Looks like the car in the current Early Bird newsletter. Rear brake started to hang up, overheated and the whole thing was over in 20 minutes. Same owner for 32 years.

Looks like they cut out all the rust-free metal out of it.

~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles

Yea, but it's a 312"!!!!

"The Master Cylinder"

Enjoying life at the beach in SOCAL

A cryin' shame. I feel for him...

The one in the Early Bird Mag was not the same car, but I read about that one as well. The 57 I wrote about was a Fuel leak from the new gas line and carb.

The other one was from a collapsed rear brake line which caused the brakes to drag enough to start combustion.

I had the same problem with my 57 bird. The rear brakes were smoking and luckily I stopped before things got worse. It was so hot I burned my hand on the hub cap.

       A  L  A  N   F  R  A  K  E  S   ~  Tulsa, OK    

What do you mean by collapsed rear brake line?

The rear brake line, the flex line that runs from the frame to the junction block mounted on the rear axle.
These flex line (and also on the front) can look acceptable on the outside under inspection. With age they can deteriorate from the inside and close up. So then they start to work like a check valve, you apply brakes and release the pedal but the brakes stay on. Seen it happen many times.

It must have something to do with brake fluid quality and hose quality but I will have to defer to others on that.

Here I looked it up. 6 years is the life expectancy of the hose.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Mercedes-Benz/31-BRAKES-Replacing_Brake_Hoses/31-BRAKES-Replacing_Brake_Hoses.htm

       A  L  A  N   F  R  A  K  E  S   ~  Tulsa, OK    

Re hoses, I had an Escort one time that had a steel flat bar bracket that was wrapped around the brake hose, it was factory stock. It rusted inside the bracket and built up the classic layers of rust gradually choking off the hose so that it acted as a one way check valve. The line pressure was enough to spring the bracket open but the brake fluid could not return and so held the pads on the disc. It took a long time to find that. I don't think Y block vintage Fords have such a bracket.

Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

I was driving to Boston one time with my 85 Mercedes 300D. It started loosing power. I thought the diesel lines were getting clogged again. Eventually it wouldn't go over 40MPH. Got to my appointment and started back everything was fine for about 20 miles and then it started slowing again. Turned out I had a frozen brake caliper on the right rear. It got so hot it melted the dogbone that attaches the sway bar. What a stinky mess. 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

I had a car about 30 years ago that a front calliper kept locking on and I never knew the cause. It sounds like I finally found the answer.