Projects Another shoebox build thread...The Mystery Machine!

Haven't gotten to it yet, plan to tomorrow or Sunday.

 

Well good luck! I wish I wasnt a continent away so I could come over and give you a hand.

 

Yeah, I wish I had someone around here that had built a shoebox to kinda give a second set of hands. Just have to find a 13/32 wrench to remove the spark plugs, and get some MMO. I'll let it soak overnight and give it a shot tomorrow.

 

Any updates?

 

Nothing yet, it's been soaking in MMO, so maybe I can see if it turns this weekend. Need to clean out the garage as well so I can get around it as well.

 

So ,how are you coming on the car? Is the engine running yet? Inquiring minds want to know

 

Well, I got laid off a couple of weeks ago and so I thought I'd have plenty of time to focus on the car. That hasn't exactly been the case. I should get a chance to work on it this week though, still don't know if the engine will turn or anything.

 

I love 49-51 Ford cars. To get the spark plugs out, tighten and loosen until they move freely. Diesel fuel is a lightweight oil that can fill you cylinders with to lubricate and to loosen rings, pistons and valves. Starting the engine may not be a good idea if its been sitting for many years. It is probably better to tear it down inspect every piece and (maybe) reassemble with new gaskets seals, rings bearings etc. Lap in the valves, hone the cylinders and you will KNOW that everything is good and ready to drive anywhere, Yes theres a small cost but its worth it for the peace of mind knowing each and every part is in usable condition.. Forcing a old engine to run doesnt tell you very much and can cause damage. Old gaskets and seals are going to leak. Fix it right in the beginning
Pull the engine/trans as a unit, its easier. Replace the rear seal on the trans, maybe open the door and inspect the gears. Drain and refill the trans after its re-installed and replace the pinion seal in the rear axle. Generally, I make the engine run, then do the brakes. You may want to disassemble and inspect the steering box and replace steering components while the engine is out. Your wiring is pure crap and may possibly short out, catch fire or damage components. You need new wires. Ask me and I can walk you thru rebuilding the starter and generator for a Very Minimum money.

 

I've got the spark plugs out and it's been soaking in Marvel Mystery Oil. Front left tire is completely dry rotted so not able to rock back and forth to see if it'll turn. At any rate, the critical path right now is bodywork, I'll take some pictures tomorrow of the Swiss cheese floors while I'm working on stripping the interior. @manyolcars thanks for the advice on taking the engine and trans out as a unit, wasn't sure whether to remove them one at a time since they'll go on separate stands.

 

Critch you can always put a battery in it and see if it will spin on the starter.

 

The budget is tight enough right now to preclude doing that, since I'm still laid off. In other news three of the four tires and completely dry rotted so I need to get some rollers at least. I really hope I can make some progress on the car this week.

 

Do you not have a battery in your driver? It will not harm the 6 volt starter in the least to run it on 12 volts briefly.I have a 6v starter in my 55 ford and have been running it on 12 volts for several years now.(But dont tell anyone ) Once again I wish I was closer,I have 4 wheels that will fit that car laying in the wheel pile and they all have good yard tires on them.

 

I don't trust the wiring as it is, let alone putting twice the voltage through it. With any luck I'll be able to get into it this weekend.

 

Well, it's about dang time I made some progress on this thing, so I had my dad come over and see if we could get the radiator out, and get a wrench on the crank nut and see if the six would turn. Well, after much grunting and wrenching and blood (I barked my knuckle on the inner fender, Dad somehow managed to slice his finger open), this happened:



Got a wrench on the crank nut, tried to turn it clockwise, and...nothing. Tried again, still nothing. Given the amount of time it's been since I put the Marvel Mystery Oil in, there are two possibilities: 1. Any usefulness of the MMO has long worn off, and I need to use more (or a stronger mix, like ATF/acetone), or 2. It's well and truly stuck, and not worth more time. I'm going to go with option #1 for now, fluids like that are (fairly) cheap and I don't want to write it off just yet. If it is truly stuck, then that just makes the decision to swap in a 302 that much easier.

Next steps:
1. Soak the engine some more, see if it will free up easily (probably going to pull the head to see if it's a stuck lifter or something, plus it'll give me a chance to use that nice breaker bar my brother got me for Christmas)

2. Vacuum out the car and remove the seats so I can survey the floors

3. Pull the doors off (I bought an air hammer, just need the screw knocker and I'm set) and start on the hinges and the floor repairs.

I'm starting a body repair class at the local vo-tech on Monday evenings, so I should be making some slightly less glacial progress on this thing in the months to come. Onward!

 

I say STOP on the motor. Go at it from a different point. That crank bolt works in a normal turn the motor deal but when dealing with a stuck motor the 5/8" bolt is the wrong place to try to brake it loose from. Jack the car up and remove the dust shield from the bell housing and get a Ring Gear tool. Now you have some leverage and your trying to turn from a point that won't just sheer off in the crank shaft.
You might be surprised how easy it turns from there.
The Wizzard

 

I'll give that a shot, thanks. Besides that, would it be helpful to go ahead and pull the head to see if I can identify the issue? Also, do you think soaking it more would help as well? I think I put the Marvel Mystery Oil in it May of last year, so it may have worn off since then.

 

I don't think I'd pull the head just yet. I think a 50 50 mix of Acitone and ATF down each cyl and again let it set 3 days then some strait MMO and get on the ring gear with the fly wheel tool. If nothing at all happens then, I'd say lift the head and take a look. You know Rings aren't all that can stick a motor. I've seen dist. seize up inside and stop a motor from turning. Also 2 or 3 stuck valves can also do it specially trying to turn things from the front Crank bolt, there just isn't enough leverage from that point when they are stuck.
The Wizzard

 

Yeah, the stuck valve possibility is why I was thinking about pulling the head. I'll give the ATF/acetone a whirl and get me a flywheel tool.

One other question:
When removing the doors, do I need to brace the body if it's still attached to the frame?

 

On a good solid car you'll be just fine removing the Doors without adding any bracing. Also be aware that there often are nuts on the back side of hinge bolts inside the A post. Remove the kick panels, stick a light where you can see the threads and look before trying to loosen any of them. Something I learned is if the exposed threads in the A post are rusty crusty take a 3" cut off disc and remove everything you can see to the thread plate. They will come out much easier after that.
The Wizzard

 

The floors have the usual rust but other than that it's fairly solid. I'll try and put up some more pictures this week.

 

I decided to work on something different today, namely starting to clean out the interior. Here's what I found:

First, my passenger door (the only one accessible at the moment) has some gnarly sag to it, I think my next course of action is to start pulling doors off. Definitely going to need a hinge repair here:


Then I moved on to the inside, which was still quite a mess:


After some quick shop-vac action, I was met with this:


The floors in this definitely have some bad spots, but I've definitely seen worse. At this point, I'm debating back and forth over just patching the holes vs. replacing the entire section. I think that decision can wait until I get the seats out and know exactly what I'm getting into.
One thing's for sure, I'm definitely going to need new rockers, I think they're literally 100% bondo and fiberglass:


That's all for tonight, I'll work on it some more this week and be back next weekend to pull it off page 10 again.

 

Looks like you are making some good progress. I know how frustrating it can be the further you get the more things you find that also need repair. Believe i am still going through the same things on mine at times. Forward progress is all that matters

 

Thanks man, I haven't quite been making as much progress as I'd like but still better than nothing.

 

Good going!Did you get engine un stuck yet?

 

What a ring gear tool look like?

 

Here ya go. Most handle's are about 14" long for good leverage. They grab the Ring gear by the teeth.
The Wizzard

 

Thanks

 

So whats going on Critch? Any more progress?

 

No, not really. Unfortunately life has kinda gotten in the way. Still haven't gotten anything to happen with the motor, though what I really need to do is get the interior cleaned out so I can see how much floor I'm going to need to replace.I took an auto body class that mainly just taught me how much I don't know, but at least I learned a little bit. Hope to be able to work on it soon.

 

Well, here we are over a year since my last update, and I haven't done jack squat to it since. Just been too intimidated with the work that it needs, compared to my skills. I even started considering selling it and buying something else (Corvair, VW Beetle, Galaxie) that might be easier to work on. Then, I found a '51 in MUCH better condition here in the Tulsa area. I was able to sell the '50 to Chris at Shoebox Central, and I go pick up the '51 tomorrow. So the thread will probably change titles (no more Mystery Machine) but I'll actually be able to make progress, so that'll be nice. Better pictures to come later, but here are the ones from the Craigslist ad: