[67galconvert]

New to the site, so thought I'd introduce our project. Dad and I got it home and tore down in about a week - here's some pictures of the progress so far. Seems like a solid foundation, hoping to go resto-mod and find a period correct 428 to put in it. It's a Q code with factory air and AM/FM radio.

After plenty of adjustments tonight, got the body off the frame and planning next steps. No two-post lift so you work with what you got.

 

[67galconvert]

A bit more progress this week...got the engine/trans pulled and the frame stripped. This is about the fourth time we've done front suspension on a '67 in about two weeks - getting to be pro's at this.

The top of the frame was in great condition - mostly dirt and surface rust, time to get it blasted. Body mounts were pretty rusty as expected, will order new ones. Feel free to weigh in on rubber vs. poly - couldn't find a body-mount replacement hardware kit.

Work is progressing on fixing the condenser radiator - this picture shows it about 1/2 done, the fins were completely smashed down. Guess which side is completed.

 

[67galconvert]

Looking to identify what motor we've got here - uploading some markings from the block and heads.

Any methods to know for sure without pulling the heads? I've read about measuring with a marking stick down #1 cylinder for stroke, are there other ways and how to determine bore size?

Didn't see date code stamp - but I'm sure there is one, I must have missed it.

 

[67galconvert]

Pic of the radiator fins.

 

[677litre]

Well those heads are 1972 Ford truck 390 heads. The motor itself... I'd highly assume it's a run of the mill 390 circa 1966 but I have a factory 428 with a build date of December 1965 with just C6ME as well so who knows. Without removing the heads you could try pulling a plug and using a stretched out coat hanger rod and run the piston to it's lowest point. and it would give you a general idea on stroke.

 

[67galconvert]

Well those heads are 1972 Ford truck 390 heads. The motor itself... I'd highly assume it's a run of the mill 390 circa 1966 but I have a factory 428 with a build date of December 1965 with just C6ME as well so who knows. Without removing the heads you could try pulling a plug and using a stretched out coat hanger rod and run the piston to it's lowest point. and it would give you a general idea on stroke.

Thanks 677litre.
Measured the stroke and got 3.5" so either 352 or 360. Date code stamp underneath 5K4, so is that '65 or '75?
Also, does the "V" mean anything?

 

[67galconvert]

Frame is ready to go - hopefully get some dryer weather this weekend and can get it blasted and painted.

 

[ford4v429]

you guys are moving right along looking good, congrats on having a nice rustfree frame- I'd suggest hanging it at a decent angle and flooding it as thoroughly as possible- even if requiring some drilling for access- these frames never drained well, youll be amazed at how much road grime accumulates inside from all the top/side holes...pretty sure the lack of adequate drain holes is what doomed many of these frames... drill/flush/etch/slosh fuel tank sealer around inside while its apart, it might outlast the pyramids of Giza

keep up the good work-tim

 

[67galconvert]

Frame out today to get it degreased then attached a wire bristle brush to the end of a fiberglass rod. We ran it down every hole in the frame then hit it with an air gun.

Frame is pretty heavy in the front but manageable in the back. Flipped it over and did the same process. Still waiting to get it blasted.

 

[67galconvert]

Tried blasting the frame with the cheap-o HF blaster a bit but it was extremely slow going and didn't take off the heavy pitted rust. Can kind of see the corner we tried in the second picture.

Using the coal slag media but think we've decided to have someone with proper equipment handle blasting the entire frame.

 

[67galconvert]

Couple updates today - got the firewall and rear axle stripped down. Some before and after pictures below.

Found quite a few wasp nests behind the fan, looks like they've been there a while.

AC condenser fin straightening is done and it should work great.

Finally, the new body mount bushings came in and we got the old hardware cleaned up and organized to reuse.

 

[67galconvert]

Several updates to report:
Got firewall completely stripped and cleaned as well as the body rails where the frame sits. Got them painted and hope to never see any rust in there as long as we both live. The rails were not too bad to begin with, mostly dirt and surface rust.

Frame and rear axle are back from the blaster - ready to be blown out and painted. We're planning to POR15 it with Black Chassis topcoat but do a little welding reinforcement first.

Also dropped the gas tank and did some touchup on some bare spots.

After extensive researching on how to paint the inside of the frame - we settled on the low-tech method of a rag soaked with POR15 and a flexible rod to push it around inside the frame. Will update on how that works out in the future.

 

[67galconvert]

Did some touchup work on the frame that the blaster had missed - hard to reach places in the front horns and back by the rear trailing arms. All cleaned up now - the el-cheap-o blaster works for touch up areas but not on large surface areas. A picture of inside the frame after we blew out all the junk.

Some of the factory welds look like they were in a hurry on the assembly line - so we reinforced them by running over with a TIG welder.

Were able to remove the side body mounts - 4 out of 6 came out in good condition, 2 were so rusted we had to cut them off. Found the best way was to use a pipe wrench and grab it below the threads.

Dad rigged up an extension for the shop-vac. Combined with the air gun, he was able to get almost all the old dirt and crud out of the almost 50 year old frame.

Final picture is of the frame with most of the small holes plugged up with ear plugs - got the tip from another posting. Still plan to tape up the larger holes and then paint the inside of the frame first. Next pictures should be of a freshly painted frame!

If someone can tell me how to upload the pictures in a bigger format, I'll do that going forward.

 

[67galconvert]

Finally got to painting the frame - here a few before and after pictures along with the "tool" we made up to try and coat the inside with POR15.

Tapped an air hose quick connect to a sprayer bottle and turned the pressure way down to about 25psi. Then attached a flexible hose and drilled some small spray holes in the end of it for better distribution.

The whole contraption worked "OK" but pretty much just oozed out instead of spraying in all directions inside the frame then froze up when it became thick. We quickly reverted to using terri cloth rags and slopping them around inside the frame using extension arm grabbers.

By the time we were done, we had a pretty good mess on our hands but the frame was coated inside and out. Half way through, we flipped the frame over to coat the opposite inside rail and painted the bottom of the frame.

Dad painted the rear axle while I went around with a turkey baster full of POR15 to get in all the cracks and hard to reach spots. Tomorrow we'll flip it back over and paint the top, then top coat on the frame and firewall and we're DONE with the frame work!

Still trying to track down new hardware for the body mounts - anyone have clues where to find or how to make replacement hardware?

 

[67galconvert]

After trying several different methods of painting the inside of the frame, we found that a rag attached to the end of an old section of air hose worked the best.

 

[67galconvert]

Frame, firewall and rear axle are all painted, one more top coat on the frame and it's DONE painting - then we begin reassembly of the suspension, brake/fuel lines and steering components. Better weather headed so hope to have it done over the weekend.

Decided to replace the original side body mount bolts with new hardware. After quite a bit of searching, found rocker arm studs that are pretty close in size and design to the original hardware. They are a tad bit shorter but with a large washer they should fit just fine.

Main reason for wanting to upgrade hardware is for strength - some of the original bolts twisted and sheared in half when removing. The spec on these says they are 190,000 PSI strength. Will install with grade 8 nuts and hope it will be a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[67galconvert]

All the painting is finally complete. The final top coat dried a bit rough since the temp wasn't quite warm enough but we're happy it's done. Just a few brackets to blast and coat as we move along.

Got the rear brakes put back together and axle remounted on the frame again. It still needs some adjustments but should be pretty easy with the new adjustable Spohn bars.

Also got the front end suspension back together and new front disc brakes installed. It's finally back on all four tires now. Got the front Moog replacement steering components laid out and ready to install next.

With 2" lowered springs all four corners, we'll have to wait until we get the motor back in and body back on to see what the final stance looks like.

Brake and fuel lines and undercoating on the body are on the list to complete in the next few days. Hoping to roll the frame out when we do the undercoating and not make a complete mess.

 

[67galconvert]

Got a couple things done yesterday - gave dad the night off. It was his 46 wedding anniversary and he took mom out to dinner.

Got the missing T-bolts installed in the rear axle, three were missing nuts and one was missing a bolt completely! Also got the emergency brake cables routed - still need to get a good picture of the connecting bracket and bolt to finish the hookup. Cut a short length of hose bushing for where it mounts up on the crossmember and blasted/painted the lockdown brackets.

Got the upgraded sway bar installed and was able to lay out the new brake lines, they measured up correctly against the stock lines perfectly. Still need to order the axle brake lines and the rear axle distribution block - anyone know where I can get this for a '67 Galaxie?

Few more steps to get done then can put the body back on the frame. We want to blow out the sand one last time and undercoat the body with rubberized undercoating.

 

[JStrong67]

Looking good keep the pictures coming.

This is where I got my rear brake line from https://autokrafters.com/Ford-Galaxie-1967_p-4956-brake-hose-rear-67-70-galaxie-thunderbird.aspx

Fit good just had to remove old bracket

 

[67galconvert]

Couple quick updates on the build - got the frame rolled out (nice to have all four wheels back on it!) and frame rails blown out again. Unbelievable how much dirt and sand was still inside it.

While it was out, we applied the rubberized undercoating to the body. Covered everywhere we could - especially where the frame will sit and we won't be able to reach once it's back on. Here's a picture down the frame channel and inside the wheel well. Using 3M body defender product and it went on easily but 6 cans were barely enough to cover all areas plus the gas tank.

E-brake is also hooked up, just need to add the end clips to hold the cables in place.

Ended up getting the rear axle brake distribution block on ebay (item 331532520425).