Hey guys im new here i have dumb thumbs and im a lunkhead.. last april 2020 my sons and i purchased ford customline for the sake of deiving and running around town in it. we bought it running, no issues starting, as long as you charged battery, and used the choke correctly. fast forward a month, we start it in our driveway, foot on clutch and brake, 3 on tree in neutral, go to crank it, puppy rockets a couple of feet forward out of driveway.... never really starts again.... timing was good, was meant to be a family/wedding present for wife.... so fast forward to last week me and my wife decide we are just go ham on this thing and get it running before our shitty city demands that we get rid of it... got it in neutral(or so we thought)cant get it to move backwards or forwards, starter clunks once im like shit, what did i do..... eff bombs all over the place.... then my son starts messing around with the ignition switch trying to start it..... poof the black and yellow wire just burns up..... im at a loss for words, pics included so you see whats im working with.... we not trying to hot rod it, but have a car with a bench seat to go to a drive in movie and cruise around in for shits and giggles..... i APPRECIATE all knowledge and help, and proper direction on your boards...... thanks guys!!! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Welcome from Indiana. Not going to get a lot of help posting this in the Introduction section. I’ll ask a mod to move it. Also fill out your profile location so we know where you are from. Maybe someone is close that might lend a hand. Regards, Randy Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
With the lurch while starting, is the clutch disengaging? Or trans column shifter correctly selecting neutral? Welcome to the HAMB from Illinois.
If it's in neutral, and the clutch pedal is pressed, and engaging the starter makes the car move....something is seriously wrong with the clutch and/or shifter. This is what you need to figure out first. The smoke from the wiring, is probably from playing with things without being aware of how they work. Not usually a good idea. Without knowing what he did, it's pretty hard to say what caused the smoke, or what repairs you need to make now. Usually, connecting the black/yellow wire (which comes from the battery) to ground, will result in sparks and things melting. Anyways....welcome to the HAMB, we'll do what we can to help you figure it out. how about some pictures of the engine, shift linkage, clutch linkage, etc?
By the yellowish haze of the headlights, I'm going to assume the car is still on 6V. No matter, my advice is the same for either 6 or 12 V. Step One... Make sure the Primary Leads (main battery cables) are clean at all connections. If the cables are too dirty it will not get a good connection. Without a good electrical connection nothing works right if at all. Make sure the cables are the correct size and all the connections are clean. Start there first. Get a shop manual for that year car '55 Ford.
I would have to say that probably the last time it was driven the starter bendix stuck engaged. Remove the starter and verify. Your throw out bearings probably failed as well
1. You do not suck. This is the way it is when working on old cars. You just need to methodically figure out the problem. 2. Read the replies on this thread and try to tackle them 1 at a time. I would have started with the clutch adjustment but now that the wiring has been affected then you need to fix that first. Don't want to start a fire. Then ensure the clutch is disengaging properly. If that doesn't fix it move on to the starter...etc. 3. I don't know your mechanical abilities nor experience so I suggest ask a knowledgeable friend/mechanic for help. Welcome to the HAMB. You've come to the right place for help.
I've had a few oldies that had the clutch disc stick to the flywheel, and had to be rocked back and forth in gear with the clutch pedal depressed to free up. Don't recall having a starter jammed up locking the engine but, I can see that being a possibility.
A stuck bendix is a very likely scenario with a y block, if the proper shoulder bolts were not used the upper 2 holes to locate or the top one was not installed because it’s a major pita to get at. If it is stuck it will be quickly evident when the starter will not come out. Depending on the amount of room to work, exhaust may need to be removed, or engine and trans may need to be separated. You may ask how I know, I may not admit the whole truth.
To see if the bendix is stuck, put the car in high gear and rock the car back and forth with emphasis on the back motion. If it's stuck that should release it. The smoking wire is something I can't help with without being there. It could be that the shift linkage is out of adjustment, thus locking the tranny in two gears at once? Again, without being there it's really difficult to diagnose. Good luck.
Nice ride! Firstly, join the '52-'59 Ford HAMB social group dedicated specifically to our cars. Also, a lot of good info in the above posts. As far as the wiring, look up underneath your dash to see what the overall wiring looks like. The cloth insulation tends to deteriorate after 66 years leaving bare exposed wiring leading to all kinds of smoking/sparking/shorting issues. Here's the original wiring harness out of my '54. Note all the frayed cloth insulation and corresponding bare wires.
Not exactly what you'd like to hear, but by your own admission you don't have a clue. Why not just find a local shop that can fix it. Probably be cheaper in the long run.
If the car lurched forward with the clutch depressed, your engine is not disengaging from the transmission. Most likely causes... Throw-out bearing issue. Clutch arm is off of pivot. Linkage and/or spring disconnected/broken from pedal or clutch arm
I respect what appears to be you saying a silent prayer over her but I have come to the conclusion through my many breakdowns, tows and tribulations that the Almighty may indeed be Chevy man.
RJP's suggestion of finding a local shop to fix it might not work since the way things work have changed drastically over the last few decades and they may not have a clue. Buy a shop manual to discover how things work on cars this old. On the positive note, cars this old work mostly the same whether they are Ford, GM, or whatever. There are no scan codes for this.
Jesse, With us not knowing what your skill level is, don't take it wrong if someone here treats you like a newbie. You've already gotten a bunch of good information so use it. Always ask questions if you don't know. If you're afraid of looking, umm, for lack of a better word, stupid, don't be. The only stupid question is the one you don't ask. Don't forget, that car is 65 years old and a lot of the members learned on stuff from that era. Good luck with your project.
It's always darkest before the dawn my friend. Patience, persistence. You'll get it! Welcome! And where ya at? If you're close I'll come poke around it with ya some. You gotta buy the beer tho.
I have a '55, same engine and trans as yours, that my parents bought new. After the car sat a few years, I thought the engine was stuck--turns out the starter drive was stuck in the flywheel ring gear. Look for any slop in your shift linkage. Those bushings wear out. Put the shift lever in the neutral position with the car on a level surface. Open your hood and see if the shift linkage levers are aligned with each other or if you have to jiggle them some to get them that way (which will put the trans in neutral). If those bushings are worn out, that's a hardware store fix that will cost you three times as much if you look for the bushings at an auto parts store. It's possible that the clutch disc is stuck to the flywheel, but that is something that normally happens on a car that has sat unmoved for a while, and you've been driving this one. I don't think that's it. I think you have two issues happening simultaneously. One is that wonderful Rube Goldberg Ford starter drive that is famous for hanging up. If that's happening, wiring is going to get hot when you put power to the starter. Any loose or corroded connections will also make wiring get hot. So drop the starter and see if the starter drive moves freely on the shaft when you put power to the starter with a battery and jumper cables. Then look at your shift linkage and replace those bushings. Don't put yourself down for not knowing stuff. Everything I know about these old Fords I learned the hard way working on mine, busting my knuckles, and picking the brains of the old guys who worked on them all the time when they were just daily transportation. I remember one old guy who worked as a mechanic at our local Ford dealership. The man signed his tickets with an X because he couldn't read or write, but he was one of the best that ever raised the hood on a flathead or Y block Ford as far as diagnosing the problem and fixing it right the first time. Also check out the Late V8 forum on Fordbarn.com--post there and you'll find some old guys who have been wrenching on these cars since they were new.
Jesse, welcome the club. don't get discouraged, take one problem at a time and remember that a lot of people have had their hands on that car over the last few decades. Some hands should never touch a car. I just bought a 57 station wagon that I will be almost totally rebuilding just to get her one the road-safely. Mike
Don’t give up! And don’t let your “shitty city” force you to give up your car! It’s my belief that it’s unconstitutional for an ordinance that forces an individual to give up their right to restore a vehicle in their own yard/driveway. But let’s not get me on that soapbox! Just keep plugging away at it and take advice from the guys on this site. You’ll get there. It looks like you have a good solid base to work with.
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