Technical A Kid's First Project: 1957 Fairlane 500 Town Victoria.

and finally, how do i remove the drivers side window? im hoping it isnt too difficult as i need to remove the old one to get a non broken window in

 

my fuel pump is very odd. it has what looks to be a fuel filter on the bottom of it, not like the glass ones, it seems like a cartridge filter... i never knew these existed

 

there is a site on line called the old car manual project that has a complete 1958 ford shop manual free download,that while some differences should be very helpful to you.

 

Ford started switching to that style in '60, and a lot of aftermarket suppliers sold those as replacements for the early glass bowl versions. By rights, I think you should have a dual-diaphragm pump to assist the vacuum wipers although that might have varied by region. If you lived in the flatlands, you could get away without the vacuum boost.

 

its not a vacuum booster, the vacuum for the wipers is ran off of the carb by the looks of it

 

i have determined that it shouldnt be ran off the carb and that someone installed the wrong pump, also, i accidentally found out the starter works when troubleshooting why the taillights wont turn on with the headlights, the parking lights turn off with the headlights as well, very odd.

 

Been a while, but I believe you take off the door panel and interior garnish, roll the window down and unbolt the regulator to get the glass dropped down into the bottom of the door, then unbolt the vent window and pull it out (tip it backward at the top to get it loose) then you can turn the window glass sideways and lift it out of the door. The sash will be attached to the bottom of the glass, if you're going to have a new one made, bring the whole thing to the glass shop and have them put the sash back on.

If you have a parts car available, you can use a passenger side front door glass from the same body style, but you have to take the sash off and flip it around, also the etching in the corner will be backward if you care about that.

 

no parts car sadly, these cars are so hard to find up here, i ended up just buying one online, i'll take the glass out once the replacement arrives.

 

This is taken from my 1957 shop manual. Odd they don't list the S/C 312. Seems to me Ford was trying to streamline the engine lineup for 1957.

 

i got the valve unstuck, and am waiting for the pushrods i ordered to show up, but it said its gonna be a while, so i might aswell clean the one mouse nest i found out, and of course its in the vents where its almost impossible to reach... at least the vents were closed when it was parked and they didnt get in, also, the window arrived

 

window installed, and attempting to replace the masonite on the door via cutting new

 

the window was really easy once i figured out there was a hidden bolt behind a plug, i just used a heat gun on the rubber on low heat, and slowly eased the old window out, and used dish soap, and then used the heat gun and did reverse operation

 

i have determined i cant just patch that rear floor over, i'll need to get the welder out eventually. and i found another spot on the passenger side... any tips for replacing floors when i get there?

 

If you're going to make a patch as opposed to buying one, make it before you cut the old stuff out. Make your piece, get it fitting nice, make it bigger than the rust hole. Then lay it over the top and trace all around it with a sharpie or something, to give you really accurate cut lines.

If the repair panels are above any cross bracing, once you have the new panel fit into place, go underneath and trace out where the cross bracing is, then you can flip your panel over and drill holes in it that line up with the braces. The idea is when you put your new pan section in place, you'll be able to weld the new pan to the cross braces by welding those holes closed, in approximately the same spots as the factory spot welds. Also you're able to do that welding from above, instead of crawling under the car and welding overhead.

If a cross brace is rotted and needs to be replaced, I like to cut the floor out above it, do the repair from the top (dropping the replacement pieces in from above) and then welding the replacement floor panel on top of the replaced/repaired brace. It's much easier to make nice, clean welds from above rather than from underneath.

Don't be tempted to leave a lot of overlapping panels, they are dirt and rust traps that can cause issues later. Slapping a patch over the top of a hole without cutting the old rusty part away is a big no-no on anything you want to keep long-term. If you have to have an overlap (some factory spots are overlapped) don't forget to use seam sealer afterwards.

 

luckily the rot is just in the middle of the floors far from any cross bracing, only 3 holes in the entire car... quite far from what im used to. (the 70s/80s trucks i pick up and use for parts sometimes dont even have floors usually)

 

so i took the bondo on the car off... and its perfectly fine underneath, i wonder why they bondo'd that quarter panel...

 

How thick was the filler?

 

i estimate varying from 1/8th inch to 1/4th. decently thick, it didnt take much to pop a big piece off

 

Following this one as I may need tips for 57 Wagon! Currently redoing the brakes and steering and hoping to get her on her wheels by the end of the month. Keep plugging away and she will get there and reward you with lots of smiles down the road.

Mike

 

im hoping to get mine off the ground soon, havent had much time to work on it all that much, a lot of waiting on parts... and i need to cut and weld in new sheetmetal for the inner fender, as there isnt enough to put the battery tray on. hopefully it will run on its own power by November...

 

i just realized, the insulation above the headliner is likely full of asbestos, can anyone verify that it is or isnt?a

 

My insulation was plain house insulation, and I have heard that from others as well. Don't know if you are on FB but check out Fords of 1957, lots of knowledgeable people there as well.

Mike

 

Well Cat, you can find lots of answers and parts at www.y-blocksforever.com. Nice bunch of guys with tons of knowledge. I like your 57

 

i'll check them out.

 

I can't remember if I suggested the 57fordsforever.com as a site for more info or not. If you want join up the Y block site PM me and I will get you in contact with the owner as he restricts who and when you can get a log in due to spammers.

Mike

 

the hard lines are original, but they replaced the rubber line and wheel cylinders seemingly recently...

 

If the hard lines are sealed they may be ok. But there is the good possibility of rust in them from the fluid since brake fluid loves water. May also think about self adjusters all the way around as well. I just did the fronts-hope I got them correct-and then I will do the backs. Only a few weeks away from getting her back on wheels!!!!

Mike

 

id bet money they are rusted to bits, since they were unbolted for however long since they installed the wheel cylinders.

 

can the underside of the hood be repaired in any way? the outside of it is in good condition and doesnt seem to be too ruined, but the underside in the very front is very rusty.

 

Can be…how much time and and effort do you want to spend? Depending on the rust it may be easier to buy another one. If you want to keep it, then it will have to be dipped to get all of the hidden rust out. Then primed and painted. That is assuming no metal replacement is needed.