The resurrection of Rusty, the '59 Sport Fury convertible

Being that you are in upstate New York, Bill, you know how these yard cars can be when left to the effects of nature for 30-40 years. This particular car came from a wrecking yard up near Ithaca that had been closed for years.

---John

 

I replaced the ball joints, bushings, and tie rods, and painted the suspension components. These cars had bare metal on the control arms, torsion bar ends, and steering linkage when they left the factory, so I used Metal Mask paint to replicate the look without the worry of rusting, and reassembled the front end. I had saved original hardware from two Furys I had parted out, and had the hardware zinc chromate plated.

---John

 

Awesome!

 

My dad bought my Mom a 58 Plymouth Suburban wgn in 1961,but by 1964 the had parked it,because the entire floor had rusted out,and there was no seat mount left.Plus the car would almost never start if it rained..318 v-8 powerflight..

 

I replaced the one rear axle that had the end damaged, then replaced the bearings and seals. The pinion to ring gear backlash was within tolerance, and the bearings were in good shape, so the chunk was painted and reinstalled.

Next, I positioned the rear axle beneath the chassis on a jack, and installed the leaf springs, then lowered the axle and tightened it to the springs with the U-bolts.

---John

 

I have to keep everything covered each night, as we have bats in the barn that will tend to crap on everything. They do keep the insect population to a minimum, so I let them be.

I bent and fitted all the brake lines and fuel line, and mounted them to the frame using the replated clips and hardware. Installed the rear backing plates, brakes, and then the drums. I used some tires and wheels from a '52 Ford for temporary rollers, as they held air good.

---John

 

A bit more progress, got the 361 Golden Commando mated to it's torqueflite trans, and installed in the chassis. Painted and installed a few bolt-on items as well. Last update for awhile, as I have another project that I need to complete first.

---John

 

Aw no! I love your updates.

 

Hey Big M - would you happen to have a set of 4-bolt valve covers that you would sell?

 

I have a pair off of a 413, their rusty but usable.

 

I should have some in decent shape out in the yard, I just hauled in several '59 DeSotos with wedge engines.

---John

 

Beautiful work John! Good thing you have taken pictures along the way. No one will ever believe what you started with.


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A lot of people can't even concieve of doing a project like this. I don't understand why - it's just a matter of labor, space, and some fabrication here and there when something is missing or damaged beyond use.

 

Nice work, big M. Looking forward to the next update, I love seeing rebuilds like this.

 

Thanks! I've got some body mounts and other parts to order during my downtime, so I can hit it hard once I return to it.

---John

 

I think most people would have zero idea where to start when it came to aligning the body and getting the doors to fit.

 

simply rad

 

Great thread. Very cool.

 

While finishing up the bodywork on another car, I spent a few days gathering hardware from other cars in the yard. These I will have zinc plated, nearly 400 pieces.

I cleaned the entire bunch in acid to remove any rust, then neutralized them with a baking soda solution. Any with undercoat or paint I had to wire wheel, as the plating would not work properly with foreign matter. Afterwards, I washed the entire lot in lacquer thinner to remove any oil or undercoat residue.
One container will be yellow zinc [gold] and the other will be clear[silver]

 

Glad to see you back John. I know this thread is inspirational to a lot of us! Are you set up to do this ^^^ plating yourself?

 

i need to take my car over there for a bath in your tomato tub !! man i get jealous of your space to work on cars i constantly gotta suck my belly in to move through the garage

 

You sir, are a majician, turning rust into metal! I think I need to take some parts up to you so you can convert my rust back into a Willys pickup.

 

That is one amazing project, you must really want one! Fantastic work..

 

John, just finished reading this thread all the way through. Wow! Its projects like this that amaze me. Guys like you and Koolkemp (Rusty 47 Ford Resurrection) are really up there with your efforts to save rusty hulks most of us would pass on. Any shlub like me can build an engine or wire a car but what you guys and a few other Hambers are doing is more like artwork on a classic canvas. Subscribed!

 

Hey I got a nice gas tank

 

Thanks for the kind words.

---John

 

Thanks for the offer, but I've already procured one from a parts car.

---John

 

Got my hardware and body mounting pieces back from the plater, everything turned out good.

---John

 

Nice!

 

I would never get all those nuts, bolts, screws and clips back all the right places. Looking forward to seeing all go back together.


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