Ron's Hot Rods

2006 Pace Shadow GT 48' car hauler

2012-02-10T06:32:00.000-07:00

We have decided to sell our 48' Pace Shadow GT car hauler with a 22' living quarters. If anyone out there is interested you can "add a comment" on the blog and we can contact you by telephone or email. The trailer is currently on EBay under trailers "48' trailer car hauler" with description and lots of pictures.

Our next event will be the Good Guys show in Scottsdale AZ in March.

January 2012

2012-02-10T06:24:00.001-07:00

We Started 2012 with the Starliner going to a car show at the Riverside Casino in Laughlin NV for 3 days in January.

Went to Phoenix to deliver the windshield and back window for the 53 Kaiser that will be installed in February and visited the upholstery shop where the headliner, padded dash and package tray are being installed.

The car will go back to Hot Rods by Dean for more assembly then to the glass shop before the upholstery can be finished.

The 50 Ford project is ongoing with the EFI 5.0 Ford Engine mocked up for engine mounts and the body set back in the chassie for body work.

2011 Carshows

2012-01-08T12:28:00.003-07:00

October and November were car show months with the 1951 Ford Chopped 4 door at the Kingman Air & Auto Show Oct 8 & 9 where we received show favorite.

Oct 15th went to a 1st annual charity show with the Starliner and then on November 6th we took to 1960 Ford Starliner to the Mohave County Sheriff's K9 show the fund raises money for the dogs. We won a participation award. This is one of our favorite shows and have attended every year.

November 17-21st we were in Scottsdale Arizona for the Goodguys show with the 1951 Ford and received "Best Shoe Box" award, visited the 53 Kaiser at "Hot Rods by Dean" where it is now being put back together and looks really good. On Monday, we went to a large wholesale upholstery fabric outlet
and picked out the fabric for the interior of the Kaiser. Then on Tuesday drove to Del Mar CA for the Goodguys 1st Annual Del Mar Fall Show November 23rd thru 27th. and received an award of excellence for the 1951. Ron was interviewed by North County Time and the interview ran on Friday, Saturday Morning several people dropped by to tell us they had read the article and wanted to see the car.

We drove home on Monday and I cleaned all the cars, truck and trailer on Tuesday and Wednesday.

We have decided to sell the 48' car hauler with a 22' living quarters so anybody out there interested can post on this blog or see it on E-Bay.

The 1950 Ford 2 Door Project

2011-10-24T09:43:00.001-06:00

I started a new project to keep me busy through the winter months a 1950 Ford 2. Door.I have had 2 1950 2 doors for 18 years; that were purchased in No. California from an auction in Santa Rosa, that ran with a flat head V8 but some of the parts were missing. On the one from San Jose with a flat had 6 that did not run and was hit in the back but all the parts were there.

I pulled the flat head V 8 out of the better of the 2 cars, and the front suspension with the intention of installing the suspension, 9" rear end and 302 V8 that came out the 51 4 dr.

After some investigation and layout I found that there were improvements made in the 1951 frame and the 302 engine hit the front cross member so I decided to use the original 51 frame that came from the 4 dr that had been cut up badly at the front cross member. I could repair and box so I pulled it out of the field where it has sat for 10 years or so and stripped all the parts off it.

The small sand blaster was acquired by trading some parts and worked well in sand blasting the frame on the concrete in front of the shop where I was able to sweep up the sand, run it through a screen and reuse it 3 times.

My neighbor had given me a 3" x 2" x 3/16 wall box tube that I "V" notched and formed to the shape of the front cross member welded it up by clamping it in place and welded into the cross member.

My son-in-law gave me several very nice clean pieces of 8" wide x .090 thick plate that was used in boxing and repairing the front and 3rd cross members. I made patterns out of cardboard then cut the plate on the band saw and ground the edges to fit, the 5 plates for the front and 2 for the back were welded and bent into place with the welds ground for a finished look.

This 2 part epoxy chassis paint came from Summit Racing and 2 coats were applied to the frame.

The front suspension was bolted on and the rack and pinion steering was fit, new brackets made and welded in place.

Update on the Kaiser

2011-10-04T06:58:00.000-06:00

Haven't posted for a while as I have been busy at work.

The Kaiser is slowly going back together,the chrome and polished stainless looks great. We have no plans for car shows until Oct & Nov when we will go to the Kingman Air Show Oct 8 & 9Th The Good Guys in Nov. The 51 is in the July 2011 Good guys Gazette, on page 55 and 144 for the shows at Pleasanton and Del Mar.

There was a 3 month delay in finishing the paint of the Kaiser when additional green paint was ordered to finish the hood, deck lid, and small parts it did not match the existing green on the body and the paint separated, would not stay mixed after it was shaken. Dean contacted PPG to try to resolve the problem and after several other batches of paint was tried using the original paint mixture they could not match the green on the body the paint separated like oil and water and would leave a yellow pool on the painted surface after it had dried. Finally PPG decided that the original paint mix would not work and provided all new green and clear paint hen paid the labor costs to repaint the entire car.

The Kaiser is Painted!

2011-04-26T06:29:00.008-06:00

We went to Hot Rods by Dean in Phoenix last week (4/18/11) to inspect the paint and color on our 1953 Kaiser and were very pleased with both.

It is a bright green with vivid white, the body work looks great.

The frame required new cross members to accommodate the exhaust and to fix the area

that I had cut away to raise the engine and transmission (see post of 2/7/10).

The car will be polished then put back on the frame

it is now on the rotisserie then will be re-assembled.

The 51 at Car Shows

2011-04-11T08:59:00.018-06:00

I made a stained glass rendition of the 51 for our display at the car shows.

We took the 1951 Ford chopped 4 door to the GOod Guys Show in Pleasanton CA March 26 & 27 (indoor show) and received an "Award of Excellence." We arrived on Wednesday evening and I was able to get the car hauler/RV set up before the rain came that lasted until

10am on friday then got the car out of the trailer and into the building before it started raining again. It rained through saturday and on sunday it was partly sunny with scattered showers we got the car back into the trailerin the afternoon without any major clean up.

Attendance was low due to the weather but, we had some friends and family visit with us and to see the car after 6 years in the body shop.

We departed for Del Mar (near San Diego) early Monday morning as the RV lot was first come first serve only and we were afraid that we would not get a spot, but we did, then Tuesday we did some shopping, cleaning & laundry.

On thursday, I had to pull the trailer out, as it was backed into the small space, to get the car out then back the trailer into the space and reconnect it.

The car was lined up in the parking lot along with about 100 other cars then taken to the building 6 at a time.

We got to set up our display and cleaned the car the rest of Thursday, than Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the cars were on display with a large turn out.

Judging was done on Saturday, and we again received an "Award of Excellence" along with

"The Preacher's Pick" who is a member of the Good Guys Staff, and a very supportive person of our car craze. On Sunday, all the award winners were moved out of the building and the winners circle & displayed

all day until 2pm when Karen & I were lined up and went through the tunnels to the awards main stage were each car was run through individually for their award. A very nice show.

It was a long 14 days but we enjoyed the show, cars and people we met. On Monday morning, we got an early start for the 9 hour trip home.

Starliner - 51- Carshows

2011-03-22T06:22:00.015-06:00

We went to Good Guys Scottsdale show March 11,12 & 13 with the Starliner and as usual had a great time. It was a smaller turn out than the November meet with a lot of beautiful cars wincluding a few great Cadiallacs.

On March 17th we took the car hauler and went to Costa Mesa CA and picked up the 41 chopped 4 door. Then I spent the last 3 days polishing, waxing & detailing the car to get it ready for the indoor show at GOod GUys Pleasanton March 26 ^ 27. Then on to Del Mar in San Diego area for the April 1, 2, & 3 show. It will be a busy couple of weeks but the car turned out very good.

Chopped 51 4 door

2011-02-06T10:49:00.014-07:00

The 51 Ford that has been in a shop in Costa Mesa for the last 6 years is finally finished. The car is a chopped 4 door with a whole bunch of other modifications and a 347 CI/440HP Ford Motor.

Last week we visited the car as the front and back glass were finally installed after more than a year in the making. However, by the time we got there the windshield had cracked and must be replaced.

All that is left is front glass, wheel alignment, adjust headlights, charge the A/C system, road test and final polish and cleaning.

The upholstery turned out beautiful. There are more details on the previous post to the blog.

We and the car have been accepted to The Good-Guys indoor shows in Pleasanton, CA March 26 & 27 and Del Mar, CA April 1, 2, &3. The two (2) shows we really wanted to go to were the Grand National Roadster Show and the Sacramento Autorama in January and February but, the glass was not done.

We will be going to the Good-Guys in Scottsdale, AZ Spring Nationals on March 11, 12 & 13. Then the first of May we will go on the Route 66 Fun Run from Seligman to Kingman AZ to Topok.

If you are in the area of any of these events look us up and say Hello. Our cars are recognizable.

Good Guys Scottsdale AZ

2010-12-07T08:51:00.014-07:00

We took the Starliner to the Good guys Scottsdale Southwest Nationals again this year.
We left home on Thursday morning went about 40 miles and stopped just outside of Wikieup and found the cable that connects the trailer to the truck had fallen down and been dragging on the ground, which severed the wires. I did not have any splicing equipment with me so I patch it up by twisting the wires together and taping them up. This took about an hour as we discovered that it had blown out the fuse in the truck and of course I did not know where the fuse panels were, and we had no spare fuses. I made up a jumper to the blown fuse and we were finally back on the road.
Then about 30 miles out of Wickenberg we head a loud pop and the left rear tire on the the trailer came apart. We were at a place on the 2 lane highway that we could not pull over and had to drive on the flat about a 1/2 mile during that time the tread came off beating on the side of the trailer. The place we pulled off was not wide enough to safely change the tire so Karen stood behind the trailer waving the traffic off while I put the spare on. We arrived in Scottsdale 2 1/2 hours behind our scheduled time and were not able to get into the RV lot we wanted, ended up in the one that is a longer walk to the show. We dropped the trailer and went to Costco for our supplies and got back to set the trailer up, put things away, fix dinner and have a cocktail after a very long day.

Friday was much better day. I unloaded the Starliner, drove over to the registration tent to check in, then to the polo field where the car show is held. After cleaning the car I ask the people next to me to watch the car and walked back to the trailer, picked up the shredded tire and took it to a tire shop for replacement. They were very busy and 3 hours later I returned to the show to find that the BBQ vendor up the hill smoke and grease had splattered all over the car so I moved the car cleaned it up and had enough time to walk around a little bit.

Friday afternoon we drove the Starliner to Hot Rods By Dean for a kick off BBQ, visited the Kaiser and met a lot of nice people

Kaiser

Saturday Karen went in with me to set the car up and on the way in we got our picture taken by the event photographer... the picture came out great. We walked around for a couple of hours to try and see the vendors that were there and the 2000+ cars.

Sunday the weather went to hell and it was cold and windy and rain was threatening. I parked and cleaned the car, picked up our photograph and walked around the cars that had been selected for awards. At 2 pm the awards had just started when the rain hit and came down cats and dogs for an 1/2 hour. We all stood inside the big tent trying to see the awards that went on during the rain storm.

After the rain stopped I took the car back to the trailer, cleaned it up from the rain and mud, loaded in the trailer then put the new tire on. Karen fixed a good dinner and we got a good nights sleep after patching and covering the roof vent that blew off in the rainstorm.

Monday, we hooked up the trailer went to the dump station and had a nice trip home where nothing went wrong.

All in all even with the problems we had a good time.

S.E.M.A. show 2010

2010-11-08T05:07:00.007-07:00

Arrived in Boulder City NV early Wednesday morning to meet up with a friend who had tickets the the S.E.M.A. show and I went with him as a guest for that day. I had my own ticket for Thursday and Friday as an opinion Leader (program S.E.M.A. where they ask individuals to review and comment on new products presented at the show) to S.E.M.A. show (runs Monday through Friday that the Las Vegas Convention Center).

Wednesday, we parked at the MGM Grand Hotel and got lost trying to find the free shuttle, finally took the monorail to the convention center (HUGE). We spent 6 hours and only covered a third f the manufacturers displays, walked about 10 miles and it was very crowded.

Thursday, I got there early, (7:30 a.m.) and was able to cover a lot more area with less people there, take some good pictures of the huge variety of cars that were there, all manufacturers were on display along with race cars, hot rods, custom cars, vintage cars, there was a lot to see and I walked another 8 miles.

In addition to the S.E.M.A. show there is an AAPEX show at the Sands Convention Center that's equally as big that I went to on Thursday.

On Friday, I went early to review and report on the new products on display. Thank took about 2 hours then turned in my report and received a free t-shirt. I stayed until noon when it started to get crowded again and got the shuttle back to the hotel, checked out and headed home.

If anybody ever gets the chance to go to the S.E.M.A. show its a unique experience.

Bye Bye Suicide Doors

2010-10-08T14:05:00.013-06:00

We had a set back on the 53 Kaiser project that is now at Hot Rods by Dean in Phoenix for final body work fit and paint. The car was ready for paint when we got a call from Dean for a meeting with him.

At the meeting he told us of his concerns regarding the suicide doors that they would not support the door, glass, and upholstery which would cause them to sag.

They could not open correctly and hit the outside lower trim if both doors were opened simultaneously. They hit each other and would damage the paint.

After much discussion, Karen made the decision to go back to stock doors. I called Larry Barker (The Kaiser Guru of Phoenix) and made arrangements to pick up 2 stock rear doors and 2 "B" pillars from him then took them to Dean. When I got home I cut the latch side of door jams out of the parts car (with Latches in tack) 4 door hinges, sandblasted all the parts and took them to Dean. The car had to be rescheduled back to the metal shop where Ron (the metal fabricator) braced the rear doors, replaced the B pillars and door strike assemblies, then fit the stock doors. All this set the completion date back by at least a month.

The 51 Ford

The 51 ford 4 door upholstery work is now 90% complete.

All the suspension, brakes, power steering and engine work is done.

two weeks ago I went to LA loaded the car in an enclosed trailer and took it to MASA Muffler for the exhaust system. Then Last week the exhaust was removed and I delivered it to Specialized Coasting in Hunting Beach. Where it will be ceramic coated and polished.

We picked it up on Wed Oct 7Th when we were in LA and delivered it back to the shop to be reinstalled. We met with Martin on the upholstery that he is doing a great job on.
Hopefully in the next 2 weeks the glass will get done, paint touched up and be ready for pictures that will submitted for entry to the Grand National Roadster show to be held in LA in January 2011.

1947 Hudson

2010-08-10T10:22:00.004-06:00

Our most recent addition to our automotive family is an all original 1947 Hudson Super Six 4 door. It has been in a garage in Southern California for the past 22 years and driven occasionally so is in mostly running condition.

It came with new steel belted radial tires, new brakes including wheel and master cylinders. The original sales slip for 1947 that shows a 1941 Chevy traded in for the Hudson was included in the sale.

The gas tank has been flushed and the radiator and heater core is now at the radiator shop to be refurbished (the radiator required a new core). I have installed new fuel and water hoses, fuel filter, battery cables and ordered an electronic ignition for the distributor as the hold down screw is stripped that keeps the points in adjustment. Once all that is done we will be driving our new baby.

Updates for 51 and Kaiser

2010-07-23T09:37:00.017-06:00

The 51 has made good progress since the last update. The Chassis and suspension are complete with with Air Ride operational, the new hydro boast power brake system (operates from the power steering pump) is complete.

The polished custom made aluminium radiator with electric fan and a/c condenser is installed, wiring, battery with Billet box and engine management computer is done.

The engine has been started with the transmission and running gear tested.

a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kcCoapMd4x0/TEm5xc9jWXI/AAAAAAAAA2I/YTdgpPqwNYs/s1600/002.JPG">

Dash re-installed

Custom radiator installed

Engine running

Hydro boast brake system

Under side of car complete

We have hired an upholstery shop. T3's Custom Interiors, and Martin has built the door panels, package tray, trunk panels, remounted and remodeled the front and back seats

We are waiting for the British broad cloth headliner to come from England and have selected a Mercedes Benz wool carpet that matches the leather from Scotland. All are in the medium tan color with carpet a bit darker.

Next on the agenda the car will be color sanded and polished, the new chrome installed, headliner installed then glass.

The 53 kaiser is well on its way to final paint with the metal work complete, sanding, prime and more sanding now being done.

All the parts, doors, trunk, hood and fenders have been fitted.

We met with the painter a couple of weeks ago and Karen selected the green for the bottom and white for the top.

Next week he should have some painted panels for her review and final selection

Starliner on the Fun Run 2010

2010-07-16T09:48:00.010-06:00

At the show and shine in Kingman Arizona

Hackberry General Store

Cars at Hackberry General Store

Seligman Arizona

In Line Seligman Arizona waiting for the Angel Wave Off

Ron with his 1st place award for best custom!!

The Fun Run was held May 1st and 2nd starting in Seligman as it does every year and then driving on old Route 66 through Peach Springs, Truxton, Valentine, Hackberry and onto Kingman on Saturday. This year we were ale to stop at Hackberry and browse the merchandise, look at the antiques, and listen to the rock and roll band. We arrived in Kingman around noon and parked in old town. After cleaning the Starliner
for the show and shine we walked through old town looking at all the shops. We always meet and talk with new people that like the starliner and its old school modifications.

On Sunday, we drove to Kingman, Cool Springs, Oatman (a ghost/tourist town) and finished at Golden Shores on the Colorado river where the show and shine awards are given out. This year the Starliner won the best custom award and we were thrilled.
While I won the award and was attending the ceremony someone stole the spinner off the right front wheel. The spinner is a "Cruiser wire by Kragar" with a gold dragon in the black center medallion that is very rare and over 30 years old. After spending the next day driving over the route looking for it my wife was able to find a replica on eBay that was in bad shape but I was able to clean it up and use it on the back right wheel.

If you are in or around the Kingman area first weekend in May 2011 be sure to attend the great event.

GoodGuys Car Show (Scottsdale)

2010-05-26T10:43:00.009-06:00

Last November (2009) we loaded the Starliner into the new car hauler and went to the Good Guys Southwest Nationals in Scottsdale Arizona. The show was held at west world that has an RV area with hookups that can accommodate our 48' trailer which is a concern as the truck and trailer are 65' long making it difficult to go into regular RV parks. We spent 3 days there with the dogs and were very please with our trailer.

We did not win anything but, enjoyed the event very much with around 2000 cars to look at and a large vendor area.

In March 2010 we went again to the 1st Spring get together at West World and again enjoyed it very much. This time we visited several hot rod builders hoping to find one that would finish and paint the Kaiser.

After some deliberation we selected Hot Rods by Dean who took an interest in the Kaiser and provided an estimate with a build time of 4 months. So the following week we loaded up the Kaiser and delivered her to Dean see Hotrodsbydean.com

First thing on the agenda was to fix the rear suicide door hinges that flexed and fit all 4 doors. They discovered the door latches were badly worn, removed them and delivered them to a new found Friend Larry Barker who has a lot of Kaisers and parts "the Kaiser Store" and Larry repaired 3 of the latches and replaced one. You can find Larry's store at The Kaiser store
he is located in Peoria Arizona next to Phoenix.

On May 1st and 2nd we will be taking the Starliner on the annual "Route 66 Fun Run" from Seligman to Kingman and then onto to Golden Shores with her new tires installed last week.

The Kaiser Runs

2010-03-28T08:56:00.015-06:00

1.

A new radiator was made by "CUSTOM ALUMINUM RADIATORS" in Kingman AZ that incorporated the a/c condenser and the electric fan and required 8" of clearance in front of the Engine. The gravel pan was cut back with bottom mount brackets fabricated and the top side brackets were fitted and bolted to the radiator "u" support.

2.

The front fender brace required a serious remodel (see picture 1 for original form) job by cutting 3" out of the middle and turning the top up in front of the radiator. The bottom brackets and latch supports were cut back and notched for clearance.

3.

Stainless Steel flex hose was used that could be formed to odd shapes and lengths by changing from a top and bottom tank to side tank cross flow radiator.

4.

I picked up the rebuilt instrument cluster from Red Line Gauges and installed all the sending units, put in gas, oil, transmission fluid and power steering fluid then tried to bleed the brakes but could not get the pedal to pump up.

5.

I made a power bleeder out of a hose with an air fitting and attached it to the top of the remote brake fluid container then attached an air pressure regulator to it adjusted to 10 lbs. I worked great and I bled the brake several times but still no pedal. After a lot of research on the Internet and phone calls to brake system vendors, I concluded that the pivot point of the pedal was wrong and extended the bottom of the brake pedal arm 2" that temporarily solved the problem. Later, when the body comes off for paint, I will remove the pedal assembly and change the pivot point.

6.

I purchased a head pipe kit for a mustang and modified it to get the exhaust down and out of the engine compartment and installed the oxygen senors.

7.

I had to use tape to attach the mass air flow sensor until I can find the correct coupling. When I tried to start the engine the fuel pump fuse blew two times and I had to connect the pump, that is in the gas tank, to a jumper wire with a larger fuse in it and after running the pump for a couple of minutes and making sure the fuel was returning to the tank the fuse in the control panel held and the engine fired up. The timing was set and the engine fan for 20 minutes bringing the temperature up to 190 degrees at which point the top radiator hose blew off the intake manifold and made a hell of a mess.

8.

The next day after a lot of clean up and double clamping the hose connections the car ran and I backed it out of the shop and drove it around the yard.

9.

10.

Getting the Kaiser running (Part II)

2010-02-16T10:27:00.021-07:00

Wiring the car was next on my list, the engine is complete with no wiring harness to connect to the computer and I made the decision to use the harness from the 302 that was in the 51 - 4 door rather than buy an aftermarket wiring systems for $550.00.

The EFI that was in the 51 is out of a 91 Ford Crown Victoria where the air intake and throttle body are on the driver side, the 302 HO engine and EFI are out of a 91 Mustang where the air intake and throttle body are on the passenger side. So the harness was taken apart by removing the tape, tie wraps, and some of the heat shrink, then laid out on the Kaiser engine with the connectors plugged into the sensors, where some were on left side of the manifold and now on the right, and to make sure the exhaust oxygen and transmissions speed sensor connectors would reach. All the wires were long enough except the mass air flow sensor that had to be lengthened then the harness was re taped with heat shrink put back where it could fit.

A hole was cut in the fire wall large enough for the 20 pin connector and relays to fit through with the EFI computer mounted on the back of the fuse panel plate (between the fire wall and mounting plate) and the fuse panel, relays 12V to 6V power unit and starter relay on the front.

A complete wiring systems was purchased from Ron Francis, that included the head light switch, dimmer switch, 12V to 6V unit, pre-wired fuse panel with all necessary relays and flasher. The wiring inside the car was run and connected while any wires that had to be pulled back inside when the body is removed for paint were coiled up and tagged. The Air Ride system and battery were installed in the trunk with the positive cable, air ride harness, rear light, audio and other wire running along and through he drive line tunnel (the wire way was shown in the last posting).

The instrument cluster/speedometer has been sent to the Red Line Gauge for rebuilding and to convert the amp meter to a volt meter

so the wires are pulled out at the cluster location. All other switches are installed with the original wiper switch and motor connected to the 12V to 6V unit. The Air Ride controller opening was cut in the center console then the console was reassembled and installed along with the Vintage Air A/C unit, controls and air duct hoses then wired using plug in connectors (where necessary) to allow the center console removal later.

I added terminal strips, one in the trunk and 3 under the dash for the multiple wire connections necessary for interior lights, door switches, ground connections, radiator fan power and controls.

I disconnected the starter cable, taped off all unconnected power and ignition wires then connected the battery and tested the wiring including firing up the Air Ride System and programming its computer for the ride height (3) settings.

The only major problem that occurred is an air leak that I couldn't find and had to have my wife come out and listen (she has very good hearing) for the leak. Turned out to be in the air compression where an O ring was not installed properly by the manufacturer.

Getting the Kaiser Running (part 1)

2010-02-07T08:16:00.009-07:00

[or how long will my wife not post?]

I decided to get the Kaiser running before paint, upholstery and glass. First step was to finished the suspension; purchase the components from Ride Tech to finish the Air Ride System, including computer, control panel, 5 gal. tank, valve block, compressor, wiring harness, airline and fittings.

All the components are trunk mounted on a 1/4" aluminum panel with a lip and a second panel for the tank.

Both panels were mounted under the package shelf with the lip to be used for the upholstered panel that will be mounted to hide the Air Ride components. The air lines are run through the boxed frame and come up thru the trunk floor using rubber grommets in the holes.

The battery is also mounted in the trunk with the negative cable running thru the frame to the starter bolt and the positive cable runs with other wiring along the drive line tunnel (the wire way is part of the '66 T-Bird floor boards and center console).
The front suspension is a Mustang 2 from Fat Man Fabrication and I had lowered the rack & pinion 1 1/2 inches to clear the engine. While I was adjusting the "toe in" the tie rod ends were close to the end of the threaded shaft and steering shaft angled up 2" from the rack to the steering arm at the wheel.

I e-mailed pictures and a description to Fat Man Fabrication and received an answer that the geometry of the front end would be off and cause steering problems. I moved the engine up a 1 1/2" by making spacers out of 1 1/2 square tubing and in doing so the bell housing hit the fire wall, the tail shaft and the drive shaft hit the x-member of the frame so the engine had to be moved forward 2" to clear the fire wall and the top of the x-member was cut off for clearance. I will repair the frame when the body comes off for paint. In moving the engine forward the shifter brackets, fuel lines, transmission mount and radiator location and mount had to be changed.

The toe-in and camber was adjusted close enough to get the car to the alignment shop then the sway bar was installed upside down to clear the air bags with fabricated spacers under the frame and at the attachment to the lower control arm.

I never imagined that a simple 1 1/2 inch move of one component would cause so many problems, so don't mess with a pre-engineered system.

Update news on the Edsel, 51 Ford, and Starliner

2009-06-28T08:33:00.024-06:00

The second week of June we took a trip to Northern California to see family and friends. While there we were going to pick up a 60 Edsel 2 door as the parts donor car for the 60 Edsel Station Wagon.

We stayed with my son in Sonoma County and I visited my friend Fred, who I got the Kaisers, T-Birds and Edsel from. Karen spent time with her daughter and new grand baby. Fred and I had a great couple of days preparing and loading:

the edsel sedan and spent one day trying our luck at buried treasure using Fred's metal detectors at Bodgea Bay.

I spent one day visiting an old friend (who has some failing health problems) I had not seen in over 10 years at Clearlake. We reminisced about hot rod days and friends in the 50's and 60's. We talk about his current 100 mph plus twin hull boat with 2 superchargers and his 7.45 ET chevy drag car

Karen and I went and visited our friends Dave and Carol in Healdsburg. Dave has a collection of 20 (+/-)Ford, Dodge, and GM Trucks and a few 60's/70's V12 Jags. Then we went to lunch in Geyserville. I forgot to take pictures so don't have any to share.

On Tuesday morning, we departed Nor-Cal and I drove to Costa Mesa in So-Cal to visit the 51 4 dr dragging the Edsel along. The chassis is painted gloss black and the new engine with lots of polished aluminum is beautiful, finish paint and flames on the body, are gorgeous. The car body is scheduled to go back on the frame this week when the trunk floor pan and rear wheel wells will be welded back in, then plumbing, and wiring will follow.

When I got home I pressured washed the edsel and cleaned the inside, where the floor pans had started to rust, then inventoried all the parts I need for the station wagon.

On Saturday June 20th I drove the Starliner to Prescott for the Yavapai Classic Cruiser Car Show. The weather was in the low 80s but breezy and very windy on the way home. The show was very good this with lots of very good modified and original cars.

[59 chevy rear appearing with a 57 chevy front is actually a Corvette]

The 53 Kaiser is coming along slowly but surely with fuel and brake plumbing complete and workin on the air ride system. The bottom and inside of the body has the finish paint and I am working on the final fit of the center consel and metal around the back seat.

Flipping for Fenderz May 18th Car Show

2009-06-08T15:32:00.011-06:00

On Saturday (May 18Th) we took the Starliner to a Fund Raiser Car show in Kingman AZ to benefit the "All Starz Kidz" a dancing and tumbling academy for young girls. The event is called "flipping for Fenderz Car Show and all the judging is done by the gymnasts and dancers, and some of their picks for awards were unique to say the least

The Starliner was in the customs category but was not flashy enough for the girls and they picked a 40 Ford 2 door that was candy apple purple with red, orange, and yellow flames.

There was a good turn out, about 100 cars, trucks, t-buckets, and motorcycles. We had a good time visiting with people we have met at other shows and watching the All Star Kidz dancing show.

Its a short run for the Starliner, about a 60 mile round trip and the show runs from 10 am to 2 pm so we did not have to sit through a long drawn out affair. The DJ played good 50's and 60's music and we enjoyed our day with our special car.

Fun Run 2009

2009-05-07T09:19:00.010-06:00

This was the fourth year we took the Starliner on the "fun Run" on Route 66 from Seligman to Topock.

There is a Friday night cruise and barbecue in Seligman but, we did our normal Saturday morning run from the house (East on I40) to Seligman 43 miles, for the 10:00am start. Then west on Route 66 through Peach Springs, Truxton, Valentine, Hackberry, Valle Vista to Kingman that is another 60 miles and takes us around 2 hours with the stops along the way.

In Kingman old town 2 of the main streets are closed for all the Fun Run cars to park for a Show and Shine car show, with lots of vendors and live bands. A lot of people recognized the Starliner and stopped by for a visit and we enjoy all the other cars.

On Sunday morning we go from Kingman to Golden shores through Goldenrod and Oatman for the awards then out to Topock and back east on I40 to home that is 150 mile day. The Starliner ran great and we had a wonderful time. If anyone is int he Kingman area the first weekend of May I would recommend going to the fun run.

This vehicle is in honor of the service men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There were over 800 cars participating with 16 people from France, 1 from Germany, and Several from UK, and Canada.

51 Ford Up Date

2009-02-10T08:27:00.015-07:00

The engine from the 51 on the last post didn't sell on EBay and is still available. It is a good complete engine for a project car.

I was in L.A. last week and visited the 51 4 door in Costa Mesa. Progress is slow, the glass is taking a lot of time to move the glass channels, make new brackets, remount the electric window motors and make a custom piece of glass for each door due to the chop and the elimination of the wing window.

the rear wheel and trunk area were cut away to make room for the "C" notch

Rear end and new rear suspension, but the new sheet metal can not be welded in until the body is back on the frame. The Frame is finished and waiting for the new custom made rear sway bar to arrive. Then the paint can be finished, the engine installed, brakes, plumbing, and the steering can be finished.

The engine is being put back together after the head, manifolds and accessories were sent out for chrome and polish.

New engine for the 51 Ford 4 door project is a 347 small block Ford based on a 302 with SCAT crank & rods, SRP pistons, 11:1 compression, main girdle, comp cams hydraulic roller, with extreme series lifters, comp cams S.S. roller rockers & stud girdles, chrome molly push rods and polished Victor Jr. heads.

The EFI is TWM intake manifold independent runner 8V throttle body, Webber engine management system & computer. Custom distributor with combination crank & cam sensor & remote coil packs.

A Billet Specialities serpentine belt system with polished accessories is on the front.

FORD 302 C.I. - EFI ENGINE FOR SALE

2009-01-07T08:50:00.010-07:00

Update on the 51 Ford 4 door project. The car has received a new engine due the many modifications to the body and frame. Thus we are putting up for sale the original re-built engine for this car ((we need a fresh burst of money to budget)). Any of you know of someone interested in a good engine to dress up their ride or for one their street rod projects please pass this along or email us, Thanks. Ron

FOR SALE
FORD 302 C.I. - EFI with accessories

Not included (but shown in the first 4 pictures) are: bell housing, transmission and shifter, flex plate, torque converter, headers, starter, throttle and kick down cables, transmission dip stick and the chrome pan has been replaced with a painted pan.

This 302 C.I has been completely rebuilt bored 30 over, crank turned and polished 10 and 10, new pistons, reconditioned rods, Hi Performance oil pump, balanced, rebuilt heads with new valves, springs, push rods and lifters. The Pro Stock ELGIN #951 P CAM is a mild street performance with a good low end torque, a K & N air filter is included.

The EFI fuel injection, computer and ignition are from a 1991 302 that was sent to Street & Performance for polish and chrome, Flow tested with a stand alone wiring harness provided.

The front accessories include 1991 Ford serpentine belt, pulleys and brackets that are polished/chrome with a new polished Sanden A/C compressor, chrome 100 AMP alternator, polished power steering pump, polished Flow Kooler water pump, Lokar ss (stainless steel) dipstick, polished front timing case cover and ss flex-a-lite fan. The valve covers are polished Ford Motor Sport and the distributor base is polished.

The picture of the motor on the engine stand shows the engine with the accessories removed, ready to be transported and with the painted pan.

The engine is currently in Costa Mesa and could be moved to Kingman AZ if that location is better for pick up. We are asking $5,500.00 and the engine is listed on Ebay under vendor name kvaustin. Again, thanks Ron

Cruise to Hackberry on 66

2008-12-06T10:21:00.005-07:00

Each year on the Route 66 Fun Run we are unable to stop at Hackberry General Store because the Starliner is too low ad the store is too crowded with no level parking available. So last Sunday, was a nice sunny day and we had just traded in 4 vehicles for a new F-250 Ford diesel truck and a Lincoln MKX SUV Crossover and decided to take the MKX out for a cruise.

We traveled over Hackberry Rd (15 miles of dirt) from I 40 to Route 66 then west to Hackberry General Store that is a step back in item. We were the only visitors so we Had a chance to visit with the owner and his dog who talks to you when prompted.

The store is full of memorabilia, photos, antiques, and lots of stuff. The owners corvette is parked in front with other old cars, trucks and equipment scattered around the old buildings. The garage in back has old engines, test equipment, parts books, old tools, jacks and other items (too many to list).

There is a picnic area next to a fish pond, tree swing and benches under shade trees. We enjoyed the visit and wandered around the old stuff. So if you are in Kingman Area plan a stop at Hackberry. That is also accessible from Kingman or Seligman on Route 66 hwy. There is also some information youtube.

Kingman Street Drags

2008-09-25T13:35:00.015-06:00

Last weekend Kingman Arizona held its annual street drags in old town on Historic Route 66. Beale Street was barricaded off, grand stands set-up and a timing system with christmas tree lights set-up at the starting line. The event is sponsored by Napa Racing, Snap-on Tools and many local businesses and the City of Kingman. The Mayor, Sheriff of Mohave County and the Chief of Police all raced. Major drove an altered coupe with a blown big block in it and the Sheriff and Chief of Police drag raced each other in new Hemi Powered Chryslers prepared by the local dealer. Two Kingman Motorcycle Cops raced their police bikes with lights and sirens going.

I had my picture taken with "Miss Wings and Wheels" Queen Kimmie. Route 66 Wings and Wheels Inc. puts on this event and other fund raising events with the goal of building a multi-faceted motor sports facility in Kingman.

All types of vehicles were run in different classes, truck, sport compact, pure street, hot rod, pro street, motorcycle/quad and unlimited class. The unlimited and pro street were the most exciting with an alcohol dragster, funny car, a bunch of altered cars and some really nice pro street cars along with the hot rods and burn out contest it was a great weekend for drag racing and the weather co-operated with temperatures in the 80's and a light breeze.

There was media coverage with Fox Sport Network TV, Speed Scene TV and dozens of magazines, local radio stations covering the event. You can get more information at www.route66wingsandwheels.com or www.kingmanstreetdrags.com.

A couple of friends drove up from LA for Saturday and my wife went to her first drag race with me on Sunday. We all had a great time.

Starliner Rod Run

2008-08-13T06:19:00.012-06:00

Took the Starliner out for a Rod Run to Prescott Watson Lake Car Show and Swap Meet August 2nd. Last year it rained before the event making the grass parking area soggy and I couldn't not take the car off the paved vendor area. This year it was dry before the show, but rained (real hard) at 2:30 that afternoon and I barely got the car off the grass.

Then had 2" of water on the roadway in a down pour with no windshield wipers and hydroplaning going on. It stopped raining (hard) by the time I got to Chino Valley, where I got gas, then had only showers to contend with on the 100 mi. plus trip home. Other than the thunder storm and 1 full day of car cleaning it was a good show with a lot of nice cars and swap meet vendors to visit.

The 51 4 door chassis is coming along with the front clip,

C-notch, triangulation

4 link, rear end

and new rear cross member in place. The body was put back on the frame with the doors, fenders and hood to make sure everything still fit after welding on the frame

There are a few fit issues with the bottom of the doors and rockers that will be fixed on the final assembly. Now, the body comes off, the frame gets painted, stainless brake and fuel lines get installed. The engine goes in for the final assembly.

I picked up the Bronc engine from the machine shop and now finishing up the assembly and installation of the engine. Hope to get it running this week.

Have not had a chance to work on the Edsel but did work on the A/C unit installation under the dash of the Kaiser.

Chasis Modifcations for the 51

2008-07-12T06:27:00.013-06:00

After taking the engine and all the parts for the 51 to L.A. we decided to upgrade the suspension to Air Ride and took the body off the frame to make it easier to make the modifications.

We had two options:
1. To just put Air Ride with 4-link in the back and bags to replace the coil springs in the front, and remount the shocks.
2. To take the car down another 4" so the frame would be at 1" off the ground at shows.

We went with the "the Slammed Look" that requires "C" notch in the frame at the rear axle. New rear cross members to allow the rear air bags to go up through the floor and one to connect the front of the new long 4 link bar that had to be custom fabricated.

The floor pan was cut out from the tail shaft of the transmission to the trunk and a new one will be fabricated with a deep drive line tunnel and taller wheel tubs. The 9" Currie rear end has the 4 link and "shock wave" air bag brackets welded on, a custom aluminium center cover, a Detroit Locker and Wilwood disc brakes added.

The front of the car will receive a frame clip with Mustang 2 EFI upper and lower stainless steel A arms, Shock Wave air bags and Wilwood disc brakes. The rack and pinion steering and motor mounts must also be redone to accommodate the new front clip.

Once all of that is done the frame will be powder coated, the bottom of the car painted then stainless steel brake fuel, and vacuum (to power brake unit) lines will installed.

The end result will be a computer controlled suspensions system from Air Ride Technology with their shock wave air bag/shock units that will have 3 height settings. Set the frame of the ground, at ride height (about 3" of clearance) and setting 3 will raise the car to clear speed bumps and steep drive ways.

Skid plates will be added to the bottom of the frame so that if there is ever an air bag failure the suspending components will not hit the ground and the wheels will still roll making the car safer.

I did make a trip to Northern California to pick up the original Edsel frame, bumpers, missing grill parts, hood and some missing stainless trim pieces. I had a good visit with my friend Fred and he gave me an original Edsel service manual that will help in putting this car back together.

When I got the frame home I stripped it, ground all the welds and slag to get it ready to either sand blast or dip it.

We took the Starliner to a car show in Prescott on June 14Th. The new radiator work very good, the engine ran at a max of 190 degrees and we were able to run the A/C system. It was a good show with lots of nice cars and good weather.

Finally, I was reading the June 2008 issue of Drive magazine and found my picture in an advertisement for the Sunchaser Tools School for body work that I attended last November. So if you get a chance go to www.sunchasertools.com and look for me, the center person in the class of November 2007 with my 1950 Ford front fender.

Starliner - Kaiser - Edsel

2008-06-10T06:42:00.010-06:00

Took the Starliner to a Car show in Kingman on May 17th. The show was a fund raiser for the All Starz Tumbling and Dance Kidz.

The Girls did all the judging by giving points on a scale from 1 to 10 for each car.

The Starliner got a 2nd place trophy in the modified class and we had a good time.

On the way home that afternoon the car ran hot, about 220 degrees, and we could not run the A/C. The next day I replaced the 190 degrees thermostat with a 160 degrees and check the antifreeze to water ration then drove into town and it still ran hot. I was in Kingman at a Custom Aluminum radiator shop to talk to them about the Kaiser radiator and discussion lead to talking about The Starliner running hot. The owner told me he could make a radiator with the proper "puller' style electric fan on it to clear the serpentine belt drive system. I pulled the existing copper core radiator and the 3 electric fans out, moved the condenser as far forward as possible and remounted it separately from the radiator. That left 7 1/2" of space for the new unit. I then made a cardboard template of the space and took it and the old radiator to the custom shop. They built the new unit in a week.

It took a couple of day's to get it to fit in the car correctly and also required me to move the turn signal lights that are behind the grill to a different location.

It looks good and ran at 190 degrees on a test run. The real test will be the run to Prescott.

Had a little time to work on the Kaiser, to bolt the bracket, pumps, pulleys and fan on the front of the engine to determine how much room is left for the radiator that will have to be moved forward 2" but will still fit the front gravel pan and front supports.

The power steering pump hit the lower front of the inner fender and a pocket had to be fabricated to clear it

I worked on the floor pans of the Edsel that had been replaced over the old rusted out pans by cutting the old pans out from the bottom of the car and then re welding and grinding the welds to make it presentable

The 85 Bronco that I hauled home in May turned out to be a lot more work than anticipated. I started by going through the Fuel system checking the fuel pumps (2), filter and injectors. The 302 EFI engine would turn over and try to start but would not run so over a period of 4 weeks I have replaced the injectors, plugs, wires, control module, computer, fuel pressure regulator had the upper plenum and value covers off twice.

Checked the wring, firing order, timing, several times and after $400.00 it still would not run. I was so frustrated that I pulled the engine out and sent the block and heads to the machine shop for rebuild. I finished cleaning parts and the engine compartment yesterday but the engine will not be ready for a couple of weeks. If some one offers a free car BEWARE there is a reason.

Last Thursday, June 5th I took the engine and all the miscellaneous parts for a the 51 4 door to L.A. so the car can finally be put back together. The paint is beautiful but still a lot of work to do.

Next weekend we will go to Prescott for a car show the with the Starliner.

Then at the end of the month I am planning a trip to Northern California to pick up the Edsel Frame.

New Project Car EDSEL 1960 Station Wagon

2008-05-16T07:43:00.015-06:00

Went to Northern California a few weeks ago (just before the Fun Run)to pick up the new project car... a 1960 Edsel Villager Station Wagon. There were only 216 made and less than 75 survivors.

My friend Fred had started to restore the car 4 years ago, and never got back to it. The front floor pans have been replaced and a little rust on the bottom of the doors, the rest of the body looks solid. We were able to find about 80% of the parts so I will bring home a 60 Edsel for parts and a model of how the car should be put together.

I will also pick up the original frame so all the numbers match, then put the donor engine and transmission in it as the original engine had water in it and was not rebuildable.

The Edsel is third in line behind the 51 Ford and the 53 Kaiser.

I had time to work of the Kaiser putting all the major body parts back on checking for fit and clearance with the modified parts. The only problem I found is that one of the hood hinges is badly worn and will have to be rebuilt or replaced. Also, the power steering pump hits the battery shelf.

I finished the shifter installation by cutting an opening in the transmission hump and bolting the B&M Mustang shifter base to it, then cut a small hole in the console to locate the handle making the hole larger as necessary.

The console is not as high, from the top of the transmission hump to the console as a stock Mustang so I had to fabricate a spacer to mount the top shifter plate and boot to.

a stock Ford Mustang shifter cable was purchased from Rock Auto that bolted to the rear of the AOD transmission. The transmission I have is out of a column shift car with the selector arm pointing up and the Mustang shift cable is for a console shift that requires the selector arm to point down.

I taped a piece of cardboard to the side of the transmission and marked each shift point location of the cable on it.

Then fabricated a bracket that bolts to the existing arm and extended about 3" below the pivot point with several holes drilled in it about 1/2" a part. By shifting the transmission by hand from under the car I marked the arch of the new shift bracket and selected the hole that came closest to the shift points of the cable. Then I welded closed the unused holes, trimmed down the bracket and made a shoulder pin to bolt the cable to the bracket. It shifts very good.

The radiator will be checked out and designed next as it looks like it will have to be moved forward to clear the engine.

Starliner on Fun Run

2008-05-06T07:15:00.024-06:00

Saturday morning we left the house and drove the Starliner 45 miles east on I-40 to Seligman AZ, arriving at 9:00 a.m.

and lined up with the other cars along the main street getting ready for the 10:00 a.m. start of the Fun Run.

Famous landmark "ROADKILL CAFE"

Angel waving us off on the start (If you watched "Cars" the movie and watched the interviews at the end you will see Angel).

From Seligman we went west on Historical Route 66 stopping at the Grand Canyon Caverns where Ron went on the 1 hour tour while Karen read a book and looked after the car (she is a mite bit claustrophobic). The tour was very good, you walk about 3/4 of a mile up and down stairs and inclines temp. was 56 degrees. Lots of exercise and very interesting.

From the caverns we continued west thru Peach Springs, a Hualapai Indian Reservation, where they set up food, and goods, arts and native dances. Then on thru Truxton and Valentine (Where Keeper of the Wild are located).

We had planned on stopping at Hackberry General Store (build around 1926) but as usual it was crowded with no good place to park the Starliner with its 3"of ground clearance, so on thru Valla Vista and to Kingman.

Old town Kingman with 2 main streets are closed off for the Run Run Cars only along with street vendors for food and merchendise. All the businesses are open also for visitors. There is lots of activities, music, cars to look and and the Show and Shine.

We left Kingman around 5 p.m. and got home at 6 pm we had traveled 220 miles the first day.

Sunday, we drove to Kingman and continued west on Route 66 pst Cool Springs, a 1926 restored Mobile Station, and onto Oatman. That is a former goldmining town that dates back to 1902 where burros roam the streets looking for handouts. There is old west gunfights int he streets and most of the shops and hotel were built in the 1920

On the way into Oatman we passed some gold mines that have been re-opened then got stuck in a line of traffic in the middle of main street while the gunfight was acted out.

But again this year, as in the previous 2 years there was no good parking for the Starliner so we took a few pictures and drove on to Golden Shores.

A Few Burros

Finish line in Golden Shores. There is food, beverages, A DJ Playing 50's and 60's music, raffels, 50/50 drawing the Golden Shore library selling books, and a bake sale.

Finally the awards for the cars were presented. The Starliner won the Best Custom Award and we were thrilled as there were over 800 cars on the run.

It was another 200 miles on Sunday so the Starliner had a good run and we had a great time.

Project Cars

2008-04-16T06:23:00.014-06:00

The Kaiser body is back on the frame and I have started to fit the front fenders. The front inner fenders had to be cut at the bottom front to clear the new sub frame and the splash panel guards that fit around the new upper A arms had to be remade.

We made a trip to Northern California for business, visit family and friends during the first week of April. I took my car trailer to pick up a 85 Ford Bronco that was left on my son's property for 5 years and while I was there I hauled off 5 other cars that he wanted to be gone. When I tried to load the Bronco it was too wide for my trailer so I had to borrow my friends Fred's trailer.

Fred is currently wrecking out his field of 1959 to 1966 T-Birds and some of his Edsels, anyone that wants any of these cars or any parts can contact:

Fred at beaelectsf@aol.com or call him at (415)203-2809. Fred also has some finished cars for sale. If you have any questions please call him.

I will bring home a 1960 Edsel Villager Station Wagon that Fred started to restore and never got back to. There were less than 150 of these cars made.

When I got the Bronco home I serviced it and tried to get it running and found after a lot of time and testing the fuel injectors were clogged from sitting for the last 5 years. I have brought a set of re manufactured injectors from an E-Bay vendor and am awaiting their arrival.

The rear window did not work and the tail gate was rusted out at the bottom. I welded in 3 patch panels to fix the rust and found a bad limit switch in the tail gate had to be fixed for the rear window to work. My neighbor came by and will buy the Bronco when the work is done.

I need to make room for my new project cars, The Edsel and a 1964 T-Bird convertible from Fred, so I will sell my 3 1966 T-Birds, 2 1950 Ford 2 door sedans, 1 1951 Ford club coupe and a 1963 Ford F-100 pick up truck (these are all project cars with one of the 66 T-Birds and the 63 Truck that run). Anyone interested can leave a message on my blog spot and I will return your email.

Turquoise 1966 T-Bird runs and Registered (clean title)

1950 Ford 2 door sedan complete with title has a flathead V-8

Reddish car (closest to camera) is a 1950 2 door with title flathead 6 Body needs help. Back car is a 1951 club coupe no engine, no transmission, good body, with title.

2 1966 T-Birds 1 a parts car and 1 a restorable car no titles bill of sale only

1963 Ford F-100 pick up truck One family owners (my Dad's truck) good body, runs, good tires, clear title

I will be a little busy over the next 3 months between going on rod runs with the Starliner, going to Northern California to pick up cars, going to LA to work on the chopped 51 4 door and keeping the Kaiser project moving forward.

Kaiser e-brake problems and solutions

2008-03-28T09:48:00.018-06:00

The stainless steel brake and fuel line are complete with the components purchased from Summit Racing and the new flaring tool from the Eastwood Company. I had trouble with selecting the correct AN type hose ends and adaptors that go to the double flare line fittings so I sent for a Russell Catalogue that gave a good description and picture of each fitting. Once the correct adaptors I needed arrived the lines were quickly finished.
The remote fill brake lines for the master cylinder and the brake vacuum booster line will be installed when the body is back on the frame. The engine has been painted with the new intake manifold and pan installed.
The new torque converter did not fit the re-built AOD Transmission so I took them to LA last week to Tim Deal Transmission who found that a AODE instead of an AOD Torque converter had been supplied.

We visited the 1951 Ford 4-door while in LA to see the final paint work that is now being done. The flames look beautiful. Next the pin stripping and clear coat will be done. Hopefully, I will be able to take the engine, transmission, and all the other parts to LA around mid-April to put the car back together.

When I got back home the replacement torque converter arrived on Monday, it slipped right in the transmission and I put the engine together and installed the Hi-torque starter that is adjustable and can be rotated to achieve the best clearance to the headers, frame and other components. The engine was installed and measurements taken for the drive shaft. AZ DRIVELINE in Kingman Arizona built the new drive shaft in one day.

I put the body back on the completed frame only to discover the new fuel filter hit the bottom of the rear recessed floor pan so off it came to be relocated after more fittings are ordered.

Next the relocated e-brake hit the inner feder and had to be re-relocated with new mounts and the exit for the cable in a different location in the firewall. After moving the e-brake and handle I installed the new Lokar Cables to the rear brakes routing them under the frame and along the X-member and connected the old hand brake cable. It did not work as there is not enough leverage to pull the brake calipers. So I will take it apart and build a bell crank bar assembly similar to the stock Kaiser but in a different location.

I did receive the new B & M hammer shifter but not the Ford shifter cable, when it arrives I will tackle that job.

The car is coming along nicely, the wheels, suspension, engine and drive train clearances are good.

When all the obvious problems are fixed the rest of the body will be assembled to make sure it all fits and I can lay out and plan the radiator.

I selected the best of the three gauge clusters I have and set up a test bench to find a sending unit that would work with the original 6 volt gauge. Several water temp. senders were tried by setting them in a coffee can of water with a manual temp. gauge also in the can and then heated (with a propane torch) to 180 degrees. Tried the 12 volt senders connected original gauge with a battery charge used as a 6 volt or 12 volt power supply until the proper one was found.

The oil pressure was done using jury rigged manifold with an air regulator and a manual air pressure gauge connected. The sending unit was connected to the original gauge and three different senders tested, none worked so I connected different resistors in series with the sender that was the closest until the right combination was found to make the gauge work.

The gas gauge sender is from an early Ford that was recommended by one of the Kaiser Club Members and available form Dennis Carpenter Co.

Build the Center Console

2008-03-04T08:05:00.009-07:00

The priming of the miscellaneous parts for the Kaiser went well as the weather was nice and I was able to paint outside. I used PPG self etching epoxy primer DPLF
and prepared the bare metal with "metal Prep" a 50/50 mixture with water then wiped the area down with a 50/50 mixture of PPG Dx330 wax and grease remover and lacquer thinner cleaning a 2' x2' area at a time as recommended, so as not to let the metal prep dry. I had 2 quarts of paint that make 1 gal. using the epoxy part 2 additive, and ran out of paint before I could get to the inside of the body, that turned out to be a good thing because I had to complete the center console, weld in studs to fasten the A/C system, electrical panels, emergency brake and hood latch.

The 66 T-Bird console is 9" too short for the Kaiser interior so an extension piece was hand formed and welded to the back of the console to extend it to the back seat. Filler plates were cut, fit and welded into place in the top front of the console where the T-Bird seat, window, A/C controls & door locks used to be so I would have a clean new surface to mount the new shifter and controls. The bottom front of the console had to be reformed and new pieces welded in to make it wider to fit the transmission tunnel as it was moved forward from stock T-Bird position to fit in under the Kaiser dash. The first attempt to make the riser from the console to the dash failed as I did not like the dash panel that I built to take the place of the radio, but I did like the lower panel with hand formed caps at the bottom where the T-Bird chrome trim pieces ended. So I cut the top panel off and reformed the riser to bolt onto the bottom of the radio cover plate. The lower trim pieces that ran the length of the console where the carpet meets the bottom of the console had to be reformed and made longer to match the new location.

We had originally planned a GPS/CD Player/Am-Fm radio unit to go into the riser panel but after researching the size and cost and giving consideration on how much we would use it we decided to go with a good stereo AM-FM radio system. Custom Auto sound built the radio and a 2 channel front speaker that fits the original Kaiser location and radio cover purchased thru their dealer Soundmove.com 800) 901-0222

The loqwer panel will now have the A/C vent outlets, A/C controls panel, Air Ride Control panel and window switchs in it with the new B & M Hammer shifter going in the flat part of the console.

Vintage Air provided a mockup A/C unit, at $50.00 that is refundable with the purchase of the permanent unit. I tried to fit the GEN II Super under the dash but there is not enough room so we will have to use the mini unit.

Studs were welded to the inside of the firewall for an electric panel mounting plate and new brackets were fabricated and installed for the relocated E-brake handle and hood latch. While I am waiting for the smaller A/C mock up unit and shifter to arriver I will install the new stainless steel brake and fuel plumbing lines on the from that was purchased from Summit Racing.

Body Filler Work or Put it on- take it off

2008-02-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Body filler is a lot of work, time consuming and has a steep learning curve. You have to learn how to mix it, how thick to apply it, how to sand it and what tools to use.

I have 3 sanding boards, 2 flexible and 1 rigid, 1 curved sanding block for inside radius and a power (air) sander. The sand paper is 40, 80, 120, 150, and 220 grit. Two different fillers were used a fiber glass filler mix (Duraglass) and a light wieght filler (Evercoat).

I applied the Duraglass as the base coat then the light weight filler (easier to sand) as the top coat and always got it too thick which takes a lot of sanding to get it to the right thickness.

Using the power sander first with 40 grit to knock it down and fairly even then changing to 80 grit, then 150 and finally 220 grit. You need a good mixing surface such as a plastic board or I used an old piece of glass and spreaders of different sizes.
If you are doing a whole car be prepared for a lot of very messy and dusty work. Please remember to wear a respirator.

Here are a couple of pictures of the Kaiser one in the field that I dragged it out of and one on the trailer when I brought it home. The next three pictures are today after a lot of work.

Next I will re clean all the bear metal parts and paint them with epoxy primer.

A Good Start for the New Year

2008-01-24T10:43:00.001-07:00

Walker Auto Pride did not have a 1953 rear gravel pan but did have a 1951 that fit the body line but was longer and the ends had to be cut off with new return flanges welded in place.

To make the new patch panels for under the tail lights I cut a 6" x 4" piece of 20 gauge and bent a 1 1/2" flange, using two pieces of angle iron in my vice, then cut notches in the flange that would allow me to bend, fit, and clamp it to the gravel pan and spot welded the notches to hold the form. Next I cut it to fit between the seams under the tail light and rear trunk panel, held it in place on the car then started forming the curve using the new forming head and body hammer.

After several passes of tapping the piece over the forming head it took the curved shape on one end that came close to the shape under the tail light then I continued hammering and shaping the piece until it was close along the top (bottom was already fit to tail pan). I tack welded one end in place, after some final trimming then worked it along the top with the hammer and dolly tack welding and trimming as I went. The welding was finished using the skip and let cool method to avoid warping. Then 80 grit flapper disc on the 4 1/2" grinder cleaned up the welding nicely.

The car was rotated on the Rotisserie for access to the rusted out trunk floor pan under the tail lights, new pieces made and welded in place including a new flange that connects the trunk floor pan to the new body panel. I cleaned up the bottom of the car and painted it with POR-15 base coat then a black top coat

The body was removed from the frame and put back onto the rotisserie while the frame was taken to Allcoat in Kingman to be powder coated.

I spent some time on fitting and patching the dash center console and the rear sheet metal under the rear window and made new 2" x 2" support frame under the body that attached it to the rotisserie.

It only took 3 days for the frame to be powder coated with semi-gloss black and I picked it up on my car trailer on Monday.

I then spent the next 3 days doing the final assembly of the rebuilt 9" Ford rear end with 4 link suspension and Airride, front Mustang Two suspension with Airride, power rack and pinion steering and power disc brakes onto the front and rear. Also, installed the custom made brake pedal, power booster and master cylinder assemblies. The re-furbished and powder coated gas tank was installed and the new wheel vintiques rims and tires put on. I made pipe sleeves that fit over the shocks front and rear to support the car at ride height until the Airride System is completed.

When the assembled frame was set on the floor it turned out just as planned with 5" of ground clearance and lowered 7" from stock.

Next it is back on the body work and getting it primed and painted.

P.S. Got a comment from MyRideIsMe.com
and it was a pretty cool website if you get a chance please visit.

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

The rocker panel installation took longer than I estimated (as does everything in a project car) as the back up supports and the bottom of all the door pillers were rusted through in several places and needed repair. The replacement rockers did not fit and had to be bent and reshaped by use of 2 2x4's in the vise and a hammer. In trying to keep the original door openings the same I left as much of the old rocker in place at each door post. Then cut the new rocker to fit. The front of the rear wheel opening where it meets the rocker also had to be rebuilt on both sides.

As the door post, rocker and floor pan had extensive work the doors needed to be refit. The rear door's required new shims and some oversize mounting bolt hole on the suicide hinges, the front doors required the stock hinges to be bent to adjust the rear of the door down as I couldnt use shims on the top hinge as it would push the door to far back and hit the center post. This re-fit took 4 days.

All 4 doors had a variety of dents some minor and some major. In some cases I could not reach both sides to use the hammer and dolly (my arms are too short) so I had to drilll holes in the inner door and use a punch and prybar to get the dent pushed out. Then I wedged a dolly inside the door with a block of wood and work the outside of the door with a body manner moving and resupporting the dolly as necessary. Obviously, this took a long time but I was able to get the dents smooth enough to use the shrinking disc to restore the area. There was some old damage that was repaired with lead. In some cases I melted the lead out and fix the dents or hole in a couple of the large areas I left the lead repair in place and used a body file and sanding block to make it smooth.

The fire wall was next and was straightened in a bout 4 hours using a hammer & dolly. In areas I could not reach I sat on the dash and cowel in the windshield opeing and used a 3 lb sledge hammer as the back up dolly with a handle.

I ordered a replacement rear gravel pan and a front inner fender from Fred Walker (Walkers Auto Pride Inc.)in Peyton CO. and a metal forming head from Eastwood Company. As soon as they arrive I will try and form the new panels under the tail lights that are rusted out.

We had a very nice Christmas and new Year. Hope all of you did also.

Seasons Greetings

2007-12-09T08:45:00.001-07:00

The Kaiser body work is coming along slowly, I started with the roof where it had been walked on with 8 dents and scallops and 10 small holes where something had been mounted (maybe a Taxi cab sign). It took about 4 days using the hammer and dolly along with welding the holes (that had been covered up with lead) and the shrinking disc from Sunchaser Tools to get the roof back to original shape. The shrinking disc is fantastic once you learn how to use it properly.

The rear fenders were next with both sides damaged from curbs and other objects that caused long creases along with some severe dents. Most of the damage was not accessible from back due to the inner wheel well. The bottom of the fender at the wheel opening and the bottom of the inner wheel well were badly rusted with very little metal left.

I removed a section of the inner wheel well to gain access to the back side of the fender where I was able to straighten most of the damage with a hammer and dolly. The bottom of the rear door post had been hit and pushed in 1 1/2 inches where a porta-power (Hydraulic ram) was used to push it back out.

It took several days to work the proper curve back into the fenders as the damage caused flat spots and stretched metal, again the shrinking disc worked very well.

I purchased a pair of quarter panel patch kits from Kaiser Bill in Utah "Kaiserbill.com" that fit very well and welded them in per the detailed instructions that came with the kit. The welding caused the panels to be a little warped and this was taken care of with the hammer, dolly and shrinking disc.

Metal was added to the bottom of the inner wheel well sections and welded in place. Before covering up the non-accessible areas (behind the wheel wells, etc.) I coated the bare metal with POR-15 rust preventive coatings.

Next, I will replace the badly damaged and rusted out rocker panels.

The gas tank and brackets were picked up from the powder coating company and look great except the 400 degree curing oven melted some of the solder in the gas tank (solder melts at about 350 degree). I took the gas tank back to Cave Radiator for internal coating to be applied and tested for leaks then was able to clean and polish the streaks of melted solder from the tank.

I wish all who read this blog a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Ron & Karen

Back To School

2007-11-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

Went to Los Angeles on Friday morning Nov. 16th and stopped to visit with Brad Masterson who is openning a custom shop in Lynwood at the same location where George Barris was. He has 4 project cars he is working on that are "old School" style as he worked as an apprentice for George Barris Kustom, Bill Hines and their contemporaries learning customizing the way it was done in the 50's and 60's.

Brad is in the February 2008 Issue of Rod & Custom Magazine page 22. Brad was introduced to me by my friend Fred in Northern California (he supplied the Kaisers and T-Birds). My visit with Brad was to see if he may be interested in doing some of the metal forming and installation of the replacement panels on the Kaiser. I enjoyed meeting Brad and the shop tour.

Then it was off to California Car Cover to pick up parts and a paint store for PPG Metal Prep and finally to the hotel where I would stay for 4 nights while attending
"The Art of Metal Working" School at Sunchaser

Friday afternoon I stopped by the Sunchaser Shop to drop off the damaged fender from one of my 50 Fords that will be my project to straighten, and meet the instructor Ken.

The next 3 days we learned what happens to sheet metal when it is stretched (dented) and how to straighten it back to original form with proper use of the hammer and dolly, shrinking and sanding techniques on 18 and 20 gauge panels supplied by Sunchaser.

At the end of day 2 we set-up our project fenders on wooden jigs and day 3 was spent learning welding, straightening the welded area, and working on our fenders.

I was only able to get about 1/2 the fender straightened that last day. The class received about 30 hours of procedures and instructions in an "hands on" class. I came away from the class with enough basic skills and confidence to start the dent removal from the Kaiser and would recommend this 3 day "hands on' workshop to anyone interested in learning the basics in bodywork and metal working.

Tuesday morning I went to Costa Mesa to visit with my 51 Ford. The body work is completed with final sanding being done and the base color blue will done next Monday. After color sanding the flames will be laid out and painted then color sanded and the clear coat applied.

Fort Mohave Car Show

2007-11-08T06:26:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, November 4th. we took the Starliner to Fort Mohave (about an 81 mile drive) for a fund raiser car show for the Mohave County Sheriff K-9 Unit. There were over 100 cars at the event

Including a 1953 Kaiser Manhattan

With an EFI 302 Engine similar to the Kaiser I am building except this one is mostly stock.

The engine of the 1953 Kaiser Manhattan.

A Beautiful 1949 Merc got Best of Show

And our Starliner won "Sheriff's Pick" that we were thrilled to receive. In my younger days I had been picked by the Sheriff but not for an award.

Have not had much time to work on the Kaiser other than to finish cleaning up the body and all the parts for Priming, I will use the PPG "metal prep" to seal the metal and prevent rust starting while the body work is being completed. The gas tank had the fuel pump flange welded in, and now is at the powder coater. It is scheduled to go back to Cave Radiator for the internal tank coating.

Route 66 Car Show & Run to the Sun Car Show

2007-10-27T05:59:00.000-06:00

Went to the Route 66 Car Show in Seligman Arizona on October 13. The weather had the fall coolness, but warmed up in the afternoon and turned out to be a good day. Met a group of car owners from Big Bear Lake, CA that know my uncle that lives there, small world sometimes.

On Friday Morning October 19,I left for a 2 day show and shine car show and stayed Friday night at London Bridge Resort.

It is a big event with over 1,000 cars in the show & shine and over 100 vendors.

There were only 2 1960 Ford Starliners.

Mine and a restored one from Utah.

Had a good time but it was a long 2 days. Saturday night went to visit with friends that have a vacation house at Lake Havasu and drove home Sunday morning.

Tuesday, I went to pick up the Kaiser body and all its parts from Redi-Strip in Tempe. Most of the parts turned out good but parts of the body, fenders and hood needed to be stripped by hand to finish the paint removal. That took me a day with a grinder and stripping pad. Next, I have to make the panels for the rust out places under the tail lights and around the rear wheel openings, then start priming all the parts with epoxy self etching primer.

I have decided to wait on powder coating the frame until all the body repair is done with the body bolted tot he frame to keep it in alignment.

Main Drag in Seligman

Starliner at the Kingman Air Show

2007-10-09T06:13:00.000-06:00

We took the Starliner to the Kingman Air & Auto Show www.kingmanairshow.com on Saturday and Sunday October 6 & 7 and had a good time. There was a great airshow with aerobatics, war planes, and a jet powered sail plane.
The 1/8 mile drag races had some fast alcohol burning funny cars, roadsters and altered cars along with hot rods and there was about 200 cars in the show & shine.

1929 Ford

53 Chevy

1929 De Soto

57 Ford

1934 Strudebaker

Next Saturday Oct 13Th there is a run to Seligman Route 66, then October 19 - 21 the Starliner will be at Lake Havasu City for the Run to the Sun Car Show www.relicsandrods.com and finally a show in Fort Mohave Nov. 4Th.

The run to Los Angeles and Ramona CA. in September was successful. I picked up some hard to find Kaiser parts at Rudy's KF Parts, dropped off the rear end and picked up brake parts. On September 25th I delivered the Kaiser body, hood, fenders, trunk, doors and misc. body parts to

Redi Strip of Phoenix

for chemical dip to remove all rust, scale and paint and it should be ready for pick up the coming week. Phoenix is a 7 hour round trip from the house.

Then on Friday October 5Th, I made a 10 hour round trip to Los Angeles to pick up the rear end at

Currie Enterprises

it looks great and is completely rebuilt.

I picked the gas tank up from

Cave Radiators

in Kingman after boil out, it come out fairly clean but took a couple of hours with a scraper and wire brush to finish cleaning it after I cut the 7"x7" hole in the top for the new in tank fuel pump. I was also able to straighten all the dents in the bottom of the tank with a hammer and dolly. After welding the new pump flange in place it will go back to Cave for a special gas tank coating, that seals off any remaining rust and scale.

As soon as I get the Kaiser body home I will deliver the frame and all the brackets to the Powder Coater in Kingman. The cost is about the same if I was to paint with self etching epoxy prime and finish coat.

In November I have signed up for a hands on workshop in Pasadena CA to learn dent removal, metal shrinking and heat control of metal. Skills that will be used to straighten the Kaiser body and weld in the rocker panels, and other rusted area's that still remain. Here is the link to the website for the school.
www.sunchasertools.com

Scrape- clean - fit

2007-09-20T08:26:00.001-06:00

href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kcCoapMd4x0/RvKEI9zGkAI/AAAAAAAAAKE/dbGX-M3SZeo/s1600-h/100_0806.jpg">

For those of you who have never seen a 1953 Kaiser here she is front and back.

September 20, 2007
The body of the Kaiser is ready to go to the chemical strippers (Redy Strip in Phoenix) but the rest of the parts still had to be cleaned up, underseal scraped off and fit to the altered body and frame.

The trunk and doors fit ok but the radiator/fender "u" support that bolts to the front cross member had to be altered as the frame of the new front clip is deeper than original and new inner fender splash guard panels around the upper A arms were made. The passenger side front fender support bracket that bolts the top of the fender to the cowl was broken and a new bracket was fabricated and welded in place. The bottom fender bolts on the body were rusted in and broken off and had to be drilled out and tapped for new threads.

The driver side inner fender is so badly rotted out around the battery location and the bottom rear splash pan that it must be replaced. I also inspected all the rest of the parts from the two cars bumper parts and brackets, front chrome, parking and tail lights, door latches and hardware, etc. to determine what must be replaced. I made up a shopping list and contacted Rudy Phillips at Rudy's KF Parts in Ramona CA. he had most of what I need so I will go to California on a parts quest.

While in California I will stop by ABS Power Brakes in Orange to pick up a remote fill master cylinder taht will fit the 7" power brake booster and into the limited space under the floor. I had to return the Wilwood unit as it would not fit onto the power booster. Also, will drop the rear end off at Currie Industries for rebuild, powder coating and installation of the disc brake plates.

In looking at all the parts the two gas tanks I have are both dented on the bottom and badly coated inside. I called Rock Valley Antique Auto Parts the company that made the stainless steel tank for the 51 Ford, but they did not want to tackle the Kaiser tank due to its unusual kidney shape. I decided tohave the best of the two original tanks boiled out at the local radiator shop and purchase the intank fuel pump assembly from Rock valley for EFI (fuel injected engines) that comes on a 7" by 7" mountain plate then after boil out cut the opening int the top of the tank that will allow me to straighten and repair the bottom of the tank. Then the new fuel pump assembly will be installed and the tank powder coated.

Door Hinges Continued

2007-09-14T06:37:00.000-06:00

What a wonderful week. On Saturday evening September 8th went to a charity car show
in Kingman for the Hospice. the show was put on by a local group called the Drifters. Nice set up, lots of nice looking cars, and friendly people. It rained for most of the show which didn't thrill us at all, but in the end we won another plaque for the Starliner

Spent another day on door hinges and latches had to inset the latch pins on the door posts and make shims to make them adjustable as the latch assemblies are not adjustable.

With the engine, dash, and drivers seat bolted back in the car I had Karen sit in the seat and adjusted the new Flaming River Tilt steering Column to its permanent position and check the clearance for the u joints and shaft to the rack & pinion with the exhaust header and motor mount.

I marked the location of the column, removed it then cut, fit and welded new plates in the firewall to accept the new I-Ball floor column mount. After grinding, with a rotary file to make the hole oblong for the column I marked drilled and welded nuts on the inside of the fire wall and installed the floor mount.

With the column bolted in place the steering shaft was measured, cut and installed. It all worked out good with a 1/4" clearance witht he motor mount and minor angle on the u-joints.

Next I cut down the height of the brake pedal as it was too high from the floor board and made the adjustable linkage shaft from the pedal mount to the underfloor power brake unit.

I put the rear seat bottom, that had been altered to fit around the floor board blisters, and bolted the rear seat back into place. They also had to be cut and new frame pieces made to tfit the floor board. The wrap-a-round wing of the seat back stuck out into the door opening too far so I cut and moved the top frame back 6" and changed the angle of the seat frame.
All of the springs and spring supports had to be cut down and reattached. I extended the frame work at the bottom of the seat around the wheel well so the seat cover material could be pulled all the way back and completely cover the bottom sides of the back seat.

Seat Frame modifications took 4 days of work. The engine, steering, seats, doors and dash was removed and I am ready to put the body & frame back on the "auto-twirler" to finish the wheel well blisters for the suicide hingers.

while I was working on the back seat I cut and fitted the T-bird sheet metal that fits around the top & corners of the back seat and package rack area of the back window it also holds the center arm rest.

Starliner out for a run

2007-09-08T08:06:00.001-06:00

We took a break and went to a car show with th e Starliner on 9/1 saturday to the small town of Dolan Springs AZ 50 miles north of Kingman.

Had a good time, met some nice people but did not win anything.

This Truck won the modified division awards.

The car ran good on the 160 mile round trip and we tried out the new A/C system that cooled us down but since the car is not insulated it could not keep the car cool enough. We took our shade canopy this time and Karen did not get sunburned.

There is another car show today (9/8) that we will try to go to in Kingman

Suicide Doors for Kaiser part II

2007-08-30T09:15:00.001-06:00

Hinge before Install was Started

The left side hinge installation was a little easier because I knew what to expect but, still it took 3 tries to get the hinge pin as far back and to the outside of the car as possible. Next, I patched around the hinge openings in the door post and the doors. Finished fabricating and welding of the support plates inside the doors. Rehung and adjusted the doors allowing for the rubber door seals and scuff plates.

The latches turned out to be as challenging as the hinges. First the rear door handles had to be placed so they look right with the front door handles. With the help of my wife holding the handle at different spots we decided to put them level with the front handle and the same distance from the edge of the the door.

I removed the door handle backing plates from the front doors of the parts car, as the front is different from the back and have a bracket on them that hold the handle in place where as the back door the handle bolt is through the sheet metal of the door.

I used the backing plate as a template and cut the handle opening where I found a heavy inner metal liner that ran from the bottom of the door to the window (the old hinge support) and portions of it had to be removed for the new latch and handle location. The window channel was also in the way of installing the latch from the inside of the door. After studying the front door vs. the back door latch and window channel installation (stock) the front door window channels are removable to allow latch removal from the inside and the lock mechanism of the front door is for a rod straight up through the door molding where the back is a bell crank and strap operation.

I cut the latch area at the end of the door out of the front doors of the parts car then cut the end out the back door were the stock hinge use to be and removed the window channel by drilling out the spot welds.

I installed the handle and backing plate in the new location and used it to locate the latch assembly as there is a plunger on the back of the handle, that must press on a lever of the latch to open the door. I tack welded it in place and closed the door for clearance on the post.

After some minor adjustments it was welded in place and a bracket was fabricated and welded to the window channel to make it removable.

I made a cardboard template of the latch pin location, taped it to the post then marked the latch location with the door closed. The post opening had to be cut larger than neccessary because of the old hinge indentation and backing plate.

The template was trimmed down and fitted to the opening. Then the plate was cut out, drilled for mounting bolts and the old captive nut bar and bracket was salvaged and spot welded to the back of the new plate.

It took three tack welds in and grind outs before I got the depth and clearance with the latch right. The inside door handle was simple by using the right on the left and left of the right and shorting the straps that connect to the latch assembly.

I have 140 hours so far in this suicide door installation and still have the blisters to build in the wheel wells plus all the metal finish work before its ready for paint. But, it turned out good and I was able to use all the stock components except the hinges and retain the stock door handles latches and locks.

Suicide Doors for Kaiser

2007-08-20T08:43:00.001-06:00

The suicide door hinges arrived from Electric-life and after several unsuccessful tries at mocking up the rear doors on the car I decided to just cut it and get it over with.

An opening in the rear of the door frame where the latch use to be was cut. When the new hinge was tried in the hole it hit the inside of the wheel well, that also had to be cut.

The mounting plate was trimmed down and fit into the opening then leveled vertically, and horizontally (be sure to set the car up level on stands before starting) and clamped into place. I made templates for the support plates that fit to the door frame on one side and to the inner fender support on the other side, cut and fitted support plates the tack welded it all in place. The hinge was bolted into place keeping it centered in the mounting holes to allow maximum adjustment and double checked that the hinge arm was level in both open and closed position.

A hole was cut in the end of the door then slide the hinge over and into the door opening. With the door & hinge in the permanent position the support plate supplied with the kit was tried in several positions until the most accessible for welding and that gave the most support was found. The trimmed down and bolted to the hinge arm.

Before welding anything I put the glass channel back in the door where it hit the hinge arm and support plate. After more trimming and fitting for clearance of the glass channel, the support plate was tack welded on.

I supported the door and opened it with everything just tack welded and found that it would only open about 75% before hitting the side of the car and the rear vent window point on the rear of the door hit and scrapped on the car when opening and closing.

The directions said to put the hinge pin as close to the outside of the car as possible and I found that I could move the hinge about 3/4" before it hit the inside of the rear fender. After welding the hinge mounting plate and support into place permanently I welded up the bolt holes and drilled and tapped new ones 3/4" to the outside of the car. Also had to cut the mounting plate using a cut off wheel and sawzall.

I re-installed the hinge and door and tried opening it again. The door opened to 90 degree but the vent window point still scrapped. I could not move the hinge any further so to solve this problem I cut off an Inch of the door point and welded it to the body retaining the same line and shape of the door point at the vent window.

After the other door hinge is installed I will tackle the door latches.

MORE LATER ----

Fun Weekend

2007-08-05T09:25:00.001-06:00

First an update on the Kaiser Project

Brake pedal and powerbrake booster unit fabricated to fit under the floor.

Frame on Rotisserie to complete welding and finishing on bottom of frame.

After several weeks with no break. We decided that if the weather permitted we would go to Watson Lake in Prescott Arizona for the 33rd Car Show and Swap Meet.
Well, the weather permitted with warnings of afternoon Thunderstorms. So, off we went.....

Our 1960 Ford Starliner parked on paved ground. We were lucky that the sponsors understood we were too low to go onto the grass (which was soaking wet) as we would sink. They let us park just outside of the area. We didn't get very many votes but, had a great time.

One of the vehicles that we admired greatly was this 1940 Lincoln modified with a 1998 Lincoln interior, engine and running gear. Very handsome and won 2 awards.

Rotisserie

2007-07-29T08:30:00.000-06:00

My wife brought an Auto Rotisserie for the Kaiser Project as it is "Karen's Kaiser." The Picture shows the body mounted on it with the T-Bird floor, Drive Line Tunnel, and Console in place.

This picture shows the car rotated so the bottom can be welded and finished. I had to fabricate new body to frame mounting/support brackets for the front half of the the body as the Kaiser floor sloped upward from the door to the transmission hump at the T-Bird is flat. The Front Bucket seats have been fitted with newly fabricated brackets to move them 6" forward from the T-bird location and rear seat springs and frame had to be modified to fit around the blisters for the four link suspension. There is still some rusty floor pan parts to be replaced but it should be a lot easier with this new cool tool.

Suicide door hinges for the rear door were ordered from Electric Life that will be the next step in this project.

Update on Projects

2007-07-08T09:28:00.001-06:00

We did not make the Rod Run and Car Show in Prescott with the 60 Starliner due to our trip north, but there is another run in August we will try & make.

The 51 Ford is still in LA The new glass has been made, body work is complete, the trunk build out is now being done and an

Air Ride System

has been ordered that should arrive this week.

The aqua blue 66 T-Bird runs, the only part I had to buy was an alternator so I upgraded it to a 1 wire while I was at it. Still need to fix A/C System (frozen A/C compressor), vacuum controls (door locks, e brake release, etc.) & Rub out the paint. I have leaned a lot about the 66 T-Birds that will be helpful when I restore the blue bird.

The 1953 Kaiser is coming along with the 66 T-Bird floor pan, console and seats being installed. I had to cut down the X member of the frame 2" to accommodate the dropped floor pan in front of the rear seat.

Now that the floor pan and drive line tunnel fit the frame I will pre-fit it to the body before I put it back on the frame by jacking it up under the body and cut and trim as necessary.

Sad News From Northern California

2007-06-22T07:05:00.000-06:00

We have been in Northern California since last friday. My beloved oldest grandson died on Sunday June 11th. Services will be held Saturday June 23, 2007 at the Hessel Church 11 a.m.

I will post about cars when we get home again.

Ron

Awards !!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-06-11T13:34:00.001-06:00

Got a wonderful surprise in the mail today.

When we did the Route 66 Fun Run (May 5-6)in Kingman we won an award for best custom from

Roth Metal Flake

The last few weekends we have gone to "Whataburger" in Kingman Arizona for the Saturday night get together. This last Saturday we went to the Powerhouse in Kingman for the 6th annual car show. Got to meet lots of new people, and see some really great cars. This Saturday we are going to Prescott for another car show. We drive Route 40 and get lots of waves and horn honking in acknowledgement of the car.

Finished welding the floor boards (T-Bird) in Kaiser. Started in the back and will work forward. the 1966 T-Bird (Blue) runs good and I am waiting for a new Alternator before I take it out on the Highway.

Update on T-Birds

2007-05-31T08:38:00.000-06:00

New [Old] T-Bird 66
Now I have 3 66 (3windows) T-Birds. Spent 4 days getting the blue one running.
This one has A/C, power vent windows, and power seats. Hopefully, it will be a driver.

Started on the Kaiser -T-Bird floor pan installation. Picture shows the T-Bird floorpan in Kaiser before cutting.

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-05-23T08:16:00.000-06:00

Went to visit old friends and family. Friday, spent the day with an old high school friend. He collects old trucks and Jags. Had absolutely wonderful time visiting and he wanted to catch up with a really old time friend I hadn't seen for over 40 years.

40 Ford One Ton Truck

196? Jaguar with v 12

1949 -50 Ford 1 1/2 ton flatbed

194? 1 1/2 ton Military support vehicle for Chuck Yaeger when he broke the sound barrier.

Off we went to visit Fred Stokes and his world largest Oil Can Collection (over 7,000 cans). He has a car show each year and you can visit a photo album of 2006 and 2007 shows

Mr. F. Stokes oil can collection considered to be the largest in the world.

1932 Roadster with a stroker small block chevy.

32 Roadster with a super charged Hemi in it.

Spent Saturday helping one of my sons put a motor in his bronco while Karen visited with her daughter and went shopping. Finding clothes here in Kingman for a six foot tall wife isn't fun. Much easier in Sonoma County.

Petaluma Hot Rod Swap Meet Sunday

My Friends Edsel

When I was visiting my friend he showed me a series of books by Lorin Sorenson regarding Fords vehicles. So imagine my surprise when I meet him Sunday at the Petaluma Hot Rod Swap Meet and brought an autographed book on the 49-50 Fords. Anyone interested in Fords should have the series
Monday, was the "magic" day. Picked another 66 TBird (3 windows) from the "field of birds" [anyone interested in a tbird from my friend leave us a message with email address and we will forward it for you.

Newest TBird

Tuesday, we overslept and got a late start for the drive home (left at 4:30 am instead of 3:30 am) hit traffic, long drive got even longer when left the Boron rest stop and 2 miles later hit backed up trafffic jam 1 1/2 hours later finally able to move. Stopped for gas at exit 9 and headed home the last 100 miles whens ome guy began flashing lights etc to pull us over. Ron figured something was wrong with the trailer and stopped. It turned out guy wanted to sell us another Tbird. So, sometime this week or next will take a look at it. We got home at 6:15 p.m. very long day.

We have a new computer arriving. Wife warns me that we could be off line for a long time. So Hi how are you and see you soon

DARN......Double Darn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-05-10T07:41:00.000-06:00

Went on the Fun Run Saturday and it was a blast driving from Seligman to Kingman Arizona. Next morning when I warmed up the car for Sunday run from Kingman to Topak, thru Oatman there was no reverse, so we had to take a different car.
Monday, I pulled the transmission and Tuesday took it to
TIM DEAL TRANSMISSIONS in Huntington Beach, CA. (714)848 5504. He found the shifting plunger located in the valve body, had slipped out of the shift lever. The shift linkage is worn and a little sloppy in the car and when put in Park it traveled past the position and allowed the plunger to slip out of the shift lever fork. Tim found nothing else wrong and put the tranny back together so I would not have to make a 2nd run to LA. I made a bracket to limit the travel of the shifter arm and tightened up the linkage.

While in LA I visited the 51. The doors are being fitted to the body and glass is being made. As soon as the fitting and glass retainer work is done it will get painted.
Put the Starliner back together Wednesday.

Ready, Set, GO!!! Route 66 Fun Run Friday May4th

2007-05-02T13:25:00.000-06:00

New Engine is In

2007-04-26T16:23:00.000-06:00

New Engine is in but............. we have an oil leak and a water leak. Have to pull the intake manifold. Still trying to make the May 5-6 deadline for Route 66 Fun Run.
The 1 -16" pusher fan won't cool the engine have to add fans. Looked at Spal Fans
but theirs is too thick at 4" deep. Will try to use the flex-a-lite 2 5/8" low profile fan Or I might buy 2 12" 2 1/4" deep fans.

Update and pictures for Starliner

2007-04-21T07:15:00.000-06:00

Here it is on the Simtester!

Magician John working away on the engine

Will be getting the engine back on Monday for the Starliner and should be able to get it running by end of week which is just in time as the Route 66 Fun Run is May 5th.

Photos of 50's Hemi Engine

2007-04-16T07:55:00.000-06:00

Found the pictures of the engine in the 50. Thought you would enjoy seeing the home made log manifold.

The Story of the 51 Ford

2007-04-14T13:36:00.000-06:00

My first car was a 1950 Ford Custom 2 Door Sedan that was Pea Green. My Uncle helped me buy it in Los Angeles in 1956 where I had dual pipe with glass pack mufflers put on and the front coil springs cut to drop the front before I drove it back to the San Francisco Bay Area. I joined a Hot Rod club and got interested in drag racing and in 1957 I installed a 1957 DeSoto fire dome V8 Hemi engine with four Stromberg 97 2 Barrel carb on a home made log manifold, a roller tappet cam, a cadallic LaSalle transmission and an Olds rear end. The car turned in the high 90's/ low 100's and ran in B gas. Eventually, the car was sold in 1961 after marriage, children, and trying to save for a house. In 1994, (43 years later) I had a 1985 Ford Mustang Gt and started attending weekend Rod runs, poker runs and went to the Goodguy's show in Pleaston Ca. where I saw some nice 50's and 51 Fords. So, I bought over the next year 2 1950 2 door sedans, 1 -55 club coup w/no engine or transmission, 1- 51 2 door in pieces, and 1 -51 4 door with a 302 engine and C4 automatic transmission. The plan was to drive the 51 4 door and build one of the 50 2 doors. But, when I started working on the 51 the engine installation was really bad, the wiring was burned up and the exhaust was poorly done in flex pipe. The gas line were "hanging hose" and bailing wire not to mention the stock worn out suspension.

The 390 is still at the machine shop

2007-04-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

In the meantime I brought the wrecked T-Bird home, left it on the trailer and removed the center console, drive line tunnel and rear seat area of the floor pans then took it to the auto selvedge yard.

Return from Road Trip

2007-04-03T10:02:00.000-06:00

Field of Birds Not too Good to cut up

Trip North to pick up a 390 block out of one of the many Thunderbirds at my friends place [if you are interested in one of his birds please email Fred his address is beaelectsf@aol.com ]. Also, picked up a wrecked 66 T-Bird to cut up for the Kaiser project.

ROAD TRIP FOR RON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-04-01T11:50:00.000-06:00

Ron took the re-built FE engine to LA along with the 1966 T-Bird block for evaluation. Got a phone call from John (see blog link on side bar)saying that the block was questionalbe so ROAD TRIP to Northern California for another 390 FE Motor.

Meanwhile, Ron Decided the 1966 T-Brid he brought home to cut up was in too good of condition. So, while in Northern California he is picking up another 1966 wrecked T-Bird to cut up for the drive line tunnel for the Kaiser.

Next week or so Ron is going to start the story of the 1951 Ford four door he has been working on for 13 years. Busy scanning older picture before digital cameras to post to blog.

YUCK!!!

2007-03-27T07:28:00.000-06:00

Pulled the engine from the 1966 Thunderbird for a replacement block for the Starliner. Needless to say YUCK. It did not look to hopeful when I started, water had got into the oil and engine rotted from the top down. As I pulled it apart and got rid of the rusty top end the block itself didn't look too bad. The water in the pan had raised the oil level to the bottom of the crank and prevented the block from rusting on the lower end. Will clean it up today and look for cracks.

Oh SHIT !!!

2007-03-25T08:31:00.000-06:00

New Engine installed. Looks Great, started right up , runs & sounded good.

Now the BAD NEWS discovered water leaking between engine and transmission couldn't find any leaks, from top or any obvious
sources. Pulled inspection cover from the bell housing to confirm that the water was coming from the back of the block. Decided to pull transmission, torque converter, bellhousing, and fly wheel, discovered a crack on the back of the block just above the center of the crank.

Will pull engine out of the Starliner and tomorrow pull the engine out of the 1966 T-Bird that I brought home. Picture in an earlier post.

Crack outlined with chalk totally unexpected!

The Crack of Doom is marked in Black.

1960 Starliner Information

2007-03-21T06:46:00.000-06:00

Does anyone out there know any history on this Starliner, body work, paint, etc.?

We brought the car in 2006 in Northern California from a friend who purchased it from party in the Los Angeles area. That person stated that he had purchased the car from a collection in the San Diego area.

We believe that it was customized in the late 70's early 80's in the Midwest. Possibly in Michigan as the radiator has a plaque on it from Kalamazoo Mi where it was re-cored. The pin striping is signed "MN Kid" The car has been driven a lot after getting lowered and customized as evidence by the under carriage, wear on paint, upholstery, and engine.

Any Information would be appreciated.

Update and progress report

2007-03-20T07:49:00.000-06:00

The missing water pump bypass fitting that presses into the front of the new Edlebrock intake manifold has not shown up in the mail so I can not install the water pump and new belt system. As luck would have it I found that the surge tank that bolts to the intake manifold had been re-assembled backwards at the radiator shop that rebuilt it so I returned it yesterday to get it fixed.

The car is so low that I can not get it on the hoist at the muffler shop so I decided to use the existing exhaust system. I was able to carefully grind the welds on the header pipes with a 4" cut off wheel and remove them from the exhaust pipe. After some clean up and cutting off the 2 bolt flanges I was able to rotate and fit the head pipes to the new 3 bolt flange and collector. I tack welded and removed them for final welding and now have a complete exhaust system.

Hope the bypass fitting arrives today.

New Project Brought Home from No. California

2007-03-17T10:54:00.001-06:00

The Starline new engine project is waiting for parts to arrive and the fix for the new header clearance. Brake lines are relocated, throttle kick down linkage, electric fan and hoses for the new A/C system are complete. still have to make up new power steering hoses after the new pump and remote reservoir are installed.

So while waiting for parts I picked up a 1966 Thunderbird from a friend in No. California for yet another project.

The Kaiser project is on hold until the Starliner is back on the road for the Route 66 Fun Run Seligman to Oatman on the weekend of May 4-6th 2007.

390 in Starliner

2007-03-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

Picture is the rebuilt 1964 390 now in the 1960 Ford Starliner. the 64's are slightly different than the 60's engine and transmissions.

Problems encountered:

64 Transmission shifter and kick down arms are different than the 60's. Had to fabricate a slide bar on the 60 linkage for the shift down lever and shorten the shifting linkage.
The new Sanderson headers hit the front cross members on the drivers side had to shim up the motor 5/8" to gain clearance.
New headers hit brake lines had to fabricate new brackets and re bend brake lines

You can see in picture there is a new after market damper on the engine as the original damper will not accept the new pulleys. These are the pulleys from the serpentine belt system.

4. The Serpentine belt system doesn't allow the use of stock fan. An electric fan had to be mounted on grill side of radiator as the pulley system took all the room between radiator and front of engine.

Power booster brackets

2007-03-07T06:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon received my parts from Southern Hot Rod Parts http://www.southernrods.com for the 1953 Kaiser. Received my power booster. So, I have to fabricate brackets for the power booster and master cylinder.

I have also received parts from http://www.summitracing.com I really like the service and quality of items from Summit Racing.

Next week going to No. California to pick up a old junker t-bird. I am going to use the interior bucket seats, wrap around rear seat, and console in the 1953 Kaiser.

Have and good Wednesday

Engine ready to go

2007-03-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

On the hoist and ready to lower into the Starliner

The Headers look really nice and polished. Learned something new .... don't use stainless steel bolts for the header. The engine heat changes their molecular structure and causes them to loosen and the headers then leak. Sent wife into town for the black goop (real technical term) [ Permtex Silicone Seal used in place of gaskets] to use on the headers. More parts arrived today for the Kaiser. So, that project will start moving forward soon.

New pictures of current project

2007-03-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.billetspecialities.comBillet Specialites serpentine belt system and new Sanderson Headers. Only problem is the crank shaft pulley is 3/16" too large for the crank shaft damper.

This is the old 352 engine removed from the 1960 Starliner, which is now ready for new engine drop in, included in new engine bay will be a new A/C system.

Got the motor!

2007-03-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

The motor in the 1960 Starliner when I bought it was a 352 Ford. Very tired motor. Last year when we did the Route 66 run from Seligman to Kingman and then to Oatman she had a difficult time. The body shop that is working on the 1951 recommended a shop in Costa Mesa. The motor being rebuilt is a 390 Ford from a 1965 Thunderbird. We got a dvd with the engine testing being done. Picked up the motor this week and am getting ready to install.

1960 Ford Starliner Modified and Customized

2007-03-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

In the spring of 2006, realizing that the 1951 Ford four door would not be ready for the Route 66 run I purchased this 1960 Ford Starliner from a friend. Spent the spring doing several car shows (even won an award in Prescott Az.). This year the 1951 still won't be ready for shows, so I am in the process of replacing the motor, carpets, and other asundry items. I am also trying to locate the orginal modifier and custom pin striper (MN Kid). I will be posting the parts, and work as it progresses.