1960 Convertible Restoration

[DKheld]

Looking forward to the resto progress - hope you can post a bunch of pics.

Long story short - I tried to "save" my original gas tank (boiled out - coated - etc) to keep the car as original as possible (Dad and Mom bought it new) but ended up with a new tank.

Here's a link to the tank replacement - not sure it would be any different for the conv.

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

Apparently Nyles and I are related somehow - this was actually the second new tank as the first one started leaking at the fuel outlet connector.

Good luck !!

Eric

(Nyles - you would only get the pit in that pie if you didn't cut a piece for me - )

[jhenry]

Thanks everyone for your input! The new tank and sending unit are on order from Rockauto.com.

Next job is breaking the car down. First up is gutting the interior. The door panels and quarter trim are in very good condition and will most likely be reused, but may require redying and some metal restoration. The seats will get new leather.

Much of the original Platinum Metallic paint is still present under the seats and side panels...

[Yadkin]

I know mine was probably the one in a thousand, but I'll throw this out there anyways. I installed my new tank and didn't want to put gas in it until I was ready to start using the car more. I just used a small boat gas tank to move it around. The day came when I finally did put gas in the tank and I was in the garage and kept smelling gas. Looked under the car and gas was dripping from fuel line connection. ;-(( Tightened the fitting and couldn't stop the leak. I finally drained the tank and did a very low pressure test with soap and found the soldered fitting leaking where the fuel line connects. Had to take it to a radiator shop and have the tank cleaned and soldered. Cost me an extra $60. They say they test the tanks before shipping, but something sure failed with mine. Might warrant a test prior to installation.
Note: If there is one pit in a cherry pie, I will get it.
Nyles

Seems you aren't the only one with a case of the pits. My last Spectra tank (manufactured in Canada) leaked at the bottom seam.

[DKheld]

Think these cars look terrific in the Platinum Metallic - glad to hear you will be going back with the original color. Will you be staying with the black top also? (hopefully).

Probably want to consider the reproduction Kelsey Hayes wires too. That would be a stunning combo (IMHO).

Thanks for posting the pics.

Eric

ps - I'll be buying an extra lottery ticket in hopes of winning so that if the car goes up for sale you'll have a buyer very quickly -

[jhenry]

Think these cars look terrific in the Platinum Metallic - glad to hear you will be going back with the original color. Will you be staying with the black top also? (hopefully).

Probably want to consider the reproduction Kelsey Hayes wires too. That would be a stunning combo (IMHO).

Thanks for posting the pics.

Eric

Yes, I'll be sticking with a black top to compliment the black interior. I'm pretty sure that's how the car came from the factory, but since the ROT sheet is missing I have no way to verify.

The car came with NOS Ford sunray wheel covers and center dress-up kits (still in the Ford boxes!) so I'll be going that route to keep the car concours correct. Unfortunately KH wires were not available in '60 so they would be assessed a point deduction. I had real KH wires on the '62 convertible I sold last fall and I agree that they really make the car!

[jhenry]

I'll be buying an extra lottery ticket in hopes of winning so that if the car goes up for sale you'll have a buyer very quickly -

Ha! Good luck and let me know if you win!!!

[jhenry]

Interior tear down is into its second week. The power windows are out and I'm into the dash and wiring. The car is slowly revealing its secrets! There were numerous wiring modifications made over the years, including the addition of some extra under dash courtesy lights. Also, this car had an aftermarket trailer hitch and some taillight wiring splices. All this will have to be removed and the wiring restored to its original state.

[jhenry]

I'm down to the dash panel! Any clue as to how it comes out? The shop manual does not mention the location of the dash to cowl mounting bolts and I have yet to locate them!

[YellowRose]

1960 Convertible Restoration

Jerry, look in the Technical Resource Library (TRL), the link to which is always part of my and John ~ jopizz's signature element. You will find information there regarding the Squarebirds dashpads...

[jhenry]

Found it Ray! Thanks for the heads-up. It's amazing the amount of useful info contained in the library!

[YellowRose]

1960 Convertible Restoration

Great! Yes, thanks to our fellow Forum users, we have been able to develop a pretty extensive TRL! I hope it will help you with the job at hand.

[jhenry]

Success! It took a while to locate the screws holding the dash to the cowl. There was excess vinyl along the forward edge of the dash pad that concealed the screws located below the windshield gasket. Once the vinyl was trimmed back to gain access to them the final dash removal went pretty smoothly.

I had a chance to do a compression test on the engine today. Most cylinders read in the 105 to 115 range which seemed pretty low but uniform. Perhaps this had something to do with the engine not being warmed up enough? It was very cold here today and the engine was only run about 10-15 minutes before the test. (The gas tank ran dry!) The number 8 cylinder did read extremely low at 85 but did come up to 120 after shooting some oil down the cylinder. Looks like at least a set of rings is in her future. Any thoughts?

[simplyconnected]

...Most cylinders read in the 105 to 115 range which seemed pretty low but uniform... ...The number 8 cylinder did read extremely low at 85 but did come up to 120 after shooting some oil down the cylinder...

I used to believe I could re-ring and be done with it. If the cylinder walls are straight, without 'bell-shaped' wear at the top, then a re-ring might work. This only happens with a new-ish block. New rings would flex in that bell, compromising the seal, widening the bell and eventually breaking the ring. In short, the cylinder needs to be true, with a proper crosshatch pattern in both directions.

As with every tired engine, I suggest you shop for a good engine machine shop for your block. Dave

[jhenry]

I used to believe I could re-ring and be done with it. If the cylinder walls are straight, without 'bell-shaped' wear at the top, then a re-ring might work. This only happens with a new-ish block. New rings would flex in that bell, compromising the seal, widening the bell and eventually breaking the ring. In short, the cylinder needs to be true, with a proper crosshatch pattern in both directions.

As with every tired engine, I suggest you shop for a good engine machine shop for your block. Dave

Good point Dave!

[jhenry]

With the interior pretty much gutted, its time to tackle the trunk and top mechanism. Things have gone pretty smoothly so far. I've scheduled the car to be in the body shop during the last week of April, so there is a lot of work to be done in the next 3 weeks. I have kept enough wiring in place so the car can be started and driven onto the lift for engine and tranny removal which should begin within the next 2 weeks.