56 restoration

[2birdman]

Hi there. I am beginning the restoration of my '56 bird. Although I will have many questions as I go, right now I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations for getting these rusted bolts to break loose. So far I haven't had any problems getting parts off of the engine and compartment, but the parts themselves are another story. Particularly the brake booster and master cylinder. I got some PB Blaster last night, but I am wondering what you folks use.
Thanks

 

[classicfan1]

Liquid Wrench. It only failed me once or twice I can remember.

 

[gbhrps]

2birdman,
If PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench don't get the job done, you may have to resort to using a torch to heat the fitting up before putting a wrench to it. In some cases you need to be aware of internal parts that would be affected by the heat, such as rubber cups in the master cylinder, but you should be rebuilding the master cylinder with new innards at this stage anyway.

Good Luck, and keep us posted as to how you are making out with the project.

 

[2birdman]

thx for the replies.
i thought about using a torch, but i don't want to do that unless i have to.
i got a new bench vise last night, but don't have a drill bit big enough to drill mounting holes. i will take care of that tonight and then see if i can get the booster to loosen up.
i did manage to get the power steering reservoir off of the pump last night. so that is 1 baby step taken.
is the p/s pump pulley pressed in, or does that bolt unscrew?

 

[gbhrps]

The bolt unscrews from the shaft that the pulley is on. The pulley has a keyway that keeps it from spinning on the shaft. Be careful not to lose the key when you slide the pulley off. Good Luck, and keep us posted (we don't have much else to do in our spare time)

 

[2birdman]

vise has been mounted, but still no luck getting bushing and end plug loose. starting to think i'll need a torch.

autozone has a free loan pulley puller (OEM27031). should i use that to get the pulley off?

 

[gbhrps]

Absolutely! There is less chance of something getting broken, especially if the something is part of your body.

 

[2birdman]

still no luck even with a torch. i think i will start on the carburetor before i get too frustrated and break something.
i have plenty of work to do before i need to worry about any braking or steering.

 

[2birdman]

Hi,
I was at a cruise-in in Ohio a few weeks ago and someone suggested that I should replace my '56 intake manifold with a '57. Has anyone done or heard of this? Is the '57 carb's performance so much better than the '56?

 

[gbhrps]

First off, its your car and you can do whatever you want to it. But be aware that the car will always be worth more if it is stock, or if all of the original pieces are kept for the next owner.

Next, be aware that there are a LOT of so-called experts out there who aren't anywhere as knowledgeable as they think they are. Be certain that the advice you're getting is the gosphel, before you make any changes.

My 55 is dead stock and performs very well when one considers that its now 54 year old technology. I can't imagine why anyone would change an intake manifold, unless they were prone to failure, which they are not.

I'd really get another opinion if I were you.

 

[2birdman]

no worries there. i tend to overthink stuff like this.
but seeing the '57 that was at the show makes me want to get back to work. since this is a long weekend, i'll put in some hours in the garage.

 

[2birdman]

finally got the bushing off the brake booster last night. now i have to get the end plug to come free and i can remove the parts from the cylinder.

 

[2birdman]

just in time for the long weekend - i got the end plug off of the brake booster. i am set for some cleaning and getting the piston and other bits out of the cylinder.

 

[2birdman]

got the piston out of the cylinder last night. it is in bad shape and i will need to replace it. meanwhile, i will continue cleaning and wait for my repair kit to arrive. the large diaphragm was delivered last night.

 

[2birdman]

could someone point me to the correct tool to use to remove the pulley from the power steering pump? thanks

 

[gbhrps]

You require a pulley puller. From the parts diagram I have (don't have power steering on my 55, and the diagram I have is very small) it appears you take the bolt, lock washer and tension washer off of the pulley shaft.

From there you'll need a 3 claw type pulley puller that grips the sides of the pulley. Then you place the pulley puller's long centre bolt on the end of the power steering pump shaft. Turning in the bolt pulls the pulley from the shaft.

If the power steering pump pulley has two or three threaded bolt holes in it spaced equally midway around the pulley, you can use a steering wheel puller that works pretty much like the 3 claw puller. Simply wind two or three bolts into the pulley puller and then into the pulley, and then turn in the large centre bolt onto the power steering pump shaft until the pulley comes off.

Once again you may need to use some liquid wrench and soak the shaft before removal, or use some heat from the torch on the pulley itself very carefully. Good Luck!

 

[2birdman]

thanks. i may have to get a new puller since the set i got won't work. getting the bolt loose is the first problem. maybe i will try it again tonight.

 

[2birdman]

happy new year to all.

the pulley slid right off after i got the bolt loose. used old fan belt in vise to keep pulley from turning. pump looks pretty good inside.

this weekend i pulled the engine and got it on a stand for disassembly. who knows what i'll find once i tear it down. good times

 

[gbhrps]

Just a heads up for when you get around to the engine rebuild, and these concerns may not even apply to you.

My car had 18 000 original miles on it when the restoration was done, some 10 or 12 years ago. It had spent over 30 years in storage. Mostly everything in the engine was fine, within limits, and it was completely rebuilt, but a couple of things cropped up early upon completion.

One of the new frost plugs in the head leaked coolant. It was at the back end of the head, up against the firewall on the passenger side, and a bit** to get at, but we managed to get it out and replaced without removing the head again. Check those frost plugs carefully. The culprit had been expanded off centre.

A banging at the back of the engine when at idle, about a week after being put on the road, scared the daylights out of me. It sounded a lot like a thrown bottom end bearing. An old Ford mechanic friend diagnosed a bad flex plate. Sure enough, when we raised the engine enough to break away the tranny, we found one loose rivet on the flex plate.

And when it comes time to rebuild the carb, find an older mechanic who remembers these old teapots. The guy who originally did mine couldn't get mine to run well. The old Ford mechanic I was able to locate later did a second rebuild on mine, set it up properly, and had the engine just purring like a kitten at idle, and pulling strong when asked to perform.

Hope this helps.

 

[2birdman]

lol, yes, i expect a lot of wierdness to come about. like last night. took exhaust manifolds off and discovered a bunch of seeds and some kind of green pellets inside. i guess critters were living in the exhaust system. and there was gas in the oil and the filter was rotted and rusted. who knows what other fun stuff is waiting for me.