'57 Ford Custom 300 Tudor Sedan

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Xeen

We had good size hail here last night and there is damage to my truck, so I am positive you made the right decision in canceling, it's just not worth the risk of damage to the vehicle.

Dang, Brian! If it ain't one thing, it's always something else. Hope it didn't tear up too much.

Originally Posted by Gus350

You can always do the Des Moines Goodguys show the weekend of July 4th. Plus I'll be there and check this beauty out lol. And it's a nice venue from what I hear.

That was my first thought, Kevin, but my wife reminded me right away that she's got a family reunion that weekend and we'll have out of town company staying with us. Probably bad form to skip out on that.

[Gus350]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Dang, Brian! If it ain't one thing, it's always something else. Hope it didn't tear up too much.

That was my first thought, Kevin, but my wife reminded me right away that she's got a family reunion that weekend and we'll have out of town company staying with us. Probably bad form to skip out on that.

Even better reason to go hahaha couldn't help myself

[Russell Ashley]

I love this build, hope things are going well today. Did you ever find the stainless trim for the rear window? I saw this ad on the Atlanta CL and thought I'd post a link in case he might have something you need.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/pts/4946627641.html

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

I love this build, hope things are going well today. Did you ever find the stainless trim for the rear window? I saw this ad on the Atlanta CL and thought I'd post a link in case he might have something you need.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/pts/4946627641.html

Thanks for the link, Russell. I can always use a parts source since they ain't making anymore of these. I did find the corners for the rear window. Good old East TX boy named Roy sent them to me and were just what I needed.

Things are indeed going well today. The rain we got earlier has moved out, the sun is shining, the roads are dry and we're headed for a cruise-in here in a little bit. Revised the aluminum radiator cover and got it installed, put the passenger side seat back in now that the floor has pretty much dried out and I think a few minutes of "make ready" will be all that "Maybelline" needs.

[jlsanborn]

Glad to hear you're getting a peek at the Sky. Take any pictures of Maybelline while you were out?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Glad to hear you're getting a peek at the Sky. Take any pictures of Maybelline while you were out?

Man, you're not going to believe this, John, but we forgot and left the camera at home. Put a fresh battery in it and then left it on the desk. Realized it right before we rolled into the parking lot. Only picture we got was posted online by one of the roaming photographers. But I aim to get some more soon! And a video.

We encountered a couple of things I'll need to address. I reckon the car won't stay cool without a radiator shroud. We ran the a/c on the way to the cruise-in and turned it off just as we got to the parking lot. Place was full and it took a few minutes to find a spot. By the time I just about had it parked, temp was sitting on 210 and Maybelline got hot and wouldn't do no mo'. Died and wouldn't restart. Later after she cooled off - no problem, started right up. On the way home, we stopped at a neighbor's house briefly. When we went to leave, turned the key and nothing happened. Several tries later, the starter finally engaged and the engine fired. So I guess my future includes ordering a new high torque mini starter to replace the stock starter and pulling the header off the passenger side to install it. Then figuring out the best way to mount a shroud to the radiator and fabricating it.

So in light of these new car bugs and the weather thing (line of heavy thunderstorms went right along the PT route this morning) I'm feeling better all the time about staying home.

[swamp rat]

Ok Vic i posted a while back asking what the cars name was and you replied it was hard to name a money pit you have been packing around for 25 years... I gotta ask, was the name in your sig all along and i missed it? or did the name Maybelline come about recently?

On the rat when i did my rebuild around 95 i installed headers and ran into the same hot start problem, i ended up running a remote bendex and put some heat wrap on my starter, its been trouble free since.

Sure glad your finding happy times locally and not dwelling on the Power Tour.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Ok Vic i posted a while back asking what the cars name was and you replied it was hard to name a money pit you have been packing around for 25 years... I gotta ask, was the name in your sig all along and i missed it? or did the name Maybelline come about recently?

On the rat when i did my rebuild around 95 i installed headers and ran into the same hot start problem, i ended up running a remote bendex and put some heat wrap on my starter, its been trouble free since.

Sure glad your finding happy times locally and not dwelling on the Power Tour.

The name (and the sig line) are both new, Mike. Seemed appropriate given Chuck Berry's references to a hot and bothered V8 Ford.

I don't have a lot of room for a wrap around the stock starter, which is why I'm thinking about a mini starter. More torque and more room for a heat shield.

Watching all the heavy weather today right over where the PT guys are all clustered makes me thankful for the decision we made. No regrets.

[Gus350]

Been following the power tour on Instagram Man looks like you made a good call they have been getting pounded with storms.

[texasld]

HOLY CRAP!!! I have been in Memphis pulling 18 hour days for two weeks. I have been checked out from the form and the build. The car looks killer, Vic. Love the work. Your small bugs aren't to major! Glad to see it on the road.


Now time to get back on RCLS!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Gus350

Been following the power tour on Instagram Man looks like you made a good call they have been getting pounded with storms.

I've been trying to stay busy to keep my mind off of PT, but every once in a while I'll check the interactive weather radar map. Seems like popup storms have been all around them, but at least nothing severe. Hope they can make it one more day and everyone has a safe trip home.

Originally Posted by texasld

HOLY CRAP!!! I have been in Memphis pulling 18 hour days for two weeks. I have been checked out from the form and the build. The car looks killer, Vic. Love the work. Your small bugs aren't to major! Glad to see it on the road. ...Now time to get back on RCLS!

Hey, Mike. I'm working my way thru the "bug list" slowly but surely. Crusty looks mighty forlorn after being banished to the upstairs garage. Not sure when I plan to move it back downstairs. I have another small metalwork project I'd like to complete first - a '55 Chevy pedal car I'm converting into a 2dr hardtop. I'll post it on alternate builds when I resume work on it.

I've been mainly working on maintenance items the past few days. The original weatherstrip I got for the Ford sucked. I glued it on the driver door and when I finally got it closed, the door edge stood away from the body by a quarter inch or more. Pulled it alll off leaving behind bits of foam rubber and adhesive and then spent the better part of an hour removing the residue with DX330 wax and grease remover. I bought some small and large D shaped hollow weatherstrip off of eBay. It comes with 3M adhesive tape already on it and it fits and looks great! We're sealed up much better now... and the doors actually close.

The gear reduction starter arrived today and looks like it will work. I was unaware until I started to do some research that the 385 series Ford engines had starters with different snout lengths depending on whether it was manual or automatic. Thru blind luck, I managed to end up with a combination that may actually work. Also found out the wiring diagram is very different for the gear reduction unit. There were no instructions in the box, so again it was just luck that I noticed it buried in the starter / flywheel info I found on Google. Went back to the Summit page and found a couple of .pdf files and they confirmed the wiring change.

The rack continues to leak, even with the new lines, so I ordered another unit from Rock Auto. Should be here tomorrow. I have to drop the rack to replace the starter anyway, so I can kill two birds - so to speak. Also plan to remove the collectors and the tubing going to the X-pipe and have them ceramic coated while all the other parts are going in. Might as well get it all out of the way at one time. Probably start on it next week or the week after. We have company coming from Houston this weekend, so I don't want it torn up while they're here in case the weather allows us to do a cruise-in.

I dumped a bottle of Redline Water Wetter into the radiator today and fired the engine. It refused to get over 180 degrees even though I let it idle for quite awhile. In fact, it never go hot enough to turn on the electric fans which are supposed to trip at 185. Don't know if the stuff made that much difference or if it was other factors. I'll know more after a road trip.

[Elliot949]

I was blessed to be able to spend a few minutes with Vic and his wonderful Bride Kathy yesterday and I have to say that if you ever get to meet this couple take the opportunity to do so... These are the most gracious awesome people around...

As for "Maybelline" none of the pictures or descriptions you see or hear about this car stands up to actually standing there witnessing its "AWESOMENESS" (I know that is not a real word but) in person...

Great to see you again Guys I hope you have a great visit with your friends from Texas...

Dan

[Vic1947]

Here's a look at the fan shroud project. I started by taking some measurements and laying it out in my little CAD program. Then had Steve haul the .080" aluminum sheet to his laser guy to cut out the openings for the fan and the corner notches. Back at the shop, I marked the outline of the fan blade and superimposed the cutout as a guide while bending the sides. The angle of the lower radiator outlet interfered somewhat, so I ended up notching it and welding in a curved piece so the hose and clamp would fit correctly.

[Vic1947]

Once the sides were bent, I slid the assembly into place to mark the upper and lower bend locations. Much to my surprise, the fan was too tight to fit the opening. I'd never measured it, but when I did, I found that the guys had cut the line on the drawing that represented the fan circle and not the line for the opening. So I was looking at an 18" opening and an 18" fan. At this point I was heavily invested in the shroud and didn't want to start over. The easiest solution was to go online and order a 17" fan from Speedway. It arrived the next day and was just what I needed. A few tweaks to the sides and it lined right up. After bending the top and bottom, I used rivet nuts to attach it. Foam weatherstrip on the sides help to seal it up and it has about a 1/2" gap around the fan blades. That calculates out to right at 3% of the blade diameter which is the recommended amount.

While I was at it, I replaced the 180 thermostat with a 160 and put in 2.5 gallons of distilled water with a bottle of water wetter. This afternoon, I went to fill up with gas and I think I can live with the results. The temp stayed around 165 while driving and got as high as 185 while idling. The pusher fans kicked in and it didn't seem to want to climb any higher. At least now, on the road it cools back down and the fans can turn off. Before, once they were on, they'd never get down to the shutoff temp.

I hope this is the end of the cooling issues. I may take a few degrees of timing out of it for some added insurance, but other than that, I'm out of bullets.

[Elliot949]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Once the sides were bent, I slid the assembly into place to mark the upper and lower bend locations. Much to my surprise, the fan was too tight to fit the opening. I'd never measured it, but when I did, I found that the guys had cut the line on the drawing that represented the fan circle and not the line for the opening. So I was looking at an 18" opening and an 18" fan. At this point I was heavily invested in the shroud and didn't want to start over. The easiest solution was to go online and order a 17" fan from Speedway. It arrived the next day and was just what I needed. A few tweaks to the sides and it lined right up. After bending the top and bottom, I used rivet nuts to attach it. Foam weatherstrip on the sides help to seal it up and it has about a 1/2" gap around the fan blades. That calculates out to right at 3% of the blade diameter which is the recommended amount.

While I was at it, I replaced the 180 thermostat with a 160 and put in 2.5 gallons of distilled water with a bottle of water wetter. This afternoon, I went to fill up with gas and I think I can live with the results. The temp stayed around 165 while driving and got as high as 185 while idling. The pusher fans kicked in and it didn't seem to want to climb any higher. At least now, on the road it cools back down and the fans can turn off. Before, once they were on, they'd never get down to the shutoff temp.

I hope this is the end of the cooling issues. I may take a few degrees of timing out of it for some added insurance, but other than that, I'm out of bullets.

Glad to see you may be at the end of that issue...

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Elliot949

Glad to see you may be at the end of that issue...

You and me too, Dan. I checked the timing yesterday and it was sitting on 5 degrees instead of the 12 degrees I initially dialed in. Not sure why it moved that much. The hold down nut was snug but not excessively tight. Bumped it up to 9 degrees initial and locked it down good and tight, so we'll see how it likes that.

According to the vacuum gauge, it was only making around 7-8 inches of vacuum at idle and when I plugged the line back onto the vacuum advance can, the timing didn't jump like it should. Had to rev the engine slightly and only then did the VA come in. It stayed advanced, but it almost acted like it had to overcome some resistance to start working. I read on the 460 Ford forum where some guy swapped out his Unilite distributor for an old fashioned points style and it really woke up the engine. Not sure yet if there's a problem lurking there, but I've been plagued with so many hiccups, I'm a bit gun shy. Vern (Boppa) says it's just being a Ford.

[Vic1947]

Still raining outside, so no updates on the transmission, but I did add install a tach while waiting on the skies to clear. I had an old SunPro shift light tach in my swap meet box, and after checking prices for new ones online, I dug it out and decided it would be just the ticket. I have no idea where it came from originally, but it works and that's what counts. The white face and silver bezel don't go with the existing gauges and there was nowhere functional to mount it, so it ended up down by the console hanging off the dash. I don't need it for shifting, but it will work great for diagnostics. Back in the day, no one cared if the tach matched the interior design anyway... just slap 'er on there and have fun.

I bit the bullet and ordered the HydraBoost for the brakes from HydraTech. I talked to ECI first about their dual diameter piston M/C but after the guy collected all the info on my brake setup, he was very honest and said what I really needed was the hydraulic assist unit. He recommended HydraTech rather than CPP as he felt their support was superior. It will take them about 2-3 weeks to manufacture it. One of the things I really liked was that they have a billet firewall mounting plate that's an exact fit for my 57 Ford bolt pattern. And the other end of the unit will be setup for my Corvette M/C. So the unit should bolt right in. He also customized the line kit so I could add a second return port in the PS reservoir rather than using a tee. He clued me into how I should check the orifice in the high pressure circuit as some PS units have very high GPM flow rates which will affect the assist unit operation. All in all, a very good sales experience. Jim took the time to discuss my specific application and customized the package accordingly. We'll see how it all goes in a few weeks.

[Low Elco]

x2.

[Vic1947]

Thanks, guys! It was great to see you and Jan again too, Dan. Now we just need to get down your way and see both your projects.

We went to the cruise-in at Heritage Center in Independence Saturday night. It was lightly attended due to the threat of rain, but the weather was great while we were there. Yesterday, I pressed my bud from TX into service and we pulled the rack and pinion, the starter and the exhaust collectors and X-pipe tubing. The power steering leak was coming from the seal around the shaft that connects to the steering joint. All along I figured it was the fittings, but the main gusher was out that seal. The return line fitting was showing signs of being over tightened, so I ordered some new braided line and fittings and will start over. The mini starter is going to fit fine in the opening. Sits far enough away from the header I can add a heat shield. Just waiting on parts right now.

The Redline water wetter seemed to help some, but there's no escaping the fact I need a fan shroud. Also, when we got to the cruise-in and opened the hood, it was like a blast furnace. I'm thinking I'll open up the scoop and louver the filler panels to lower the temps under the hood. Can't hurt. Finally stood on the loud pedal feeding onto the highway coming home and she really scoots. Just need a videographer now.

Oh, and check out the mini Chevy at the show. LMAO!

[BlueJeep]

Sorry to hear you didn't make it to the tour, I won't tell you how little it actually rained then except in Baton Rouge. I have been following this build and did try to make it over to the VIP section every couple days looking for the car, but alas....

Definitely worth doing again!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by BlueJeep

Sorry to hear you didn't make it to the tour, I won't tell you how little it actually rained then except in Baton Rouge. I have been following this build and did try to make it over to the VIP section every couple days looking for the car, but alas....

Definitely worth doing again!

Beautiful Chevelle, Chris. We'll make another run at it next year. According to the weather channel, there's a tropical depression in the Gulf right now that's supposed to become a named storm before it makes land fall tomorrow near Matagorda Bay. Had we gone on the tour, we'd be leaving out of Houston tomorrow right in the middle of the dirty side of the storm. Supposed to drop up to 8" of rain from Houston up to Dallas and points north. Pretty tough slog unless we waited it out in Houston (which is still waterlogged from the last go round). Sometimes things happen for the best. At least that's what I keep saying to myself over and over.

[sduckworth13]

I bet that was wild ride putting your foot down on it. Your car looks great Vic!

[Xeen]

Vic I don't know if you remember or not but back in 1982 the Indy 500 Pace car Z28 Camaro had a fiberglass hood with working ram air induction and the air diverter opened when you mashed the throttle, I wonder if you could fab up something like that for yours.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

I bet that was wild ride putting your foot down on it. Your car looks great Vic!

Thanks, Scott, your truck just keeps looking better and better too. And the car did feel good... pulled nice and clean with good firm shifts. I need to jet it a couple of steps leaner than what's currently in it. Exhaust is a bit too black. It's on my to-do list now that our company from TX left this morning.

Originally Posted by Xeen

Vic I don't know if you remember or not but back in 1982 the Indy 500 Pace car Z28 Camaro had a fiberglass hood with working ram air induction and the air diverter opened when you mashed the throttle, I wonder if you could fab up something like that for yours.

What I really need is airflow thru the engine compartment at low to mid speeds, Brian. The good ram air setups capture the cooler outside air and channel it into a sealed compartment feeding the air intake. They don't work effectively to allow the cool outside air to lower under hood temps.

[Xeen]

Any updates?