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Projects New Daily Driver - Squarebird

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by guthriesmith, Oct 9, 2020.

  1. Quick and dirty.
    square bird.png
     
    selohssa, catdad49, Nostrebor and 8 others like this.
  2. Thanks Tony! I’m thinking that might just work!
     
    loudbang and Thor1 like this.
  3. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 24,523

    Roothawg
    Member

    I don't like the black underlayment. You wouldn't be happy. If you use the black, use a darker paint. Maybe a red or maroon. Just my .02c
     
  4. Hmm...yeah, I am going to have to keep thinking. Seems panel paint jobs in general work best with a lighter base color and darker panels. I have plenty of time to ponder it since I have two trucks to paint before I worry about it. ;)
     
  5. Well...I knew I shouldn't have bragged on the trouble free miles. :oops: Last night, I was just commenting to my son that was driving us around that I really needed to get under the car and mount the fuel pump more securely. It is the one thing on the car that bothered me right off but that I haven't done anything about yet because it kept working. o_O The pump was mounted to the bottom of the spare tire well with plumbers tape and two sheetmetal screws and happened to be the lowest point on the car. I mentioned to my son that I was going to regret not fixing it if I ended up in a situation going down the highway and had to straddle a dead animal or something that yanked the pump off. So.....I didn't straddle anything, but one of the screws made its way out on the way into work this morning which also happened to be the one that the ground wire was attached to. :confused: When the car lost power and I coasted to the side of the road about 10 miles south of where I work, the fuel pump was the first thing I decided to check. Besides not taking care of this issue that I knew was there, I also broke the first rule of driving an old car and not having my tools in the trunk. I took them out last weekend when I was working on this car and was driving the 56 and apparently never got them back. I did find a trim screw in the glove box and if I would have just had a phillips srewdriver, I could have been going again. But, I'm an idiot and had no tools. Thankfully, a guy I work with saw me pulled over on the side of the highway and pulled over. I was under the car with my phone light trying to figure out how I was going to put the trim screw in the hole with just my bare hands, or a key as a screwdriver or something when I heard a familiar voice asking if I needed a ride.

    Once the sun comes up, I will take some tools and see if I can get it going. Looks like priority of re-mounting the fuel pump just went up and will need to happen sooner instead of later. Strangely enough, none of this stuff bothers me. It all just becomes part of a good story later and I am still having a blast driving this thing daily. :D
     
  6. Back in business again with just a little more humbling. I know I need that often, and seems I get it...or it could just be stupidity or something. Anyway, all I needed to do was put a screw in the strap and through the ground wire and was back in business. Looks like I will figure out a better mounting location and bracket soon. Thankfully a guy I work with gave me a ride to go get it before someone looking at their cell phone smacked it on the side of the road.

    IMG_1005[1].JPG
     
  7. TrailerTrashToo
    Joined: Jun 20, 2018
    Posts: 1,289

    TrailerTrashToo
    Member

    It is always a little "exciting" shaking down a "new to you" old car. Sometimes you do not see the previous "temporary" repairs. At least the fuel pump problem did not involve leaking gasoline.

    After returning from the 5,000 mile round trip to Lead Ain't Dead, the mechanical fuel pump dumped gasoline on my shop floor. The screws holding the pump halves together had loosened. Long hours at 4,000 RPM on a stroked motor - I need to pay more attention to detail - and did buy another tube of medium thread locker.
     
  8. Yep, Russ, agreed. Driving these old things is always an adventure...sometimes fixing someone else's riggin', sometimes fixing worn out parts, and sometimes just pushing some things beyond what they were ever designed to do. If it were easy and convenient, everyone would be driving old cars. :D
     
  9. My '59 in 1963. Nothing wrong with silver on a T bird. ;)
    [​IMG]
     
  10. Yea, silver is actually one of my favorite colors too. Black is one of my least favorites especially on something I drive every day. Your 59 looked great! I am still debating what to do long term, but short term, I may just spot in the places that peel off for a while until it starts to look bad enough that it bothers me.
     
  11. That's a good plan. Drive it and enjoy it. Drove mine with the stock white paint for a year. By then I was sick of the white, and had saved enough for paint and body work to slick it off a bit. BTW, that grill was a real bitch to build!
     
    bchctybob, drdave, loudbang and 2 others like this.
  12. I know it's not mine, but I love that big black 'bird!
     
  13. 4 pedals
    Joined: Oct 8, 2009
    Posts: 958

    4 pedals
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Just keep putting miles on it. Best thing to do. You'll find the bugs and deal with them.

    Devin
     
  14. No, don't do that! Those old Fords hear that and will retaliate every time!
     
    Nostrebor, 61Cruiser, Thor1 and 2 others like this.
  15. Thanks for all the comments guys. I’m thinking black may be just fine on this car and maybe it just needs some simple scallops or something. Or, maybe all black is good too. I’ll just keep working out bugs and driving it and worry about all that later.

    And @Dean Lowe, I almost mentioned that grill. It looks great, but I can imagine it was a lot of work.
     
  16. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 24,523

    Roothawg
    Member

    Just primer the spots with black epoxy for now and keep driving it. Trust me......
     
  17. Yea...I trust you. :rolleyes:
     
    Thor1 and loudbang like this.
  18. Rolleiflex
    Joined: Oct 25, 2007
    Posts: 1,243

    Rolleiflex
    Member

    I'd say add a little gold striping and you're in business. :D[​IMG]
     
  19. YES! You may be right!
     
    arkiehotrods, loudbang, Thor1 and 3 others like this.
  20. @Rolleiflex, you just made my day! Pretty sure we are onto the look I was going for here. Not sure I had ever seen Billy Gibbons' car until you just posted it.
     
  21. If you ever see Billy's "Mexican Blackbird" Pay attention to the hood. A shit ton of work was put into it.
     
  22. No kidding. I didn’t notice they shaved the scoop until you mentioned it just now. Can’t tell much else from this pic, but you have me curious now.

    42924401-1109-4CE8-94FF-23D6B7456551.jpeg
     
    selohssa, catdad49, Okie Pete and 7 others like this.
  23. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 5,190

    bchctybob
    Member

    Those roadside mishaps make for better bench racin' and these days we have the HAMB so even more people get to be entertained. Glad there was no fuel leak involved.
    I think I'd like the Blackbird better with copper or burnt orange scallops and none on the roof. Gold is a little too much IMHO.
     
  24. So, I had some time today to mount the fuel pump more securely and the next “opportunity” showed itself while I was under there. I had noticed this muffler had some rust showing up when I got the car, but seems it was way worse than it appeared. The previous owner had pretty much just used the car every now and then to drive from his house to his shop which is a couple miles. Seems that was just enough to create condensation in the mufflers that never really dried out good. So, now I know I am not crazy as I thought it had progressively gotten louder over the past few days. :rolleyes: Looks like new mufflers are in the real near future.

    B7186BDC-5809-4CCD-B51F-5E6093943F60.jpeg
     
  25. hotrodrhp
    Joined: Sep 19, 2008
    Posts: 446

    hotrodrhp
    Member
    from Wisconsin

    Love it! Took my wife of 53 years to our senior prom in my brother in laws 58 T-Bird. Black on the exterior and black and white interior. Love at first sight...mean my wife!
     
  26. arkiehotrods
    Joined: Mar 9, 2006
    Posts: 6,803

    arkiehotrods
    Member

  27. Time for some glass packs. Put some Thunder in your Bird!
     
  28. TrailerTrashToo
    Joined: Jun 20, 2018
    Posts: 1,289

    TrailerTrashToo
    Member

    I vote for Smithy's, great sound without being obnoxious...
     
    Thor1, Jrs50, bchrismer and 2 others like this.
  29. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,798

    Marty Strode
    Member

    I had a '58 back in '67, great car ! Had coil springs in the rear, 1 year only. IMG_5844.JPG
     

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