My 59 is alive....

[Dementedan]

I finally got my 59 T-bird started and running this weekend. It may be the first time it ran in the last 24 years (since that's the last tags on the license plates). So excited, I just had to share it.
Next I need a new fuel tank, fuel line, tranny seal, fix the exhaust and a broken brake line. Oh boy, now it's getting fun.
I don't post much but I just had to share it and thank everyone else for posting and sharing their ingenuity and experience.

List of work I've done so far:
Changed the oil and filter
New carb
New fuel pump
Rebuilt the starter
New battery
Verified distributor position and lastly found that the last owner had all the spark plug wires plugged into the wrong plugs.

Happy days and a ton more work ahead before it's road worthy.
Thanks for reading.

Dan.

[DKheld]

Dan,

Sounds familiar - I've rescued a few too.

Check the coupon from Rock Auto for the gas tank - don't think you have to be a member to see it ( http://www.squarebirds.org/vbulletin...ad.php?t=20489 )

Here's a link to the gas tank replacement to give you a heads up on what you're in for. Actually not bad at all and the new ones fit perfectly. Don't waste your time trying to clean or boil out the old one.

http://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/SquarebirdGasTankReplacement.htm

Just out of curiosity - what carb did you use? (Ford 4100, Carter, Edelbrock?)

Congrats on the hard work paying off and we'll look forward to more good news.

Eric

[Dementedan]

Hi Eric,
I went with the Edelbrock 600cfm carb. As much as I'm trying to do everything on a low budget, I wanted a new carb. Thanks for the good advice to avoid trying to clean my old tank. I definitely plan to get the new tank from Rockauto as well since my fuel line was full of rust. When I started it, I used a bottle of gas near the fuel pump pickup.
Because of that rust, I'm also going to replace the entire fuel line. I'm researching that metal roll of fuel line so I can make my own. The plan is to go hard line in order to eliminate any rubber in the system in order to handle today's gas.
Goodness, that engine sounded good. It sure drank that little 16 ounce bottle of gas quick too.
Thanks for the discount code however I think I still have an active one myself from ordering parts through them.
I'll keep posting with progress.
Thanks again.

[jopizz]

You are going to need rubber line from the metal line into the fuel pump. There is too much vibration and movement by the engine to go straight metal.

John

[DKheld]

Did the same thing on mine. Bought a roll of line from NAPA and bent it myself using the old one as a pattern - flared the ends and done. Tricky area in the rear wheel arch where the line bends around the frame at sharp angles (also has a spring covering the line).

No problem on the tank - tried it on mine and hoped to save you the trouble. No amount of cleaning worked and it was a fairly clean tank to start with. I think the coating in mine finally started to fail and kept blocking the inlet in the tank.

My new tank was a bit strange in that when I used the original cap it seemed to vapor lock and starve the engine of fuel. Switched to a vented cap and that seemed to build up too much pressure in the tank because it would only let air in - not out. So with all the pressure in the tank it pushed fuel into the carb after shutting the car off. Finally drilled a tiny hole in the filler neck - went back to the original cap and all has been fine. Hopefully you won't have any trouble.

Although I would rather have my original 4100 carb I recently replaced mine with a Holley 600 cfm. After a lot of fiddling it works ok but think my fuel mileage is about half of what it was. They do like gas.....

Like John mentions - I also have 2 small rubber hoses at the pump (along with a filter). Shouldn't be a problem with modern hose but I know what you're saying. I do still have the solid line up to the carb. If you need one of those I recently bought one from MAC's and it fit nicely. You could probably make one cheaper though.



Eric

[Dementedan]

Thanks John. I was wondering if the movement of the engine was going to be too much. I had planned to make a small coil of line there to allow that movement but may be digging in some over-engineering of under-malleable materials. That one bit of rubber hose is probably best.
And thank you Eric for the tips. The little hole in the filler tube sounds like the way to go. Also, I read your write up on your tank replacement. Great write up.
Thanks guys. These tips are necessary for the goal.

[Tbird1044]

Daniel:
First of all, I'd like to welcome you to the forum.
So many of us here have gone through the challenges you will be facing in the coming months. Something else to consider is that several of the TBird parts houses will give you an additional 10% discount on orders over $1000, so it can be worth it to make a list and buy at the same time. One word of caution here is that some houses will not include parts that are already discounted for buying a "set" etc. (Door panels are one example) Other places seem not to care and will give the discount as long as you spend $1000. It's always good to ask before you buy.
Nyles

[Dementedan]

Thanks for that advice too Nyles. Luckily (at least so far) the parts have been minimal. But I'll be sure to reach out when my list of parts will be anywhere near that figure. Excellent advice for a restoration.

Thanks again,
Dan.

[Randy]

?? I'm almost afraid to ask this question I didn't do any research its first time I've heard this , which is it no surprise to me , But what happens to the fuel if connected with a hard line and it's vibration, it's connected to a hard line at the carburetor, ??

[jopizz]

A hard line from the fuel pump to the carburetor is fine. That's the way Ford designed it. Vibration and movement is only an issue between the engine and the car body.

John

[Randy]

thanks John
because of the vibration, the line will crack at the fitting?.
i'm guessing

[jopizz]

Yes, it will eventually loosen or crack. That's why you have rubber radiator and heater hoses. Anytime you go from something stationary like the car body to the engine there needs to be flexibility.

John

[Dementedan]

I don't get much time to work on the car so progress moves slowly but surely.
I have replaced the fuel tank, ran all new fuel line, ran all new brake lines, and replaced the tranny seal. This weekend I plan to get the exhaust all bolted up and patched, fill up the fluids (and tighten down any leaks), and take it off the jack stands to see if it will move under it's own power. Sort of exciting for me as this will be the next big step in a plan of several steps.

Also a tip, when I was running the fuel line, I wanted hard line from the pump to the carb but had a ******* time finding the right adapter to go from my carb (Edelbrock 1405) to the 5/16 steel line. I finally found it with help from my local Napa. He didn't have the part, but I was able to order it online. I used a Rochester Carter 5/8-20 Brass Fuel Inlet Fitting 5/16" Inverted Flare. Got it from Ebay for $12 and it does exactly what I wanted.

That's it for now. Talk to you all later.
Dan.

[Dementedan]

This weekend I put gas in the new tank to run through the new fuel lines, new fuel pump, and new carb. The car ran, albeit a bit rough, but timing will be later.
The brake line fittings are all tightened up, brakes bled, now have brakes again.
Before taking the car off the jack stands, put the car in gear and had the rear tires rotating under its own power for the first time. All drive gears and reverse are working. The speedo even worked. Unfortunately the tranny still leaks. It's good to see stuff working, but terrible to have to take it back apart to figure out what's wrong with this tranny leak. Someone had been in this tranny before me as everything, including the torque converter was all clean but they beat up the front seal when they installed it, causing it to leak. So I thought I just had to replace that seal. Apparently not since it's still leaking. I'll pull it out and see I suppose. I'll be sure to inspect the shaft for any roughness and I'll mic the dimensions to be sure that's all right as well since I don't know what the last people did on this car. If anyone else has a suggestion, please share. If I can't figure it out and if a tranny shop wants any more than $200 to fix, I may be finding a C6 with overdrive.
The adventure continues.

[jopizz]

Did you replace the front pump o-ring or just the front seal. Often that o-ring will leak.

John