Projects My 52-54 victoria build

Beautiful choise !!!!!!!!!

 

I've been wondering about your ride,glad to see you're back at it with a renewed enthusiasm.

 

love what you've done- not sure about that color-

 

VERY COOL looking good!

 

My 53 was black with an ivory top, had skirts just like yours. I ran the flathead with the hydromatic and had the original black and white interior. Loved that car.

 

Now that IS a nice paint combo....



Unrestored....as delivered to the DW's grandmother in 1953.

 

Yep, mine was just like that. It had lakes pipes and dummy spots. I bought it that way. It was my daily driver in the late 90's, snow, rain and all. I even put up with the old vacuum wipers. I was going to night school then and drove a few hundred miles a week. Thanks for the awesome photo and memories!

 

My '53 Vic was a one owner wonder, too...bought it from an elderly lady in Santa Cruz, (CA) saw it a few times on my way home from work, 1973. Bought it for $275, V8, stick, O.D. Everything worked...Customline Vicky, 42,000 original miles. Sky blue...
Ex wife said, "Oh, Michael! I hate those cars!" I said, "So, what did you want? You LOOK like your VW squareback..."
I was driving it daily over the hill to and from my BMW job in San Jose...40 miles each way, 70 MPH, no sweat.
Wife left, I was relieved.
Moved to San Jose to large house, 3 car garage...customized Vicky in a week. ('55 Desoto grille, frenched head & taillights, '55 Olds lenses, $40 N.O.S. Foxcraft Flare skirts, shaved hood, trunk, doors. '48 Chev pickup starter solenoids w/ cables for doors. Drilled 7/16" holes in stainless trim for buttons, almost invisible!
Spent $200 on a pair of Appleton spots, (grrrr...thought that was 'high'...my bud said I 'stole 'em')
Did the same trick as you did on the headlights, after I flattened the rear springs and blocked 'em, had a "Deuce-of-a-time" adjusting them, but have to admit...kept lowering and lowering, very low was just right. But the driveline was coming thru the floor!
Not to worry, my bud Gary had found a shop. I paid 3 months rent on it, and new girlfriend Carol helped me build a 'loft apartment' over the office. Moved out of my lavish house, and into the shop! Instant 'low overhead'...

Now I went to work on Vickie. Deep tunnel, 3/16" plates C'd the frame 4", and the front (nightmare) was still the '53 suspension...coils, 'A' frames...but king pins and trunnions!
Screw it...no place to go but down, right? I drilled out the rivets from the lower 'A' pans, and spaced them down with 2" square tube 'spacers', the length of the pans. Hard grade 8 bolts/nuts, self-lockers. Springs were from a later Ford, (Granada? Cut 2-1/2 coils off, nice stance. Gave it 5 degrees positive caster, steered like it was on 'rails'.
Tires were Bias ply, 2-1/2" whitewalls, 6.70 X 15. (front and rear)
I found 4 '55 Olds Fiesta hub caps, (Gennies) so they hit the center of the Ford steelies...had to reverse the fronts, (deeper) easy, on the drill press... No more "flyoff" on corners.
Wheels were red on the outside rims, just enough peeking thru...the whitewalls were visible under the skirts to not need rear caps, so I just ran smooth "trim" rings back there. Looked like a whole 'cap', inside the red strip if rim, and whitewall...low stance made it impossible to see the wheel above the trim ring...only the worms knew the truth.

About the changing of rear tires... I found it 'easiest' to disconnect the shock after bumper jacking rear. When tire was off the ground, (obviously) I buzzed the nut/washer/grommet off; then took a tire iron and reversed the shackle; removed the skirt; now, buzzed off the lug nuts, and monkeyed the tire out from between the drum and the fender lip! I called it "the downside"...
My Vickie was looking 'smooth', but the light blue paint was confused by the spots of gray primer. Lots of it, and it just kept 'growing'!
My engine was a 239" stock flathead, with a rebuilder's tag riveted to the block. Cool...but I wanted (needed) more 'Gow'.
I got into some 'nostalgic' trip, and decided to leave it "for now"...Grabbed an old set of Belond 'Equa-Flo' headers (new!) out of my stash, and tore the exhaust pipe, muffler, hangers and headpipe off and threw them in the metal pile...installed headers only, ran over to Brownie's Muffler service and had him do headpipes, 26: Glasspacks, tailpipes, and a pair of chrome oval tips, way out WIDE tucked up under the rear bumper. Like they 'grew there'...
Before he let it down, I had Brownie weld on a pair of 'Lakes plugs', just peeking out of the front fender wells...(also like they 'grew there', LOL)
The dual system actually improved the breathing, if you can believe that...I could tell the difference.
A month later, I went through the 94 carb, and reamed out the main jets (with my special Porsche reamers... Whoa...) Truly an improvement, got rid of that 'lag' when shifting to second.
The guys at the 5 spot drive in were apeshit about my Vickie...I was taking Frankie Constanza and my ex wife's easel and lots of Tee shirts and El Marko markers in the trunk. He was doing 'personal' shirts, caricatures of cars, and their owners. Frankie would assume the moniker "Von Franco" within a year, and I'd let my Vickie go.
I had a roadster (and lots of customers' hot rods) to do, and it was a big change....

 

Bruns Kustom City has been making some really good progress on my car this week trying to get it ready for Mooneyes. Nothing like cutting it close! I’ll probably pick the car up from them at 9pm tonight and drive out to the show at 3am to wait in line to get in.
It’s all good though. It’s coming out great! Love their style and workmanship.
Also Bernie installed my new glass a few weeks ago.





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I like it !!!!!!!

 

Here are a few shots from the Mooneyes Christmas party. Awesome show. Last time it will be at the Irwindale Speedway. Parking was tough so I had to squeeze in behind the Rumblers cc seating area. They were cool enough to move some chairs for me and guide me in.



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Damn it looks good


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White Walls definitely too wide. See how much better the smaller white Walls look on page 52 of this thread.

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Less is more in the whitewall department,at least for this application.

 

Thanks for the input. But page 52? Were only on 21.

 

I like the white walls....

 

Thanks. So do I. They did actually look bigger than I expected when i first put them on, but they grew on me quick.

 

My settings have us up to page # 62.

 

That makes sense. I didn’t realize your settings made a difference. Either way, I’m not sure what picture he was talking about.


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This one, I believe.

 

Thank you. I think it made a huge difference. happy with the direction it is going but still needs some work.

 

How do you replace your headlight and beauty ring?

 

I cut the original felt out of mine, polished the stainless bead and bought new felt at the fabric store and glued that in.

 

Make sure you contact JEFFB2. He has a list of everything you need to convert this over to a carb. I just did it and have the engine running on a stand. I don't know what year this 302 is but if it's newer than 93 you might have issues with the transmission. Jeff will know. His conversion list has been spot on.

 

You didn't ask, but I like the taller whitewalls! Puts it in a slightly earlier period. Beautiful car, great job!

 

From inside the fender. Have to turn the wheels all the way in and I can just barely squeeze my hands up there.


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Thanks, but I’m way past that point now. Haha. That was an old post you commented on.


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Thank you. I agree.


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