'57 Ford Custom 300 Tudor Sedan

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Xeen

Everything looks great Vic.
As far as the exhaust noise goes if it's worse than expected and you find it unacceptable you can always add in resonators.

Thanks, Brian, will do.

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Doors are cool Vic! That thing's a knee-knocker

Thanks, John! Got your care package and the engraving was freaking great! Photo below.

Originally Posted by texasld

I just noticed the valve cover paint. Nice touch, Vic!

Thanks, Mike. Like just about everything else on this build, they took three tries.

Taking a little mid afternoon break and thought I'd post a quick note. John offered to do some laser engraving for me, so I sent him the stainless pieces that fit above the knobs on the dash. He knocked them out of the park. They add just the right look to the dash without being too much. Thanks, John!

I've been dealing with the universal wiring harness trying to make it more '57 friendly. I was just about ready to terminate the brake light switch wires and got to looking around for the switch. We all know where it's located on our trucks, but it seemed to be missing on the Ford. Not necessarily a surprise, but after searching high and low thru all my boxes for the switch and coming up empty handed, I finally looked in the manual and found that the switch on these old cars was a hydraulic pressure switch that threaded into a port on the end of the master cylinder. That wouldn't fly here anyway, so I picked up a brake switch for a '68 Chevy C10 at the local parts house. Nothing like some Chevy parts to tune up an old Ford, eh? So anyway, I removed the pedal hanger assembly and drilled and tapped the top of it for the new switch and I'm in business. Time to get back to work!

[hopped up]

Looks soo good! That taping sure is tricky , came out great

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by hopped up

Looks soo good! That taping sure is tricky , came out great

Thanks!

I realized the photo I showed of John's engraving didn't display very well. Here's a better shot...

[jlsanborn]

Those do look sharp on there Vic and you're very welcome! I'm glad I could return a favor

[Xeen]

Nice touch with the c10 brake switch, that actually made me laugh out loud, I love it!

[sduckworth13]

Looking good Vic. Those knobs give it a nice look.

[Average Joe]

Wow! You are building one heckuva ride. Beautiful car, cant wait to see the finished product.

[jlsanborn]

Wiring all done? When do we fire that bad motor?!!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Wiring all done? When do we fire that bad motor?!!

Nope, still hacking away at it, John. I'm gonna have to start working longer hours. I pushed the upholstery shop out to next Monday and I'm not sure I can make that.

Thanks to everyone that's taken the time to look at where we're headed with this. I appreciate it very much.

Most of the decisions have been made about the routing for the wires. I've bundled them with Techflex, sealed with shrink wrap at both ends. I still have some terminals to install which goes slow when you tin the wire ends, crimp the connector (after having removed the plastic insulator), solder the bare crimped connector to the tinned wire, then finish it off with heat shrink tubing. Using Weather Pack or similar connectors isn't much faster as each style requires its own special procedure. Then there's all the revisions when you discover part way thru that you overlooked a wire you'll need. I've been taping the front to back wire runs down to keep them flat and make sure they don't get pulled out of place when the carpet goes down. I'm fairly close to putting the dash back in. Just need to mock up the a/c lines while everything is out in the open.

Spent part of today under the car doing fuel pump, fuel tank and battery wiring. Years ago, when B-I-L Rick had a salvage yard, I scrounged a fuel shut off switch out of a wrecked Ford. It trips in the event of a crash and shuts off the fuel pump. Sounded like a good idea so it's now officially part of the build.

[Vic1947]

Took a little time away from the wiring and put the trim on the quarters. Laid out some 4" wide application tape so I could line up and adjust all the trim clips in the moldings without marking up the fresh paint. Applied the carbon fiber tape to the area that previously had a gold anodized filler panel and then tightened down all the clips. Makes a big difference.

Also installed the tail lights. The two tone lines are much less obvious now with the hardware in place.

[Xeen]

WOW it looks phenomenal Vic.
Lets just hope you don't get sued for giving people neck injuries from whipping their heads around on a swivel to look at your car as you go by haha!

[Elliot949]

Vic... I admire your Eye for Detail... I only wish I lived 200 miles closer to you... That way when I start going together with "Raymond" I could drag you kicking and screaming to help wire it and install the Vintage air, and, and, and, and... LOL... Looks great Vic...

[texasld]

Holy Snikes! That looks awesome!!!!

[sduckworth13]

Looks awesome Vic! Super clean and tidy work. Let me know when I can assist with the dash.

[jlsanborn]

WOW! I knew you'd been killing it Vic. Great detail on the wiring - well done! The trim and all those fixin's sure bring it together.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Xeen

WOW it looks phenomenal Vic.
Lets just hope you don't get sued for giving people neck injuries from whipping their heads around on a swivel to look at your car as you go by haha!

Originally Posted by Elliot949

Vic... I admire your Eye for Detail... I only wish I lived 200 miles closer to you... That way when I start going together with "Raymond" I could drag you kicking and screaming to help wire it and install the Vintage air, and, and, and, and... LOL... Looks great Vic...

Originally Posted by texasld

Holy Snikes! That looks awesome!!!!

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Looks awesome Vic! Super clean and tidy work. Let me know when I can assist with the dash.

Originally Posted by knomadd

WOW, she's looking really good!

Originally Posted by flashed

I cant wait to see the rest of this beauty ,you are doing it better than old Henry ever did .

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

WOW! I knew you'd been killing it Vic. Great detail on the wiring - well done! The trim and all those fixin's sure bring it together.

Thanks, guys! It's looking more like an actual car... slowly but surely. I dropped by Precision today and picked up the bumpers. I don't really need them for the upholstery shop, but I'll probably hang the rear one just to keep my head in the game. All the decisions for drilling holes and routing wires can lead to vapor lock. I need an occasional break to install trim or other parts. I took some time yesterday and today to plumb a/c and heater hoses and route the pigtails for the Vintage Air evaporator. I had to order several o-ring beadlock fittings because the kit I bought didn't contain all that I needed. I may still need more when I mount the condenser and drier up front. I keep adding to the time estimate for wiring as I uncover stuff like the trinary switch that ties into the electric fan. All the front end wiring will have to wait until it comes back from upholstery. I have GOT to get it there by the first of next week.

[Elliot949]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Thanks, guys! It's looking more like an actual car... slowly but surely. I dropped by Precision today and picked up the bumpers. I don't really need them for the upholstery shop, but I'll probably hang the rear one just to keep my head in the game. All the decisions for drilling holes and routing wires can lead to vapor lock. I need an occasional break to install trim or other parts. I took some time yesterday and today to plumb a/c and heater hoses and route the pigtails for the Vintage Air evaporator. I had to order several o-ring beadlock fittings because the kit I bought didn't contain all that I needed. I may still need more when I mount the condenser and drier up front. I keep adding to the time estimate for wiring as I uncover stuff like the trinary switch that ties into the electric fan. All the front end wiring will have to wait until it comes back from upholstery. I have GOT to get it there by the first of next week.

Wow... That Carbon Fiber insert is AWESOME!!!!

[jlsanborn]

I spy a Christmas tree and hot water tank... Running out of room?

The inserts and moldings look awesome Vic. Great choice in colors! Can't wait to see it all together.

[knomadd]

WOW, she's looking really good!

[flashed]

I cant wait to see the rest of this beauty ,you are doing it better than old Henry ever did .

[knomadd]

That carbon fiber looks fantastic!!

[texasld]

Originally Posted by knomadd

that carbon fiber looks fantastic!!

x2

[Elliot949]

I can only say WOW!!!... I am having to wipe the drool off of the key board...

[sduckworth13]

Wow!!! The car is looking awesome Vic! Thanks for having me over, it's always cool to get to see your work in person.

[swamp rat]

Call me jelious.... comming together nicely!