Have decided that this will be my next project...have a couple possibles, curious what the 'usual' rust problem areas are on these. I gather rockers, floors, bottom corners (like pretty much everything). How about other areas...drip rails, etc?
you pretty much got it. bottom of front fenders, rear quarters both sides of the wheel opening and the tail gate. but when you get them road ready aint nothibg like it.love them big wagons.and when i shut down some kid in his rice burner they cant believe it.love it, love love it.!!!!!
Quarters , bottoms of door , floors , floor braces , tail gate , rockers BUT it really depends where the car is from ! Buy one from Texas , California or Arizona and that will be a better car to work with . NEVER buy one from the north east ! EMS carries about all the sheet metal you will need to fix one . Good Luck ! Make sure you stop by the 1952 to 59 group . There is a wealth of great information there ! Retro Jim
Big wagons? Wagons didn't get BIG until 1957 in the Ford/Mercury line. I know the whereabouts of a 55-56 Country Squire(?) "wood"-sided wagon if anyone's interested.
Depends on where the car spent most of its life. Midwest is probably the best place to get one. Normally the bottom of the front fenders, around the headlites, front cross member, floor pans, lower tailgate, and spare tire pan. Go check ot the 1952-56 Ford car section here. Near the top of the this page/view, there is a community tab. Left click on that and then click on social groups. In there you will find the 52-56 Ford car section. Very active group, and a lot of knowledgeable help.
make sure the spot where the lower A arms attach to the frame is not rusted out, I hadf one pull out of the frame in the 70's
we got our wagon out of new mexico, dry car, still needed some floor braces and small holes in floor. oklahoma cars should be fairly dry, better than the Parklane doner car from Wisconsin, but stainless trim dosen't rust.
Front crossmember (nearly underneath the radiator) where the A arm stabilizer bars go. Its also hard to find a good hood around here.
Underneath the headlights. Patch panels are available but for me it was an odd place to look for rust. Check the front crossmember carefully for poor repairs and rust holes. The very first place that I look. You will see some with angle iron scab welded on over the rot and mudded up. The lower control arm attaches here so it is important. There are good replacements available but it's more involved than a patch panel in a fender. You'd be surprised at the number of botched crossmembers on the cars in the shows. My 56 was a SE PA car and the only rust was in the front fenders, front and rear and they had been replaced sometime in the past. The usual places, rocker panels, floor boards and 1/4 panels, were perfect. Go figure. You never know until you look. I bought used fenders from Oklahoma but they had the lower corners patched also. The reinforcing panel behind that collects the mud and causes the problem was in good shape so a simple outer patch did the job.
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