New guy here with a '40 Convertible

19deluxe40

19deluxe40

Junior Member
Good evening,
Longtime Ford enthusiast, first time flathead owner.
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Here's my '40 Convertible. It belonged to my Dad and I recently inherited it.
I don't know much about it as my Dad only got to enjoy it a handful of times before he got sick, he bought it late spring of last year. I tried contacting the previous owner with no luck.
Anyway, here's what I know about it. It's had a full restoration at some point. It's got a 59 series engine in it, reportedly a NOS unit from a Fire Department that used to keep a few on the shelf. I've been all over and under this car. It's very clean.
The generator wasn't charging so I put a 6V alternator on it. I was having some issues with the carburetor so rather than mess with the old Holley, I put a Chinese copy on it and it runs great.
Problems so far are it seems to vapor lock. It starts fine, runs great but once it gets warm if I shut it off it won't start for a while. Also, in this Florida summer heat, even in the mornig it'll read hot on the gauge after about 20 miles or so. It's never overheated on me. The plan is to get a proper temp gauge on it, flush the system and start with fresh coolant snd check to see if it's got themostats in it.
Just wanted to say hello and I'll probably be lurking around for a while.
 
Welcome to the Barn. You're in the right place! Lots of knowledge and experience here, so hang on - great advice is just a click away! You're also very blessed to have such a nice '40 Convertible.
 
welcome!

i've the the same problem with my '41. starts and runs fine when cold. cold being defined as the ambient temperature on any given morning in the Western hemisphere south of the Arctic Circle and north of Terra del Fuego. :)

then after it warms up or after stopping for over five minutes but less than a couple of hours, the you-know-what begins to hit the fan and the misfires begin. and it gets ugly.

i have yet to pinpoint the problem, but like you i need to get some real temps in the engine bay when it happens. and have yet to do it.

and if you manage to find the root cause, i for one, would surely like to hear about it. :)
 
19Deluxe40


Welcome to the FordBarn. As for the "not starting" issue when hot....You have one of "THE" tops in the Flathead coil and distributor guys right "next door" there in SWFLA....Skip Haney in Punta Gorda. I would pull my distributor, coil and condenser off and take it to Skip and have him work his magic for you.....Secondly....AS for your carburetor....even though your "Chinese" replacement is running your car nicely....you "could possibly" be having a power valve issue with it and not a "vapor lock" issue.....Were it mine, I'd send your original carburetor up to CharlieNY, He is THE tops with carburetors and fuel pumps.....Thirdly.....You also have access to THE tops with generators here on the Fordbarn as well.....Steve Blanchard is THE ABSOLUTE best with generators.....I would send your generator up to Steve in Virginia and have him work his magic for you. After all that, THEN I would see where you stand on the temperature issue.



After 10 post, you can then post pictures.
 
Welcome to the barn, great looking ‘40. As far as carbs I would send the original to:
Charlie Schwendler
5845 Cole Rd.
Orchard Park, N.Y. 14127
Cas5845@yahoo.com

716–622-9159
Put it on the shelf and keep it until you need it.
 
rockfla said:
19Deluxe40


Welcome to the FordBarn. As for the "not starting" issue when hot....You have one of "THE" tops in the Flathead coil and distributor guys right "next door" there in SWFLA....Skip Haney in Punta Gorda. I would pull my distributor, coil and condenser off and take it to Skip and have him work his magic for you.....Secondly....AS for your carburetor....even though your "Chinese" replacement is running your car nicely....you "could possibly" be having a power valve issue with it and not a "vapor lock" issue.....Were it mine, I'd send your original carburetor up to CharlieNY, He is THE tops with carburetors and fuel pumps.....Thirdly.....You also have access to THE tops with generators here on the Fordbarn as well.....Steve Blanchard is THE ABSOLUTE best with generators.....I would send your generator up to Steve in Virginia and have him work his magic for you. After all that, THEN I would see where you stand on the temperature issue.



After 10 post, you can then post pictures.
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Thanks for all that info!
I spoke to Skip a couple weeks ago. I replaced the original that I boiled over accidently, with a NOS coil I found at an online retailer. Works perfectly. I'll talk to him about the distributor and condensor.
My plan with the original carb was to rebuild it myself when I get the time. For now I just want to drive the car to see if it's something that I want to keep.
As far as the generator. I went back and forth with this. I spoke to Steve last week but decided to go with a 6V alternator from Powermaster.

My next step is to drain the coolant to see what that looks like and to eliminate any rust/scale/debris from the system. What's the best coolant to use with the flathead? Judging from the small amount of blue RTV squeezed out between the pumps and the block I'm going to assume (for now) they're OK. How about thermostats? What's the current consensus on running them?

Here's where I'm at with the car; It holds no sentimental value as I never even got to ride in the car with my Dad. I love old Fords and would love to keep this car but I'm not interested, at this point in my life, in an unreliable toy. I'm no stranger to things mechanical, I curently own 2 boats that are in the water all year and I daily drive a 26 y/o vehicle. I don't need another toy that I need to work on! If I can't make it reliable for a little more money I'll probably pass it on to someone who has the time or inclination. It is pretty to look at though!
 
The car holds no sentimental value to you.
You don't need another toy you have to work on.
Those are pretty harsh words to read on this forum.
Sell it before you hokey it up with more junky bolt-ons.
 
The OP said it himself. Just let the guy try to make it reliable, and if he can’t he said he’d pass it on. No harm in that. If it was restored once, it can be again. Or the next guy could put a dropped axle in front, big and little rubber, and start building on a 3/8 by 3/8 flathead to put in. It’s all good.
 
Just being honest. I haven't hokeied anything that can't be brought back to stock. I didn't grow up with these cars, I'm 58 years old with time on my hands to enjoy something reliable. If this isn't it so be it.
Sorry if I offended, honestly.
 
since when has stating that an automobile has no sentimental value to oneself been cause for criticism? and what can possibly be wrong with avoiding the ownership of an unreliable car? i for one, and i'm sure there are very few on this forum that would maintain that those two sentiments, so clearly stated in the OP's two posts, that warrant any criticism whatsoever.

such unjustified responses brings dishonor on this forum AFAIC. i can only assume a couple of 'know-alls' have developed the disagreeable habit of bullying newcomers as a pastime. ...as harmful to a forum's reputation as is possible.

and BTW, 19Deluxe40, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. it's the rude response and those that condone it that need to apologize, IMO.
 
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hueyhoolihan said:
since when has stating that an automobile has no sentimental value to oneself been cause for criticism? and what can possibly be wrong with avoiding the ownership of an unreliable car? i for one, and i'm sure there are very few on this forum that would maintain that those two sentiments, so clearly stated in the OP's two posts, that warrant any criticism whatsoever.

such unjustified responses brings dishonor on this forum AFAIC. i can only assume a couple of 'know-alls' have developed the disagreeable habit of bullying newcomers as a pastime. ...as harmful to a forum's reputation as is possible.

and BTW, 19Deluxe40, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. it's the rude response and those that condone it that need to apologize, IMO.
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Thanks for that Huey. At first I was a little put off but then I noticed he's from California, so that explains it.
 
19deluxe40 said:
Thanks for that Huey. At first I was a little put off but then I noticed he's from California, so that explains it.
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Ha-Ha! Now we're getting somewhere! As said by others, I only repeated what you yourself said, and meant no disrespect.
As for geographical differences in understanding, I may be closer to your thinking than with Huey, as he had previously crossed me off his Christmas list! He's considerably closer to La-La Land than I am, so that explains it.
 
Yea, everyone repeated what I said. I want a reliable car I can enjoy. If this isn't it I'll find one or maybe two I can enjoy. It's my car I can do what i want. Clear?
People are so free with their unsolicited opinions. We're talking about making an 80 year old car enjoyable. If I can't find a friendly group of fellow car enthusiasts here without something to prove I'll just move on to another forum.

Also Bill, I got your PM, I can't respond yet(need 10 posts) Thanks for the kind words about my Dad.
 
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19deluxe40 said:
Yea, everyone repeated what I said. I want a reliable car I can enjoy. If this isn't it I'll find one or maybe two I can enjoy. It's my car I can do what i want. Clear?
People are so free with their unsolicited opinions. We're talking about making an 80 year old car enjoyable. If I can't find a friendly group of fellow car enthusiasts here without something to prove I'll just move on to another forum.

Also Bill, I got your PM, I can't respond yet(need 10 posts) Thanks for the kind words about my Dad.
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There are weanie's in every crowd. Please don't get discouraged.
For years upon years, I took a lot of poopy from guys that simply couldn't accept me for doing the very high point restorations. I believe they simply couldn't understand the fact that I enjoyed the process so much more than driving them.
Ya know what? Life has been great with a total of seventeen restorations behind me.
Don't listen to the couple that don't care for what you are doing. Understand that it is they that are not happy in life.
You do you. If that means enjoying this one, so be it. If not, there will be something else.
 
If you recall Kube, I contacted you a year ago about the history of this car as it was restored about 50 miles away from where you live. Surprisingly you were not familiar with this 40. At first I thought it was the one you restored about 7/8 years ago. It was the same color. My good friend bought it sight unseen from an ad on the V8 Club website. He was a v fussy and knowledgeable enthusiast and was more than pleased when he took possession of this gem. Unfortunately he never got to enjoy it...Time is a thief...Bill.
 
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