Were they Really this way?

dmsfrr said:
Even the newer drum brakes were awful. I had a little '71 Merc. Comet with drums all around... the brakes were totally worthless over 40mph. I almost spent more time downshifting the 3spd to slow the car than using the brake pedal. Solved the problem by increasing the compression ratio of the 302 and putting in a 4spd. Hardly needed the brakes at all after that. :rolleyes:

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I had a 70 Maverick all stock with the 200 ci 6 banger and its brakes were fine except if I ran through standing water. Then there weren't any brakes until they dried out. It was fine at freeway speeds and never ran into anyone. I put a lot of hard miles on that little car.
 
When I started this topic, I was thinking when the stock car rolled off the assembly line, in my case Dallas, were the cars somewhat, generally speaking a not so great car? Driving my car I can actually see the fenders bobbing a bit--- even though the frame off restore replaced all the bolts and nuts. Were cars really this way?
 
I never noticed any unusual movement of the front sheet metal when driving my 56, not even the hood vibrated.
 
Cars have come a long way. You really can't compare old to new. My car might have more hash than I remember when I was 16. But the thrill then was to have your own car/freedom. I didn't mind the recap tires, no air conditioning, no power anything, the big dent in the front fender for the thrill of the drive. I love to drive mine but both my boys who are 31 and 27 and my wife don't like driving it. You can't drive it and fidget with your cell phone. Its a full time job. =]

upon edit, preserving one is like preserving a snapshot in time
 
Herman, while driving on the freeway about 60 or so, I can see ripples moving up the hood towards the windshield. Hood closes tight, it's a large piece of non supported steel, there's no inner frame on it like newer? cars. The fenders are bolted up nicely, I don't think the coils or shocks are bad, the car is level and rebounds great. The tires are mounted to new rims and balanced, perhaps I should ask a friend to drive alongside mine at speed and take a look.

Excuse me, the hood does have two L to R supports...perhaps today that's why they cross on hoods!
 
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My '59 rides nice. I have front disc brakes, rear drums. New front end with big sway bar. All the window mounting stuff is new, have Fat Mat on the floor. I get some wind noise, still have to do one door seal to quiet it down inside. I recall riding in old cars as a kid, they were pretty quiet. Of course everyone drove slower than we do today. I had my Ford out the other night and was doing 75-80 with it.
 
Yup, they're a different animal than today's much more refined vehicles. That's just part of what makes them what they are, it isn't just the looks.

Part of the reason I kept my '56 Fairlane stock was for the ride and handling characteristics. It's the experience of driving and maintaining it like we did back in the days that also makes this hobby such a pleasure, IMO.

It has stock manual steering and except for the power drum brakes (not much better than manual drums!) & a 4 speed transmission my Vicky is pretty much as it was when new. I have had it up to 80+ mph. I held onto that steering wheel with both hands and made damn sure there was nothing too close in front of me! But I don't have a 'need for speed' with it. I just enjoy leisurely cruising thru the country or small towns near where I live.

It has few rattles or squeaks, rides comfortably and for me it's a joy to drive it. If I want creature comforts that it doesn't have, I will take my '16 F250.
 
I had a 53 Victoria with drum brakes and booster that car would through you through the windshield if you hit the brakes hard. The biggest problem I have with my 56 merc is if you hit the brakes hard it will pull to one side, maybe adjusting the brakes will help
 
Yup, it's a fiddly process. Either find the tight one and back it off or tighten the other side until you get even braking w/no pull. I just went through this myself. Basically you want the wheel to make 1 revolution before it stops when you spin it by hand.
 
I think if you can see the front sheet metal vibrating and moving around, you have a problem somewhere. I have a '51 merc that I regularly drive at 65-70 and have occasionally had it up over 100mph. I did not see any sheet metal moving around at all. the car rides great at 70-75. It still is all original , drum brakes, and manual steering the car stops really well, and stops straight. I had no problem using it for a daily driver in the summer, even in rush hour traffic before I retired.
 
I have a 54 Ford and never have seen the hood or any other sheet metal "rippling" at speed. As far as I can determine, the front sheet metal has never been off other than the hood when I changed engines.
 
Maybe the rubber hood bumpers on the edge of the fenders are worn out or missing and maybe causing the hood to wiggle. Or maybe too big of a gap between fenders and the hood giving it room to move from side to side.

Sal
 
Scicala, yes there are what I consider large gaps at hood and fenders. The car is at a shop extending my pipes to the new collector boxes off the new Sanderson Headers. When I get it back, I'll take a photo and place in my Album. The inner fenders are tied to frame and the fenders in turn tied to the inner fenders, yes? I don't remember my first 56 wagon fenders bobbing down the road....
 
The inner fenders are attached at the sides of the firewall and at the radiator support side extensions. There is no contact with the frame itself. Yes, the fenders are attached to the top of the inner fenders and at the base and side of the cowl. Also two bolts on the hood latch panel and splash pan behind the bumper.

Sal
 
Jwawhite said:
Herman, while driving on the freeway about 60 or so, I can see ripples moving up the hood towards the windshield.
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My '55 hood (basically same as '56) has been bouncing up and down on the highway at speeds around 60mph and higher especially if there is a heavy headwind or wind gusts. Been that way as long as I can remember.
It actually lifts up at the back of the hood at least 1/4 inch.
Once upon a time, I tried to stop this by adjusting the hood hinge supports downward to increase the spring tension at the back, but I noticed that the holes where the springs go thru the supports were excessively elongated due to being opened and closed a million times.
At that point I gave up and let her bounce away. As long as it doesn't fly off altogether, I can live with it.
That center pin on the front air deflector can be adjusted too by loosening the big nut underneath. Don't get the hood down too tight in the middle with that adjustment or it may damage the rubber bumpers at the sides on the front. Just snug it up real good so it won't bounce.
 
Jwawhite said:
I can actually see the fenders bobbing a bit---
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Check to see if the three bolts that hold the fender aprons to the cowl mounting flange (each side) are tight. There are two more bolts at the horizontal flange on the firewall each side.
Check to see if the two castle nuts that hold the radiator support to the back of the frame front crossmember are missing. Those two nuts are really the only thing that holds the entire front end stable relative to the car frame. The radiator support sits on a rubber pad on top of the front frame crossmember. There should be a thick spring, washer and castle nut at each of the two studs that hold the radiator support down to the back of the frame crossmember.
If all the fasteners are in place and tight as they should be, there should be little to no movement of the fenders or hood. While the '55-'56 Ford car body is cheaper than previous year-models, it was still a pretty solid design.
 
There is a lot of hardware holding the front fenders on. I had my radiator support out to clean it up and paint it. I broke a lot of seized fasteners. Ace Hardware has a good selection of j-nuts.

It was a lot of work to get the fenders aligned and tightened up. I started at the firewall and worked forward. I used new hood bumpers, a new cowl seal. Now the car is quiet and has no rattles.
 
My 55 Fairlane club sedan that I had back in the late 50s was very quiet and the 1955 Fairlane club sedan that I own now is also quiet. Back in the late 50s I used to think that the Hardtops were a lot nosier than the club sedans. The first was clocked by the Texas Highway Patrol In excess of 120 MPH in 1962, and a ticket issued as such. This one I have now have had to 89 according to the GPS. But that is probably tops since I am 75 years old now ! In 1962 I was 20 years young. As is often said i was YOUNG,DUMB and FULL OF JISSUM JUICE or something to that effect?
 
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