50 Ford Test Drive     The 1950 Ford 2 door went for its first test drive on Monday 8/5/13 after a year and a half of working on it.   To get it on the road new rear wheels had to be purchased as the stock wheels would not fit over the disc break calipers so I pulled a wheel off the Kaiser, that has the same rear break set up, and the wheel cleared the brakes but had the wrong back spacing. After taking a few measurements I was able to find the "smoothie" 15" wheels by Wheels Vinitiques from Summit Racing.    Next the exhaust system had to be installed and I selected the 2 1/4" do-it yourself exhaust kit for rodders from Summit along with a pair of there mufflers and SS tips.    To make small bends I made a pipe bender out of my hi press with blocks of wood and a left over round mandrel. The kit had enough bends to make any configuration I needed like this offset to get around the power break u...

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 fin...