Hi Ron and Meandean,

I should provide a little backstory.  I bought the car about 3 years ago.  The first 2+ years it sat in my garage and my son and I did what weekend mechanics could do -- completely new fuel system (tank to rebuilt carb), new everything with respect to the brakes, new hoses and belts, new radiator, new fluids, tune up stuff, wiring, bolt on parts, etc.

This past fall, I brought the car to a mechanic recommended by Jerry Christenson.  He has a day job and picks up other weekend and after hours work.  He spent 45 hours working on the car but had the car all winter and worked on it when he could.  He cut out the old cross member, welding in a used one I provided (I think he said dealing with the after-market cross member is easier than what I put him through); cleaned up the front end and painted everything he worked on; put in new ball joints, bushings and front end parts where necessary; installed Aerostar springs and put in new shocks.  I had the control arms sand blasted and painted while they were out.  He also mated a Flat-o-Matic kit to the C-4, installed the transmission he had previously rebuilt for me, ran cooling lines to the radiator and then to a transmission cooler he installed, modified the shift linkage so that the column shift worked; modified the vacuum system for the transmission; found and installed a driveshaft from a 1988 Crown Vic that needed little modification to fit; modified the transmission cross member.

He also did a bunch of miscellaneous stuff - bled and adjusted the brake system we installed, de-greased the engine, did something to strengthen the old motor mounts (he said they will need to be replaced at some point), found a speedometer cable gear that was better calibrated for the car, etc.

I did all the parts chasing for him and at a shop rate of $40 per hour he charged me $1800.  I think it was a pretty good deal and I felt good that I was dealing with someone that knew a lot about these cars.

I should have consulted this forum before I made all of my decisions, but it seems things have worked out ok.  I think the C-4 is from a '68 Mustang.  It is a 24 spline versus the 26 that forum folk seem to recommend and probably was from a floor shift car (some have recommended a column shift).  Brad made it all work, though.  Gene from Flat-o-Matic not only provided the bell housing, but also provided some parts to make linkage modification easier.  He is great to deal with.

If I had to do it over again?  Maybe I would have thought harder about an AOD.  I'm not 100% sure how I will use this car (probably mostly for cruising) but will probably take it on an occasional trip.  The C-4 with a looser torque converter is a lot of fun, though, and I can feel the pulling power from the y-block even if the engine is a bit tired.

I might have also more seriously considered the after market cross member.  It was hard to pass up a very good condition original cross member though (found one on eBay for $200) and I do like the thought that it is more original to the car.

Good luck with your project Ron!



MplsMike
'56 Parklane
Minneapolis, MN

Beware the fuel tank and lines on a long dormant car.  Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I predict an issue along the side of the road.  I've had to clean and reassemble the float assembly on mine because of the tiny rust particles that accumulated and caused the float to stick.  Make sure you have a good inline filter and I recommend changing it out annually and keeping a spare in the trunk or glove box.  They cost about $4.00-$6.00 each and I just make it part of my Spring or Fall routine to replace it.

That said, there's nothing like the feeling of bringing one back to life!   Good luck and happy motoring!

Mike;
You had the same work done on your Parklane that we are planning for our Ranch Wagon. Can I ask how long it was in the shop for that work? How did the C4 conversion work out? What year C4 did you use?
Rono

  Ron Lane,  Meridian, ID

After a 38 year slumber, the Parklane is back on the road! I picked it up today -- had a used cross member welded in place of the old rotted ones er the winter and had a C-4 installed with a Flat-o-Matic kit. I must say, a car that has been dormant this long shouldn't run as good as it did, especially enduring all those Minnesota winters untouched (indoors, of course).

The inaugural ride was about 60 miles. The car has a lot of zip and kept up just fine, even on the interstate. It tracked down the road smooth and straight and the steering felt pretty tight. The exhaust is in poor shape so it got a little stinky in the cabin.

I'll be back for more advice - exhaust and hopefully a little wider wheels and tires next. Thanks for helping us get this far!

MplsMike
'56 Parklane
Minneapolis, MN