Well I've had the car for almost a week now. Haven't done much except to wash it, tuck it in the garage, and attempt to get her restarted (oh, and give her the name Alice). Have a pretty good idea of what I want her to look like when she's done... but I am always open to new ideas and suggestions! On the trailer, coming home! I was unsuccessful in getting it restarted after getting it into the garage. Puzzled, I decided to replace the rusty plugs that have been in there for who knows how long.... Nope, still doesn't start... recharge the battery? Remains to be seen... however I did notice the fuel in the sediment bowl... kinda looked like urine... great, the old man didn't use enough Sta-bil.... So now the tank has been drained, the nasty fuel filter has been removed, the sediment bowl drained and ready to be cleaned. One thing I did notice was that there was hardly any fuel in the filter housing. Possible plug in the line between the tank and filter? Will post an update as soon as I know... hopefully I can stay on top of this thing as I attempt to restore this beast and make her nice and pretty... but being a college student, I realize that it will be baby steps with getting her finished
Well I found a place to ditch the bad gas, replaced the fuel filter, cleaned and replaced the sediment bowl, recharged and reconnected the battery, fresh gas in the tank... and she still doesn't start... it seems like the gas is not getting from the tank to the carburetor. I checked all the lines between the tank and the fuel pump and they are clear. I even refilled the sediment bowl to try and prime the pump, and it still isn't working. Weird, since less than a week ago it was running, albeit not that well, but it did run! Looks like it's time to take a closer look at the fuel pump (which is new, as said by the previous owner)...
Love them Tudor's. They can haul the whole family, and still have a trunkfull of stuff. I spy '46 gauges in yours My build thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=421572
I saw put some black-walls, a new hood, and polish the paint....plus getting it running all mechanical-like, and then drive it like you stole. This era (46-48) is the only car in which I'd rather have a sedan than a coupe And I'd have a 4-door sedan on top of that!! Can't wait to see what you do, do to it
I do have a hood for it, I just haven't put it on since I have some work left to do underneath it... The paint on the hood is the worst part of the whole car, I think something may have been spilled on it at some point to strip the clear-coat and/or the paint... but again, no holes!
often a tank left with fuel in tank and not run for a long time will have rust'n'crud sediment in it. pull tank and flush out. pick up tube in tank may blocked.
i did check the lines with compressed air... blew some air in both lines leading to and from the fuel filter. Between the tank and the fuel pump, there are no blockages. I appreciate the ideas though!
no, I said pull and flush the tank - with proper cleaner - just blowing air will not clean inside of tank
agreed, air will not clean the tank, but an unclean tank can still run... there are no blockages, so theoretically fuel should have no problem getting to the carb. Since I removed and cleaned the sediment bowl (and thereby draining the fuel pump), would I need to prime the pump itself with some fresh gas? the last thing I really want to do is to start disassembling this thing, so if it comes down to it, i will pull and drain the tank, but not if there is something else I can do.
nice, very nice... what are your plans for your build? im also a college student, but im just saving up my money to get me one of these 42-48 fords
well what i plan to do (over a few years mind you) is to go with a matte black paint scheme with a little something special , probably paint the wheels red, white-walls, ... i'm going to leave the engine the way it is for now and upgrade after everything else is complete. interior wise, i haven't quite decided, but i'm juggling a couple of ideas... the overall plan looks like this: 1) getting it running reliably 2) interior 3) exterior 4) engine upgrades
so i spent some more time with her today. pushed it out of the garage into the sunlight on this beautiful day. i added some more gas to the sediment bowl via a funnel thru the fuel line, and lo and behold the fuel pump started working just fine! but on the other hand, she still doesn't start however while cranking it over and attempting to get it started, i noticed a LOT of gas dripping from the carburetor. I took the carb off to get a closer look, and it seems like the seat and needle are sticking... not to mention the thing could use some new gaskets... carb rebuild time!!! EDIT: and another note, right before removing the carb, I noticed a black, sludge-like liquid oozing from the coil... guess it's time for a new one of those too huh?
well the carburetor has been disassembled, cleaned, new needlem new seat, new pump, new gaskets, and put back together... and here it is: and finally, at long last, SHE LIVES!!!! Running a bit rich, but she lives! (oops, I set the pump to rich and not normal >.< oh well, fixed!) After fixing a few leaks from the carb, i did my 10-minute happy dance. She sounds so much better than when I brought her home... Still plenty of work to do to her, but i have finally made my first step!!! And a celebratory beer shall be had tonight
Well there hasn't been much to report since I started to get her tuned. Turns out the exhaust has more leaks that the Iraqi Navy, and as such I think i exposed myself to a little too much car exhaust I've been battling what seems like a cold for the past week or so, but yesterday I attempted to remove (and eventually replace) those cleaky pipes... and what a chore that's become.... Think i'm going to spend most of thursday taking a sawsall to the thing and figuring out how to disconnect to the engine-to-muffler pipes. I'ts a tight squeeze next to those headers!
Whoa man has it been a while. The holidays get me so messed up and pull me away from spending time (and $$$) on the car... Anywho I have replaced the exhaust (minus the tail pipe, as extra shipping is a bitch! but it will be ordered soon), so there should be no more leaks, and I am currently in the process of finding tires. I've done some reading, and apparently the recommended size is 6.00-16, but at $200 a pop (not including shipping), I'm thinking of steering away from Coker and getting something a little more modern. I still want to go with the white wall, however I'm coming up with very little on a modern size, as my local tire shops no longer carry the old measurements. I could use some input as to what a modern-size conversion for the 6.00-16 would be. Any suggestions?
If you can find some 15 inch rims you will open up a whole world of cheaper tires. Mercury used them from 46-50 and some Ford pickups used the same 5 x 5.5 bolt pattern. Just a thought. Don
Firestone tires would look perfect on that car and period correct. Just save for a bit, you will be glad you did.
Well tire shopping has been a lot more frustrating that I originally thought it would be... I have had several suggestions on switching from bias ply to radials, and after doing some research (upon which my jaw hit the table), radials (at least from Coker) run about $250 per tire! I have calls out to my local tire shops, but I have yet to get a call back from any of them. The other option is staying with bias ply, which are cheaper but do have some draw-backs compared to the radial. I have also looked into the suggestion above (switching to 15" wheels), but in order to do that, I must replace nearly everything that is connected to the axle, and I'm afraid I don't have the money for that at the moment. I am trying to have this thing at least road-ready by September, doesn't have to be pretty but I don't want it breaking down on my in the middle of the road some 20 miles from home. Basically what I'm asking is should I really drop $220+ /tire on radials? Or can I get away with bias ply for the time being???
I have also looked into the suggestion above (switching to 15" wheels), but in order to do that, I must replace nearly everything that is connected to the axle, and I'm afraid I don't have the money for that at the moment. No you don't, just get wheels with the same 5 x 5.5 bolt pattern and you can leave the rest of the brakes, etc as is. They will bolt right on. If you can't find the early Mercs companies like Superior Wheel and Wheel Vintiques sell new rims for about $50 each. Then you can use cheaper, more available 15 inch tires, and it will lower the car a tad too. Don
I would shop around for some early Ford 15" w/ 5 1/2" bolt pattern. They shouldn't be too hard to find. Then go for the bias ply tires. Just my 2 cents.
While I doubt the 15" wheels will lower your car any it would reduce the tire cost and allow you to use radials, which, are great and available for budget prices anywhere unlike 16" in particular and bias-plies in general. It looks like a great car but pleez get rid of those industrial donkey dick radiator hoses and use stock ones or hose ends and chrome sink drain pipes.
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