The Ford Barn

rjlester · 08-12-2023, 12:17 AM

Took my 54 Meteor (Canadian Ford, we had the flathead one more year than the USA) last week on a big road trip, by myself for five days. The wife and I already did a cruise this summer, and I wanted to go back to my hometown to look around, reminisce etc. Not only did I get a real kick out of seeing all the places we used to live, and met a few people from the past, but the car absolutely kicked butt!!! I averaged 20 - 22 Imperial MPG (Borg Warner Overdrive). It didn't burn any oil the first 3/4 days until one evening the OD stopped working (I think the 70 year old solenoid is getting flaky). I was on the highway that night for about an hour at 65 mph and climbing steep hills so running it a bit hard. The next morning the OD worked fine (always fixes itself the next day lol) and when I filled up with gas I finally had to add a litre of oil. That was at 1000 miles.

The oil is still fairly clean too. It's on it's fifth oil change since I woke it up from a 55 year sleep two years ago. That engine never ceases to amaze me and it never skips a beat. I adjusted the points before the trip and it also made a noticeable difference. I could only get 20mpg if I babied it before, this time I drove it normally and got better mileage.

At the start of the trip, I brought the car to the guy I bought it from and he was real pleased to see it. He is a che!y guy, but had that car for ten years in his garage. He was supposed to restore it for his wifes very elderly aunt, but was not able to. I found out the Aunts name is Francis (still alive at 93) so that is what I'm going to name the car.

He had never heard of the Borg Warner Overdrive and thought it was amazing. Every time I "kicked it down" he laughed so hard!!

I camped out every night and the large trunk in the car came in handy for my gear. One add-on I did beforehand was a trunk light. So glad I installed that. Made a real difference when I got back to the campsite at night.

It was an amazing trip I will never forget and the car really made it a joy. Got so many waves/thumbs up/smiles etc.

mercman from oz · 08-12-2023, 12:52 AM

Canadian 1954 Meteor Sales Brochure

mercman from oz · 08-12-2023, 12:55 AM

Flathead V8 in Canadian 1954 Meteor.
Illustration from the original Sales Brochure

mfirth · 08-12-2023, 06:43 AM

Really nice, glad you had an over all good trip. THANKS for sharing !!!

corvette8n · 08-12-2023, 06:56 AM

Glad you had fun, did you take any pictures of your trip that you can post?

5851a · 08-12-2023, 10:12 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Sounds like a great trip.

Lawrie · 08-12-2023, 03:21 PM

That makes me envious,
My 33 is is the shop getting the brakes and cooling sorted,(cooling was blocked radiator and water passages)
brakes on the mend.
But I will head off some where as soon as its done.
These are great cars to travel in, a pleasure to drive and you meet lots of people.
Lawrie

rjlester · 08-12-2023, 04:53 PM

Thanks guys, I mostly took video and plan to put it all in a youtube video sometime over the winter when I have time.

Today the car rolled over 94000 on the way to the store. It had 86k on it when I got it two years ago. No regrets racking up the mileage.

Right now I'm working on getting my late father's 57 Monarch ready for a big road trip with my son and nephew at the end of the month. Can't wait for that one!!

rjlester · 08-12-2023, 04:58 PM

Here is a picture from one of the campsites. We went here dozens of times when we were kids. I had the whole place to myself for almost 20 hours. Quiet little lake in northern Alberta. That car took me down some crazy roads!! Haha.

petehoovie · 08-12-2023, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjlester

Here is a picture from one of the campsites. We went here dozens of times when we were kids. I had the whole place to myself for almost 20 hours. Quiet little lake in northern Alberta. That car took me down some crazy roads!! Haha.

SoCalCoupe · 08-12-2023, 09:12 PM

Thanks for sharing!

An extended road trip is the ultimate accomplishment for the owner of a vintage flat head. Everything tweaked, adjusted and repaired. Confidence to cruise an extended distance from home.

It's certainly my ultimate goal.

Flatmotors · 08-22-2023, 03:35 PM

That’s great! It’s amazing what those old flatheads can do

Seth Swoboda · 08-22-2023, 04:50 PM

This proves that the flathead V8 is a very reliable engine. When properly maintained, they will take you on epic adventures.

Seth Swoboda · 08-22-2023, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lawrie

That makes me envious,
My 33 is is the shop getting the brakes and cooling sorted,(cooling was blocked radiator and water passages)
brakes on the mend.
But I will head off some where as soon as its done.
These are great cars to travel in, a pleasure to drive and you meet lots of people.
Lawrie

The folks you meet while you're out driving these cars is a real treat. It makes it all worth the time and expense.

RalphG · 08-22-2023, 08:08 PM

Great to hear. I'd been wondering when you'd have another video up of the Meteor and I guess you have the material for it now. I'm always impressed at how relaxed my 52 Merc sounds on a smooth highway at 60 mph. The Mercomatics got the lower numerical axle ratio. 3.31 as opposed to the 3.73 in a standard. 4.10 in overdrive equipped Mercs. So your Meteor would be turning quite a bit higher rpm if the overdrive was not engaged.

mfirth · 08-23-2023, 06:54 AM

Thanks for sharing !! Nice trip & NICE CAR !!!!!

08-12-2023, 12:17 AM	#1
rjlester Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 247	Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! Took my 54 Meteor (Canadian Ford, we had the flathead one more year than the USA) last week on a big road trip, by myself for five days. The wife and I already did a cruise this summer, and I wanted to go back to my hometown to look around, reminisce etc. Not only did I get a real kick out of seeing all the places we used to live, and met a few people from the past, but the car absolutely kicked butt!!! I averaged 20 - 22 Imperial MPG (Borg Warner Overdrive). It didn't burn any oil the first 3/4 days until one evening the OD stopped working (I think the 70 year old solenoid is getting flaky). I was on the highway that night for about an hour at 65 mph and climbing steep hills so running it a bit hard. The next morning the OD worked fine (always fixes itself the next day lol) and when I filled up with gas I finally had to add a litre of oil. That was at 1000 miles. The oil is still fairly clean too. It's on it's fifth oil change since I woke it up from a 55 year sleep two years ago. That engine never ceases to amaze me and it never skips a beat. I adjusted the points before the trip and it also made a noticeable difference. I could only get 20mpg if I babied it before, this time I drove it normally and got better mileage. At the start of the trip, I brought the car to the guy I bought it from and he was real pleased to see it. He is a che!y guy, but had that car for ten years in his garage. He was supposed to restore it for his wifes very elderly aunt, but was not able to. I found out the Aunts name is Francis (still alive at 93) so that is what I'm going to name the car. He had never heard of the Borg Warner Overdrive and thought it was amazing. Every time I "kicked it down" he laughed so hard!! I camped out every night and the large trunk in the car came in handy for my gear. One add-on I did beforehand was a trunk light. So glad I installed that. Made a real difference when I got back to the campsite at night. It was an amazing trip I will never forget and the car really made it a joy. Got so many waves/thumbs up/smiles etc.

08-12-2023, 12:52 AM	#2
mercman from oz Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 10,376	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! Canadian 1954 Meteor Sales Brochure

08-12-2023, 12:55 AM	#3
mercman from oz Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 10,376	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! Flathead V8 in Canadian 1954 Meteor. Illustration from the original Sales Brochure

08-12-2023, 06:43 AM	#4
mfirth Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: ohio Posts: 986	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! Really nice, glad you had an over all good trip. THANKS for sharing !!!

08-12-2023, 06:56 AM	#5
corvette8n Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: 36 miles north of Albany NY Posts: 2,954	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! Glad you had fun, did you take any pictures of your trip that you can post?

08-12-2023, 10:12 AM	#6
5851a Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: NE Iowa Posts: 1,664	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Sounds like a great trip.

08-12-2023, 03:21 PM	#7
Lawrie Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Qld, Australia Posts: 4,218	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! That makes me envious, My 33 is is the shop getting the brakes and cooling sorted,(cooling was blocked radiator and water passages) brakes on the mend. But I will head off some where as soon as its done. These are great cars to travel in, a pleasure to drive and you meet lots of people. Lawrie

08-12-2023, 04:53 PM	#8
rjlester Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2022 Posts: 247	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! Thanks guys, I mostly took video and plan to put it all in a youtube video sometime over the winter when I have time. Today the car rolled over 94000 on the way to the store. It had 86k on it when I got it two years ago. No regrets racking up the mileage. Right now I'm working on getting my late father's 57 Monarch ready for a big road trip with my son and nephew at the end of the month. Can't wait for that one!!

08-12-2023, 09:12 PM	#11
SoCalCoupe Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Point Loma, San Diego, CA Posts: 424	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! Thanks for sharing! An extended road trip is the ultimate accomplishment for the owner of a vintage flat head. Everything tweaked, adjusted and repaired. Confidence to cruise an extended distance from home. It's certainly my ultimate goal.

08-22-2023, 03:35 PM	#12
Flatmotors Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2023 Posts: 14	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! That’s great! It’s amazing what those old flatheads can do

08-22-2023, 04:50 PM	#13
Seth Swoboda Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 3,795	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! This proves that the flathead V8 is a very reliable engine. When properly maintained, they will take you on epic adventures.

08-22-2023, 08:08 PM	#15
RalphG Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Sask. Canada Posts: 2,424	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! Great to hear. I'd been wondering when you'd have another video up of the Meteor and I guess you have the material for it now. I'm always impressed at how relaxed my 52 Merc sounds on a smooth highway at 60 mph. The Mercomatics got the lower numerical axle ratio. 3.31 as opposed to the 3.73 in a standard. 4.10 in overdrive equipped Mercs. So your Meteor would be turning quite a bit higher rpm if the overdrive was not engaged. __________________ https://www.youtube.com/user/roosty6/videos Last edited by RalphG; 08-23-2023 at 08:24 AM.

08-23-2023, 06:54 AM	#16
mfirth Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: ohio Posts: 986	Re: Ran my Flathead over 1200 miles last week, it was great! Thanks for sharing !! Nice trip & NICE CAR !!!!!