Hot Rods UPDATE - last. Tales of the '33 Ford 3 window garage find - it now moves under it’s own power

Holy crap Batman - 2 yes 2 nice ol Fords - hey how would you like a nice - well sometimes nice ol fart to add to yer collection - I'm adoptable you know!

 

Well, the little coupe now wears new tires & wheels, has a chrome 5” dropped tube axle (stock wishbone), has been converted to 12 volt Negative ground. It starts and moves under it's own power - as of today. It just powered it's self back into the garage for the first time in 42 years. Next on the agenda is to clean the fuel tank, install the new water pumps, address is rough running engine, and get the brakes to function. After that, it’s pretty much finished!!!

I’m one happy fellow!

 

Man, that's Sweet! Should be ready for the weekend, right?

 

Well done!
That's a great feeling when you can get a stuck flattie to fire off, even if it's not perfect. PM me if you need any help.
And here I was, about to trade off my 5W. Now your car has me rethinking that decision. Dang!

 

Very nice!

 

For anyone interested, I thought that I’d share an update on this cool little car.
While I did manage to get the car running, it didn’t run well. It turned out that I may well have discovered (and now fixed) the issue that lead to the car being parked 44 years ago.

A check of each cylinder’s compression revealed that multiple cylinders had low compression. Closer inspection confirmed that a few exhaust valves were not closing properly. I used a wooden dowel rod, thru the spark plug hole to “un-stick” all but one of the valves. Now, 7 of 8 cylinders all had near matching compression... only #4 was still at zero. No amount of taping on the valve could get it to budge.

The home construction business kept me too busy to spend much time on the car. Occasionally, I’d spray some penetrating lubricant into the exhaust port and try again to get the valve to move - without any success. My recent retirement has now provided me with the time to get back on this project.

I removed the intake & cylinder head, in order to access the valve/spring/guide assembly. To remove the valve from the guide, I had to use a hammer & punch and drive the valve every inch through the guide. But, the valve now slide easily back through the guide. Apparently, it was some carbon deposit baked onto the valve causing the problem. Reassembling everything went well and now the engine runs great.

I recall, as I was leaving with the car, Mr. Penley’s nephew told me that during its last time running, the car was running very rough and that his uncle was mad at the car. The air temp was in the 90’s and they were driving up a mountain road. The car was parked and not driven again.

The temp gauge (dual gauge) isn’t hooked up. I suspect that he was unaware of the engine overheating.


Now, the engine starts quickly & idles smoothly.

 

That Sweet little car is Even Better Now! Enjoy.

 

I thought that I’d share another update of the resurrection progress on Mr. Penley’s little coupe. This past weekend, the ‘33 made it first trip out onto the street since being parked 44 years ago (1977). A neighbor/friend went along the 15 mile ride. It was a blast t, to say the least. The car cruises along nicely at 60 mph. After the ride, we spent a good solid 8 hours with clay bars, polishing compound, and wax and now the 51 year old Lacquer paint looks pretty impressive

 

Wow, fantastic detail job! Looks great! Picking nits here; the passenger headlight lense isn't level and could be reclocked.
Congrats on retirement. More time to cruise!

 

Wow, that car is perfect ... no chop, bumpers and other chrome in place, cool rims (errrr ... tire mounting units ) and a drivable ride height. Me likey a LOT

 

Better and Better!

 

What a classic beautiful old hot rod. Hope you have many miles of fun with your '33. You've done all the right improvements and leaving the flathead intact is so uncommon today. Great job!!!

 

Absolutely Perfect! Damn.. $

 

I like how the axle stub sticks out of those Halibrands….gives it a real old timey flavor.

 

Don't get it looking too good you won't want to take it out of the garage!

 

LOL. This car has been sitting in my garage for more than 3 years - I never noticed that crooked headlight. Thanks

I appreciate the compliments & well wishes from you and the others that have commented on my posts, concerning Mr. Penley’s little car.

 

Thanks for the update. Yes, it's sometimes the little things that create an issue and hold us up. Glad you got rid of the carbon, and then the oxidation on the paint. Looks real good!

 

I guess I am extremely late to this party. What a fantastic find, they do not come any finer in this day and age. Great story, and keeping the FH was the best decision you could have made. This truly is a jewel over and above many out there including mine.

 

Thank you, sir. There’s a thread that I posted about 12 years ago, when I first saw the car and spoke with the owner. Then about 9 years later, I posted another thread for when I acquired the car. I’m blessed beyond measure & thankful to be it’s current caretaker.