Projects My 1950 Ford Shoebox Project

Hey Pete - good luck in Yuma. Sorry we did not get to meet up. Maybe when you come back?

 

So you decided against installing the fog light?

 

Dude, good luck on the move and I hope all is well. Where've ya been? We miss you here and on Facebook, lots of guys on FB miss your posts and insight.

 

Yeah, sorry life was just out of control chaos there. Would love to link up in the future. I'll still be coming into Phoenix area maybe once a month or so, and now California too. Thanks man

I haven't decided against it. But i am on the fence I still got it. I hope now i can get more into this 50 and spend more time with her

Hey man, i appreciate that and miss ya too, dude. Facebook just drove me nuts and was a bit of a waste of time when it came to free time for me so i removed it from my life quite awhile ago.
Things over here in Yuma are real easy going. Done my best to simplify my life now and just breathing in oxygen when i get that precious spare time. Imma get some new pics up of her in Yuma asap!

 

Cool brother!

 

Yuma life!
Believe it or not, i drove the '50 ALL the way from Maricopa at the hottest time of day, during one of the hottest months of the year, well over 100 degrees outside. Non-stop 3-hours and she ran PERFECT. I was paranoid, but every gauge held steady in the good zone. That really restored my confidence in long distances with her, especially in the AZ heat.

Ahh, pulling into the new garage (yes, dont bust my balls too hard for owning a foreign vehicle also i love my GS400)



This house is easily half the size, but its all i need. It's in a very quiet "snowbird" area. Nobody even near me even lives here until like October-February. And i love it that way.



There is this sandy/rocky hill or ridge right at the end of my block that i thought would provide a nice backdrop for some pics. And i think they came out great. Here's a few

 

I'm gonna be bagging my shoebox and had some questions......what did you use for the front bags? what kind of cups? Bags? was it a kit for the rear?

 

Damn that car is sexy !!
You were right , that spot is perfect for pics. The new digs look pretty nice too. Cool area.

 

my buddy Kevin (justplaintrick.com) fabricated most of that stuff himself (cups etc.). firestone slam'r bags. the kit was just a plug n play from airbagit

Thanks, Buddy! much abliged

 

Pete, Good to see you updating this. The Shoebox looks great in those latest pics !!

 

Thanks, EBW. Pics are easy to update. It's all the other ideas that don't come so easy

 

Hey all. I hope everyone has been doing well. Just checking in with everyone.
Now that the temperature is nice and cool in AZ i hope to spend more time in the garage and work out some fixes and changes. Here's a couple new pics of my girl.

 

The first picture is amazing !

 

"Ridin' along in my automobile ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬" ... .. . BLAM!
that'll throw a wrench in your day

 

Zoinks! What happened to the hubcap?

 

i found it in someones front yard down the street! luckily the blowout happened close to my house. i was wondering why the car was almost im possible to steer. i was on the freeway and it was just all over the road. i had just checked the tires a couple weeks ago and they seemed fine with plenty tread. unfortunately i only checked the rears. the fronts were ABSOLUTELY bald! must be from the camber of the air ride.
she is up on Jack stands now. and i am thinking what revelations i can come up with now.

 

Wow! Glad you weren't on the highway when it blew!

 

Holly Smokes!! You actually drove the tread off the casing till it blew? What does the other front tire look like?
The Wizzard

 

when i was on the highway it would waver way into the next lane at random. i mean to just correct the smallest wavers was exhausting! i got off the freeway right away and headed back home then it blew.

the other front is bald. rears were fine

 

Holy crap ! Luckily it didn't take out the fender . Gotta look into getting the camber in check.

 

man, it could have gone WAY WORSE. i was blessed it happened when and where it did. the thing with the camber, is when i am lifted all the way up, i have full steering clearance but also probably have some positive camber. but when i lower it a little, she drives much better and easier to handle, but she has negative camber.
In reality, i think its just time to put some more work into the car. Possibly switch to a safer wheel setup such as radials and a wheel that isnt squeezed in so tightly. I LOVE the look of the reverse smoothies on the Coker G78's. But my car doesnt have power brakes or steering etc.. so its never been a "easy drive" as it could be. I dont know. imma have to think about what im going to do over the next few days.

 

I was gonna ask of it's even possible to adjust the camber with the car on air (I don't know about that stuff). They make those radials that look just like bits plies. Maybe that could be an answer .

 

well, the right thing to do on airbags is to get it where you love the ride height and the steering and everything then do your alignment etc..also, i never really liked the radial version of the americans/cokers. nowadays they are better looking. they make crazy stuff like the white wall Built-INTO the wheel. so its like a 20in wheel that has a 15 inch looking center then you put low pro radials on it. but they are expensive as hell. not in my budget for sure
link ---> http://www.deluxewheels.com/the-wheels/

 

Does it use the stock upper arms and attaching points ? If so, there are brackets you can get to make it shimmable to correct the camber issues on lowered shoeboxes. I am going to get a set for my car through Shoebox Central. They're around 50 beans. My car handles pretty well with the "normal" radials on it with no power steering or power brakes. I do have a dual master and disc brakes, so that helps.

Those wheels are pretty cool, but pretty darn spendy. I dig what you've got on your ride now. They look cool.

 

The age old delima. How do we get them Looking Bad Ass, Safe and Good Service? There is always some kind of trade off.
The Wizzard

 

yeah i believe those are stock on mine. now that your car is finally running great. mine is going to be out of commission. haha

haha that is TRUE FACTS!
story of my life. i cant help but to customize everything i own. if you lift or lower a vehicle or even just get into customizing, you are surely about to be sacrificing a lot and have plenty of other issues to deal with.

 

Don't feel bad. I started doing custom chassis work in 1968. I spent my entire working career and all my Hobby time trying to figure it out. Kind of Close is the best I did, and I'm still after it.
The Wizzard

 

Wow. man ya know, comments like this are important to me. so many people think i can do amazing things in the garage. seems the hard things go easy for me and the simplest stuff always goes wrong. i wish all of us in the HAMB lived in the same neighborhood.

 

Ya,, wouldn't that be Kool? So my compromise is to have more than one car. I got into the Hyd. systems before we had Air ride. That was a struggle at best, and all those Batteries in the trunk were a gas. In fact that was why I gave them up. One of my Alt's went on tilt and over charged everything and filled the trunk with Batt. fumes (gas). A spark from Asphalt contact (witch was constant) went off like an I.E.D. Destroyed the car,, I'm lucky to be here and my hearing has never been the same. That was enough of that Shit.
I didn't have much better luck with Air. I'm back to Springs and Frame mods to just set the car in one spot and live with it.
Here is my Daily Driver. Long ways from stock but drives like a Slot Car. A common question is "when ya gonna lower it". I just smile. Now, my 50 Merc sits just about like your Ford does on springs but it's still a work in progress. I'll just get used to hearing that Sound and not worry about the Bang factor. I've also put Skid Plates on all the contact points.
The Wizzard

 

Here's a link to the camber brackets for ya. Hope it'll work for your air setup. If you're running stock stuff up top, it should.

http://shoebox-central.com/49-53-ford-camber-adjustment-kit