Before I decided on building my AV8, I was looking for a shoebox. I would check that thing carefully for evidence of much bondo abuse and probably scoop it up. Andy
im gonna go check it out thursday. thanks for all the advice. i will report back with you guys and let you know how it goes
I wouldnt be in too big a hurry to ditch the 200. I run one daily in my 52 and it gets great mileage and more performance than the stock flathead. Looks like a decent car. If i were looking for a car i would buy it in a heartbeat. I bought my 56 vicky for that much and knew it had bad bodywork and a trashed interior!!
well i brought her home with me. its had some body work but i brought my little weak magnet and it stuck good in every spot on the car, i was very suprised. looks like it may have had rockers replaced but the car seems to be good metal . its definitely got a set of "maypops" on it with a lot of dry rot and they were pretty damn shaky. i looked at the car and test drove it before i told the guy it probably is a bad idea to try to drive it home but i would try if he knocked off 300 that way i could afford the tow if it didnt make it. I got 3 minutes down the road and ran out of gas. i called the guy i bought it from to ask to barrow the 5 gallon can i seen sitting in his garage and he brought it down to me with about 2 gallons. after dumping the 2 gallons in i couldn't' get the car to run but i was assuming it just needed to get primed. The guy from the house i was broke down in front of brought out some more gas and was slowly pouring into the carb until the gas was flowing. i was very happy to not have to pay the $330 dollar towing quote i just got on the phone. it was a long slow "2 hour" drive home with shaky tires, bad braking, weak 2nd to 3rd shifts, and no heat in 20degree weather but i was having fun and made it home alive!
How's that go again, it's not the trip but the journey or somethin like that? Good for you and I'll bet that drive did er some good to. And now you already have a better idea of what it needs so you can get started right away. Nothin better than driving you car home rather than towing it.
If that was me I'd have to go see a cosmetic surgeon to have the shit eatin grin surgically removed from my face. That's what it's all about, fun.
i was planning on it but on the drive home i realized it made my 4cyl ranger feel like a hot rod lol. seemed to run good though i dont think the slopomatic is doing it any justice either. i think a 5spd might make it a little more exciting. i normally wont even buy automatics because they are boring to drive and i dont trust them.
Congrats!!! I have a manual in mine so that helps a lot (plus i recently rebuilt it with a perfmance cam and 10.5 compression for even more power) . Keep in mind ford used 3 diferent bellhousings on these motors so be aware of that when you look for a bellhousing!!
I dont know about old car stuff as ive always been a truck guy. What kind of 5 speed is out there that will work. T5 from a mustang maybe?
A T-5 from a Mustang won't work, as the shifter is in the wrong place. Grab one from a 4.3-powered S10 instead.
Just thinking aloud, but why not put a major tune on the six and drive it. Think about your dream powertrain. When you find what you REALLY want to run, get all the bits and pieces required for the switch ahead of time and you can then install the new engine/trans in record time. Best of both worlds. Congrats and good luck.
Really you only need the tailshaft from an S-10 T-5, if you can find a Mustang unit it's easy to swap them out. It would probably be easier to fit the Mustang trans to the six than to adapt the S-10 to it.
well i like the car but its got me a little worried. there is a big number stamped in the cowl under the hood that i assumed was the vin. i got home and it does not match the title but there is a little plate that is screwed onto the firewall more towards the passenger side firewall with title matching vin but it doesnt look very official. i got to caught up in everything else that i didnt chek the vin until today. i hope i didnt mess up and that the number stamped into the cowl isnt supposed to match the title vin.
The cowl code is the trim level, build date, etc. There are several threads on how to decode them... I believe shoebox ford.com had a link on their forum section. The Vin on mine was on the diagonal frame brace passenger side front in the engine compartment. If not already mentioned, Shoebox-central.com will be tons of help too. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I'm very glad that you brought it home - very cool . Look at it this way , the crazy trip home gave you some memories - and you actually made it home ! The VIN plate located near the passenger side hood hinge on the firewall is the number that should match the title . Like was said , the big numbers on the firewall are for decoding (where it was made , trim level , engine , etc.) . The 50's also had the vin stamped into the brace ahead of the front crossmember (49's didn't) . It looks like the car has already had hanging pedals and a dual master cylinder fitted to it - less you have to do , LOL !! Also , if you find a Fox Body T-5 and a tailshaft from an S-10 , you can find a bell housing to fit & you'll be good to go . Just make sure it's a cable-driven speedo setup , as it'll make it much easier to hook up your speedo . I'm gathering pieces for mine also . Good luck with it , and keep us updated .
Congrats! I'm looking at some interesting details on your car. It's a 50 with '49 window cranks and inside door handles. Has '49 "suspenders" on each side of the speedo with '50 chrome trim on the ends of the dash. All in all I'd say you made a really good deal on that car. I couldn't tolerate the 6/automatic though. My last 49 coupe had a really sweet running original flathead 6 and I sold it to a buddy and replaced it with a strong running 355 chevy...
That 200 6 cyl is a great motor - with a 3 sp that is. Nice score - you're in a great club now. Hook up with the Shoeboxford.com group - tons of help and info. Good luck.
well i figured id show the less than perfect parts of the car. floors replaced but look a little odd rockers have a few rivets in the bottom so i dont know if this means they covered to original rockers or just how the attached to bottom inner rockers a patch in each quater panel behing the sides of bumper. some hacking to the engine crossmember some hacking to panel in front of radiator.
i noticed all of these things when buying car except the quarter patches behind the bumper. i liked the car so i got it but hope i still did ok for the price.
$4500 seems high to me for something you can't just go drive. For as common as these still are. But you bought it, so I guess that's that. You're going to find rotted original rockers under those slip-on covers.
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