here!

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Ford Folks,




Looking good with some new bling!

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Ford Folks,
John instazlled the front portion of his new exhaust on his 42 last night. I wasnt sure how the passenger side portion was going to get through the maze of car features. John had it pretty mush figured out that there was only one way. And that was from the front of the car throught the leaf spring and the sterring components. A minor assist from a portapower allowed just enought clearance to snake it through. Cross over pipe went on with a new gasket and we took a break to slove all the worlds problems.

Drivers side with cross over pipe attached. The 42 as a little different rumble with these attached and no muffler:





By the way befor the 59AB went back in after the oil pressure items were addressed John did a nice job touching up the engine to make it look fresh. It starts and runs real good with 40 LB, oil pressure ont eh original dash gage.

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
I have to get some pictures of John's hood work. He found some bent brackets, tightened up some of the joints, removed and adjusted the hinges and the hood several times.

Some pictures in the shop:




Here we go:

John's 42 with hood:




View out the back of the shop this fall too:


Regards,
Chris

[Fredb_]

Cool video and love the kids, especially the one with the beard

Originally Posted by mercman from oz

1942 Ford Super Deluxe Six Fordor Sedan.
Reviving my grandpas rare 42 Ford with only 28k miles.
Check out this Video of this 1942 Ford Sedan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe7bdVhOFSE

[sugarmaker]

Fred, Folks,
That is a cool video on the 42 four door! I remember watching that a while ago too. Now I can relate a lot better after helping John around his car.
John was busy getting the battery charged back up and quick check of the selinoid after several short runs. I assisted him in a prototype install of the rear window. I had never done this and damaged the rubber seal in several areas as we tried a couple approaches. Must be some tricks that we have not googled yet. But he did get the glass and seal in place. Next was some work on the damaged trunk latch area. Years of abuse, some rust and a couple hits in that trunk handle area were improved by John.
We had one instance where the trunk lid slamed down unexpectedly while we both working on the tool tray area. We were able to get all appendages out of the way in a nano second before it sealed and locked. Sure! it had not been latched for over 40 years! John drilled out the lock and was able to re-open the trunk lid for additional work on the lower latch area. It is preped to some run at welding the parts back together. I think he mentioned the elves coming in to do this while we we sleeping!
Will try to get some pictures up for him.

Ok here they are:




The kind of shiny spot is a golf ball size area that had a dent about 3/4 inch deep! John got a lot of the dent out with some heating and gentle persuasion from a small hole drilled in the inner trunk support. May be more work in this area at a latter date.


He also popped out some of the worst large dents in the damaged trunk skin. John says he thinks the owner backed in to a Moline tractor several times! No magic here. Just some small improvements to get it closer to not looking like a stock car after a bad Saturday night at the dirt track!


Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Some shots as John repaired the lower latch are on his 42 trunk:


What I do best, sit and watch him work:


This turned out better than John expected I think? The metal being re-joined, was very thin, had its share of raggedness, and had to be gently reworked back to close to factory shape. My old welder did a pretty good job sticking it back together: John said the trunk had not latched in 40 years!




Also John's nice 48 and my house project:


His 42 in the shop waits to go for a ride:

Regards,
Chris

[Moondog13]

���� This is the kind of motivation I need to get mine going! So awesome!

Any plans for the old taillight housings? The ones on my ‘47 are swiss cheese. Hahah

[geoford41]

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Hope you used the rope in the rear rubbr gasket and plenty of soapy water mix, its a2 Man job one inside pushing the glass and the other pulling the rope and lifting the rubber seal.
BTW if the 42 is anything like my 40 coupe the headliner needs to be under the rear window rubber gasket AFTER you get it stretched out and GLUED in place.
Just my experience with glass/rubber seals /headliner

[1942deluxe]

We did use the rope. Aware the headliner goes under it also. I'm awaiting upholstery and right now I have no reason to believe I'll see it before spring. Thought the back glass could go back in for now if I want to drive it and to keep critters out this winter. Leaning heavily that I'll pay someone to put the windshield in.

[corvette8n]

Here's a video of a ‘42 that went to auction Oct 1st, look like it sold for $9900.00
I think the motor was replaced by an 8ba.
https://youtu.be/vdvuw3tnSAM
Maybe a little inspiration for you, I’m enjoying watching your progress.

[meric42]

Originally Posted by corvette8n

Here's a video of a ‘42 that went to auction Oct 1st, look like it sold for $9900.00
I think the motor was replaced by an 8ba.
https://youtu.be/vdvuw3tnSAM
Maybe a little inspiration for you, I’m enjoying watching your progress.

A nice looking car here but a lot of incorrect parts on it for a so-called "restored" car. IMHO

[1942deluxe]

The other 42 would make a nice driver for someone. I noticed the 47-48 Gauges, clock and horn ring. Looked like the body side trim was 47-8 also. Drove the 42 about 10 miles today after Chris and I put the seat back in, also put a Ford light switch in to replace the DC one that was sketchy. Next step is clutch adjustment. May have a few questions on that.

[meric42]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

The other 42 would make a nice driver for someone. I noticed the 47-48 Gauges, clock and horn ring. Looked like the body side trim was 47-8 also. Drove the 42 about 10 miles today after Chris and I put the seat back in, also put a Ford light switch in to replace the DC one that was sketchy. Next step is clutch adjustment. May have a few questions on that.

The radio is '46/8, running board molding's '47/8, wrong wheels & hub caps (from a single spinner), also wrong bumpers for Deluxe and no trim around the trunk handle.

[sugarmaker]

Ford Folks,
Several shots as John gets his 42 ready for some road time:


He had some minor clutch issues:


Cindy liked basking in the sun for a change:


Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Ford Folks,
I have been slacking: John and Cathy had their 42 out for a run yestreday. Weather is cool but great for October end!


John removed the old gravel shields and installed NOS parts.


He is getting some break in miles on the engine. Oil pressure is good! Sure glad that came out OK!




Ruby feels she helped in some small way!


Clutch spring trials and a run at the trunk weatherstriping continued to move the project forward. Not far from being ready for those vintage plates and some serious road trips.

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
The 42 gets a new trunk handle, Vintage plates and is ready for the road! Nice work John!

Regards,
Chris

[5851a]

42's put me in the mind of the song a little dust on the bottle. Thank goodness some survived.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John has been working on the 42, Today was new brake lines. He had them in a pre bent form and that helped with the install.




Just starting to snow tonight. The toys are tucked away:

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
I helped John on bleeding the brakes on his 42. Normally this would be pretty straight forward Most of us have done it at some point in our adventures with old cars.

So I am off playing with something else and hear John uttering not great things from under the mid section of the car. A dreaded leak in one of the line joints. Left rear line at the Tee joint (brass) which was new. We tried tightening several times. Nope not going to fix the leak! Something was wrong with the sealing surface of the flared steel line or the brass tapered sealing surface or both!
This type of thing has been just about normal for what ever portion of these projects John or I touch. One step forward, one back. We look, evaluate, talk, discuss, and take corrective action.
In this case John removed the line to the wheel cylinder. We got a magnified light and looked at the inside of the flare. Took a small tapered stone in a drill and smoothed and tapered the inside to smooth it. He then took the new brass tee out of the car to view it on the bench too. It also did not look great. So he cleaned up the 80 year old original brass "Tee" , installed it under the car and plugged in the lines. NO leaks!
We proceeded to bleed the brakes with no issues. We win!

The 42 is now ready to hit the road next spring. By the way one section of the old lines was weeping just a little. A indication that the 80 year old lines were in need of replacement!

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
I have not taken any pictures for John recently. But he has continued to make progress. Friday I assited him in re shaping the left rear fender lower back portion closer to what it looked like from the factory. I believe by the marks and dents that the chains flapping during a bad mid west storm tattered both fenders!
Neither of us are body men but together we can smack some metal around until John feels its better and acceptable. A shot of protective coating helps too.
Cindy is looking pretty good and is down off the jack stands!
We are in winter mode, Shop feels pretty good at 63F:


John is gathering thoughts and wood for the 42's package tray and the tool tray covers in the trunk.
By the way the 59AB starts up and runs very well, and with great oil pressure!
Hope things are good in Ford land!
Regards,
Chris

[38 coupe]

That looks cold!

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Yes cold but things keep moving. John had worked on brining this fender much closer.




Patterns for the wood in the tool tray area:


Regards,
Chris

[SoCalCoupe]

Originally Posted by sugarmaker

Folks,
The 42 gets a new trunk handle, Vintage plates and is ready for the road! Nice work John!

Originally Posted by sugarmaker

A dreaded leak in one of the line joints. ...

In this case John removed the line to the wheel cylinder. We got a magnified light and looked at the inside of the flare. Took a small tapered stone in a drill and smoothed and tapered the inside to smooth it. He then took the new brass tee out of the car to view it on the bench too. It also did not look great. So he cleaned up the 80 year old original brass "Tee" , installed it under the car and plugged in the lines. NO leaks!


We proceeded to bleed the brakes with no issues. We win!

Ya gotta have the vintage plates!

Love that brake line fix. It's that kind of attention to detail and repair, not in any book, that make the hobby so satisfying. Probably took a few hours but now it's RIGHT. Good luck finding a shop that would do that at any price.

[sugarmaker]

So Cal, Folks
Brief update on Johns 42.
And Yes it would cost a lot to have a shop do this work on things like brake lines and details on a 80 year old car. Just not many of those places if any left. So we try to do our best and John is real good at getting the results that he is happy with. Remember at this time this 42 is becoming a good safe driver. A lot of us begin with this desire. John is making it work and going a few steps beyond to maybe someday be ready for a full restoration on his nice 42 Ford.
He is thinking about the glass replacement for the car. Which he has all the items for that project too. Here are some shots as he completes the wood covers for the tool tray in the trunk. A neat idea that Ford did not keep long in their cars.


These 1/4 inch thick covers were completed with several coats of the ebony stain:




I think John will be the first to tell you that this trunk area of the car was not in good shape at all! He has made continious improvements to get it back to functional and presentable:


The finished look, As we say here "we prototype it" That way if we need to do it again at some point we dont feel that bad. We prototype a LOT!

Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
A couple pictures to update John's progress on his 42 Ford Deluxe.
The trunk improvements continue:


A new trunk floor mat installed after much cleaning and coatings. This car has really good floors with only minor areas that needed attention:




Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John has been working up to his next winter projects. The package tray, Refurb of clutch and brake pedal pivots, and glass. He has the material for the seats on order too. He decided to get some miles on the engine yesterday. He said it ran good. Maybe as good or better than his 48!






Wonder how many of these are on the road again!
The dual old car/truck projects give us some things to do in the shop when the weather is not great.

Regards,
Chris

[Ol' Ron]

My eyesight isn't very good s I opted for a text to speech reader. I just followed your post from beginning to end. A fantastic project my friend, and yes Charly NY is a treasure for us guys. I wanted to make suggestions along the way, but there was always another barner there to help. One thing you might be interested i is the 59 series engines were not available till late 45, but who cares. Thanks for posting, great adventure.
Gramps

[1942deluxe]

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OL' Ron, thanks, coming from you that means a lot. Yes, I knew the 59 engines were postwar, but I found it 2 miles from home. It had adjustable lifters and was absolutely crack free. Friend of mine had it who has been a hot rodder since the 1950's. I met him for the first time in 1974 when I was 15. For some reason he has always tried to help me with my old Fords. I was gone 42 years and moved back here about a year and a half ago. I went out to visit Ronnie with my 48 business coupe and told him he was slipping. 40 years ago an old Ford couldn't slip into town without him knowing it! Running into Chris (Sugarmaker) has been a blessing too. Wouldn't have gotten half of what I have done without him. There's a neat story there too I'll save for another day. In the end the cars are really neat but the frienships made are even more valuable.

[Ol' Ron]

Very true, one thing for sure, your 42 Ford will have a long and happy life for another 50years or so. Take care/
Gramps

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John removing his horn assembly from the 42 Ford. From what he tells me this was the last year for this style horn. Rams horn style followed these in later years.


As he cleans these up and freshens them with a coat of black. We will try to solder new wires on to the terminals today.


Back in the day John and I both had the hots for 55 Fords! And our paths crossed a long time ago, when we were a lot younger!

Regards,
Chris

[1942deluxe]

Actually, they used this style of horns thru 1947. 1948 went to the sea shell style of horns. My guess is cheaper to manufacture. Could still read the Sparton horn identification on them. Got a NOS horn relay and wiring from Third Gen to install.

[corvette8n]

John my horns on my ‘41 look like yours and they are loud, I also installed a model A
Ahooga horn above the original horn just like my Uncle had on every car he owned, you always knew when he was coming.

[Graeme / New Zealand]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Actually, they used this style of horns thru 1947. 1948 went to the sea shell style of horns. My guess is cheaper to manufacture. Could still read the Sparton horn identification on them. Got a NOS horn relay and wiring from Third Gen to install.

Correct. When I got my 48 which was in parts it came with a set of both styles of horn. I installed the earlier trumpet type as I like them better.

GB

[1942deluxe]

After Chris was kind enough to solder the new horn wires the horns have been reinstalled along with the NOS horn relay. Earlier I had installed a NOS horn button assembly and wire that I had stashed away 20 years ago. I might be wrong, but I think the trumpet horns have a different sound than the seashell type. That was probably the last wiring puzzle so a good day!

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Some shots of the rare 42 Deluxe:








Regards,
Chris

[Mart]

Nice lines on that 42. A friend had one that had had a bed inserted in the back. He managed to source a trunk lid and convert it back.

[sugarmaker]

Ford Folks,
John worked on his clutch refurbishment yesterday:


What he found was a badly worn split clam shell pivot joint. He replaced with the new ball portion and new nylon shell.




Components were cleaned, inspected, rea assembled and the clutch travel was adjusted:


John felt that the feel of the clutch through the travel was much improved:




Next the clutch pedal will be removed and evaluated for wear. New bushings are ready to go in that area to reduce side movement of the pedal. Then final adjustments and the floor board can go back in the 42.

Regards,
Chris

[SoCalCoupe]

There's a lot of things I like about this project but one of the best is that it's a rolling restoration. Instead of blowing the whole thing apart and having it sit around the shop in plastic bags and cardboard boxes, it's one logical step at a time while you enjoy driving it.

[1942deluxe]

SoCalCoupe, that was my thought process all along. My goal was to have it drivable by the end of the year. Years ago, I worked in a body shop. My boss stated that he'd had many chances to buy antique cars that were totally disassembled and passed every time. I don't have the space, finances and probably skills to do a ground up right now. I'm fortunate that I can look at my 48 business coupe and our 46 Fordor if I forget how something goes together. My brother is doing a ground up on a 1957 Chevrolet Nomad that has been apart for at least 5 years. It will be fantastic when he's done but he spends hours locating parts and we've had to take things apart multiple times because it's been too long since he pulled it apart. I'm convinced the 42 will never win a Dearborn award but I've given it a chance to be more than a parts car and I've learned a bunch....

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John working on his clutch upgrades:


Cutting the old bushings for removal:




Rolling Restorations! I like that! It fits!
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John is begining to work on items in the doors and on the glass and trim. Many moves to make to repair, clean and replace items to improve the 42.





John let me take the 42 Deluxe for a ride last night! Engine seemed strong, responsive and smooth. Improvements to driveability with work on pedal pivot, clutch adjustments, and shift collar all helped to bring those areas back to near new. Was a flash back to be shifting the three on the tree. Probably been 40+ years since I drove a column shift! The car handles good and is going to be a good driver!

Regards,
Chris

[1942deluxe]

Window, regulator, and weatherstrip removal went well. One problem when removing the division bar from the old glass the small pot metal piece broke. Checked the passenger side and it was missing on that side. It's the same as a 1941 Ford I believe. Anybody have a couple of intact division bars in their stash of parts?

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John is making good progress on his glass and door work on the 42! Installing and riveting the rubber gasket for the vent window was interesting for sure. Looks good and will seal good too. Glass will be nice and secure with all new fuzzy strips around the sliding portion.
I will try to get some pictures loaded for his project.
Regards,
Chris

[Als48]

John, do you still need parts for your vent window? I have some window parts from a '46-48 if they might be the same.

Al H.

[1942deluxe]

Al, I think I'm o.k. for the moment. Mark Kicsak has the division bars with the diecast top pieces and will be shipping them shortly. My car has the division bars attached to the glass where 46-8 are fixed. The seal was a Vintique but actually fit fairly good.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,




Vent window seal work:


Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John was able to intall the new vent window handle/lock:




And a shot of the new riveted upper pivot joint:


Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

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Folks,
Time to add some pictures for updates on John's 42 Ford project. Working on wondows:


Wing window:


John and his wife Cathy getting serious about this glass project:


John got a pair really nice divison bars for his door windows. But as we looked them over we thought they were both for one side of the car. Closer examination we found that a component was riveted on which was wrong, it was designed for the opposite side of the car. John disassembled his old division bar and used the correct component to fix the problem. Recovery is everything!








Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
(update)
John is moving along nicely on his 42 glass work. Cleaning the channels that hold the glass and prototyping the final glass fit up. Also several NOS and good used parts have been replaced inside the doors to get all the rollup window, and vent window systems functioning as they are supposed to work. A local glass shop may help with some of the more technical aspects of windshield and rear window installation too.
Also he has seen the material for his seats and interior upholstery in our local upholstery shop where the work will be completed on the interior and headliner. Things continue to move forward to make the 42 Ford a very drivable car this summer.
Regards,
Chris

[40ford]

Excellent work on car with restoration.Just curious what are the plans with the body paint?Sorry,I may have missed something here!

[1942deluxe]

40ford, I don't think I've got that far. Short term is glass and upholstery. I have 3 new old stock fenders. My first thought was to just drive it for a while and make sure the mechanical and drivability is up to speed.

[40ford]

OK,nice work.Sure does look like a good solid car.I guess 42 parts are pretty hard to find?

[1942deluxe]

40ford, not easy but not impossible to find parts. I started accumulating parts when I bought the car back in 2001. I'm glad I did as items like the Ford emblem on the hood are nearly impossible to find now. Some parts are carryover 1941 (11A), some are 21A (1942) and were carried over after the war. There are some 1946 part numbers (51A) that fit but others that are totally wrong and different. Something hard to find was trunk supports that appears Drake is no longer making.This group has been a big help. I was very suprised how many people have followed the thread and offered help or contacts of where to find a part. In fact today I installed the passenger door remote that came from one of our Ford Barn members.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,




Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
update:


John worked on removing and cleaning up the dash under the 80 year old plastic. Then checking the fit of the new dash plastic.




He mentioned he is going to work on the wiper system and its switch while the center plastic is out.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
updater:
John installed the two rubber bumpers for the gas tank door. Seems like a small thing but all theses itemsadd up to a very complete car. John has had so many NOS and good used parts squirrled away for this rare Ford! He is working in the area of the windsheild wiper motor and switch. Also the installation information about the front window installation.
I think I seen a thread here somewhere on here listing 42 Ford production. Maybe I was wrong but I think it showed only several hunderd of this model made? No it was on Face book marketplace. A 42 two door was for sale. In the pictures associated with it was a letter from some one showing the production fiqures. I know John has the numbers if anyone does?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...a-7034e4d2438a

Regards,
Chris

[SoCalCoupe]

Originally Posted by sugarmaker

Folks,
updater:

I think I seen a thread here somewhere on here listing 42 Ford production. Maybe I was wrong but I think it showed only several hunderd of this model made? I know John has the numbers if anyone does?

According to the EFV8 Club "Green Book" there were 5936 1942 DeLuxe 5-window coupes made.

[1942deluxe]

SoCalCoupe, that's the number I've seen. Somewhere I saw where a person wrote the Henry Ford for production numbers of 1942 Fords. What I believe they gave him would be the numbers for calendar year 1942 which as I understand it would have been January 1942 and I think the last car was built around February 10th. Hence the low numbers. My brother has a 1957 Chevy Nomad and the production numbers on that car I think were around 6,800. We were at a car show here this summer and there were 3 of them there with his sitting 10 miles away. His was matador red as was one at the show. Apparently, people felt they were a savable car early on. For sure mine didn't lead a gentle life. Around here they were also good stock car material. I don't know how many stock running 42 Deluxe coupes survive but I would guess less than 500.Maybe way less. Rare doesn't always mean valuable, but I like it.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John tries to get something done on his 42 project every day, and he usually makes good headway! Yesterday he attached the windshield wiper system. Off to the autoparts store fro some fresh 1/4 inch and 5/32 vacume lines. Then he tested the old wiper motor and switch. With the flathead fired up the wiper arms moved from down position to the vertical position. As usual he had a new motor and new two speed switch ready to go. Out with the old, in with the new, attach the new hoses, and the wiper arms move back and forth at a good pace.

I think he said he owned the windshield wiper motor first in the 80's and had to buy a car for it!








I believe glass upgrades and interior are up coming events too.
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John set the rest of the dash plastic in the 42:




The butterscotch color is really nice:






I tagged along with john as he took his door glass in to Erie to Hoffman Glass. The owner Dave, John and I had a good discussion on solving some of the worlds problems:

Regards,
Chris

[drgoetz]

I have a '42 Conv. Club Coupe made in Jan. of 1942.


All of the posts show a date of 2021... anything new happened ?


I have literature and some extras.


Henry Ford drove a '42 with a '46 grill.... I got pics.



Basically the '42 became the '45, '46, grill and bumper change, '47 and then the '48.


Let me know if I can help... Early V8 Ford Club has a special section on these cars

[sugarmaker]

drgoetz,
We have some updates every few days on John's 42 Ford project. Not sure whay you may not be seeing those?
There are 11 pages of content at this time, last entry to the thread was today 1-26-2023.
Regards,
Chris

[1942deluxe]

drgoetz, I knew Henry's last car was a 1942 with a 1946 front clip installed. It is not displayed at the Henry Ford but my understanding is they still have it. If you can post a picture of your 42 convertible. We love pictures! The son of the family that owned the dealership in Iowa I bought said he had a new 1942 convertible before he left for WW II. He sent me a picture of his Dad's 42 Mercury demonstrator.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
update:
John replaced the broken knob on the fresh air cowl vent handle:


Also he replaced the dark gear shift knob with a new buterscotch version:


He also has new rubber for the 42!


Awesome!


Regards,
Chris

[SoCalCoupe]

Originally Posted by sugarmaker

He also has new rubber for the 42!

Awesome!


Regards,
Chris

Those are some styling new tires! Didn't see that coming.

[Mart]

Handsome!

[1942deluxe]

When I started the project, I actually was leaning toward black walls. The wide whites do give it some bling though!

[STEVE O]

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I love those whites! I enjoy every part of your and Chris's restorations progress. Steve

[1942deluxe]

Thanks, Steve, Mart and SoCalCoupe. When I started the car was probably on the borderline of being a parts car, but I felt it deserved better than that. The next steps
are glass and upholstery and to me it will be a pretty viable car then.

[Seth Swoboda]

What brand of tire did you go with? Are they radials or bia ply?

[1942deluxe]

Seth, Coker bias ply tires. Last fall I put a set on my 48 business coupe and they seemed pretty decent. The set on there were my old ones from the 48. They were Columbia brand which I think were made in the 70's. Two of them were worn to the wear bars. The Cokers have a 3" white wall where everything else had a wider whitewall in bias ply tires. Did I read you have a 46 3 passenger coupe and a 47 tudor? Post some pictures if you get time.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
update:
John is in the process of adding rear bumper guards to his 42. One was installed this afternoon with some adjustments to get it and the bumper better aligned and plumb.


John also got to do some welding, which he said he had not done for many years.
The other bumper guard is in a local chrome shop.


He said the car came from the factory with bumper guards front and rear. These were not in place when he bought the car many years ago. They are going to look good!
Regards,
Chris

[sugarmaker]

Folks.
John has been busy with his 42 Ford. Local glass shop worked his majic on the windows and John did have to take them back and slightly reduced the glass in size to work in the doors:



John has also contracted with local upholstery shop to complete the interior work also.








The door panels:


The wiper arms and blades look awesome!


John picked up another rear fender and a rim for the spare tire also.

Regards,
Chris

[Seth Swoboda]

I'm especially looking forward to the interior work.

[1942deluxe]

Me too, Seth. The material I wanted was backordered for 8 months before I gave up on it. Ended up with something I think will look good but not as original as I hoped. The glass was from Sanders and we ended up having to take 3/16ths off the end. I'm guessing the windshield will need to be modified also. My wife questioned how many fenders I have for the car. She said with the last one you bought I think you have five. I had to think for a minute but I have 5 NOS and one used. I hope she's not doing inventory for the auction after I'm gone!

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Some shots of the 42 Ford John is working on. Here the second bumper guard is installed on the passengers side:




The new package tray starts to take shape, using the old parts as a pattern and he made a cardboard prototype to finish the profile:


The original front cross board is sanded and restained:


Regards,
Chris

[SoCalCoupe]

...

[SoCalCoupe]

Originally Posted by sugarmaker

The new package tray starts to take shape, using the old parts as a pattern and he made a cardboard prototype to finish the profile:
The original front cross board is sanded and restained:

Regards,
Chris

Y'all are doing great; this is my favorite FordBarn project. Please don't take this as a criticism; you're doing everything the way I would do it. Looks like your package shelf is plywood. Don't think there was such a thing as plywood in 1942. Who cares? Right? But the most annoying squeak in my '41 business coupe is the plywood package shelf.


Been under the seat a couple of times to fix it by tightening the screws but it's insufferable after about 60 seconds and the screws lose traction. Next trip under the seat I'll pre-drill the holes for some tapered wood screws. Maybe it will work; maybe it won't. If you guys figure out how to attach this plywood shelf with zero squeak and no upholstery protrusions, well, I'll buy you a Coke.


Brad

[1942deluxe]

SoCalCoupe, the original was tongue and groove and unfortunately warped very badly when the rear window was out for a number of years. The original screws came thru the top to the metal tabs. I had to take a sawzall to it to get it out. It was that tight. Almost an interference fit. The quality of tongue and groove wood I could find locally was horrible so I made the decision to go with plywood. Pepsi for me and Chris doesn't drink but his dog seems to drink a fair amount, ha! There was vinyl on the rear facing portion of the board going across. On my 48 business coupe the shelf is covered by vinyl which may or may not be correct. Probably how I'll go on the 42. By reading one of your other posts we are almost the same age and view these old Fords with the same appreciation.

[fortyonerag]

Loving this thread!

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Since the 42 is slightly stalled for upholstery and glass. What does a fella do? Sure pull a 46 four door out of the hat and start in on that! Go ahead ask him about the "next" project, in the mid 40's! I think it needs its own thread??
Regards,
Chris

[1942deluxe]

Not sure the 46 Fordor is thread worthy yet but maybe I can get Chris to post a few pictures of it for me. Super Deluxe that I bought in Champaign Illinois when I was working as a fire fighter at Willard Airport back in 1991. Sold it to my F.I.L. shortly after. He drove it for a few years and then parked it. Put a battery in and got all the lights working. Kroiled the cylinders and let them soak. Checked and verified I had power to the distributor then installed a Charlie NY rebuilt distributor. It fired up! Will have to see if the smoke clears up after I get the fuel system up to speed. Still a good feeling to have another flathead come back to life.

[GaryTx]

Originally Posted by sugarmaker

Folks,
Since the 42 is slightly stalled for upholstery and glass. What does a fella do? Sure pull a 46 four door out of the hat and start in on that! Go ahead ask him about the "next" project, in the mid 40's! I think it needs its own thread??
Regards,
Chris

I love this Thread. Starting a new thread for the 1946 would be less confusing and twice the enjoyment.....

[treeman]

Originally Posted by flatford8

Are those Lincoln taillights?.....who is that peeking out of the shady spot????........Mark

Yep, '49 Lincoln taillights. I was surprised when I saw my jalopy on here!

[sugarmaker]

Treeman,
Your not safe or can hide in Albion with an old Ford! We can smell them!
Regards,
Chris

[treeman]

I tried to PM you, but I need a few more posts before I pass muster...

[tubman]

You've got 10 posts so you should be good to go.

[sugarmaker]

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Yes we're getting info exchanged.
Regards
Chris and Cheryl

[1942deluxe]

Stopped at the upholstery jail and the seat may be ready late next week. While I was on a roll I called the glass guy and he'll be here on the 20th. Pictures to follow I hope soon....

[SoCalCoupe]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Stopped at the upholstery jail and the seat may be ready late next week. While I was on a roll I called the glass guy and he'll be here on the 20th. Pictures to follow I hope soon....

Looking forward to the new pictures!

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Sorry this took so long to get picture of John's new seat. Looks really good to me!


John designed a bracket for the mid area of the exhaust system yesterday to eliminate rattle. Cindy is getting ready for prime time. I believe the uphostry shop is working on door panels too.
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[1942deluxe]

Also new glass has been installed. The shop owner came out from Erie PA on a Saturday and did the job. Had both a Capenter and Drake windshield seal. He choose the Carpenter as it was slightly more pliable. I had to clean up the outside division bar and found out the spare I had was for the ones where the stainless goes completely around the window. The ends are different, learned something. My exhaust system is from Classic Exhaust in Geneva, Ohio. Reasonable fit and price but diameter is slightly larger than factory. NOS muffler bracket would not fit. Was hitting frame without it. At least now I'm at the point of fine tuning and eliminating noises! Upholstery material was my second choice after waiting for my first choice to come off backorder (it never did). He is using the original cardboard for templates from the doors. Still had the 21A ford part numbers on them.

[1942deluxe]

In the first page of this thread is a picture of when I picked the engine up. The fellow in the plaid shirt was my friend Ron Sturdevant. When I met him in 1974 I was a snot nosed kid that liked old cars as did he. He helped me find my first 47 coupe then. If he liked you he'd either give you the part or for what he paid for it even if it was 20 or 30 years before. To give you an idea I bought that engine for $120 and it was crack free with std. pistons and adjustable lifters. A gift, Ron was still trying to help that snot nosed kid almost 50 years later. Went to see him in hospice last Thursday. He wanted me to tell him what I needed out of the shop. I told him we'd worry about that later. He did say he'd like to go for a final old car ride. We said we'd work on making that happen. They started giving him morphine and I think after my friend and I left Ron went to sleep and didn't wake up. Passed the following evening. Kind of raw as went thru the same thing with my father in law back in January. Probably 3 hours before he passed, he asked me "John, what do you have left to do on the 42?". Ron, we'll get that ride in but you are going to have to wait a bit....

[SoCalCoupe]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

In the first page of this thread is a picture of when I picked the engine up. The fellow in the plaid shirt was my friend Ron Sturdevant. When I met him in 1974 I was a snot nosed kid that liked old cars as did he. He helped me find my first 47 coupe then. If he liked you he'd either give you the part or for what he paid for it even if it was 20 or 30 years before. To give you an idea I bought that engine for $120 and it was crack free with std. pistons and adjustable lifters. A gift, Ron was still trying to help that snot nosed kid almost 50 years later. Went to see him in hospice last Thursday. He wanted me to tell him what I needed out of the shop. I told him we'd worry about that later. He did say he'd like to go for a final old car ride. We said we'd work on making that happen. They started giving him morphine and I think after my friend and I left Ron went to sleep and didn't wake up. Passed the following evening. Kind of raw as went thru the same thing with my father in law back in January. Probably 3 hours before he passed, he asked me "John, what do you have left to do on the 42?". Ron, we'll get that ride in but you are going to have to wait a bit....

Thanks for sharing. At the end of the day it's about the people, not the cars.

[sugarmaker]

I knew Ron for a few years. A gruff old elf someday but he was sure passionate about his old cars and tractor too.
I would put him in the hot rodders section of heaven at this point.
He always had several cars in process. A shoebox with a 302 and louvered hood. A ranchero gasser, nice 66 or 67 Fairlane. A 57 Ford wagon, several model A cars.
He liked the ragged ol' truck too. And had a friend bring him to the shop in a rainy day several months ago. He could not get out of the car. I said wait a minute. I pulled out two tractors and they backed in the shop so he could visit with John and us.
Yes the people make this world happen.
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[flatford8]

Yup.....the people you meet doing this are the prize!! The cars are the bonus!!......Mark

[1942deluxe]

One of the rarer cars Ron had is a 39 convertible sedan with a 59 AB and 4" crank all built up. If there is an auction and I think there will be I'll let everyone know.

[1942deluxe]

interior 4.jpg door panel picture.

[1942deluxe]

interior 1.jpg
View of interior.

[1942deluxe]

interior 2.jpg
Package tray area.

[1942deluxe]

42 air cleaner.jpg
1942 Ford NOS heavy duty air cleaner I found on Ebay.

[1942deluxe]

55-42.jpg
Cathy's 1955 Ford Fairlane and the 42 in front of Chris's garage.

[1942deluxe]

ford news.jpg
Found an issue of Ford News introducing the 1942's. It's in pristine condition.

[flatford8]

Great pics John !!!.......Mark

[sugarmaker]

John,
Good job on the photos!
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[1942deluxe]

47763_151858521506646_3037860_n 1942 ford.jpg
Couple of pictures of the 42 after I bought it in Iowa back in 2001.
I guess that would make it a "barn find" or at least a tool shed find.

[Kelly Burns]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

drgoetz, I knew Henry's last car was a 1942 with a 1946 front clip installed. It is not displayed at the Henry Ford but my understanding is they still have it. If you can post a picture of your 42 convertible. We love pictures! The son of the family that owned the dealership in Iowa I bought said he had a new 1942 convertible before he left for WW II. He sent me a picture of his Dad's 42 Mercury demonstrator.

How much of the front is different form '42 to '46? I found one for sale and they guy claims that its a '42 with a '46 grill.

[1942deluxe]

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Kelly, the 42 hood is narrower in the front than 46-48. Fenders, fender extensions are the same. Parking light bezels are different 42-46. If you can get some pictures I probably could tell you more. See if you can get a shot of the gauges too.

[meric42]

Originally Posted by Kelly Burns

How much of the front is different form '42 to '46? I found one for sale and they guy claims that its a '42 with a '46 grill.

I'm pretty sure that a '46 - '48 grille will fit in the same space as the '42 grille, there are differences in the pans under the radiator/grille area. the '42 lower pan under the front of the radiator (8208) attaches to the under side of the roll pan (8188) and the '46 - '48 pan attaches to the top of the roll pan as per attached pictures. Hope this helps

[Kelly Burns]

Thank you both for the great information!

Here is what the ad states and what pictures he put in the ad:
"42 ford 2 door super deluxe flat head v8. Car sat at the plant during WWII and when production resumed it was given a 1946 grill."

Thank you for your help, its very much appreciated!

[1942deluxe]

Kelly, I think that is a 42 with a 46 grille. In the second photo notice the bottom of the hood is narrower than the top of the grille. The 46-48 hood is wider in the same location. Henry Ford's last personal car was a 42 Super Deluxe Fordor fitted with 46 front sheet metal as he didn't want to take a badly needed car from the line so it is possible to do so. My opinion is not factory. Someone damaged the 42 grille and installed the 46 as that was what they could find easily. 42 VIN starts with a 18 and 46 VIN starts with 99 if I remember correctly.

[Kelly Burns]

I think your right. I'm not sure I buy the "it was done at the factory", that may be what the current owner was told. I'm concerned that it is some shade tree collision repair work and scabbed in, so to speak. I will have to buy the car based off of pictures and have it transported from Nebraska to Kentucky. I've not talked to the gentleman that owns it yet, just his son. Hopefully I will tonight, but I'm not sure about it.

[meric42]

You can also check the body as being pre '45/6 too. The '41 and '42 firewalls are different. the attached pictures show the difference i.e. the later body's had an additional swage at the top of the firewall on the passengers side as seen in the attached pictures first early '41/2 then late '45 - '48.

[1942deluxe]

42-46-30.jpg
Some of the other stuff that hangs around here outside while I was having the pole building concreted. The Model A is a 1930. The Farmall is a 1946 BN. We also have a 1954 Farmall Super H and a 1949 Ford 8N that are both restored.

[1942deluxe]

Trying to put a set of the correct shocks together for the 42. I have a NOS LF and RR. Bought a NOS LF shock off Ebay, P/N on box is correct and shock body looks right but the arm has F 945 on it unlike my other cars that have F881 on it. Arm is about 1/4 shorter.
Will it still work or how hard is it to change the arm (I have a used frozen shock with one)?

[drgoetz]

Kelly:
Do you remember the picture of Henry Ford hitting the "soybean" trunk lid with a sledge hammer? That was the car !!
I am still fighting with my '42 convertible (windows and top).
drgoetz

[1942deluxe]

42 stone.jpg
I found a NOS 1942 Ford front stone deflector at the Canfield, Ohio swap meet.
The one on the car would be repairable but for $50 it was coming home with me. I can't remember the last time I saw a NOS one, made my day.

[1942deluxe]

46 stone.jpg
While I was at it I bought two 46-48 NOS stone deflectors for the 46 Fordor and the 48 business coupe from the same vendor. I'm just amazed this stuff is still out there after all these years!

[RKS.PA]

Righteous living, John, and your lucky day!!!

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Helped John with headlight switch. Seems to be getting low voltage at the headlight? What should voltage be? With engine not running?
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[corvette8n]

Originally Posted by sugarmaker

Folks,
Helped John with headlight switch. Seems to be getting low voltage at the headlight? What should voltage be? With engine not running?
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

I would think it should be close to 6 volts, how are the ground wires?

[1942deluxe]

Grounds are good and clean. Getting right at 5 volts at the headlight socket with the car not running. 6.2 volts at circuit breaker and 6.2 volts at the headlight switch terminal. Was around 4.2 volts before as were the sockets before the new headlight switch. New Dennis Carpenter harness and new dimmer switch. Took it out last night and an improvement over what it was before but I think could be a notch better.

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John did a good job tracking down a loose connection on the dimmer switch and has working lights again on the 42! And I finally got some pictures to load even though they are smaller.




Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[Daryl Watson]

Love the car. Well done !

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
I traveled with John to Martins starter repair in Blooming Valley PA. John had two generators for checking and or repair. We dropped them off yesterday around 2:00. John called me today and said he needed to go get them. Wow! Talk about service! The repair shop even had to get a new armature from down state!
John is installing one of the reworked gen units into the 42 Ford tonight!

Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
I have been helping John work on the electrical gremlins on his 42. Though we had it today and he called and said that now the dash lights and interior light were not working. I am not very good at electrical troubleshooting. We found a couple things we thought might have been issues? Will keep checking connections and verifying functions of components.
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[SoCalCoupe]

Wish I was a lot a lot closer. Love this project and would rather work on electrical than anything else!


Is this the original wiring harness?

[1942deluxe]

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Then harness is a Dennis Carpenter one. We had everything working and then only the headlights (high and low beam) along with the high beam indicator worked. Coming off the firewall I have power to the green wire that goes to the brake light switch. I think we have the circuit breaker wiring correct but at this point real open to suggestion...

[flatford8]

Is the switch good?......is it new manufacture or NOS?......Mark

[1942deluxe]

Mark, the switch is NOS and I tried a Carpenter reproduction switch last night with the same results.

[Als48]

John, did you reuse the adjustable light control that was mounted on the lower edge of the dash, which controls the dash light brightness? That could well be an issue.

Al H

[Als48]

Sorry, Lower left edge of the dash, under the light switch.

Al H

[1942deluxe]

Al, I did but I have a reproduction one I could try.

[1942deluxe]

I tried the new dash light dimmer switch and no change. About 2.8 volts going to it. Something to add, when I pull the headlight switch out to the park position there is no discharge showing on the amp gauge. It does show discharge on the headlight position.

[1942deluxe]

More checking. I have power to the wires for the front parking lights, 5.85 volts at the firewall connector for the tail lights. At the circuit breaker all 6.29 volts except the "A" circuit is not consistent but ranges from 3-5+ volts. My 46 reads 6.24 volts on all the terminals. Is there a way to test the circuit breaker? I have another circuit breaker I could try.

[flatford8]

You could use a jumper wire with alligator clips just long enough to check the lights, then remove it......Mark

[1942deluxe]

Well, we have lights again and I hope they stay working. Checked a rear taillight and
I had 5 plus volts bulb also good. I had an extra circuit breaker and I thought it was worth a try as everything that wasn't working is on the "A" terminal. Installed the spare circuit breaker and then all the other lights started working. Now getting 6.39 volts on all three terminals. My guess is either a poor connection or there was something wrong with the A terminal.

[flatford8]

Good job John!!.......we all knew you’d get to the bottom of it!!.......Mark

[tubman]

I'm glad you got everything straightened out, but it is troubling how man "bad out of the box" parts are around these days.

[1942deluxe]

Thanks Mark. Cathy crawled under the dash to help me put the circuit breaker back together. Welcome to my world. Tubman, that was the original breaker but I could give hours of examples of poor quality reproduction parts. DC dash dimmer switch that falls off the wire harness they make. Nobody bothered to check the fit? DC starter button that won't ground to the dash. Guy at the starter place said the last 4 6-volt voltage regulators he got were faulty. I may be the exception, but I'll pay for quality.

[sugarmaker]

John, Folks,
Warning! I have embraced, existing, better wireless technology, and will now be dangerous loading pictures. One we may have missed, when John and his 42 were in the shop!


Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[sugarmaker]

Ford Folks,
John continues work and testing on his 42 Ford electrical components and systems. He stopped by today after getting several generators and voltage regulator tested at Martins starter and generator shop.
Cindy was preforming well all systems were working. I had to snap some pictures for the Barn! I mean how often do we have a 42 Ford in the driveway?















Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
John stopped over with Cindy his 42. Its running great for him but sometimes doesnt start as well as he would like:




John has about 250 miles on the fresh rebuild.
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[1942deluxe]

I think we have one more good day of driving weather. Replaced the 18-12250 resistor under the dash with an US made one from Third Gen. Still had problems starting warm. Took the battery to be load tested and it went into the yellow. I was disappointed with that as it was bought 5/22. Bought a new battery. Starts great now hot or cold which is encouraging. Was the resistor part of it, I don't know. My guess is didn't hurt to change it.

[1942deluxe]

phil 42.jpg I don't think I posted this before. Picture of my father-in-law next to the 42 last summer. One of his last really good days. The night he passed away he asked me to come sit and talk to him. He said "John, what's next on the 42?". I told him I was going to get the glass and upholstery done and I did. Four hours later he passed peacefully and at home. Made it to age 90. Not bad...

[flatford8]

Good for him!……I’m sure he went with a smile on his face!…..RIP……Mark

[Zeke3]

A great picture and story, so you have someone looking over your shoulder with each new project. May he be resting in peace.

[Als48]

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Great picture, John,

I'm enjoying your posts and your car pics. Did you attend the meet at Franklin, Tn. where I met your friend Chris and saw the awesome '32 dump?

Al Hook

[Als48]

By the way, my '48 Super Deluxe Tudor has been in the family for over 50 years. It was a roller with no engine my brother received for doing some work on another car in the late '60's. It was parked behind the barn at the old home place for several years before I decided to rescue it, so my brother gave it to me around '76. I worked on it for a few years, until parking it in an unused garage after losing interest in it. Many years later around 2013, I started in on it again and got it back on the road, finally licensing and insuring it in 2015 I think. It was never mom's car but was stored on the farm where I grew up for several years. I have regretted many times, not taking a picture of her or dad with the car before he passed in '2003 at 82, and she passed in 2020 at 99.

Al Hook

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Attachment 532897 I don't think I posted this before. Picture of my father-in-law next to the 42 last summer. One of his last really good days. The night he passed away he asked me to come sit and talk to him. He said "John, what's next on the 42?". I told him I was going to get the glass and upholstery done and I did. Four hours later he passed peacefully and at home. Made it to age 90. Not bad...

[sugarmaker]

John,
Great picture of Phil with your 42! Glad I got to spend some time with you and him in your garage working on various car projects!
He would be very happy with how you have continued and improved things around your home.
We need to get that trailer in the shop to have it ready for the Auburn show!
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[1942deluxe]

Al, I didn't make it to Franklin but am planning on going to Auburn this year. My 48 business coupe is much brighter and shiny than the 42 but I think the 42 might be more interesting. That Chris wasn't run off the place when he brought the 32 gives me hope. My Mom never saw the 42 in person, but I have taken it to the cemetery to visit her grave and my grandparents.

[Seth Swoboda]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Al, I didn't make it to Franklin but am planning on going to Auburn this year. My 48 business coupe is much brighter and shiny than the 42 but I think the 42 might be more interesting. That Chris wasn't run off the place when he brought the 32 gives me hope. My Mom never saw the 42 in person, but I have taken it to the cemetery to visit her grave and my grandparents.

We would never run you off with either car. Usually, the cars with original paint and interiors get a lot of attention. We'd love to see you and any of your cars at a national meet.

[1942deluxe]

Seth, could be a case of the ugly duckling getting to mingle with the beautiful swans. Sounds like fun!

[sugarmaker]

Folks,
Been a while since I posted on John's thread. John and Cathy stopped to visit with 'Cindy' their 42 Deluxe. John worked on my Comet. Installing new parking light lenses and primary wiring cables.




The 42 is looking good!


Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[1942deluxe]

The 42 is running well and at this point pretty reliable. That day the speedometer needle stuck and pegged at one point at 100 MPH! Honestly, I've never lubricated it and was surprised it worked at all after sitting that long. Another maintenance project to be done. It settled back to normal on the way home but worst case I have a NOS unit that can be installed. When I installed the wiring harness I couldn't find where the socket went for the ignition switch light. After reading a question in the V8 times decided to take another look. Found the light hole(directly in line with the key about an inch up the dash). The I was able to find the hole for the socket behind the dash. Miserable to get to but that solved that mystery.

[bssmnbll]

This project brings back some great memories of growing up in a small town in Montana. In 1960, there was a 42 Ford coupe that was owned,swapped, or traded by at least three young guys, all teenagers, until my buddy Jeff Proudfoot got ahold of it. It already had inherited a 48 engine, and Jeff put a 39 transmission in it. One of the previos owners had gone wild with a torch on the springs to lower it, took the sway bar off, but that was a thing in those days.
Just another old mans story of a good time enjoying the old cars when they, and we, were not so old!!

[1942deluxe]

bssmnbll, I think you gave a great description of where the car is at this point. Not a show car but something a young kid would have had in 1960 or 1965. This one too has a 47-48 engine it (59 A-B) which would've been a logical replacement for the original engine by then. In 1960 the car would've been 18 years old. Today an 18 year old car is a 2006. Odd how that kind of stuff happens!

[highbeams]

Why didn't Ford continue this '42 front-end in '46, '47? At least '46, I've thought. Thee last real grill! ('46-'48 ok but three years?) thank You!

[paul2748]

Speculation but I think Ford wanted something a little different style with the start of production after the war so they changed the grille. By 47, they may have started on the 49 restyle so sticking with the 47 grille for 48 was easy and cheap while they tooled up for the 49.

Originally Posted by highbeams

Why didn't Ford continue this '42 front-end in '46, '47? At least '46, I've thought. Thee last real grill! ('46-'48 ok but three years?) thank You!

[1942deluxe]

1943 license.jpg
I found two 1943 license plate tags yesterday. Pennsylvania did not issue a full metal license plate in 1943 in an effort to conserve metal for the war effort. Put one the plate of the 42. Amazing what is still out there....

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Attachment 537487
I found two 1943 license plate tags yesterday. Pennsylvania did not issue a full metal license plate in 1943 in an effort to conserve metal for the war effort. Put one the plate of the 42. Amazing what is still out there....

[SoCalCoupe]

Originally Posted by 1942deluxe

Attachment 537487
I found two 1943 license plate tags yesterday. Pennsylvania did not issue a full metal license plate in 1943 in an effort to conserve metal for the war effort. Put one the plate of the 42. Amazing what is still out there....

Thanks for all the recent posts. Winter is almost over.


I love the details like these '43 license plate tabs! When I go to a car show/cruise, what impresses me the most is the way people show their cars with period correct memorabilia, accessories, pamphlets, accessories, etc. external to the car itself. Even period correct non-automotive things like magazines, picnic baskets, vacation souvenirs, etc. A WWII era vehicle is ripe for WWII wartime memorabilia.