One step back today, discovered that the brake line going from the master cylinder to the junction block on the frame rail was leaking a bit from the fitting in the MC. No big deal to make a new line with new fittings but annoying.
Excellent information JeffB2 as it makes the vehicle safer and more enjoyable to drive without added maintenance. Anytime we can improve the safety on these old cars is a win win, goes the same for double reservoir master cylinders.
Installed the gas tank and a new fuel sender, and replaced the leaky brake line I mentioned earlier. As soon as I get the new hose that goes between the fuel pump and hard line under the car I will be ready to pour some gas in the tank and see if the fuel pump still works, very exciting. And just a random pic because I really like these cars from this angle.
My dad had a '53 Customline 2 dr sedan, with the V-8 & a 3 speed...was by far his favorite car, and he's owned a few Mercedes, so that really says something for the Ford...after he passed away & I was cleaning out his desk, I found the keys to it....
With self adjusters you get better braking as they stay adjusted,why isn't brake safety "pertinent" ?
We were discussing what came on the car as original equipment. Safety (while important), does not factor into the current discussion.
Slight highjack here and some info. By the way beautiful car you have there. 1) can the self adjuster be used on 57 Ford brakes as well? 2) the Richmond ford plant is still in existence but it has been converted to other uses. Conference center and numerous small businesses. Mike
Waiting on some parts to finish up the fuel system to hopefully get it to run without having to squirt gas straight in to the carb and also waiting on some fresh oil for the trans. And while looking through the glove box the other day I found this, dated 5/7/1958. Car was owned by a woman named Alice so I guess that will be a suitable name for the car.
Excellent choice. Give it the full name of "Alice Sebastopol". Kind of a tribute to who and where it came from. It will give you a good introduction during discussions when people ask you about the car. You can respond. "Thank you for asking. Now allow me to introduce you to Alice Sebastopol. The original owners first name was Alice and she lived in Sebastopol Cal. That is how I came up with her name and she has the original engine transmission, etc. etc."
Great idea. Wonder who she was, and if she in fact was the first owner or maybe the second owner. I did a Google search on the adress, pretty cool seeing the street view of the house and thinking that my car was probably parked outside of it 63 years ago.
I guess my fuel pump is dead, the engine runs smooth as long as you keep feeding it with fuel straight down into the carb but no fuel is coming from the tank. A bit bummed but no big surprise since the car has been sitting for so long.
Remove the fuel line from the Carb and put it in a jar where you can watch to see if the pump is pumping while someone turns it over with the key. Try blowing back through the fuel line from the fuel pump to the tank and listen for bubbles in the tank. A slight blockage between the tank and pump could require replacing any rubber hose or you may discover a rust hole or breakage in the line.
When I had the tank out for cleaning I did blow through the line from the pump to the tank and it seems like it's free of any blockage. And the previous owner installed an inline filter between the carb and pump but I can't see any fuel in it (and it's mounted the right way), or in the glass bowl on the pump. But considering how the old rubber line between the pump and hard fuel line to the tank looked after been sitting for 30 years I'm not surprised if the pump is all clogged up too on the inside.
Some pumps were able to be dis-assembled to replace the diaphragm or make repairs. If yours is bolted together and not riveted or crimped try taking it apart and see if you can clean any debris out. If you do not need it for a core then experiment and learn exactly what it does and how it works.
Today I borrowed the fuel pump from a '49 Merc that my boss owns. That one I know is working, or atleast it was working a couple of years ago when the engine ran last. Wouldn't mind it if my engine had some old chrome and dual carbs. Installed the pump on my engine and got the same result as before, no fuel is coming from the tank. I can't believe I got two faulty pumps so the line has probably clogged up again, going to blow through it again tomorrow and see what happens. My car is scheduled for inspection on May 31 to get her Swedish title and plates. And I still need to get it running, change the trans fluid (hoping the trans works) and rebuild the water pumps, oh well, plenty of time left I guess.
Did you replace any rubber lines? That would be the first place to check due to the U.S. alcohol gas. It will decompose older rubber fuel lines and you could have a piece of it stuck somewhere in your steel line. Try just blowing the steel line to see if it is free.
Yes, I replaced the rubber hose between the pump and steel line because it was really bad. And the last 6 inches of steel line before the tank was clogged so I replaced that with a piece of new rubber line as well, also blew through the steel line before I hooked everything up and it was free at that time. I'm thinking that there must have been some debris left somewhere (tank or line) that now has gotten free and blocked the line again.
If the car sat for an extended time before you got it and it had ethanol in it that stuff leaves nasty deposits. That could be in the tank if you didn't give it a good cleaning. https://www.google.com/search?q=eth...UdCTQIHRvcD9YQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1343&bih=648
I did clean the tank when I had it out. Today I disconnected the line from the pump and the tank, no blockage there when I blew through it. Also blew in to the tank from the fuel line connection/fitting and I can clearly hear it bubbling inside. So I reconnected the fuel line to the tank and hooked up a manual hand pump to the line in the engine bay and it pulls fuel from the tank. At this point I decided to run a temporarily line from the pump to a can filled with gas and the pump is just not pumping any fuel. Going to order a new pump and a new pushrod for it, hoping that will solve my problem.
Does the old pushrod show signs of wear ? See post # 7 https://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17098
I'd crank the engine with the fuel pump removed, measuring the 'height' of pushrod on the bottom stroke and the top as well. Now measure the stroke of the pump lever, measuring the 'height' of 'up' then 'down' stroke, measured from the bottom plane of the pump. Compare to push rod specs...
I found the issue, my cam has gone bad and the pushrod isn't moving at all. And yes, I did check so the rod isn't seized. So, I'm glad I found the problem but a bit bummed that the cam is bad. Ordered an electric 6V pump today that I'll install next weekend.
As an added reminder, pumps like to push better than they pull. Back near the tank tucked in front of it between the rear axle and the tank with a filter before the pump. Run it off of a toggle switch so you don't overload your ignition switch.
The plan is to put it where you describe. Since my cam is not able to move the push rod I will need to have the electric fuel pump going all the time so I will wire it with a relay to not overload the ignition switch.
The relay will work well. I was just not sure how competent of an electrician you are and was keeping it simple. The way you describe will insure that you never forget to turn on the switch and run out of gas. Don't ask how I know this.
While I'm waiting for the electric fuel pump I decided to change the trans fluid, messy and boring to do without a lift but I got it done. Filled it with 4 qtz of fluid for now and will recheck that once I get the car running. After that I pulled the passenger side water pump so I can rebuild it. I was struggling with getting it off, then I did a Google search and found out there is a bolt hiding inside the connection for the radiator hose. Luckily the bolt came out easy and after that the pump was out too. If you wonder why I'm rebuilding them instead of just buying new ones it's because new ones were very expensive here in Sweden, about $250 per pump.
I hate to be the bearer of possible bad tidings, but if the fuel pump lobe is flat, there may be problems with the others. I hope not, but if it doesn't run exactly right and is short on power, I know what I'd be checking. I'm sure you are aware that the water pump pulleys are kind of fragile and should be well supported when you remove them. I hope you have access to a press, because you normally can't just beat 'em off.
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