Projects My Fairlane after sitting 45yrs in the garage.... Update, It's on for real this time!!

Great car, very solid. Let's see some more

 

Joe,
#1 piston skirt had turned loose. #5 was cracked and it seems like some of the others were starting to crack too.

It's hard to believe now, but I put that engine together over 20 years ago. I bought it in 1995 to put in my '50 Coupe. It was in a 1970 Boss Mustang. The guy found a Boss engine and was going to pull it. I took a ride in the car before he pulled it. We both agreed that the tick was something minor like a lifter. This is when I learned that if a SBF is making a noise, something is really wrong with it. They're not clickity engines like an FE or a SBC.
It never went in the Coupe as I went with a Flathead. It sat in my Dad's barn until I went through it to put it in the F1. I used Tom Monroe's Small Block Ford book.
It's got rail rockers. It's done fine, but...
I need to look into it.

 

Hey, thanks so much.
I got that converter based on the stock 3.00 gear ratio. It was tight, really tight, trying to figure for that combo. The 3.80 really opened up the options a bunch but I already had the converter.
Here's that engine at idle.

Excuse the taillight wiring, I did not wire it, but I never changed it....

It's actually pretty mild mannered and a good driver (that is, with a manual transmission). Those old Ford grinds had a good bit of duration but were relatively low on lift. I'm anxious to see how it will do.

I don't what I'm going to do about the transmission yet. The shop I was going to use had a death, actually the owner's father died right after Thanksgiving. I think the father was the C4 guy. I have not heard from the shop. They will not answer and have not called me back so....
I'm going to give them some time.
With that said, I may be overhauling a C-4.
I have two...
A 1964 Green-Dot Cruiseomatic C-4 and a 1967 Select-Shift C-4 (just a standard C4 with the modern shift pattern).
Depending on how this shakes out, I may try the '64 Green-Dot with the stock converter if the '67 is not ready.

 

Punchlist...
rear parking/emergency brake cables


looking ahead, I think those '62 caps will look good on a Fairlane.

 

Lemme get this straight, you’re telling me that you’re walking down that old fairlane, with a heave and a ho but you just couldn’t tell her so?

 

Used Monroe's book as well working on small blocks over the years. Great reference!
What is advertised lift on the old Fireball?
I've run rail rockers on short lift cams but don't knowing the breaking point (pun intended). Always err on the safe side, don't want to drop a valve missing a shift

Joe

 

Joe,
I have the data somewhere, I called Crane and they found the specs. It's either .46 or .47.
Those grinds were made to use the stock heads. In the Ford Performance books, the 1966 edition Ford says you can use stock pressed rocker studs as long as you do not exceed 6000 RPM. That though, is another subject.

I have the '64 289 heads with the push rod indexed holes and the old-style rockers. I could use those. I was not planning to go that far into that 302 but I may do it.

I would recommend Monroes book to any automotive enthusiast Flathead, Chevy, Mopar, whatever. He gives the right data and afterward he gives "real world" checks. That philosophy has shaped my outlook on old engines. That book really helps in these days of questionable machinists and mechanics.
It's a sad fact but just about any competent old car owner knows more about his engine than the machinist he takes it too.

 

It took me a minute.
You know how us Southerners are, we take everything literal. It's a Poem...a Poem.

 

I got it right away...but I'm a Northerner

 

and yes manual transmissions are the great equalizer ….

 

First Hiccup....
Rear Parking/Emergency brake cables....
It's always the little stuff.
The original parking rear brake cables were retained into the backing plate by a cone shaped piece of rubber bonded to the cable end. I was really careful but that 58-year-old rubber went to pieces.
No problem, order new cables.
Fairlanes could have two styles of cables. The one-piece cable used an equalizer wheel and went to both backing plates. The other style used two cables with an equalizer lever.
My car uses the two-cable system with the equalizer lever.
Only the one piece is available.

Try another vehicle....
I have a set of '65 F100 cables in the box....Not even close. The Fairlane cables are long, really long.
I remember that they look remarkably like the cables in my 51 Shoebox.
Rear brake cables for 49-51 Shoeboxes....not available.

I'll have to get a measurement and start checking all makes and models.

Option B...

Nothing is wrong with the cables themselves, it's the retainer. I could come up with something that would work and work as good or better than the factory retainer but it's kind of "Bubba".
I really don't want to do that but....

Thoughts?

 

Think I would run a damper spring, pre-'67 rockers, pushrod guide plates and screw-in studs w/ the 302 heads on this one. Or '64 289 heads, skip the guide plates. She might pop a retainer on stock setup.

Joe

 

I think so too. Might as well, the engine is on the stand. I have to change pans and pick up, so I might as well get into it and use the 289 heads.
After I get the rear, underside done, I'll move to the engine....
Mission Creep.

Ford always had better ideas and unfortunately, they used them all.
The rails worked good. (on a new engine in perfect condition) Once the valve tops wear, there goes the retainer and the valve.
A hopped up Rail Rocker Ford with a little wear in the valve train would drop a valve quicker than a Jackrabbit on a date.
It's wise to address this.

 

Just covert to the one piece cable.

 

Lokar makes some really nice cables.

 

Galaxie cables may work. I'm getting measurements.

 

I'm a Dumbass. It's a one-piece cable. I found that when I was going to take it off and measure.
Cable ordered.

 

Well,
I've just about come to the point that it's time to pull the 289 and C4. This will allow me to run the lines and clean up the bottom.
Cleaning, prepping and painting the bottom of the car is going to be a lot of nasty work.
If I was sane, I would skip it and be lazy but I can't stand it. I want it to look good under there where I have worked.
Thing is...
When I'm done with this it will look better on the bottom than the top.

 

She must’ve been looking so good jack he couldn’t let her go.

 

LOL. YIKES!! That emoji is kinda what I looked like as a kid

 

Punchlist...
Universal joints,
upper and lower steering idler bushings

 

Mission Creep alert.....
Something been kind of bugging me lately. I have 2 C4s. The 64 unit and a 67. Both need going through or at least inspected. The 64 roughly 200K. The Coupe has 93K on the clock so judging by the wear I see; it has to be 193K. The 67 unit...who knows?

I'm thinking....
Toploader....

I'm not above a 3.03. I would never dream of cutting the floor or that console top for an auto shifter but I would cut that stuff with a rusty butter knife for a white knobbed toploader.
It puts back the project a little. I've bought a torque converter but I'm not really into those C4s heavy. It's more parts. Let's see....a 4 speed Sports Coupe.
I have lots of thinking to do....

 

Yep....

 

Just too much stuff going on this week. Such is 2022....half assed quarantine (We're not sick but seems everybody else is), funeral Thursday (acquaintance, probably be wise to stay at home), had my 16-year-old dog put down, my 14-year-old dog went to vet yesterday...got some medicine for him, going to the doctor today (old man stuff, mole on my nose)....
Why post that stuff above?^^^^ Just to show that there is always something no matter what stage of life, young, old or in the middle.
This week was going to be a big week. I had planned to pull the engine and transmission out of the coupe. That did not happen because of the reasons cited, but that's OK. The trick is to keep pecking away when you can.
I started to prep and paint my 14" wheels in November. I still have one to go. Weather, Christmas...stuff like above...Keep at it. They will get done.

p.s.
I'm not a fan of making an "as it happens build" as it can stall, but I guess that's what this is. It's always better to get finished and then post but....
It is, what it is.

 

$ (This dollar sign was a mistake; it was supposed to be a 4 in my title. I'm leaving it because it's appropriate.)

4-Speed/Manual conversion....

A realistic figure for the 4-speed conversion for this car is $1500 on the extreme low end to $3000 which is closer to reality. Realistically $2500-$3000 counting all the parts if I'm real conservative.
Building a C-4... about half of this.
This is the best way I think to accomplish this...
Pursue the 4-speed passively.
Continue on with the work!
Start purchasing the 4-speed stuff a little at a time.
Not a red cent will be spent on those C-4s.

There's still plenty to do so I'm going to keep at it. I'm going to start gathering my 4 speed parts but still the main thing is....
the car!

 

Manual transmission considerations...
1. Toploader.
I sure would like some opinions on close ratio vs wide ratio in a 4 speed.
2. Ford compatible T10
I do believe these were stock in smallblock Fairlanes....
3. The GM, Ford or "Dearborn" RAT 3 speed......
I have always been fascinated by this "Ford" transmission used in heavy GM cars like Biscaynes and Catalinas. I think the main issue with one of these is adapting the Yoke.
4. Heavy Duty Ford car 3 speed, 3.03.
I'll have to research; I want to avoid the lighter duty falcon stuff if I go 3 speed.

This is fun.

 

Hard choice. Had a lot of stock C-4s give up the ghost w/ performance upgrades. I don't like 'em, truth be known. But that doesn't mean they're dogs. Have a friend installing a race-built one in a drag car.

Man, I wouldn't touch the console. That thing is almost unobtanium nowadays. Toploader shifter is going to mount in the center of the tunnel and may interfere w/ the console. T-10 mounts to the side next to your thigh and will clear the console. Pretty sure you can find the humpback floor panel for the shifter.

All that being said, there could be Plan B; install the '64 C-4 & build the '67 C-4 for bulletproof performance while you baby the '64? Just a thought...

Joe

 

Thanks Joe...
The transmission is a little ways down the road. I'm continuing on as planned. I may run a C4 initially but I'm not going to go nuts with them right now. I'm going to gather up the 4 speed parts when I can.

I was joking a little about cutting the console. If indeed I go 4 speed I'll find a manual console top. Another option is removing it entirely and that's a clean look with buckets. Still another option is a custom-built (homemade maybe engine turned aluminum) console top. Still another period option is to remove the Sports Coupe/Galaxie XL console and get the little Comet/Falcon console to go between the seats for stuff like Personal Protective Equipment. The '62 Sport Coupes used the Falcon type console.

 

Shouldn't take much to build a C4 to take anything you can throw at it.