Technical 1955 customline shared parts

If you still need the speedometer plastic piece with the numbers, I have a couple of decent ones and will send you one. PM me if you still need it. Keep the 3 on the tree. They're fun to drive once you get used to them. One of the reasons you have a left leg is to work the clutch and the floor mounted dimmer switch. Few people under 60 know how to drive a 3 on the tree, which makes it a great theft deterrent.

 

very solid point on the theft deterrent !
yeah i mean im not hell bent on getting rid of it, ill have to see how the engine comes out first.

going to dm you now
thanks
dan

 

can you please tell me how to send a dm? i looked on your profile page but cant find it

 

Vintage Air is the company.

https://www.vintageair.com/

There are many aftermarket A/C companies in the market these days. Ignore all of them and talk to the Vintage Air guys. They’re not the cheapest, and that’s ok.



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Read the official rules.

Unofficial version: set the clock in your head to 1963. If it wasn’t commonly seen on a hot rod or custom in 1963, don’t mention it here. There is some leeway, but if you stick to 1963, you’ll be fine.




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hahaha thank you for the tip

 

they were the first i found, i like the looks of their kits, and yeah its always worth a few hundred more for the quality

 

run your cursor over his avatar and click on "start a conversation"

 

I just found out it’s cos I need more time on here or number of posts, I guess to stop scammers. So ijust gotta wait lol


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Hey so I can’t DM you yet as I’m too new, if you could please send me one I will totally buy one of those speedo covers


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Thank you for the info. Im closing up at work end of a 15 hour day so I’ll be on tomorrow to check what you said and maybe ask a few questions if your ok with that. Glad your local im in 818 la and the car is in San Pedro right now


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Another thing to be aware of is when looking for an AOD, MAKE SURE ITS NOT AN AOD-E. Aod is mechanical, Aod-E is computerized. And your rear end can be changed if you don't like the gearing. But from experience, my 53 customline has a 302 and AOD backed by the stock rear end (was a 3 speed manual car before) and I run it on the freeway with zero issues at 75-80mph. If you think about it and look into it a little bit, the AOD trans is the one used in ford cars and trucks through the early 90s. So they're up to the task of daily driving and freeway speeds. The limiting factor would be the Y block chewing a hole in your wallet for fuel, and you can't fix it in the autozone parking lot with parts they have on hand. For that reason, id look into a 302/AOD swap.

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Welcome to the site, as you mentioned, a wealth of information available from members.
A Y-Block can be built to turn out impressive HP. You are headed in the right
direction with John Mummert in El Cajon, Calif. He built the Y-Block in my avator.
You may consider changing your manual 3- speed transmission to an overdrive unit.
Minimal work required. Shifting without using the clutch below 27 mph is possible.
Installing a manual toggle switch to control the overdrive lock-in makes driving in second
gear overdrive easier with less shift requirements. Decide what you want from the car and
go for it. A '55 Customline two door is a great looking car. Ted Eaton in Lorena, Texas at
www.eatonbalancing.com has a '55 Customline he regularly drives in a Texas high speed
road race.
Ernie

 

Surprisingly Advanced Autoparts had a starter, distributor, points and condenser in stock for my ‘62 y block!


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As has been said check the front cross member real good for any weak spots from rust. No one would want to see you sink money into your new car, drive it down the road, and get hurt from a bad cross member failing due to negligence. Also you said the floors needed patching. Do you have or know how to mig or tig weld? It would be a great way and time to learn and cheap Flux Core Mig welders are not that expensive. Be sure when patching the floors to thoroughly check the rocker panels and their interior structure for rust. It is a common rust area and be prepared to repair it correctly by replacing all of the rusty sheet metal and not just jam body putty in the holes. Doing the later will not add structure and will not last so do it right the first time. Enjoy the car and ask questions as you never stated your experience level. The three speed could be upgraded with an original OD unit for alot less money than an automatic.

 

thats a good take. thanks for the input thats a good idea as well. didnt know that about the aod either so thanks for that as well

 

i would say my exp level would be novice when working on cars. i can do all the basics and do mainly work in the engine bay, but not a lot of exp with us made v8s, besides the few years i drove a 1997 f150, but not much modifications on that to be honest. there is one section of the floor that needs replacing, and i have the patch panels. i have very little exp welding with the stick type, but i agree this would be a good time to learn as these welds will not be in the open. i do plan on replacing any rusted areas, as far as i could see there was very little rust in the rest of the interior, and as theres only the dash, seats, and operational stuff like the wheel and pedals, i plan on taking it all out, sanding everything, putting down some primer, and then another ceramic coating, while also going to a black color. i have a space available to that, and i dont have much exp with car paint but i can work an air brush and based on what i have seen and studied im confident on handling that. i like that i have a “blank” canvas and can chose my own color of carpet and have some door panels stiched up for me in the design of my choice.

thanks for the tip on the od, that could be a good idea, lil 4 speed that could be very fun, the good thing is the engine work and trans choice are on the last of my list as they are working now, and i can fix all the other things i want to do with it first. ill have to chew on this

 

thank you. still learning layout

 

thanks for the tip, that is def a good idea as a few of you have said that. maybe when i get the dm access i can ask you more about your engine and trans set up

 

I would recommend a rust neutralizer and not primer first. Research POR 15 or something similar and see what their directions say. Applying primer directly on untreated rust has been shown to trap moisture and the rust will continue.

 

thank you very much for that. this is the kind of big tips i need to know. so thank you very much. looking it up now

 

does anyone happen to know if there is a difference between the two door and four door window cranks and guides? i found some cranks for the front doors and i ha e a two door but the rear ones i have found were for a 4 door originally. does anyone have any suggestions for the guides if im not able to source? has anyone made their own or used the stuff from that restoration website?

 

I would look into dennis carpenter or sac vintage ford for aftermarket parts. As far as 2 door or 4 door, I dont think there is much of a difference. I would think the difference would be in the window regulators and such for a crown vic, or wagon due to the different window sizes. But even then I cant see ford designing 3 different window mechanisms for 1 year of car instead of making most of the parts universal between body styles.

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There is guides inside the door at the rear I believe, the front guide is attached to the vent window assembly on most of the 50s fords I've worked on. In the rear im not sure but can certainly check on the window assemblies in my 53, as I'm confident they're similar.Sent from my SM-G975U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

thanks,

as far as i can tell, the rear ones should be the same for a two door v four door. i dont even know if there is a difference between the fronts and rears. i have found some cranks on ebay that i think i am going to purchase, and i found some new guides on the dearborn site, so i just need to order windows. the car has a chopped roof but the windows will still fit in the door. does anyone know a good place to get glass cut as i do not want to keep the vents in the front two windows, so i will need a bigger one piece.

 

One piecing the front windows is likely to pose a challenge, unless you can find a kit on Google. The vent window assembly has the front window channel attached to it, as well as the supports inside the door that will need removed.

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Daniel, i have owned 3 Fords with 3 on the tree overdrive and would recomend keeping that trans, if that is what is in the car. The 272 with a mild cam & 4 barrel carb will run well and cruise all day at 70 mph with that Borg Warner o/d. My 6 cyl. with o/d did 70 easily. Welcome & enjoy! mike

 

i found a glass maker that can cut it to my dimensions using a template, so it should be fine, my only worry is if the window is too long for the guide track that holds it, but i cant imagine that its that much longer.

do you think that the cranks from a 53 would fit in the doors of a 55? i found 3 cranks from a 55 and one from a 53.

 

thanks Mike
yeah i have decided to go w a 3 speed OD. my current one is just a three speed right now but i found a transmission i believe and all i gotta do is run that switch to the shifter. i think people said like going into reverse in od will be catastrophic and that first is kinda pointless. so i wanna put the switch on the shift knob rather then under dash so i never forget lol