After a very long slumber, the 41 convertible runs!!!

No magnet, just hard work and some luck I guess. There's lots of good cars still out there, you just gotta keep your nose to the ground and be prepared when one crosses your path. Most the cars I have ever bought were advertised though. Anyone could have bought em. The NW is a great place to find ol cars.

 

I do want to do this car up nice and yes...gotta be black. I am trying to get it ready to take on the E vs. W flathead run in a couple weeks, so I am just trying to get it safe and reliable right now. Will fiddle and clean on it all winter, but then I want to get on that 34 roadster. I figure after I get that 34 roadster DONE...I can do whatever I need to with this thing.

 

Chris, that car looks great! I really like '41 convertibles.

 

Good find. The spots fit the car. A Chopped top will really set it off.
It needs to be a custom

 

very cool 41--in 47 when my Dad mustered out of the US Air Corps- we had one like this as our main car--had been driven during the war by his mother-was our family car until 1951 when they traded it in on a 51 Buick convert--have some pics somewhere taken at the time-brings back memories for sure.

 

Oh man, thats cool. If you find the pics, post em on here!!

 

Welp, got it all done and took her for a maiden voyage tonight. Ended with a dimmer switch wire that was bare touching the frame and burning up some wiring. It cooked the headlight switch and I drove home with no headlights! The wiring in this car is mostly original. It is old, crusty and spliced into all over. I bought a complete wiring harness to rewire the car this winter...

Looks like I got a head start on it

Good news is I found all sorts or bare wires throughout the wiring, so glad I am doing this now. The wiring kit came from Bob Drake. It looks very nice and has very easy to read instructions. I AM NOT an electrician, so wish me luck!!!

 

Good luck dude! I'm kind of intimidated by wiring myself. I have 1/2 of my '35 still to wire. I want to see that bob drake harness when you get it in.

 

This is a don't rush project. Just take your time and follow the instructions or call Drake if you have a problem.
Mike

 

At least the lights were flickering on and off enough to see that there was smoke bellowing out of the dash!

 

I know. I lifted that floor board up and you could see were the short was. I looked at the wiring and theres two that were burnt to a crisp in the loom...so figured easiest way to fix it was to just re-wire the thing.

 

I got all the old wiring out tonight and took the gauges apart and cleaned em. Also wired them while they were out. The directions make it CAKE to do!

 

I got eveything re wired and hooked up except the lights going to the tailights. That should be fairly quick and simple, so hoping to have it back on the road tonight. Wiring it was pretty easy, Like I mentioned the harness I got was very nice and everything just dropped into place. Instructions made it a breeze. I am very happy overall!!

 

Is your dimmer switch still good?

 

I duuno, but I'm putting a new one on it. The old one is super crusty

 

huh? now a master electrician too .
eliminating all the possible hazards of driving an old car will keep you from meeting very shady characters and having scary incident's...
possibly finding even more old fords....eeeek

ummmm fire ext?

super duper its been on the road and safely back home!

 

great to see you are installing the new wiring dude! thing is had to decided not to replace the wiring and something else decided to short out i would have cast a spell on you that the only vehicles you could ever own was: EARLY CHEVROLETS with tons of wood in them, banished forever from old fords! hahahaha! dont forget to buy the fire exstinguisher still because ya just never know!

 

That thing was so much fun bombing around in last night I wonder if anyone called the fire department from all the Marvel mystery oil burning out of the exhaust

 

I dunno, it looked like it was on fire!!

 

Chris; If they hassle you just tell 'em your spraying for mosquito's.
Mike

 

Looks great Chris, now I better quit reading about what you are doing, and go work on my 47

 

I have driven it about 80 miles this weekend so far. It was smoking like crazy for about half that, then yesterday just kind of cleared up! I pulled the manifolds and exhaust off last night, the exhaust was JUNK! Today it gets headers and new exhaust

 

I buffed on it a little. The paint job is very old, and what I would consider typical of a 50's paint job. The hood is the worst, some of the paint is peeling revealing original rubbed through black paint! It'll shine up pretty good....even with dents, dings and scratches.

 

Love it....I wouldn't paint it...just keep it waxed...

 

I really wanna make this car nice...it deserves it! So down the road I'll do her up right. Kinnda fun to make thet old faded paint shine though!

 

Looking great Chris, What did you do on the breaker issue?

 

Found a good used one. Going to wire in some fuses as well.

 

Gotta say Chris......I have really enjoyed watching this thread. I don't know where you get your luck to stumble across finds like this...but you sure seem to have it in spades!

I am of course a lover of original cars like this and preserving them just as they are, so I greatly admire what your doing!

I am hooked on this thread and can't wait for more!

Clayton - Mr.ModelT

 

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