We had a great 'barn find'. We found and bought a 1950 Ford V8 custom thats been sitting in a barn since 1970. Parked and forgotten for 40+ years. Over all great shape. needs chrome and engine work and a lot of TLC. Well since is was parked for so long the keys were lost. So can anyone tell me how to get new keys? Also the trunk is locked. Does anyone know how to open it without breaking it? Last can anyone tell me where to go and get information based on the vin number?
Thanks
Mike
Re the keys, I would call a local locksmith and have him make you new keys. Ignition and doors should be alike and trunk and glove box should match.
I can't help re the vin number info question.
Bill Brown
'34 Cabriolet
Thanks. The number is very hard to read but this is what we think we have 5373B D12j202 we could be off. Like I said it was hard to read
The serial number is BOE6164502.
Any information would be great
Carcrazy Seats are out. THANKS. even found a key but its not for the car.
Thanks
This message was edited by Mvarriale on 5-2-11 @ 9:11 PM
B = V8
0 = 1950
EG = Edgewater, Michigan assembly plan (assuming the 6 is a G)
164502 = serial number with 100001 being the first car produced.
The cowl code is tougher - there were several variations with some transpositions. Look for "73B" for Custom Deluxe Fordor, "EG" which is the assembly plant code (same as in serial number),"B" for Sheridan Blue paint, "D" for Custom Deluxe Broadcloth Interior, or "C" for Custom Deluxe Mohair. The "D" toward the end likely means "April" with the "12j202" being an obscure assembly plant sequence number.
Better yet, order the 1949-50-51 Ford Book, available on this website, and enjoy decoding these numbers plus the tags on the glass and learning all about your car and how it came from the factory.
This message was edited by deluxe40 on 5-3-11 @ 9:50 AM
Thanks
Mike
As a dad when your 15 year old son says I want to give it a try you don't say no... You try to make him see reason but I gave in,
Grandpasshoebox thank you for you info, We will be looking for the floor panels. We are moving forward with this project and I am sure it will turn out great if everyone is as helpful as you.
Does anyone live in South Carolina? We would like a second opinion.
Grandpasshoebox Thank you. Mike
This message was edited by Mvarriale on 5-8-11 @ 6:08 PM
As a dad when your 15 year old son says I want to give it a try you don't say no... You try to make him see reason but I gave in,
Grandpasshoebox thank you for you info, We will be looking for the floor panels. We are moving forward with this project and I am sure it will turn out great if everyone is as helpful as you.
Does anyone live in South Carolina? We would like a second opinion.
Grandpasshoebox Thank you. Mike
So we contacted Bradley Floor pans and we were pleasantly surprised. We were very depressed when we saw the floor damage but now feel like we dogged a bullet and are excited again.
We also looked at EMS; lots of stuff we are going to need.
Thanks again Grandpasshoebox for the info do you have info on replacement windows??
THANKS
Mike
This message was edited by Mvarriale on 5-8-11 @ 6:10 PM
This message was edited by grandpasshoebox on 5-9-11 @ 6:38 AM
We are making slow but steady progress. We've located floor boards thanks to Grandpasshoebox. We still can not find a trunk floor or wheel well. I've tried contacting a few places without success. confident we can rebuild the body we are moving on to the engine. The old girl hasn't moved in 30+ years so we are unsure which way to go. It is the original engine, should we rebuild or replace? If we rebuild we are thinking on using a local guy. I am leaning towards rebuilding but could be pushed either way. We were told to replace the front end (mustang rack), brakes ( power assist rotors instead of the drums) and a different steering column (something other than solid in case of an accident). Any comments or suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks
This message was edited by Mvarriale on 5-15-11 @ 6:20 PM
you. I have parted out 4 50 4drs. I'm in Al. We'll be having a convention in Pigeon Forge Tn. June 1-4.
fordpontiacman@msn.com Sherrel
If you want a muscle car, buy a muscle car. The old Ford Flathead was great in its time, but that was then. I'd stick with what you have or go buy something with power built in. Same with steering and suspension. Your car is an antique, you wouldn't treat antique furniture the way you've been told to do your antique car, would you? If you can't appreciate the value of an antique without modernizing it, why buy an antique in the first place?
To answer in advance to those who will respond with modifications for safety reasons, these cars are basically parade cars, people pleasers, wherever they go they are on parade. There are so many unsafe features about them that if one were in a high speed accident, the odds of survival are slim regardless of how many safety devices you install. Drive your car defensively is the best investment in safety you can get.
Alan
As Alan said, it is your car and make any changes that you want to, but as one who has been driving his stock car for more than 30 years, I can say that it is more fun that any hot rod or modified that I had when I was a teenager.
Tom
My son is like a kid, well he is a 15 year old kid
He bought fuzzy dice the other day and has a color picked out. He want this car stock and ready for his prom in 3 years. We are eager to get the engine going. Any suggestions on what to do first. Should we pull her out or try to get her to turn over first? Since the system is a 6v system can we use a 12v battery to try and turn her? What about the fact the engine was designed to run on leaded fuel and all we can get is unleaded? Then there is the issue with the oil. We were told the oil manufactured today will not work in this engine.
Oh yeah... We are very new to this type of stuff. I am a DBA by trade and can do construction work. The last car I worked on was a 1976 Monte Carlo back in 1978
Thank you all for taking the time to answer.
I would:
1) remove all spark plugs and pour a few table spoons of Marvel Mystery Oil in each cylinder and let it set for a couple of days. Then try to turn the engine over by putting a socket wrench on the nut that holds the pulley to the crankshaft. If that doesn't work, you will probably end up pulling the engine to have it rebuilt.
If that works, try the starter with a 6 volt battery and perform a compression test. You are very likely to have some stuck valves due to the long storage. The stuck valves can be freed up by removing the intake manifold and heads, then use a good penetrating oil to soak the valve stems.
If you have good compression, replace the plugs and try to start the engine using an auxiliary gas tank and gravity feed to the carburetor. The original tank may have considerable debris and rust.
2) replace all wheel cylinders, brake lines and brake shoes. This way you will know that you have good brakes when the car is running.
3)install a new wiring harness to eliminate the chances of a fire caused by a short circuit.
4) remove the gas tank for a good cleaning and inspection. If there is rust visible in the tank, coat it with one of the new alcohol resistant coatings. Re-install the tank, inspect the steel gas line for rust and replace the flexible gas line and fuel pump with new parts that are resistant to alcohol.
5) check all steering components for wear and replace any worn parts.
The current oils and gas are fine for your car. The alcohol content in the new gas can destroy the older rubber parts, most flathead engine had hardened seats installed at the factory and the flathead engines do not stress the valve lifters enough to require additional additives. These engines were designed and built before the additives for camshaft wear were incorporated into the general market for oil.
Tom
Now I know we may look like we are going in different directions but we have 2days to wait for the oil to work. The car didn't come with keys. Does any one know how to get the iginition cylinder out
?
Tom