Popular Post The Bronze Posted July 17, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted July 17, 2013 What we have here is a 1963 Galaxie 500 2 door hardtop. Its got a 390ci V8 and lush column shift auto. Right about now it’s got about 115k miles on the clock; about 3000 of those were racked up after I picked it up in San Fran last August. I’d spent a few years thinking about it then a few more months sussing out the which/why and what to buy; I knew it was a 60-64 Ford of some sort, with two doors and max cool; no Mustangs, I’m not that much douche, then this popped up at good money. I had planned to go halves with a mate over there and sell it when I got it back to make cash, but got a divorce payout so.. sweet justice. So I bit the bullet and got someone over there to check this out after finding it on Craigslist, chucked down a deposit and told the guy I’d see him in August. Headed to NY for a week then flew to SF, caught a train out to the woops and met the guy. Went back to his shack, admired his guns, 4x4s and animal heads then made tracks the fuck out of there. Straight onto a freeway at max summer heat where she ran mega-lush (sorta) thru to about 50 miles from Reno, where the generator light came on and I shat my pants. Found a local Mexican Donk shop with an old fella who changed out the generator for an alternator for $100, then I cruised round and soaked up the pre-Hot August Nights hype. Then, hit the freeways for another massive haul to Wendover, which is the support town next to the Bonneville flats where I caught up with some mates, one of whom had brought down his Rat Rod he’d had built up at Washington, and we hung out there for a few days watching people go fast and drinking PBR. Then Vegas. Then LA. Then shipping container. Then MAF and flagged for rust. Then tears. Then some repairs to the roof, a new zorst and I replaced brakes, hoses, shocks, seat belts, headlights, all sorts a fiddly little stuff, and then complied the day before beach hop with a new green roof, colour keyed wheels and some shittily installed flappers. Didn’t even have it cleaned. But, she’s legal, and she’s mine, and she got there under her own steam. Right now the carb is off and I 94 percent rebuilt it last night, just need to put the top plate back on, but the gasket was kinked so I’ve got it under a book to straighten it out a bit. Umm, that’s about it. Long term plan is to go Mild Custom – shave the spears off the side and the big badges, scallops in a colour to match the roof (white ones on the c-pillars). Retrim the ripped interior in a matching kinda way, install some of the stereo gear I’ve amassed, relays on the headlights, dual plane manifold would be nice, paint match the valve covers and aircleaner with some pinstriping, generally clean up under there, replace some old rubbers here and there. But mainly I want to drive the arse off it. Tumblrsss: http://monkeygrease.tumblr.com/post/55669796757 Degustation: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/39341-1963-ford-galaxie-hardtop-of-glory-the-bronze/ 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 So, i noticed a week or so ago that fuel mileage had gone from silly-ridiculous to absolute fucking joke, and combining that with the powers of my nose I deduced something was not quite right. The accelerator pump diaphram was pumping gas out into the intake valley, making a lovely fuel reservoir. Also a bit bad. So I got a kit and hit this the past couple of nights. Bolt on tomorrow and see how she runs. It's a quicky job and I should ht some other things while the carbs off, like lift the manifold and replace the leaky gasket, but it weighs 40 odd kgs apparently and short longterm plan is replace it, so it'll hold a month or two, especially coz i wont be driving it too much till the weather is better. befores... Inside... After... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted August 2, 2013 Author Share Posted August 2, 2013 After big upsing my carb rebuild I've probably pulled it apart three or nine more times. I had a repeated flooding problem that at first I thought was the float levels being shit. Turns out that the rear seat had actually split, possibly from over-torquing, possibly from shit quality. So after finally figuring that out and replacing first with the old seat/new needle, then old seat/old needle1, then old seat/old needle2 I was still having mares. Then by sheer luck pulling it apart for the whatevereth time, a piece of old thread that had been blocking it from seating properly emerged on the end of the needle. tiniest thing f.ed everything up. Another test this weekend, then hopefully mobile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted November 3, 2013 Author Share Posted November 3, 2013 So, mainly I've just been driving this with a mis-timed motor and disfunctional windscreen squirters. I know right? Dodgy. So I spent Saturday pulling apart the old washer motor and retrofitting a super pumpy new motor from repco. I diligently and carefully dremeled out a perfect circle in the old mount, and subtlely rewired and replumbed the lines so that the new unit would fit discretely inside the body that housed the old unit and look legit, but with modern functionality. So the very last stage was refitting the alloy/tin cover over the whole unit. In taking it off one of the tabs had snapped due to being old brittle metal. in refitting it the other tabs went. So, all in vain really. Oh, and adjusted the timing, so much nicer. Need to re adjust that mixture again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 New belts for the power-steering and alternator today. The alternator belt has been squealing like a small pig for a while, was the wrong width, now it's not. That's all the news there is really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 Many things have happened. Okay, not many, but some. New manifold and gaskets around the top and the sump, installed a stereo, and now it's in theory better but I'm having a shit of a time with the kickdown not working, so my ability to kickdown, drop smoke and piss off is reduced. This makes me sad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 So, i spent the afternoon pulling off the door skin to get the vent window out. It's been flapping around in the breeze since i got it back from the importers. I was guessing some wharfie type got confused by the two windows and turned it to breaking point. turns out the inside mechanism had been fucked for a while, with the back of the screw-drive regulator floating around in the bottom of the door. I'll redrill that and see if it can be re-assembled. pretty sure it can be patched. The pin that connects the vent to the regulator is also broken, which is a bit of a fucker as i'm nervous about welding it with glass in situ, but pulling glass out will mean new rubber which means importing one, which means arsepain. I'm gonna mull it over. Meanwhile having the door off gives me the chance to grease everything, and see how fagged the window felts are. I was planning on doing some of them already, So it might be bite the bullet and do another big import order. Also tempted to begin pulling off the external trim while i've got it all open, because long term, shaving it is on the cards. I also tracked done one of the weird wheezy noises under the bonnet to a split hose connecting the booster to the trans - replaced all that but didn't help the kick down problem. Did manage to leave some smoke at the end of my street though, so I felt a bit happy about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 So in the interim I took off the other door panel to discover the quarter vent regulator on that side was fucked too. Rebuild it. Reinstalled and reassembled today. Also took pics and measurements of door panels because eventually they need replace/retrim, and with the panel off I found a nice big hole that'll fit a speaker discretely. Also fish oiled inside the bitch and lubed the locks and mechanisms. It now opens so smoothly i almost forgave it for being a big fuel guzzling money swallowing bitch of a thing. Then I noticed the flapper had flapped it self to shit and was ripping. More pain and money.So, two questions for the audience: 1 - I need to reattach this shaft (pic 1) onto the bottom of this quartervent frame - it's pot metal, and the frame has chromed - so a bit of a welding challenge? Anyone know someone who could do it without melting/destroying the two parts? 2- All these interior windscreen chrome surround bits need a clean up, and rechrome. Is it something I can hit with a dremel, or just send it to an electroplater and it'll come off in the chroming process? Never got stuff chromed before Oh, in other interesting news, I remembered i'd heard that sometimes you can find the buildsheet under the seat, so I had a fiddle, and some very brittle 50 year old paper crumbs fell out, it seems most of it has been lost in the past, and it falls apart when touched, but i did some CSI and got a bit of it together.. Cool, huh? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 Today I broke my windscreen. I am very upset. Hopefully I'll have a new one before the leadfoot adventures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 I decided to channel my emotions into some masking and cutting for the fuel flap and headlight surrounds where the blackouts need freshening up. Pics below indicate whats involved. The etch primer is drying at the moment so finished pics later. There are vinyl masks you can buy and use instead of painting it but I really can't see why you'd bother. Vinyl peels over time. This is the easy stuff, the entire rear panel between the tail lights (refer pic above) needs done too, but I'm going to do that when I have the arse apart later. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post The Bronze Posted October 19, 2014 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 19, 2014 Spot the difference. Wow, camera shows how much that trim needs polishing. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 Windscreen is finally in. Brand spankers though, and nice dark band at top. Very lush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 headlining in. seat rails greased. seat mount bolt broken in process. fucker. seat rails now move and bench seat is straight. new smaller supplementary plate arrived. 'supplementary' scrubbed off with thinners. drilling to fit and replace bent oversized standard plate. it's the little things. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 Pertronix fitted today, need to adjust tune but seems like a winner. Smells less fumey already. Bumper bolts dowsed in 5.56 in preparation for removal to get tail off. Fitted some repro tail light rubbers last week - shit fit, and got a new repro tail light surround ring which was 1/4-1/2 inch too small in diameter. Annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 This now has a pair speakers in the rear, in a custom made tray, with deadening underneath, it's painted black for now, and then added a pair of 4inches in the front, all nicely tucked into a little mount i made. And then i figured why not chuck a sub in the boot, so i did. And all the wiring is tucked under the carpet, which meant seats out. First thing I listened to: 2001, because masterpiece. I need to figure out how to set up the eq because so far it's under-fucking-whelming. Also metalflaked the spare wheel because I could. And took out all the door panels and lubed all the windows. Bumper still off; keep breaking bolts. Oh, I never updated with pics of the masked and resprayed checker things in the tail trim. Suffice to say it was a shit of a job, but now it's done and I felt happy until I found more things in the process that need fixing. That is all for now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post The Bronze Posted January 7, 2017 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 7, 2017 That last post is last, last year. Doesn't seem right. Spent all weekend fucking around remounting the alternator and making brackets to fix the bodge job done on it way back in Reno. It now has a full swing of adjustment and doesn't squeak like a really inappropriate simile. Enjoyed three trips to repco getting the right length belt for the new mounting postion, only to realised i'd completely forgotten to include the water pump pulley into my mocking up, so put that on and the oe belt was the perfect length. Many hours wasted. Lowering is next on agenda as 15' Supremes look too big, so need to hide them in the wheel wells. Also rusty spots. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted September 10, 2017 Author Share Posted September 10, 2017 Was getting ready to pull the engine, for what a mate advised sounded like fucked ring gear. Decided to pull the starter and have a looksie. Turns out it's a lightweight starter. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted September 11, 2017 Author Share Posted September 11, 2017 Option 1: Replace end - http://www.northwesternford.co.nz/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=starter&search_in_description=1&x=0&y=0 Option 2: Replace whole unit - https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/ford/electrics/auction-1412687333.htm I know it's a 50 something year old part, but aside from the cog shitting itself, it worked fine. But, it is a 50 year old part... Discuss. https://oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/39341-1963-ford-galaxie-hardtop-of-glory-the-bronze/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted September 16, 2017 Author Share Posted September 16, 2017 All the shit out of the way, ready for the RB conversion Wasn't the easiest, but wasn't the worst. Tidy up time. Getting it back in will be interesting. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bronze Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 Yesterday: Today: Finest quality rattlecan rebuild. Turns out this was a leaky bung replacing a frost plug, small seep that only really showed up with the paint. So thats out now, and a fair bit of old shit that'd been inside the block. Next up his scrubbing up the bay... I didn't get a before, but believe it or not this is an improvement. Really wanna find a dual plane edelbrock manifold cheap while i got it out. No fucker seems to have one to sell. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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