'57 Ford Custom 300 Tudor Sedan

[Vic1947]

The body went back on the chassis briefly while I built out the trunk floor and fixed the exhaust hangers. I had mounted the fuel tank under the trunk but to do so and keep it from hanging down and showing below the rear bumper, I had to raise the trunk floor a couple of inches. It'll still haul a lot of luggage.

[ratty 46]

Clean ... right down to the dzus panel for the battery(?)

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by ratty 46

Clean ... right down to the dzus panel for the battery(?)

Yes, I relocated the battery to the rear for better weight distribution. I may need the space it occupied up front for the A/C dryer or some other components. Not sure just yet.

From mid 2006 to early 2007 I intermittently did bodywork. The body shell was back on the rotisserie for the last time as I did extensive repairs to the roof, quarter panels and etc. Filled all the seams and applied Zolatone to the trunk, firewall and underside. It's a spatter paint that is relatively tough. The inside of the tubs got undercoated as well.

[jlsanborn]

Fantastic! Only eight years to go

[NONHOG]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I'll bet nobody chem dips in Washington do they... Wish i had the option to concider..

there is a place in Oregon that will pick up. $3200.00
I spent 1300 back in the eighties when I dipped a Chevelle at Kelso Chemstrip. Couldn't sleep that night I spent soooo much money. LOL

Vic1947, love the build!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Fantastic! Only eight years to go

Yeah, just like flying a plane, John ...hours on end of absolutely nothing happening interspersed with a few moments of terror filled activity.

Originally Posted by NONHOG

there is a place in Oregon that will pick up. $3200.00 I spent 1300 back in the eighties when I dipped a Chevelle at Kelso Chemstrip. Couldn't sleep that night I spent soooo much money. LOL Vic1947, love the build!

Thanks! I generally lose the most sleep when I pay good money and get hosed. But I've never regretted paying a premium price for a great job.

Below are a few shots from March 2007. Body is going on the frame for the last time. With a little help from my friends it made it without boogering anything up. Raised the body up high enough to roll the chassis under it. When the chassis was in the right place we started to lower the body onto it.

[Vic1947]

Hit one minor snag toward the end. The sides of the tubs needed to slip down along the frame. Had never put the body back on after doing the trunk floor and it was a little tight. We were able to tweak it just enough to get it to drop the last little bit. Hope I never need to remove it again. Starting to look like an actual car.

[Low Elco]

HOw did I miss this? I've seen this car in person, and it looks bad azz just sitting there. Can't wait to see it going forward! Yee-haw!

[Elliot949]

Hey Vic... Are you making any headway????

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Elliot949

Hey Vic... Are you making any headway????

Oh, yeah! I've got a lot to post once I get caught up to the present, Dan. But it wouldn't make much sense to leave any more gaps in this build than occurred naturally.

[jlsanborn]

I'm liking this! Your ability to share the build matches your ability to build. Keepem coming Vic!

[Elliot949]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Oh, yeah! I've got a lot to post once I get caught up to the present, Dan. But it wouldn't make much sense to leave any more gaps in this build than occurred naturally.

Got ya... I love looking at the history... I was excited to see how far along you have gotten... T-Minus 5 months... lol

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

I'm liking this! Your ability to share the build matches your ability to build. Keepem coming Vic!

Thanks, John. My main limitation is pictures ...didn't take as many as I should have. At least I finally scanned them in and put them in order - thinking maybe I'd do a website one day. Little did I know that forums would develop the way they have. Makes it a lot easier on us old timers.

Originally Posted by Elliot949

Got ya... I love looking at the history... I was excited to see how far along you have gotten... T-Minus 5 months... lol

[Groan] I'm all about the time crunch now. Lately, I've been going back down to the shop after supper for a couple of hours in addition to my daily routine. Only do the forum during breaks or early / late. However, I'm very nearly caught up.

By mid 2007 we'd acquired a fifth wheel RV and for the next three years very little got done on the Ford. I inventoried all my stainless trim and hand delivered a single piece to two different restorers as a test. The one shop did an excellent job and was very prompt. The other guy took 6 months for one piece of trim and then shipped it via UPS in a FedEx box. It was delivered folded in half. To add insult to injury, the dipsh!t didn't insure it for enough to cover a new one. So I located another restorable piece in Oregon and shipped it and the rest of the stainless to Vintage Vehicles in WI. They did a fabulous job and just to be safe, we drove to WI to pick it up.

I also discussed a custom front end design with my buddy Steve. He and his cousin Charles Smith whipped out an old school approach and sent me a sketch. Later on, Charlie updated it in PhotoShop and sent me several rendering with different headlight suggestions. I began the search for the parts I needed and was able to acquire all of them over the next few years.

[Elliot949]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Thanks, John. My main limitation is pictures ...didn't take as many as I should have. At least I finally scanned them in and put them in order - thinking maybe I'd do a website one day. Little did I know that forums would develop the way they have. Makes it a lot easier on us old timers.


[Groan] I'm all about the time crunch now. Lately, I've been going back down to the shop after supper for a couple of hours in addition to my daily routine. Only do the forum during breaks or early / late. However, I'm very nearly caught up.

By mid 2007 we'd acquired a fifth wheel RV and for the next three years very little got done on the Ford. I inventoried all my stainless trim and hand delivered a single piece to two different restorers as a test. The one shop did an excellent job and was very prompt. The other guy took 6 months for one piece of trim and then shipped it via UPS in a FedEx box. It was delivered folded in half. To add insult to injury, the dipsh!t didn't insure it for enough to cover a new one. So I located another restorable piece in Oregon and shipped it and the rest of the stainless to Vintage Vehicles in WI. They did a fabulous job and just to be safe, we drove to WI to pick it up.

I also discussed a custom front end design with my buddy Steve. He and his cousin Charles Smith whipped out an old school approach and sent me a sketch. Later on, Charlie updated it in PhotoShop and sent me several rendering with different headlight suggestions. I began the search for the parts I needed and was able to acquire all of them over the next few years.

Dude.. I love that old school custom look of the front...

I am looking to do the 63-67 Corvette touch to the front of "Class Act"

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Elliot949

Dude.. I love that old school custom look of the front... I am looking to do the 63-67 Corvette touch to the front of "Class Act"

Across those years, there's a wide range of possibilities, Dan. Interested to see what you come up with.

[69sinker]

I was looking forward to seeing the 67 on the power tour, but I can tell this 57 is going to be awesome. Love looking through your builds, your attention to detail is something else. Hopefully see you in June somewhere along the Tour. Dave

[Vic1947]

We pulled up stakes late 2009, moving from TX to KC. The Ford would sit for another year before it got some love. My dislike of the headers had continued to grow to the point I could no longer abide them. The key factor was the stock steering sector. I revisited the power rack and pinion conversion and found an individual that was selling a kit. I ordered one and when it arrived I pulled the engine and got busy with the swap. Regrettably, I don't have a lot of pictures of the final product, but it served it's purpose which was to free up the space to build a new set of headers.

Years ago, in anticipation of this moment, I asked good buddy Shaun Sublet to CNC some stainless header flanges for the 460. I also purchased the stainless U-bends and collectors to build the new set. I dug thru the dusty cardboard boxes that were slowly disintegrating on my shelves and found the long lost treasure. I'd done a few tubes before, but never a full set. You start with flanges on one end and collectors on the other and thin air in between. I'm not a fanatic about equal length, but I still wanted to keep the primaries as close to equal as was reasonable. I'd watched John Harrison build headers in his shop, so I knew the basics. Never, ever, miter a joint ...always cut perpendicular to the tube. Use teeny, tiny ticky tacks to join the tubes because you're going to make mistakes and have to break them apart. The longest tube should be the straightest and the shortest will have the most switchbacks. Plan ahead, plan ahead, plan ahead.

Welding thin stainless tubing is a bit of an art form, but it's a lot easier if you purge the tubes with argon. I picked up a handy little gadget that fits in one end of the tube and some special aluminum tape to seal off the other end. Punch a tiny hole in the tape, turn on the gas and watch the magic. Doing it like this results in a nice clean weld with no sugaring and uses minimal filler rod.

[Russell Ashley]

Looks like artwork. You got some real skills.

[Vic1947]

You may have noticed the engine has a new look. While it was out and the rack and pinion steering was being installed, I decided to tear it down again (third time) and address some nagging issues. The rods were stock Ford forged units with ARP bolts and had been shotpeened and the side beams ground. I had used a rod bolt stretch indicator to torque them and was uncomfortable with the procedure. So I bought a new set of forged H-beam rods and swapped them in.

Also, the cast iron heads had been ported and the exhaust floors raised for improved flow. In order to convert an oval exhaust port to a D port, I had to insert a stainless "tongue" into each one. To attach them, I had to mill a pocket in the head, then drill and tap holes for countersunk screws. Most of the tapped holes went into the water jacket. I used a high temp adhesive sealant but was concerned it might come back to haunt me. So I anted up and got a set of aluminum heads to replace them. Problem solved, plus they look nicer and weigh a whole lot less. I repainted the valve covers in the colors I planned to use on the rest of the car. Steve arranged for a shop he uses to laser cut some stainless trim pieces to match the trim on the sides of the body. Added them to the covers, which by the way, are an old set of M/T finned aluminum pieces I milled down and re-contoured.

A video of the engine assembly can be seen here at 460 Ford Build.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by 69sinker

I was looking forward to seeing the 67 on the power tour, but I can tell this 57 is going to be awesome. Love looking through your builds, your attention to detail is something else. Hopefully see you in June somewhere along the Tour. Dave

You bet, Dave. It may not be 100% but we're going anyway.

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

Looks like artwork. You got some real skills.

Thanks, Russell.

[hopped up]

I love 57 fords! This one is looking real smooth just like you want. I'm in for this

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by hopped up

I love 57 fords! This one is looking real smooth just like you want. I'm in for this

Thanks, good to have you along!

After finishing up the headers, I tinkered around with the interior and the doors. When I bought the car it came with two instrument clusters. I gutted one and with some help from my machinist mentor, Bruce Wilson, I modified the housing and built an insert to hold a complement of VDO gauges. Like a lot of my parts, it sat in a box for years. Finally though, I settled on the look I wanted and covered it with a carbon fiber print vinyl I found online. Made inserts for the dash to hold the radio and a/c vents but they still need some more engineering. I also started the process of laying down the sound deadener.

Fitted the doors with power windows and shaved the door handles and lock assemblies. Still need to finish installing the pop locks. Revised the floor shifter and steering column, finalized the fuel system and modified the core support for the larger aluminum radiator. Lots of other things have happened as well ...converting the wipers to electric, throttle linkage to cable style and relocating the battery to the trunk.

In May of 2011, I purchased the 68 Stepside. By July, I couldn't hold off any longer and began a year and half frame off build. Needless to say, the Ford project was once again shelved. After finishing the silver truck, I assembled the front clip for the Ford and set it in place for the first time in over twenty years. Then along came CRLS and once again the Ford took a back seat.

Fast forward to Jan 1, 2015 and welcome to the final push. We need to be rolling in five months, so hang on.

[Elliot949]

Vic.. I really like the Gauge setup... the gap issue on the "B" pillar could be a bit of a issue... LOL Man I can't wait to see this thing running...

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Elliot949

Vic.. I really like the Gauge setup... the gap issue on the "B" pillar could be a bit of a issue... LOL Man I can't wait to see this thing running...

Hey, Dan, the door gap looks worse in the photo than it does in person, but it will require a little finesse for sure. The gaps on the other three sides look good, so all the work will be on the back edge.

If you can't wait to see it running, imagine me. 25 years, 5 different homes, 4 times off and on the chassis, 3 sets of tires, 3 engine rebuilds, 2 sets of headers ....and it has never once fired up or turned a tire under its own power. I'm past ready for it to come to life.

[Low Elco]

Gorgeous, as always. Eagerly await the next installment. As always, if you need anything, call.