I am going to to look at a 50 sedan on Sat. Anything I should look for as far as "problem areas"? It has a Flathead V8 3 sp. w/od. It has rusty floors,but the rest looks good (from the pictures) Is that possible without a bunch of body work being done? Is it common for just the floors to rust out and not the rest of the body? I would load the pics but it won't work. Thanks!
floors, body mounts for sure, also rocker and inside of the quarter. Its all common though for shoeboxes, so dont let that keep you away.
Seems like the whole lower portions of em just love rust. Patch panels are available, but make sure to look the frame over really well to make sure it didn't get a handle on that as well. Parts in general are available through a number of sources (dennis carpenter is where I get all mine) and a wealth of knowledge is available in building them here, and on shoeboxford.com Good luck!!
Once you get the body done you need to decide if you want to stay 6V or change to 12v because if the wires are stock it's 6v and positive ground. The starter can handle a 12v charge, but the overdrive won't as well as blower motor and bulbs. If it still has the original wiring you can plan on replacing all of it. Don't cut any corners on wiring - remember 6v wiring is heavier than 12v - so you can always convert 6v wiring to 12v, but you can not convert 12v wiring to power a 6v system. Your lucky to have all kinds of help on here as well as several other web sites - just google to find more message boards. Good luck with the shoebox and have fun!
If the doors sag when you open them, it's a good sign the front floor braces are no longer attached to the lower cowl (bottom A pillar).
These are not complicated cars to fix if they are rusty realy and if you can do it yourself. Just time consuming. If you have to farm out the metal work. It will cost a small fortune. Shoeboxes are not high dollar cars for the most part, Just very very popular.
check the frame rails where the forward mounts of the rear leaf springs are, they like to rot out there.
as stated before, run a magnet over it, especially lower half. use a coated/flexible magnet so that you do not scratch anything. may have a bond skim coat over body to cover rust problems. lucky flooring was not covered. take the time to lay on ground and look at frame, inner fender panels, etc. also, check out condition of wiring. radiator water clear?
The old gal looks pretty good if you ask me. The amount of rust, looks below average. Unless they have been stored inside, they ALL have rust in the front floors and rockers. Most will have rust behind the trim just above the rear wheel. Most will have rust in the back of the trunk, and spare well. If it is more solid than most, there will be no frame rust, or body mount rust. If the price is right, go for it. Rich
Wish I could come with to help, I'm just over in Osakis and I'll be starting a new job in Fergus on the 7th...I'll be in the cities tomorrow for the Motorama car show...good luck, and watch out for bondo, that car looks like a good candidate for a "mud and paint" job...
I'd say it looks pretty darn good. Most shoeboxes that have had a lot of body work don't have chrome and stainless in that good of shape. I had to replace the entire lower half of mine plus the floors but was well worth it in the end. Buy that thing right away if the price is right.
Looks pretty solid...but that paint could be hiding alot. I would bring a friend to help you give it a good look over before buying. I wish I would have done that with mine.
get under the car or put it on a hoist before you buy and look it over very carefully. it is all guesswork until then. a magnet is good but sometimes they would mix metal shavings with the bondo to kind of trick you.
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