It’s been about a year now and, judging by the pictures below, you might think that there hasn’t been much progress. It’s just that there is so much prep work that goes into the foundational elements. As a typical example, you can’t run the car without gas, but the trunk had to be repaired before the gas tank could be installed. And every task seems to take twice as long as predicted.
But now we’re finally at the point where the focus is starting the engine! So all the hoses, wiring, and linkages are being reinstalled. The starter has been installed and tested — it turns the engine freely and there are no oil leaks. Hopefully, my next post will be a short video of a running Ford 390. Stay tuned. Cheers!
(Note that clicking on any picture will enlarge it to full size.)
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- Engine viewed from left side.
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- Engine viewed from right side.
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- Interior of car has been stripped, de-rusted, and re-primed.
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- Note use of modern heat/sound insulation material. New air conditioning unit installed. Steering column removed for renovation.
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- The forward-lower section of the trunk was rusted through. I cut away the bad metal and welded in new metal. A layer of fiberglass was added to seal the deal.
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- The old gas tank was not repairable, so a new one was installed.
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- All chassis and suspension components are being cleaned of grease, grit, and rust as shown in this example. All surfaces are then treated and sealed to prevent further oxidation. Body parts are sprayed with undercoating. Chassis and suspension parts are painted with a gloss black ceramic paint.
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- A view of the underside showing the drive train.