1958 Country Sedan project

Someone must lke Jairus or his wagon

26,917................ views.

Probably the wagon!

 

June is usually a very busy month for Rat Hole Customs. We took in two shows and I married off my daughter on May 31 while my 2nd grand daughter was born a week later.

Updates on the car are that the last three gas tank patches failed eventually. Of course they all show themselves once I fill the tank full making repairs impossible unless I drain the tank and who has 14 gallons of free gas cans just sitting around....
The most recent patch was simply soldering the hairline crack closed. But solder is a weak material and eventually that broke once the weight of a full tank of gas was added prior to leaving for the Spirit Mountain show. Didn't drip... but the smell was always there.
So... after burning off the full tank on the long road trip and draining the last couple gallons just yesterday, I fashioned a .005 brass strip and soldered that over the hairline crack on the bottom. (A prior owner backed the car over something very solid)
Was pretty easy with silver solder and a good 80w iron (NO OPEN FLAME!!!) at my disposal.
Now, after filling the tank there is NO gas smell! NONE! Not even parked in the garage at night.



Pics from the shows.

This pic was the street party Adam's Rib throws every year. He shuts down the street and BBQ's tons of meat for the owners of maybe 65 or 70 cars that show up. Very hot that day on the 14th of June. We sold a few shirts while I met the owner of that very beautiful '59 Ford wagon. He's a nice guy and it was great getting to visit!


Second show was on the 20th just last Saturday at Spirit Mt. Casino. Also very hot out there on the asphalt. But this time we brought a bucket of ice and some bottled water to sell. Sold lots of shirts and one of our best shows sales wise. Be back next year for sure!
Spirit Mt. Casino is located about 35 minutes west of Salem Oregon toward the coast on Hwy 22/18.


After the show Mark and I and his very beautiful wife Lisa went on to Lincoln City to spend two beautiful nights in an undisclosed location on the shores of D Lake in Lincoln City were we planned our next line of t-shirts and basically decompressed from the prior 6 months of work.


Shot this on the bluff above the beach in north Lincoln City. No freaking way I am taking those skinny tires out on the sand even tho beach access is available all along Oregon beaches. (NO private beaches, the entire coast line is like a public park.)

The bad news was that Rat Hole #1 (Mark's '64 Belair wagon) suffered a manifold gasket blow out and dumped water into the intake manifold.
This was probably because he has not changed out the original radiator in all this time.
The radiator has to be plugged up really bad to over-heat that much! We were continually pouring water into it at every stop.
It eventually let go at Grand Ronde about half way home and had to be flat bedded the rest of the way back to Salem.
Currently Rat Hole #1 under bed rest while the problem is fixed prior to the next car show.

The Surf Rat however is running great and drove all the miles with zero problems!

Respectfully submitted,
Jairus

 

Nice up date and photos Jairus. It's great to use your wagons as part of your business. I like that North Lincoln City photo near the white fence.

 

Wow, summer is over and I have not posted a report since June?
Must be that I've done nothing significant to the wagon but pump gas into her and wear out the radials.
Which is the bald faced truth, mostly.
Other than a little electrical repair where I accidentally shut the taillight wires in the tailgate hinge and shorted out my right turn signal and brake lights frying a connection. It's fixed now... and will never happen again. But doing the repairs made me appreciate how much fun it is to work on the car in the cool of the afternoon with classic rock playing quietly in the background. Life is just balanced and all is good with my heart and the world when that is happening.
Oh... and I added some vintage caps glued to the top of the vented caps on the battery. Now it looks vintage in there.


But enough about me.
So.... here's a little cruise I took last Saturday afternoon.


The sky was clear, the road smooth and the 8-track played Foreigner on the way out and Al Stewart on the way home.

I visited an old school friend at Zena Cemetery (North Salem High class of 1977). We only shared a few classes together, and were both sort of outside the popular crowd so it was easy to talk to Terry for some reason.
Seems she got into trouble and had to get married while really young so her family moved to Salem to avoid the scandal. At least I think she told me something like that in our Child Psy. class as she seemed more worldly and somehow sad. But I received the impression that Dad and the husband were no longer in the picture and it was just her mother she was living with.
Anyway.... her life never took a turn for the better near as I can tell because a low life Asshole took advantage of her few years later while I was attending my senior year at OSU. He grabbed her in the dark parking lot behind the Oregon Museum Tavern on the night of Feb 12/13 of 1981. After the rape he strangled her and dumped her body in the Willamette river just behind the North Salem establishment. Tavern is now gone.... not because of Terry's murder, but because another stupid ass walked into the same crowded joint (incidentally a place I had visited a couple times) and shot a dozen people killing 4 of them including my friend Eric Hamblin in April of the same year! One victim finally passed two years ago from his wounds after existing paralyzed in a wheel chair while another is still existing in a care facility with a steel plate in his head.

Anyway, I miss Eric and liked him a lot. But he gets remembered by a good family. His mom still attends my church, while Terry it seems doesn't. Nobody remembers her but me it seems.
Classmate Steve Johnson said she liked to read and spent lunch with her nose in a book.
My wife Valerie remembers her but never talked. (Valerie was one of the popular crowd)
Mark Adams didn't... remember other than the tragidy and the fact that the murder wasn't known until the cold case was solved in 2012!

What is wrong with people?

I suspect her family... moved or passed away. Because her grave marker shows no signs of care and was nearly overgrown when I finally found it up against the berry bushes. But the hill on which she rests is beautiful and she would approve I am sure.





Okay, guess that's that.

Next trip out to Zena I think I'll take a brush and some Windex to clean that head stone. And a proper vase that sticks into the ground. (The hill slopes and the vase kept falling over.)
"Family" probably did the best they could afford. But definitely Terry deserved better in her short life. So... I'll remember her, even if I'm the only one.

Respectfully submitted,

 

Wow, what a sad story...may your friend now have the peace she seemed to not have while on this complicated world. God Bless all your friends who unfortunately were taken by the hands of uncaring people.

 

Well..........

Short story is the Transmission needs a rebuild.

Long story is that according to the folder of receipts that came from the previous owner the engine and transmission were sourced from a 1973 Ford pickup in order to get the Surf Rat running.
Records show the engine had a rebuild somewhere in the early 90's but no record of a tranny rebuild.
So... I must be about due because climbing any hill I get some slippage under heavy acceleration.
Also, there is a rattle or slight noise when cold and in gear. Especially reverse!
Goes away pretty quick.... or once things warm up, but I think the transmission fluid pump and most of the 40+ year old seals are just too old to continue as is.

Since I park the car at Sam's Transmission each working day downtown.... "Sam is the MAN"!
Seen him work and I thoroughly trust his skills.
Going in soon as he has an open bay because money is no object when my transportation is threatened.

I'll post pictures soon, but you all know what the car looks like by now and I documented changing the flex plate last year so.....
Wish me luck.

 

Thanks for the updates Jairus! Sorry about the transmission. The '59 Country Squire owner........is he a member here and if answer is "no"...........why not?????????

 

His not being here is not for lack of trying. I told him all about this site and our local Facebook group for the Willamette Valley. He has so far joined neither.
You see, he is a well to do Accountant with quite a few classic cars and this is his first wagon. So at this point my feeling is that it's just a novelty to him so far more than a hobby.

 

Well, that's all well and good........buying a few cars might be just a "hobby"............but getting into wagons too signifies a serious addiction,lol.............so he needs to be informed as a public service that stationwagonforums.com is the only recognized successful treatment!

Thanks for trying though!

 

Well Jairus normally your posts are happy ones. But we all know life is not all sunshine and roses. Very sorry to find out about how life was shortened for several friends. Even in small town midwest things of that sort happened and continue. There are good and bad everywhere. Thank goodness we've mostly known the good.
I'm a few years older and was reminded this summer when we wandered home to visit. Class of '57. Shucks we sort of have a song about it.
Even the old high school is gone, replaced by another Dollar Store. I suppose it could have been worse. But I don't think I'll ever spend a dollar in that one.
I try not to talk or write about the sad times so will end this with best wishes on the transmission rebuild. That hula gal on the dash needs to go on another ride soon. The one on my 55 Chevy dash appears to have suffered from one too many days in the Florida sun. She too needs replaced, maybe with a Barbie Doll!

 

I'll try to keep my posts upbeat in the future.
But, I've put a lot of miles on that wagon during the last 4 years. If I had to guess... about 25,000 miles at the very least.
Wipers work, heat and defog works, radio works, 8-track works and all using technology no newer than 1977 including the distributor points.
If that's not positive, I don't know what is.

I've been saving up $ for either a new disc brake set up or.....
Turns out it's the transmission this time.
No big deal. Still cheaper than a newer car or making payments on a new one.
I am not unhappy with the car at all!
< see? Happy face!

And I am going to see "Specter" with my son and daughter-in-law this evening so it's all good!

 

When we retired and moved to Florida 21 1/2 years ago I brought several of my old cars, mostly modified types. I'd said the newest thing I was going to drive after getting settled in would be a 1955 or 1957 Chevy. Well the '87 Chevy used van that we moved with served us well another seven years. Since we were also using it to pull a small RV and often camping in the van alone, I bought a newer used van. Still the '55 Chevy wagon has served as our play car for cruises, car shows, and short vacation trips.
Completely reversing my plans, I bought a new quadcab pick up and drove it 10 1/2 years. Again I recently goofed and bought a one year old car. I've been afraid to drive the old wagon on those 1000 mile trips back to the midwest.
All good vehicles. But had I bought another older modified car, or finished one of mine, I would never had payments and would be driving something unique, like your Ford wagon.
Stick with your plans and keep having fun with your wagon.

 

Finally an update worth mentioning. After years of driving it's time to rebuild the C6 transmission in the "Surf Rat".


Didn't think I'd be seeing her up on the lift after only a year but... first gear was slipping going up hill and there was a rattle in the unit when cold. Soon as it warmed up the rattle went away but it took time and she really needed the repairs. Poor little C6 was 40+ years old.



Here's the bits in a box. Sam at "Sam's Transmission" here in Salem, Oregon is one of the best re-builders in town. He is not only a friend but I have watched him work. Meticulous is the correct word I will always trust his work.
Another customer complained about getting his car back so he put mine aside which is not a problem with me. (Gives the car a chance to dry out while up on the rack.)
The transmission case and most of the parts are fresh out of the washer. She's getting a new shift kit and new torque converter so I am very happy!



While up in the air I inspected everything that is usually invisible to the eye due to the lowness of this cars stance. I think the pan gasket really could stand to be replaced as it appears to be weeping. No other leaks that I can see.



Lot of scrapes on the duel mufflers tho. Not a surprise as I hear it scraping on most driveways and speed bumps.
That's pretty much the report on the car.
Sam is also going to replace the tailshaft and calculate the correct speedo drive.... and install my new speedo cable!
Whoo Hoo!



Also in the shop when I went down today was this little '60 Vette.
Sweet little machine.
The Sunbeam Alpine behind is a project Sam started a few years ago when things were slower. But these days he's just too busy pleasing customers.


Next update will be the addition of some new door seals and bigger grill bullets so stay tuned!

Respectfully Submitted,

 

Just a quick note.
Surf Rat is back home. Sam worked Saturday and got her back together.
Transmission is smooth shifting and no slipping. New speedo cable seems to work so I now have a working speedometer for the first time since I've owned the car.
But there are still some rattles when the engine idles during cold start up suggesting the warm up valve on the pass side exhaust manifold is coming apart of something.
I thought it was the tranny pump but at least that leaves me something else to hunt down after Christmas.
For now I'll drive it and start making a list. But the starter drive is the quietest I have ever heard in any car I have ever owned and that is saying something!

Only 5 more shopping days. Guess I had better get started.

Addendum:
Oh, one more thing.
Sam mentioned that he had never seen a transmission that continued to operate like I managed to limp along on as long as I did. He said that nearly every seal that he found as he took it apart just fell apart in his hands! He had never seen one this bad, and yet I continued to drive it day after day with very little problem but a bit of slippage in first gear.
I give God my creator credit for blessing this machine with long life just as I have all the automobiles I have owned long beyond their expiration dates.

Okay, that is all I got for now.
New door "dog leg" seals go in after Christmas.

 

Driven the machine for almost a week now.
Transmission is tight and sharp. (Sam tightened up all the linkages.)
The speedometer works and seems accurate. But I need to put my Dad's GPS in the car to be sure.

Noticed a knocking at times that seems louder inside than it does outside. Sam is pretty sure it's the new torque converter bolts striking a shield in the bell housing. Seems to happen only when cold, but we are going to put it up on the lift first chance and put a grinder to each of the 4 bolt and nuts to take a few thousands off.

That's pretty much it. No problems and even in the cold and rain "Surf Rat" continues to serve my daily transportation needs. Even if it's more than a half a century old and looks a bit like road kill.
Oh, and saw Star Wars "The Force Awaken's" (episode 7) yesterday. Very good movie! They went back to the "New Hope" (ep 4) well a little too many times for plot points in my opinion, but it fits the canon of the franchise very nicely and was quite entertaining. Even better than Ep 2 and 3.

Respectfully Submitted,