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Our New Old Car
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It has been a long time coming but the car and chassis have been painted and the assembly process is well underway. Starting to get excited about our new old car.
Look on top of the frame rails and you can see the receivers for the tow bar. They will be virtually invisible once the front clip is on and the grille is in place.
It is going to be a shame all that pretty aluminum is going to get cruddy being dragged behind the bus. Maybe I can get Tom to keep it polished.
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It’s going to be awesome Jon & Di… I can see you in it now… however you do realize it’s going to match our bus better than yours !!! May have to let us borrow it sometime…
Will it be ready in time for the Prouds Rally in Nashville in May ?
Cheers, Diane
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I accept your offer to keep it polished knowing I can use it during the summer while you’re gardening and it will look great behind the H.
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I’m looking forward to towing 3000 pounds instead of 6700. I’m looking forward to having a toad with a roof low enough to clean it. I’m looking forward to another manual transmission.
Ain’t nobody driving my toad. Me and Di are going to be stylin.
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Jon,
I hope that our tracks cross one day as I would love to see your brand spanking new Ford. My brother rebuilt a 1953 Chevy pick-up, new motor and drivetrain, etc. It has electric windows but has the original window cranks… move it forward for up, backward for down. It’s still very original looking but modern.
He was also able to get a 1953 TN license plate (it’s white and shaped like the state of TN). If you can find one, you can have it approved and use it on your vehicle.
Safe travels,
Mark
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It is starting to look more and more like a car.
Notice the receivers for the modified tow bar. When the front clip is on the car and the grille is in place these will be pretty much out of sight.
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Jon…
Now that’s one fine looking vehicle !!
Looking better all the time, won’t be long now?
Diane
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There is still a long way to go. But now we are seeing the assembly and can soon see all of the work paying off.
The interior still has a lot left. The entire floor pan had to be modified to accomodate the Tremec transmission, plus the original bench seat is being replaced with a pair of “bucket” seats out of a new Chrysler van and that meant different reinforcing and provision for seat belt.
The original through the floor pedals for brake and clutch are gone, to be replaced with a 3 hydraulic system for the clutch and brakes, but hanging from under the dash. The original steering column is being replaced with a new tilt column. Somehow we have to install the heat exchangers and controls for the air conditioning, plus all of the rewiring under the dash to make what used to be positive ground 6 volt system now going to a negative ground 12 volt system. All wiring is going to go in brand new.
The interior that was in it goes back in, ugly as it is, and I will nibble away at that when the car is home. So the progress now is boiling down to the details. Once the front clip is back on it will look as it should, with all the remaining work not visible.
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Sweet! You’ll look like you have just driven off the set of Grease. ‘Jon’ Travolta.
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The part of this that I find mind boggling is with a little work after I bought the car I had a 1950 Ford that was as good as Henry Ford made it. It started quickly, ran well, and it turned and stopped. But at 64 years of age there was such a difference between it and even the worst of the current cars it was evident I could never use it as a toad.
We have come a long way with the development of cars that we don’t really appreciate how well they handle in terms of stopping, turning, accelerating and feel while driving. There was no way I would ever drive it on the interstate. It felt OK at 50 MPH, but downright scary as the speed increased. Braking was lousy.
So now we are going to have a 64 year old body sitting on a modern chassis, but to get there I now realize the scope of the effort. I can’t wait for it to be ready to drive.
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Getting close now.
The hood is all buffed out and ready to go on, but first the wiring needs to be completed. You cannot even see the receivers for the tow bar or the receptacle for the plug for lights. The AC is done, the pedals now hang from under the dash instead of going through the floor and the tilt wheel is mounted.
It takes a lot to build a new car. Only the sheep metal is original.
Maybe by Christmas. I’m reluctant to do it, but I’m going to break down and get a new digital instrument cluster and matching clock. Now’s the time instead of having to go back in later and re-wire it. Will probably get a new radio with more features also, but not right away.
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Jon, my first car at 15 yrs old was a 1950 Ford 4 dr Custom, 6 cyl flathead with 3 speed/overdrive. I paid $100 for it. Paint was faded, upholstery was bad, but it was mine and I paid for it. But that was also back in 1959, $100 was a lot of money. I had 2 different brothers who also had 1950 Fords.
1999 XLV X-6872, liberty #440 -
I have always been a car lover, been a hotrodder, racer at times, have had a string of Corvettes, some Camaros, back in the muscle car days I was a Mopar guy. My speed baby now is an SL55AMG, very very fast car, fun to dry but you can’t enjoy it without breaking the law. My ongoing project is a 1947 Ford Pickup. Only thing original is the sheetmetal. Like yours, the chassis is all handbuilt and a big block Chevy for power.
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My first car was a 37 Ford 2 dr. slantback. 60 HP and three on the floor. Mechanical brakes, bulb type headlights. I bought a twin to it years later and even though it was in good shape it was still a crappy unsafe, unreliable car.
Di’s first car and the one we drove after we got married was a 50 Ford 2 DR sedan, V8, three on the tree with overdrive. We drove it everywhere but never realized just how bad it was until we got the car we are now rebuilding. We could not bring ourselves to paint the current one the same color the original was……..robin’s egg blue.
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Yeah, Robin’s egg blue is kinda a female color, LOL. Reminds me of a story, I was departing Memphis International Airport in a little Yankee Traveler airplane, departure pointed out traffic as a 727, said I got him, departure called him, pointed me out, 727 pilot says I see him and he is an easter egg blue.
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