19 55 Ford Customline Restoration
Here
are some of the photos from my first restoration project from 1984-89.
It was a 1955 Ford Customline sedan with 81,000 original miles that my
brother found for me in Encinitas, CA! It came
with the original bill of sale and service records to verify the mileage.
It was complete and more than a little rough.
The straight six with the Holley glass-bowl 1 barrel carburetor ran fine, but the
front seat and paint/body/interior needed attention. The front end was
loose you would almost loose control when you hit any bump in the road.
Turned out the idler arm was shot.
Wound up recoring the
radiator, replacing the clutch and timing chain set. The front end and all
brake hydraulics were replaced or rebuilt.
One of the biggest surprises came when inspecting the rear brakes. The
rear drums were held on by the factory clips (that hold the drums to the
axles as it cruises down the assembly line) and the original grease seals
were true Chicago Rawhide leather.
My dad helped out with fixing the old tube-type radio by finding a
vibrator (no that kind) at a radio supply shop in downtown San Diego. The
rear bench seat was covered by a seat cover and was in perfect condition. We
found some NOS (New Old Stock) fabric for the front seat and an upholstery
shop in Carlsbad did a great job.
I was working at Escondido Motor Parts as well as a Ford Restoration
Shop called Reniew* Auto at the time. I got great deals on parts and body
work. I did the repair work myself. Added the wide whitewalls, T-Bird hubcaps
and fender skirts to dress up the plain Jane.
I don't have the final pictures with the fender skirts and side chrome
strip installed. The film developer said the negatives didn't come out.
Ouch!
* Reniew is my friend Geoff Weiner's name spelled
backwards.
|
