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63 Squire wagon roof swap...

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Squatch, Apr 23, 2012.

  1. Squatch
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 125

    Squatch
    Member

    Though I'd post a couple pics from my wagon roof swap.

    I bought the old girl a few years ago. Had no rust underneath, but had serious issues with the roof and some with the doors... Was from Huntington Beach originally... Salt water issue is my guess. The drip rail was wasted.

    I found a wagon in NY that was wasted from the bottom up, but had a beautiful roof and doors, tailgate. Bought it for a small sum and robbed all the parts of it.

    Forward to Hammer Hank helping me out... that guy is wayyyyy talented. Not so much to show on my roof, but the rods he builds...

    Did it in a day...

    Now, before I put the glass back in, I am putting in my slide-away dash and column...

    Now I can put the carper in it and not worry about the lake on my floorboards...
     
  2. damagedduck
    Joined: Jun 16, 2011
    Posts: 2,341

    damagedduck
    Member
    from Greeley Co

    something is missing--i just can't see it.
     
  3. Squatch
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 125

    Squatch
    Member

    hmm.. it was there when previewed..
     

    Attached Files:

  4. Looks good man!
     

  5. damagedduck
    Joined: Jun 16, 2011
    Posts: 2,341

    damagedduck
    Member
    from Greeley Co

    NICE! i have a sickness when it come to wagons,i love em all,there's a 62 sitting on the way to my grandpa's,i watched it for over 25 yrs just sit there,:mad:
    hope your gonna leave the side trim.
     

  6. If you linked from an album and it is a private album then no one will see the pics but you and the mods.

    Never the less it looks good. What is a slide away dash?
     
  7. Squatch
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 125

    Squatch
    Member

    A rare option for Galaxies I ended up getting my hands on. You put the gear selector in park and it releases a mechanism to allow the steering wheel to slide towards the center of the car... Common in thunderbirds... not so much in Galaxies, let alone wagons...
     

  8. That is the deal where the steering wheel gets itself out of the way? I never knew they were called a slide away and I always thought that those and telescoping wheels were the real deal for a custom. A slide away in a wagon, how cool is that!!! :cool:

    By the way I like the astros, those are the wheels you are going to run, right? Those are astros or are my eyes fooling me, they look good in the pics.
     
  9. Squatch
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 125

    Squatch
    Member

    Here is the only picture I could find on the web...
     

    Attached Files:

  10. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,390

    Squablow
    Member

    I've always heard that referred to as "tilt-away". Neat setup, regardless. And good work on the roof swap. Hope you saved all the extra woodie stuff so someone else can squire their regular wagon.
     
  11. Squatch
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 125

    Squatch
    Member

    Oh... I'm keeping the wood grain... That was why I bought it in the first place... I have two extra sets even!
     
  12. bonez
    Joined: Jul 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,487

    bonez
    Member
    from Slow lane

    Love those wagons, they are awesome cruisin machines. Whats the suspension set up?
     
  13. Squatch
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 125

    Squatch
    Member

    I wanted it lower than stock, but there was no way I could get up my road... it dragged the bumper at stock height....

    Then found a guy on here with a ridetech system on his wagon that he wanted to sell...
     
  14. bonez
    Joined: Jul 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,487

    bonez
    Member
    from Slow lane

    RIdetech as in air ride right? kool. it looked so from the avatar but y'kno, these days photochops rule avatar world. ahaha.
     
  15. You do what ya gotta do. Wagons are long and hard to get in and out somethimes. You at least have a good excuse for air aside from laying frame.

    I love the wagon, glad you are keeping the wood, makes it different from the rest.
     
  16. basicbob
    Joined: Nov 2, 2003
    Posts: 866

    basicbob
    Member

    Super job!! I'm also impressed with Henrys work, besides being a great guy he is super talented. His shop is called Steadfast MFG, in Mansfield Ohio.

    Henry chopped my 32 truck cab 2", shortened the bed 12", fixed beads on all 4 fenders & finished by repairing a butchered dash.

    Bob
     
  17. Cabover
    Joined: Jun 19, 2006
    Posts: 372

    Cabover
    Member

    Nice job!!!! Jocko (Highlander) and I had to do the same transplant on my 64 Galaxie wagon. Calif car, from the windows down PERFECT, not so much on top. Got a roof from Tr-City Auto in Holdrege, Nebraska, and did it in a weekend. Worth doing to save the car.
     
  18. Glad you saved it. Looks great. I've passed on some Falcon wagons because of the roof rust. It seems common. There was a Mercury Wagon in the junkyard here and the roof skin blew off in the wind!

    There has been lots of pictures of cars posted with the roof removed on this forum, but not too often are they welded back on at stock height!
     
  19. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
    Posts: 11,948

    tommyd
    Member
    from South Indy

    A friend of mine swapped out the roof on my avatar for me after it got damaged. He drilled all the factory spot welds and cut and ground the rear pillars. Thought I was gonna throw up watching that happen to my car. I stayed away untill he was done with that part!:D Love the Galaxy wagons, my bud is building a 64 white with blue interior and the slide away wheel. 427, 2x4's, bubble hood and T Bolt air box. You wagon guys a serious!
     
  20. After 2 years of begging I finally got permission to strip out a 63 Fairlane Squire wagon. As long as they don't change their mind......
     
  21. What, no chop while you were at it? ......................... just kidding, :D looks great.
     
  22. bonez
    Joined: Jul 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,487

    bonez
    Member
    from Slow lane

    Hey, whats wrong with laying frame :cool:
     
  23. von zipper
    Joined: Nov 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,015

    von zipper
    Member

    It's called a Swing-a-way, I have one in my Galaxie! Very rare indeed!
     
  24. Squatch
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 125

    Squatch
    Member

    Post a picture!
     
  25. bonez
    Joined: Jul 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,487

    bonez
    Member
    from Slow lane

    that swing away is a real nice feat btw. gotta love the 60s.
     
  26. nutajunka
    Joined: Jan 24, 2007
    Posts: 1,464

    nutajunka

    I think alot of us could use a swing-a-way as we get older. They are still pretty common in older t-birds if you can find one junked, and could be adapted.
     
  27. pwschuh
    Joined: Oct 27, 2008
    Posts: 2,827

    pwschuh
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Love your commitment to preserving this wagon. Fantastic car!
     
  28. von zipper
    Joined: Nov 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,015

    von zipper
    Member

    Later today I will!
     
  29. von zipper
    Joined: Nov 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,015

    von zipper
    Member

    I hope you have the different dash that it requires! There is a panel by the column that slides with the wheel!
     
  30. von zipper
    Joined: Nov 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,015

    von zipper
    Member

    The Swing-Away Steering Wheel was a new option introduced on the 1961 Ford Thunderbird. It was the perfect time to do it, as the T-bird had all new styling for 1961, as well as a new Thunderbird 390 Special V-8 engine, and lots of formerly optional items such as back-up lights, power steering, and power brakes were made standard, so the options list needed something new to offer Thunderbird's trendy customers.

    Priced at $25.10, the Swing-Away used a special steering column that was movable to the right about 10.5 inches to allow for easier entry and exit for the driver, especially with a purse, briefcase, or packages in tow. On this design, the steering column itself moved, and a special metal plate on the instrument panel to the right of the steering column filled the gap when the steering wheel was in the normal drive position, and a color-keyed vinyl panel filled the gap on the left side of the column when it had been moved aside.

    The car could be started with the steering wheel in either position, but for safety's sake, the transmission could not be shifted out of park until the column had been moved back to normal driving position. And for the same reason, the steering wheel was securely locked in place for driving except for when the transmission shifter was in park. About 77 percent of all '61 T-birds were equipped with this option, making it popular enough to become a standard item for the 1962 Thunderbirds.

    During September, 1961 production of the 1962 Thunderbirds, the Swing-Away Steering Wheel officially became a standard feature. Prior to that, invoices and window stickers still listed "STEERING COLUMN MOVABLE" as an option. The Swing-Away was offered as an option on the 1963-1966 full-sized Ford Galaxie, Galaxie 500, Galaxie 500 XL, and LTD (1965-66) models as well. In 1963, it was priced at $50.00. Despite its popularity on the Thunderbird, this did not carry over to the other Fords, and cars with this option are somewhat rare.

    The Thunderbird was completely restyled for 1964, and the Swing-Away mechanism at the instrument panel now had matching hinged trim panels to conceal the opening in the panel, regardless of the position of the steering column. Hardtop and Convertible models had brushed aluminum, and the Landau had simulated woodgrain. This continued through 1966 production, after which the Swing-Away went out of production. The hinged panels were updated yearly to reflect changes in the instrument panel trim, with a textured black design for 1965-66 Hardtop and Convertible models (as well as the '66 Town Hardtop), and updates to the woodgrain patterns in 1965 and 1966.

    As a small kid, I can remember my parents talking about the time a neighbor spotted another neighbor's brand new 1961 Thunderbird Hardtop parked in our driveway. The neighbor with the new T-bird had been running errands, and stopped at our house to pick-up my Mother to go to a Garden Club meeting. As my Mom and our neighbor with the T-bird were getting in the T-bird to go to the meeting, the other neighbor walked over and asked what the heck she'd done to her new car that would cause the steering wheel to be off center! When the steering wheel was demonstrated, the woman couldn't believe her eyes!

    Some time later, shortly after the 1962 Thunderbirds were introduced, that woman had a brand new Raven Black Landau in her driveway, with a black vinyl roof and Red Leather interior, just like the T-bird in the ads for '62. And it had a Swing-Away Steering Wheel, of course.
     

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