New member, first Ford project

[m610]

I am helping the owner of a 36 Ford get his grandfather's car back on the road. This won't be a restoration or a hot rodding project, but rather to simply get the car back on the road, as if it had never been parked. It has lots of authentic patina and we are keeping it. When he takes it to car shows he'll dress in period clothes and show up as if he had just come in out of the 1930's hills.


About the car:


It's a 5-window couple.


The V8 flathead was restored years ago but never run. It's in the car. The transmission has been overhauled and is still sitting in a box.

The body looks great. There's a fair bit of rust but nothing that compromises the structural integrity. The running boards and part of the fenders have rusted through, but we have replacements. We even have extra grills and even an unused bug screen, with the price tag still on it.

I'll be poking around here to learn what I can before we get deep into this.

In general, the plan right now is to start by removing the interior and and getting new seat and door covers, replace the windows that have started to delaminate, and other things we can do before putting it on a lift or jack stands.

Mechanically, I want to remove the front cross member and go through the suspension and steering, and the brakes. Next we'll do the same in the back. Along the way we'll get the radiator looked at, the gas tank cleaned out, and so on.

Any advice you can give will be much appreciated.

Thanks, Mike

[rockfla]

First
PICTURES, it will help many knowledgeable here BETTER advise you on what you have and what you are trying to accomplish. A flathead and the "correct" flathead are two different animals!!!!! PICTURES.....Post PICTURES of what you are working on!!!!


By the way, welcome to the FordBarns and look forward to seeing your "project"!!


You will need 10 post before you can post pictures so you might want to knock that out now SO you will be able to do so!!!!

[Steve in Denver]

Mike, where are you? There are probably several Barners close to you that would be willing to help.

[DavidG]

Why do you want to remove the front cross member to access the front suspension, steering and brakes? All those those can be accessed readily and removed for restoration, etc. without disturbing the riveted-in front cross member. Is it rusted through or otherwise badly damaged that causes you to want to remove it?

[Seth Swoboda]

Also, be aware that there is no company suppling interior kits or fabrics. If you want to keep the original interior, if it is authentic, or want an authentic interior you might not remove what is currently in the car. Doing so could prove to be very costly and time consuming. Especially if you're just wanting to get the car down the road.

[Charlie Stephens]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I realize you are not doing a restoration but you might still find the guidelines from the Early Ford V8 Club interesting, https://shop.efv8.org/collections/fo...book-softbound.

Charlie Stephens

[marko39]

Take on one task at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed. Don’t start taking everything apart for replacement,evaluate parts as you go and above everything remember just because a part is new doesn’t mean it’s good.

[sugarmaker]

Mike,
Welcome to the Ford Barn. Me being a newbie not long ago here. I have really gained a lot of great information and advice as the above comments show. Your car is almost 90 years old. Have fun with it. Do a little, get that item figured out, then go to the next. A full restoration can take 7 years avg. Even getting them running and working can take some time too.
Yes pictures would be great. Sounds like a dream come true.
Regrads,
Chris

[m610]

Thanks all for the friendly welcome and the advice.

We are located just west of Woodland, California. If you are reasonably local please do drop by for a visit.

We got started on the car two days ago and it was slow going with all the rust to deal with. We rolled it outside and power washed the underside best we could. Much of what I thought was caked on dirt was undercoating. Boy, the sure put that stuff on thick.

Yesterday I got the radiator out okay and it is now at a shop and will probably be re-cored.

Next up was getting the door panels off to get at the windows. They have de-laminated so badly they need to be replaced. Does anyone have a source for replacement windows or is this something a regular auto glass shop can handle? Also, how do I free the glass from the channel it sits in? eat? Solvent?

I work on Opel GTs a lot, almost exclusively, and found removing the suspension cross-member was the easier way to work on them. You just had to be really careful with that transverse leaf spring. It looks like I won't be doing that here.

One rear fender is missing and the other damaged, but we have replacements. The car will probably go to a body shop soon to have rust in those areas repaired and the fenders installed.

I took the running boards off and they revealed plenty of rust, but mostly at the ends where it attaches to the fenders. (The frame looked great.) We'll have the shop patch those areas, too. We have a good set of running boards to bolt on after we get the car back.

Is there a source for the rubber that went between the running boards and frame? Also, the bottom of the doors? And while I am asking, all the rubber parts used on the body?

My general approach is to start with the foundation then work my way to the more fun parts. That means wheels, brakes, and suspension first. We are installing a lift today and that will make that work easier.

At this time the decision is to not do anything to the interior other than clean it up. It is in great shape in general, thought it is showing signs of wear, and there are a few holes in the headliner. The owner wants to drive the car his father, grandfather, and great grandfather drove. If we do replace anything we have someone available who can do the sewing.

At present we are thinking of keeping the 6 volt system. What are people's thoughts on that?

Is there a wiring harness out there that we can purchase? The wiring in this car looks okay in places and terrible in others.

Photos will be coming soon.

Thank you all for the warm welcome.

Mike

[m610]

I have that book. Thanks. I've been browsing it, to see what I am getting into, and I really like how succinct and direct it is. I also have a reprint of the original service manual. It reads more like a novel with promotional tendencies than a service manual. Very interesting.

[m610]

One final note before I am off to begin day three on the car, is as I am working on the car I can't help but picture the scene in the Ford plant where guys are crawling in and around the car putting it together. As I was taking the door panels off, I pictured someone putting them on, and wondering if the door fully assembled before being hung on the hinges or hung then the window and other hardware added. As I am sizing up the job of pulling the motor I have visions of it being installed at the factory. A fun little bonus of working on these cars, I guess. I figure some of you may have had similar experiences.

[Seth Swoboda]

Contact Michael Driskell at Third Gen Automotive for all your parts needs. He will have the rubber parts you are asking about as well. Including some NOS parts. Third Gen is the only source for all authentic, correct hardware and fasteners for your car. Michael and Jane are some of the best folks to do business with. He also does component services, distributors, fuel pumps, transmissions & rear ends.

I'll also say Fred at Southside Obsolete will have a lot of NOS parts as well.

As for glass, Sanders Reproduction Glass is the best source for authentic glass. Or you can have a local shop cut new from your patterns.

Engine removal is very simple and does not require the removal of any cross member, as others have said.

Good luck with your project. Glad to have you here.

[Ol' Ron]

Welcome to the Barn, your in the right place for this project. Disassembly with nuts and bolts OK, rivets, not OK. If the area where the rivits is badly rusted, it needs to be replaced. The 36 frame is the approximate same thing as all the frames up to 1940. There is a web site here that has all the dimensions of all the frames. If the engine has been rebuilt, but never run, then the heads and pan should be removed, and the parts should be inspected befor you try to start it.. The 5Window coupe is one of my favorite cars, so be nice to it.
Gramps

[47topless]

Your appreciation of how that old rusty car was originally assembled is a wonderful gift to all of us.
Regarding that old gas tank. I have never had much luck trying to clean out a tank that has rusted on the inside. You can try, and then use one of the pour-in liners that are out there, but there is nothing worse than dealing with rust and crud in your fuel. Plus, if not done correctly, that liner can become a terrible problem in and of itself. I would suggest just going with a new one.
Good luck.
Phil

[deuce_roadster]

Welcome, 36s are cool! If the pressure plate and clutch disk have been bolted to the flywheel and sitting for years, remove them now while the trans is out and clean up all the friction surfaces. I would bet that the disk is stuck to the flywheel and pressure plate after a long time of non use.
North of you is Bauer Engineering in Bend OR and Chris Olsen there makes very correct wiring for the entire car that lose no points on a concourse. Google his business and call and talk to him about what you want to do. He can install turn signal wiring etc in a very original looking cloth covered loom. When everything is the way it should be, 6 volts is just as good as 12. I have 5 old Fords running flatheads and only 1 has 12 volts (my avatar roadster) The rest are 6v, with mechanical fuel pumps. Be advised that any rubber product that comes in contact with what we call gas nowadays needs to be alcohol proof or it will turn to snot or swell up the inside of hoses. Besides the fuel pump diaphragm, any rubber fuel line no matter how short should be replaced. If in your parts there is a new line the grandpa bought that goes from the hard line to the fuel pump I would just assume it is too old and get a new one. If the tank isn't rusted out, maybe it can be boiled out by a radiator shop.
You can get lots of good advice here, good luck with your project.

[TJ]

Welcome to the Barn. For new reproduction wire harnesses you are not far from Sacramento Vintage Ford. I believe they still make the harnesses and I have used them with great success. They may have all the rubber gaskets, etc. that you will also need. As for glass there is a shop in Fairfield called R and R Glass (ph#707-429-3618) that can cut new glass for you. Leave the glass attached to the channels (from the doors and rear window) and let them remove the old glass from the channels and install the new glass.

[m610]

Thanks all for the excellent advice, and especially contact info for parts, etc.

I'm ready to pull the motor. It was overhauled years ago but not painted and we want to clean it up and paint it, and resurface the flywheel as suggested above.

Funny how the original service manual says to just loop some rope around the engine and a 2x4 and get three guys to lift it out.

Anyway, the motor comes out today and gets some cleaning. We'll wait for the very welcome rain to pass before I paint it.

Also today, we set up the four-post lift. I've never had the luxury of a lift before.

Tomorrow is the start of race weekend, in the rain, at technical Sonoma Raceway, in an Opel wagon, so work will resume on Monday.

Mike

P.S. Deuce Roadster, I get up to Shelton now and then, usually to race but also to visit an Opel friend.

[m610]

I can't reply to PM's or post photos until I have enough posts. This will count as a post, right?

I got the motor out today, it wasn't difficult, just a little different. The motor mounts are in front and there are none in the rear, just those rods. Anyway, I got it our without drawing blood.

Once it was out I looked closely at the bolt-ons. The motor may have been rebuilt but I really wonder about the condition of the water pumps, generator, fuel pump, everything.

The plan is to scrub up the motor on Monday and paint it the original green. Testing and validating, or replacing the bolt-ons will come next. There's no hurry getting the motor back in the car.

We didn't get around to assembling the lift today. That might get taken care of while I am out this weekend. I can't wait to get at the wheels and suspension to inspect and repair as needed.

Mike

[m610]

A few photos from the past few days. I have others on my DSLR that I'll post later.

[drolston]

I would suggest you rebuild the fuel pump because the diaphragm and check valves may have dried up and become subject to malfunction. Also replace the rubber fuel line from the firewall to the fuel pump.

If the water pumps turn freely, use them. If they leak, it is not very hard to change them with the motor in the car.
Same thing on the generator. If it spins freely, try it. I would, however, pay close attention to all of the wiring around the engine room. If there are signs of cracking or frayed cloth insulation, you may want to replace that whole engine room wiring harness. That is a bit easier with the engine out of the car.