Duck tape mav's OTHER ride.

arrite. here's the rundown on the wagon. I figure the best way to start is at the beginning. So, 1957, great-grandpa buys a new Ford Ranchwagon. Some time after, either him or the next in line puts in a chrysler splitfire hemi engine with a pushbutton transmission. One day, great-gramps decides to park the wagon next to some woods. fast forward. Grandpa has about 20-some-odd acres, puts some mobile homes on it, and has a little family area consisting of my parents, (our trailer was not even 30 feet from the wagon.) My uncle mark. (not the body shop uncle i spoke of before) My grandma and grandpa, and my aunt sharon and her kid my favorite cousin cory. Though I grew up next to it, I never noticed the wagon for some reason. fast forward. Its been 30 years since the wagon was parked. trees have grown from under it, going around both sides and denting the passenger door. We had moved out of the trailer and my grandpas brother James moved in. Well, grandma died, and granpa sells all but 6 acres of his land for dirt cheap to his neighbor. Calls us to help clean up the property he has left. Well, I'm 14 and getting into old cars. Looking at them, not so much knowledgeable. Gramps wants the wagon scrapped. I seize the opportunity, we put it on a trailer, haul it to my house, and here I was, 14 years old with a rare 2-door wagon, and I get the notion to learn on it. that's where the progress starts.

 

And...AND...a pic or two would be nice...pleeeze...

 

Pics are mandatory with a thread like this. Exterior, interior, engine.

So your great grandpa bought it new. That's pretty cool.

 

First order of business was get at the easiest thing to remove. So against what everyone said, I make removing the hood a one person job, and felt proud, next came the right front fender, then inner fender. ( the driver side was up on blocks, and oh, the 30+ year old tires held air all the way home, and the drivers front one still has air 3 years after we brought it home!!!!!!) anyways. The engine says splitfire on the valve covers. "that doesn't sound right" I thought. "that sounds like something chrysler would make..." and I was right. Off came the valve covers, the intake manifold and carb, the distributor, the heads, and eventually the exhaust headers. and the passenger side grille half. the engine was bad rusted, I guess the spark plugs were missing most of the 30 years. She sits, stalled, for 3 years. I get the maverick, work on it. plan to take it to prom, then the wagon creeps into my conciousness, and yesterday, I put the drivers side front on a block and took the wheel off, and disconnected the other motor mount. Then, unable to work on the fender due to the failing sunlight, I set to work removing the driver door. the last bolt's retainer comes loose, of course, and i can't get to it to hold it still to remove the bolt. ARRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!! so I shut the door and walk back to the front of the house in pitch black. Mad. That's the extent of my progress. so far. I'll post pics in the next post.

 

pics

ok. here you see her with the hood, headlights, bumper, and fender removed, then the backside, the engine, the interior(with some engine parts in the seat.) the pic of when we brought her home has already been used in the non mav awesome cars thread.

 

I wish I were closer, I'd love to work on that thing. I'd have it cruising down the road again in no time.

 

wish I could do it that fast, but even with my help and resources, lining it all up with no schedule conflicts is a rare moment. I want her stuck together and looking good enough (and reliable enough) to drive to prom in a couple months to show her off, then she can be truly rebuilt. the RIGHT way. I love my wagon, and I plan to finish it so others can share in that feeling and feel jealous as I cruuuuuuze on by with the windows down. (an a girl in the passenger seat, probly. ) they won't be able to resist "THE WAGON"

 

That Hemi block is probably worth saving. Got the heads to it? I stopped working on my Ranchwagon to get my Comet GT done. Kinda wish I hadn't. Its my all time most favorite car.

 

That's a big job to do in a couple of months. Why rush it? I think it would be better to think out what you want the car to be, then work toward that without any deadlines. Deadlines mean shortcuts, and that means it won't be what you had envisioned for the car, and you probably will never be happy with it. Just my

 

I'd like to come look at thing and possibly help you on it sometime.

You live close enough to me, so that shouldn't be a problem

 

I agree, cool wagon too

 

I like it.....

 

well, I just want to show it off before I graduate, so what better way than to take it to prom? Yeah i don't like shortcuts either, but I'll remedy them after prom. About the hemi, I have everything except one exhaust manifold, which was ruined due to a large crack and the resulting rust, plus one of the bolt flanges broke off. There's a guy at school who's trying to convince me to sell the hemi to him, but if it's savable, I think i may keep it.
The station wagon is in the backyard behind a fence to appease the neighbors, but if you wanna come see it, unless my parents start making plans on weekends all of a sudden, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

You know about a dozen bolts and that whole front clip comes off as a unit.

 

Anyone else thinking what I am.....

Flipnose!

Maybe eventually a late-70's era hot rod look would be nice. Skinny fronts and Fat rears with a tunnel ram sticking out, or maybe a gasser look.