'57 Ford Custom 300 Tudor Sedan

[jlsanborn]

What's that tape on your fender pony? I see MSHA pasted all over it, must be heavy duty stuff. I do commercial work for some gold-digger's over here and MSHA means business. Just curious...

[swamp rat]

Nice work! this will be one great ride!

Hey Vic what would you use to clean up compressor crank case oil splatter on your tools, work bench body work stuff ect? Paint thinner, alcooal, Varnish remover, mek ???? I know i cant have a trace of it left, Thanks!

[Xeen]

Oh man I am going nuts over here waiting for you to post pictures of the completed interior Vic, throw a dog a bone man!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Xeen

Oh man I am going nuts over here waiting for you to post pictures of the completed interior Vic, throw a dog a bone man!

Thanks, guys! Taking a short break to post the promised photos, then it's back down to the salt mine.

[Vic1947]

And, some more...

[Xeen]

WOW Vic that look's Awesome!!!111oneoneone
Congratulations all your hard work is paying off in spades.

[Beavis502]

Very nice!!

[sduckworth13]

Interior looks great Vic!

[swamp rat]

I think my jaw just hit the floor again..

[jlsanborn]

Lots of work done there Vic. Looks amazing and your upholsterer's killed it! The console turned out fantastic and I can't imagine the interior with anything less. Is that the same vinyl they used on the center sections of the panels? Hope the finish pieces you've found work out. I flipped back a few pages, looking at the wiring you've done, equally stellar. Sure wish I could see all of this ride in person. When do we fire that motor!!?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Xeen

WOW Vic that look's Awesome!!!111oneoneone
Congratulations all your hard work is paying off in spades.

Originally Posted by Beavis502

Very nice!!

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Interior looks great Vic!

Originally Posted by swamp rat

I think my jaw just hit the floor again..

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

Lots of work done there Vic. Looks amazing and your upholsterer's killed it! The console turned out fantastic and I can't imagine the interior with anything less. Is that the same vinyl they used on the center sections of the panels? Hope the finish pieces you've found work out. I flipped back a few pages, looking at the wiring you've done, equally stellar. Sure wish I could see all of this ride in person. When do we fire that motor!!?

Thanks, everyone!

Yes, John, the vinyl on the console is the same as the center section of the side panels. Needed some contrast there with all that medium gray on the seats and lower panels. The motor will have to wait a little longer, I need to get the front clip back on, the wiring finished and the a/c condenser/dryer mounted and plumbed. Believe it or not, I've been struggling with getting the seat belts finalized. Turns out the mounting locations for the lap belts are right above the mufflers. There was no way to drill the holes and install the hardware without removing half the exhaust system and e-brake cables. It's always something. I'll have it back together by lunch tomorrow and the clip is next on the list. With a little luck, I should be busting off the engine this time next weekend.

[Low Elco]

Man, that's lookin' awesome, Vic! t-minus how many days left?

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Man, that's lookin' awesome, Vic! t-minus how many days left?

Well, I figure about a week and a half to the first lap around the block. The seats and console are back in with seatbelts installed, the fan switch for the a/c has been replaced and all the electrical on the interior has been finalized and tested. All the exhaust and e-brake components I had to remove to access the mounting locations for the safety belts have been reinstalled and the car is back sitting on all fours.

That leaves the front clip, front end wiring, a/c condenser/dryer/hose install and fluid fill/leak checks before firing the 460. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned, but a week and a half looks do-able. If I can maintain that schedule, I'll have plenty of time to align the front end, service the a/c and have the safety inspection done so I can get it tagged. We'll see how far off I am.

[jlsanborn]

I bet you can button it up AND tow CRLS back into the shop with it before you head out. You are hard-core Vic, gettin' it done and done right Can't wait to hear this bad-boy.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

I bet you can button it up AND tow CRLS back into the shop with it before you head out. You are hard-core Vic, gettin' it done and done right Can't wait to hear this bad-boy.

One thing for sure, John, I'm not towing CRLS anywhere. Scott, Kathy and I spent almost an hour moving it to the upstairs garage on New Year's Day. My roll around dollies are good for flat smooth surfaces and not the street. Next time CRLS moves, it will be hanging off a tow truck.

I'm making progress, little by little. Had to fabricate a neutral safety switch since the V-Gate shifter was an early model that had no provision for one. I also did a little more on the front end wiring, plus Kathy took the second batch of a/c hoses to Inland to be crimped. Bless their hearts, they did it for free ...again! I reckon if the last batch costs a bundle I have nothing to complain about. I did talk to the Vintage Air folks today to confirm the #8 hose between the compressor and the condenser goes in the upper position and the #6 hose from the condenser to the dryer is in the lower position. I was hoping they could be flipped top to bottom but the tech said, No, No! Looks like I'll be bending up some hard lines to route thru the core support. I moved the trinary switch from the pass thru fitting to one of the unused ports on the dryer which will help reduce the plumbing somewhat.

The front clip is giving me the usual hard time. The driver side sheetmetal has always lined up nicely, but the passenger side is a pain. Pretty sure the car was in a fender bender (or two) at some point in time. Neither the doors nor the fenders are matched sets. For it all to line up, I had to shift the core support slightly, but I made the necessary adjustments while doing the body work. Now the trick is just getting it all back together without chipping the fresh paint. The header panel that connects the fenders in front still had primer on the backside, so I taped it off and shot the light silver in that area since you can sort of see it when the hood is up. Now it's on to the lower valance and the bumper. To be continued...

[sduckworth13]

Looks awesome Vic!

[Elliot949]

Looking Great Vic... you are getting real close to turning that key and going Vrrrrrrooooommmm....LOL

[Vic1947]

True to form, the path from planning to reality has not been without obstacles. During the front clip assembly, I realized the a/c condenser was not going to fit in the space available... and neither would the electric fan. The problem with stretching out a build over this many years is that you forget what you've previously encountered. I must have known about the fan issue because I had a brand new stainless mechanical flex fan on the shelf. Rather than burn the time on the lathe and mill to make a spacer, I ordered one from Summit along with some hard lines for the new condenser that's on the way.

Finally got the best adjustment I could manage on the passenger side fender to door gap and tweaked the stainless trim to match up. Looks okay for a road hog. Kathy picked up the anodizing today and I'm letting the rubber shifter boot cure over night where I glued it to the aluminum bezel. The cup holders are also setting up with a bead of clear RTV to hold them in place. Kathy caught me sitting in it listening to the radio and adjusting the speakers. She said I looked like I was ready to go cruising.

Still no corner caps for the rear window trim. The guy in TX said he mailed them on Monday, but they haven't shown up yet. Hope they make it by tomorrow or I'll be really nervous about the prospect of having to start the search all over. The top piece is on and the one corner cap I got off eBay is in place and looks great. Just need the driver side now.

[Elliot949]

That is just BADASS!!!!

[jlsanborn]

Great progress on the clip Vic. If you sent it to paint, I'm sure the gaps are near perfect.

Don't you wish the old analog equalizers were still mainstream? Flippin' through menus, canned settings, blinky lights, etc... I hate it. Miss my 80's Alpine stuff. Loudness BUTTON! Wish Kathy could sneak a vid of you rockin' some CCR or something

"True to form, the path from planning to reality has not been without obstacles."

WORD! There's a sig line for you folks!

[Low Elco]

Don't get me started on missing the old school Alpine stuff... Stoked for you, Vic, can't wait to hear it run!

[Xeen]

Oh man it's really starting to come together I can't wait to see it with the hood, custom grill and headlights installed.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Elliot949

That is just BADASS!!!!

Thanks, Dan!

Originally Posted by jlsanborn

...Don't you wish the old analog equalizers were still mainstream? Flippin' through menus, canned settings, blinky lights, etc... I hate it.

Amen to that, John. Referring to the manual is a last resort around here, but the buttons on the face of this unit are so cryptic, I'm probably going to have to break down and have a look.

Originally Posted by Low Elco

Don't get me started on missing the old school Alpine stuff... Stoked for you, Vic, can't wait to hear it run!

You and me both, Chip! Waiting on some parts to arrive the first of next week and it will be time to set up the camera on the tripod and bust it off.

Originally Posted by Xeen

Oh man it's really starting to come together I can't wait to see it with the hood, custom grill and headlights installed.

We're getting there, Brian. Pics below of the headlights. [Greasy kid stuff.] Can't do grille or hood until the a/c condenser is in and plumbed.

Wiring is pretty much complete except for the a/c safety switch. All circuits tested and working properly. The wiring job got a little easier when it became apparent the electric fan was a no-go. Rec'd the spacer from Summit today but still had to machine it in the lathe to get just the right length. All in and ready for action. Haven't decided whether to build a shroud or not. This aluminum radiator is a dual core that's 2.25" thick and has a finned area of 18" x 22". Should be plenty but if not, I reckon I can address any problem when it arises.

[Xeen]

The headlights look stellar Vic.
As far as the fan shroud goes I guess it depends on whether or not you are going to be sitting in traffic in the 100 degree heat with the AC on or not, if you will be then it probably would be a good idea to have one, plus it won't take you that long to build one anyway so you might as well.

[jlsanborn]

Looks outstanding! Almost there Vic