History Going to get just a little weird on ya because my 34 has made me this way.

If you know the history of my '34, maybe you will understand my thoughts about... my .........history with this car. For those who do not know the history, it is on line. Now I'd post the link but I fear being accused of self promoting the car and maybe even myself. So.........PM me if you want to know the history and why I, (being of sound mind and very weak body), have come to understand that this little Ford is JINXED and is fighting any effort I do to/with it.
(Mentioned times and dates may be off due to piss poor memories brought on by age.)

November of 1995, bought a steel 1934, 3 window in reasonable condition, no rust at all.
January of 1996 after taring it down, deciding to make it a high boy, learned it was a famous and deeply admired '34 from the mid 50's.
This is the point at which I have come to believe I JINXED it and myself and the the car.
Why this belief:
Worked (5) years getting the frame done, finding a 331 HEMI and Torqueflite, mounting the the body back on the frame, painting, installing the HEMI. The last five (5) of the 22 I was helped by a very generous neighbor, (Jim), with wiring, and getting it finally on the road in the mid summer of 2017. An absolute automotive genus this guy jim.
It had a few bugs at first but nothing major until mid summer of 2019 when the Torqueflite said, "nope I ain't going another inch".
Okay, tare out the engine/Torqueflite (TF). TF in the best shop around (supposedly)
$2100.00 to get it out of hawk, reinstall.
It did good, did a couple of shows with it, (found that life to be pretty booring) but drove it until......................once again the Torqueflite said, "nope I ain't going another inch" in August of 2020. Back to the shop it was "fixed?" in. It was there 22 weeks, repaired very reluctantly on warranty (no charge).
Okay back in the car with the motor and car and running and driving great by mid March this year. Pretty happy about that until......................I see liquid one morning entering the shop under it. Smell gas, strong gas smell.
Okay back up on the jack stands at full height, clean up the gas on the shop floor, check the lines, notice the leak is at the electric fuel pump incoming line. Get the wrenches, fitting is pretty damned loose, wonder how in the hell can that be, it hasn't been touched since getting it on the road back in '17?????? Got it tightened. Start it up, check for leak, none and shut it down. Go to leave the shop and see water under the front with water dripping on the floor. Water coming from the water fill neck, (not stock '34). Throw my hands in air, shut off the lights and go in for dinner. Next morning back out to shop, notice gas has returned to floor. Water needs cleaned up, and now I see Trans fluid on the shop floor. WTF??????????????????
Well the filler neck to the rad. has developed a pin hole, which I patched temporarily with a little JB weld. Went back at the fuel pump leak to find I did a piss poor job with the fitting fix and redid it, and the pan bolts in the trans were little more than finger tight. Tightened them. Started the engine, let it get up to operating temp. Shut it down and in seconds the lower radiator hose puked water.
All this after driving it around for a week after getting the HEMI/Torqueflite back in and running in the shop countless times, with no problems at all!!!!!!!!!!
I tell ya guys if you should read the following headlines all across this civilized nation:
HOT RODDER CRUSHES HEMI POWERED 1934 FORD COUPE !!!!!!!!
Don't be surprised.

 

It's the reason sane people buy new ot cars, and have no desire to own Hot Rods.
We on here aren't sane, we are Hot Rodders..Hot Rodders know their cars of choice are impractical, uncomfortable, loud, and generally a pita at times.

We spend hours, dollars, injure ourselves, lose patience and swear a lot..if it was easy everyone would be a Hot Rodder..not really, there's still that sensible brain thing they possess, that isn't in our DNA.

 

Larry, good to hear everything is normal.
I was a little concerned that I was the only one with these types of hot rod issues.
Feeling much better now....

 

Ain’t hot roddn’ fun? Fix, haul ass, break...repeat!

 

Teslas don't leak. They are also the antithesis of all we hold holy. Every drip is a reminder of how much cooler your car is. Tighten her up, clean the floor and stomp on the loud pedal when you pass an EV. It will make you feel better sir.

 

Anyone who has worked on an old car that says they haven't had similar issues are either lying or have been very lucky.

 

As a fellow 34 owner/operator/builder I gave stuff like that no importance. I also found some leaks and the worse one is still there......my Best Gasket co. new and improved rope rear main seal continues to seep oil. I clean up underneath a few times per the driving months and live with it.
Wait 'till the bolts that hold the ring gear on come out while driving. Mucho dinero. Or replace the right rear wheel bearing O-ring once a year......

 

Yep. I hear ya.
Sometimes you feel like burning the pos down, but somehow get back at it, fix what’s broken, and start down the same trail again. It’s an addiction.
Hang in there. Got anybody close by that can help?

 

Yeah, I am an expert in repeat, repeat, repeat. It never will end. Jimmie

 

Sure glad you guys are around. If it wasn't for the understanding from guys like you, I'd surly consider not having it even though I love the hell out of it.
And.............I appreciate the humor a lot Doublepumper.

Now on my way to the shop to see what else it has in store for me. I'll keep the HAMB nation informed.

 

"If It Has Tits or Wheels there will be some Grief". It seems you're on a roll, sadly IMO there are only few real Good Wrench type guys to help you out when repairs/ fix needed especially in the old car area. Just keep picking away, one problem at a time and you'll get it. I personally do not believe in a " jynx " and most good luck is worked for, earned IMO. Good Luck

 

Yep, great help from Jim I mentioned. Hate to bug him though, he is building a 54 BelAir.

 

She's trying to tell you she want's to be the Northern Star again.

 

Ya know, I honestly thought I was most likely the only one that suffers from
fix, re fix the fix, and fix again. Turns out for my understanding it comes with the addiction.
You don't suppose these great ol' (girls) are tell'n us to just let them die off??

 

I hear ya... I redid the rear main seal on my 34 3 or 4 times until I just decided to live with the leak and guess what: It stopped leaking after the first couple hundred miles. Only because we have spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of work on our cars doesn´t mean they will ever be perfect . As far as I´m concerned the more I work on a car the more I know of all the imprefections and shortcomings. The fact that it´s near impossible to ever reach perfection or the "done" status used to really bug me , but things go wrong from time to time... sometimes in short order and just when you can´t take it anymore. ... it´s not the cars fault.... great 34 btw!

 

Yep, that is my supposition and prompted my original post. And to be honest I have/did think about doing that, but the good Lord is saying time is not on your side Larry, (82 the 19th).

 

It's not a hot rod if it don't leak!

 

Better the car leaks than you do. Look at the bright side.

 

When its leaking something, its just telling you there is still fluid there that can leak out. I'd be pretty concerned about a gas leak, they can get dangerous quickly, and can get expensive fast. As long as the other leaks are not excessive, I live with them.

I've had a few cars I thought were cursed or jinxed, turned out they just wanted a little more attention, kind of like some ladies. Give them that extra attention, and shortly, most do come around.

As far as returning it to what it once was, that would be someone else's project. They would be free to buy the car from me and do what ever tripped their trigger with it. For the right price the car would find its new owner. As long as it belongs to me, it would be the way I wanted it to be. Eventually, the car will adjust, or it might find that new owner a bit faster then planned.

The bottom line is its still a car, a pretty cool car, but still a car. When it no longer does what you want it to do, in the way you want it to be done, it may be time to pass it along, and get something that is more inline with what you want. Gene

 

It’s got a Hemi, just marking its territory.

 

Hey Larry, I know EXACTLY how you feel.
Some of the guys I run with take break-downs/issues/fixes like water off a ducks back...no big deal.
Me, on the other hand, not so much. I get anxious, angry and frustrated when shit goes wrong. I take it personal, like the car hates me...so I hate it back for a while. It's funny, I love hot rodding, I love building cars...but I absolutly HATE dealing with issues and fixing them. It makes no sense.
After all these years you would think I'd (we'd) get over it...but it only seems to get worse.

 

Fixed it for you

these cars don’t leak they mark there territory.



maybe you need this guy

 

Carry on...it keeps the dust on the driveway down

 

I'll trade you. You could be like me. To think I've spent my whole life trying to do this?... trying to be and do like you and a bunch of other guys here?... fighting frustration and disappointment?... for the sole reason of creating something that not many people can? Never really getting very far.
Yet.

I give up.

Wait... I called dibs on the crushed '34!

Seriously...
Keep pushing, @34Larry

 

It's telling you you are not driving it enough.

 

Let me point out that my hot rod "frustrations" only represent about 5% of my hobby participation. The other 95% is a shit-load of fun.

 

hrj33 you got it. But I'm learning another great lesson from the HAMB. "Don't sweat it"

 

Leak at the fuel pump is gone.

 

Keep at Larry, it's all part of the fun. Although at the time it isn't all that fun! The group of car folks I've traveled with always carry coveralls and tools. They're ready to help out at a moments notice. More great stories come from the repairs than the events.

 

Larry
Thank you so much for sharing your frustration with a car most guys here can only dream about. We tend to see only the roses.

That was me before I began to work on my own hotrod. Thank you for helping me to realize that it is only part of the hobby. This car makes me feel like such a failure sometimes.

Keep at it. Love the car!

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using The H.A.M.B. mobile app