Been over a week since my last post, but man have I been busy. We celebrated my wife's 40th birthday, I have been packing up boxes in the house and the garage like a Tazmanian Devil because we close on the house on Wednesday the 24th, and oh yeh - I am trying to get this ol' 55 moving on her own before we haul freight here.

Of course Father's day is also coming up and I shipped off a nice little load of antique truck toys and some cards to my father down in NC, I am sure he will like them. My family gave me my gift early - a new creeper. My son was so excited he talked the rest of them into it. So, Ethan came out to the shop and decided to assemble it for me. Nothing like working with "Lug Nut Junior"! He helped me quite a bit this week - bleeding the brakes, putting on the finishing touches, etc. He even dropped a wrench on his head while under the Y block.

 

Long story short, the son and I pulled her out of the garage under her own Y block power yesterday with loads of success... no leaks, no trouble, and we had a lot of fun together in the midst of the moving melee. I will have to record video when we pull her out again on Monday to load it up for the trip to Loveland, Ohio.

Earlier this week we bled the brakes and tightened down some of the fittings that were dripping... I thought I had them all cinched down but there were a couple of leaks where they needed a quarter turn or so.

I did wire it up just for a "hotwire" with the original switch and keys, a "batt" line/"start" line/"ign" line so that we can just hook up a battery to a relay and off we go. You can see my zip ties in the photos here. I would have liked to have had the Rebel Wire harness in and ready but I ran out of time (along with other things I wanted to do).

 

I don't know about you, but I like using the uninsulated wire terminals, crimping, and then using the heat shrink tubing to seal it off. The box above is a custom kit that I put together and then organized the ends in a lure box from a big box store. 

 

Don't start working on dash parts unless you have that little tool above. It is a must when taking off the collars and chrome fittings for your dash switches!

 

 

 

I did get the "3 on the tree" all figured out and at a stand still the shifter will put the transmission in all gears. I did use some nylon washers to tighten things up a bit but you can tell by looking at the push rod that when the clutch pedal is depressed the clutch fork gets too close for comfort with the narrow rod that is actuating the lever on the transmission. I lengthened the push rod by cutting the rod in two pieces, welding a sleeve to one side, inserting a 3/8" stud in the center, and then welding the other side to the sleeve. A very solid piece indeed. As you can see though I did not need too much room, only about 1/2" to get the actuation I needed.

After hooking up some conduit to the radiator frame and the first exhaust bolt on either side I placed a starter relay on the radiator frame and got the battery secured to the car frame. The plumbing for the fuel was pretty straightforward but my son and I had a hoot trying to the fill the transmission case. I guess I need to get one of those drill operated pumps or something. We ended up running a hose from above the firewall to the main case and emptying a few quarts in there. Then we went to the tailshaft where the overdrive is located and I ended up using a small squirt bottle. It held more than I thought it would back there.

Most of the linkage work was temporary. especially the steering column tube. That collar that attaches the tube to the dash was pretty tight. I think next time I am going to cut it in half, that should work better.

 

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

It has been quite some time since I have uploaded any photos to this blog about the 55 Ford Club Sedan front end refresh but we have been swamped with this move. It took 3 U-Haul Trucks. First trip was a 17 footer, the next trip was a 26 footer, a 20 footer, a two dolly, and of course a trailer. (I now own stock in U-Haul ) What a mess.

Here are a few photos of loading up and the actual trip out to Loveland, Ohio from Winchester, Virginia.









We made good time and everything traveled well... pretty much uneventful. The big event was actually the week before we left when I loaded up the truck that had all the parts and tools. I had decided to load up my son's basketball goal. That sucker was filled with sand at the base and very heavy. So, I decided to take it apart to load it in sections. After beating on it for 30 minutes I finally got it apart and got it loaded. It just so happens however that I forgot to restrap my tool box that I had to get into. I only the drove the truck in the driveway for about 60 feet, but that was all it took - you guessed it. The thing went careening out the back end and onto the pavement. DESTRUCTO box now. No, there are no pictures, I was not in the mood. I guess the heat had gotten to me that day.

When we showed up in Loveland at the house, (Loveland is right next to Milford) I could not find both of the wheels to the basketball goal. I felt like backing over it with the truck since that crazy thing had been the cause of so much grief. Oh well, the trip was good and everyone is safe and sound. Tool carts I can replace - people I can't.

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

I have moved into a nice development called Ashton Woods. The kids and the wife like it - I personally don't care for it. Everyone is right on top of each other, no room for anything, etc. That crazy basketball goal even got egged early this week. There is a nice pond just behind the house though that we have already been fishing at and it lays pretty nice. We are renting for now and are going to spend some time looking around the area at different properties.






The big deal - I now have less than HALF the space I had in the old Y block skunkworks out in Capon Bridge, WV, where we lived. The garage had ONLY ONE OUTLET and then only two light bulb fixtures. We fixed that pretty quickly. No subpanel in there, no wiring for a compressor, etc. I am lost. I had to rent a 10x10 storage unit in Milford to hold the extra parts and what have you.





There is a large, dry basement though and you can imagine how much I have stored away down there.

If you have any tips on storage solutions and space-saving ideas - let me hear them!

On a different note, I am putting a youtube video of the 55 rolling out under its own power on the trailer. Once I have it loaded up I will post a link. I have not run it in 2nd or 3rd, but of course the thing was only wired and plumbed to be loaded on the trailer and go into the garage under its own power. I am kind of thinking though that we have a binding problem with the extended clutch push rod. I wanted to go with a floor shift anyway.

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

I feel for you Daniel. I know just what you are going through. How does U Haul put it?... "An Adventure In Moving"! These major "life events" always set you back on the projects you have started no matter how well you try to plan. One storage/ organizing solution that has worked for me in the past when I have moved is to use the mobile metal storage shelving you can buy at COSTCO. They are VERY strong and you can set the shelve height on the legs wherever you want. I have several of the 6' tall units with 5 or 6 shelves on each that I store project parts on. Since they roll around, you can move them fully loaded. I have 2 sets for the coupe, 1 for the Ranch Wagon and a couple of the lower ones for my Customline and the Harleys. I hope your transition goes as smoothly as possible. 
Rono

  Ron Lane,  Meridian, ID

Since you are renting I guess an ramp access to the basement is out of the question. I'm glad I've made my last move. It would take me weeks to clear out my garage and the metal scrap guy would be dancing. But what would I do with all the "spares" for the Vicky? Doors from Texas are way too good to let go. You never know when I might have a problem driving among-st these Yankee's. The extra engine parts, somebody might need them. AND there is no way I can live without my 3 tool boxes and 8 drawer roll around cart.
Traveling in the military I couldn't have a lot of tools or anything else. Since I've been retired I've amassed a ton of tools and still don't have everything I want, not necessarily need. When I die the scrap man is really going to have a field day!
Now where was that wrench I needed? It's got to be in one of these drawers. Chuck :-)




Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

Good luck finding your own place Daniel - that renting stuff gets old real quick..................... I appreciate your circumstance, been there done that.
Smart move to take your time finding the best homestead on your own timetable - always worked best for my family.   

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

Dan, 
          Being from Ohio I can tell you the best deals are usually in one of the small towns away from the citizen and work centers.  

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

Thanks fellas for the encouraging comments.

Here is a link to the load up....
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iKFOQ0RzxMk

Enjoy lol - it's pretty mundane

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

I am still alive if anyone cares to know. I have not had much time to do much of anything what with the new move, setting up a garage that only had one outlet when I started, etc. I reckon I travel quite a bit more too. Hopefully I can get back to things by the holidays. I hate I missed Columbus being so close.

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

Hey Daniel;
A move like the one you (and I) made definitely takes the wind out of your sails when you are on a roll and getting things done on a project. I'm confident you will be back on track soon. It's hard to kill the passion we have.
Rono

  Ron Lane,  Meridian, ID