'59 Barn Find Revisit
08-20-2011, 04:33 PM
#1
Le Mans Master
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'59 Barn Find Revisit
If you remember last November we extracted a ’59 that was bequeathed to a friend of mine on the death of his last surviving uncle. This car was last driven in ’65 and was a two owner car with 40,000 miles on the odometer. The car also has its original paint. We were able to trace the car back to the original owner, who is still alive.
The original motor was a CQ suffix (base motor) with a transplanted cam and 3x2bbl Stromberg 94s. The original intake and carb could not be accounted for.
We wanted to keep the car as original as possible with the exception of transplanting the drive train, transmission, and differential. The owner wanted a more modern upgraded drivetrain and wanted us to replace the original parts (engine, trans, radiator, generator, distributor, starter) which we did. We kept the original diff.
In the refurb process, we replaced everything in the braking system, stem to stern, including e-brake cables and hardware. The gas lines were replaced. Incredibly, the gas tank was spotless inside. We had the benefit of a having a scope at the shop to examine every corner of the tank. We cleaned it with acetone with no problems.
All wheel bearings/seals were replaced as well as the pinion seal. The carrier bearings were perfect so we did not replace them. It appears before the car was put upon blocks in ’65 all the fluids were changed, as the diff, tranny, and engine oil looked brand new.
The exhaust/hangers were replaced as was the radiator (DeWitt). All the shocks were replaced. When the car first arrived at the shop, I noticed oil under the rear tires. Thinking it was a wheel seal, I checked, but it was actually fluid from the old shocks leaking through.
The engine was a 350/290 crate engine. The transmission I found on Ebay out of a ’61 Impala. I did a minor refurb on it but it was in excellent shape to begin with. The flywheel/clutch was replaced and we were able to replace the Stromberg 94 with 97s. The 94 were available but they use a rubber diaphragm for the accelerator circuit and Ethanol would have eaten them up in no time, according to the carb builder.
We detailed the car and did not replace any chrome. It really came out much better than I thought (see pictures). The body really came alive after polishing it.
Enjoy the pics (before and aft) and I would be happy to answer any questions. I may have missed a few items in the narrative.
AFTER
The original motor was a CQ suffix (base motor) with a transplanted cam and 3x2bbl Stromberg 94s. The original intake and carb could not be accounted for.
We wanted to keep the car as original as possible with the exception of transplanting the drive train, transmission, and differential. The owner wanted a more modern upgraded drivetrain and wanted us to replace the original parts (engine, trans, radiator, generator, distributor, starter) which we did. We kept the original diff.
In the refurb process, we replaced everything in the braking system, stem to stern, including e-brake cables and hardware. The gas lines were replaced. Incredibly, the gas tank was spotless inside. We had the benefit of a having a scope at the shop to examine every corner of the tank. We cleaned it with acetone with no problems.
All wheel bearings/seals were replaced as well as the pinion seal. The carrier bearings were perfect so we did not replace them. It appears before the car was put upon blocks in ’65 all the fluids were changed, as the diff, tranny, and engine oil looked brand new.
The exhaust/hangers were replaced as was the radiator (DeWitt). All the shocks were replaced. When the car first arrived at the shop, I noticed oil under the rear tires. Thinking it was a wheel seal, I checked, but it was actually fluid from the old shocks leaking through.
The engine was a 350/290 crate engine. The transmission I found on Ebay out of a ’61 Impala. I did a minor refurb on it but it was in excellent shape to begin with. The flywheel/clutch was replaced and we were able to replace the Stromberg 94 with 97s. The 94 were available but they use a rubber diaphragm for the accelerator circuit and Ethanol would have eaten them up in no time, according to the carb builder.
We detailed the car and did not replace any chrome. It really came out much better than I thought (see pictures). The body really came alive after polishing it.
Enjoy the pics (before and aft) and I would be happy to answer any questions. I may have missed a few items in the narrative.
AFTER
Last edited by Dan Hampton; 08-20-2011 at 04:35 PM.
08-20-2011, 04:42 PM
#2
Le Mans Master
That is absolutely beautiful! I love stories like this.
08-20-2011, 05:37 PM
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Well done, it's like a time capsule to the 60's! Nice alternative to putting it all back to stock.
08-20-2011, 05:42 PM
#5
Melting Slicks
08-20-2011, 05:55 PM
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Altho I am somewhat of a purist, you absolutely went the right way with this. A very nice "capture" of what it used to be way back then.
Thanks for the update!
08-20-2011, 07:32 PM
#10
Melting Slicks
Great story. Thanks
08-20-2011, 09:42 PM
#16
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Dan - I remember your posting from last year and was wondering just the other day what you had done the car. I was going to make a post to the forum asking you about the progress but you beat me to it.
Very nice job! You've done a great job with this car. I'm sure your friend is thrilled. And I think it's cool that you kept the through-the-hood carb setup, teardrops, etc. just like this car presented back in the day. However, I am glad you replaced those tires <LOL>.
-- Steve
Very nice job! You've done a great job with this car. I'm sure your friend is thrilled. And I think it's cool that you kept the through-the-hood carb setup, teardrops, etc. just like this car presented back in the day. However, I am glad you replaced those tires <LOL>.
-- Steve
08-20-2011, 10:32 PM
#17
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Thanks for all the comments. Yes, it is a light on the dash, and it is kind of a funny story. The uncle had "updated" the car with three upgrades. The light on the console by the heater controls was a signal that the fore and aft carbs were coming into progression. I remember seeing the wire that he had hooked up to the linkage before we dismantled the engine.
He also had created a pull **** in the same general area that worked, not as a choke, but as a primitive cruise control. Much like a choke but it kept the carb linkage set at various speeds. I am sure NTSB would have really been in love with that idea.
Third, he had two big strobe lights on both the passenger and driver's side. This family, to this day, are big, big hunters so I don't know if the '59 saw double duty as a driver and a car that also "shined" deer at night, but we left those on the car but they are not hooked up at the moment.
We have a few items that need to be cleaned up. The fuel lines need to be changed and the steering wheel is being replaced with a smaller, original looking unit (expensive for C1s). The heater core needs to be changed but we will do that in the fall before the car goes into hibernation. The valve covers are pretty generic but we will dress things up once we get the shake down completed.
I will say one thing: this car rolls down the road like you cannot believe. We did nothing with the suspension--tight as a drum and the kingpins were just perfect. The steering is nice and firm and there are no squeaks or rattles in any part of the car. All the gauges work, even the radio. We will need to replace a door jamb switch that was the source of a periodic battery drain. A real virgin ride. I don't know if you could restore or rebuild a car that rides as nice as this one.
Thanks for the comments and I will post a few more pics although, at this point, they are probably redundant.
BTW, the cost to refurb the car came in at around $17K. Parts were about $12,500 including the new top and the labor was around $4,500. Sam, my partner in the project, did the lion's share of the work. All the parts were billed at our cost. Geoff the owner, and former colleague, was pleased with the work. We didn't paint or detail anything on the car (except polish)--we just left, for the most part, everything alone, save giving the car a new heart and restoring its "circulatory" system.
He also had created a pull **** in the same general area that worked, not as a choke, but as a primitive cruise control. Much like a choke but it kept the carb linkage set at various speeds. I am sure NTSB would have really been in love with that idea.
Third, he had two big strobe lights on both the passenger and driver's side. This family, to this day, are big, big hunters so I don't know if the '59 saw double duty as a driver and a car that also "shined" deer at night, but we left those on the car but they are not hooked up at the moment.
We have a few items that need to be cleaned up. The fuel lines need to be changed and the steering wheel is being replaced with a smaller, original looking unit (expensive for C1s). The heater core needs to be changed but we will do that in the fall before the car goes into hibernation. The valve covers are pretty generic but we will dress things up once we get the shake down completed.
I will say one thing: this car rolls down the road like you cannot believe. We did nothing with the suspension--tight as a drum and the kingpins were just perfect. The steering is nice and firm and there are no squeaks or rattles in any part of the car. All the gauges work, even the radio. We will need to replace a door jamb switch that was the source of a periodic battery drain. A real virgin ride. I don't know if you could restore or rebuild a car that rides as nice as this one.
Thanks for the comments and I will post a few more pics although, at this point, they are probably redundant.
BTW, the cost to refurb the car came in at around $17K. Parts were about $12,500 including the new top and the labor was around $4,500. Sam, my partner in the project, did the lion's share of the work. All the parts were billed at our cost. Geoff the owner, and former colleague, was pleased with the work. We didn't paint or detail anything on the car (except polish)--we just left, for the most part, everything alone, save giving the car a new heart and restoring its "circulatory" system.
Last edited by Dan Hampton; 09-21-2015 at 05:55 PM.
08-21-2011, 02:42 AM
#18
Drifting
What a cool story. Best part is at you kept the strömbergs
