Adventures of Losing Your Brakes in a Classic Longtime readers may remember when I lost the brakes in my 1955 Studebaker...while I happened to be wearing a swimsuit (headed to the local pool) and ended up jumping from my moving vehicle. You read that right. Now's your chance to enjoy the story retold, in retro comic book form! For more on brake loss, figuring out how to fix things, and other crazy car adventures - you can always visit me on...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #12 Last night Ethan and I stayed up all night working on the Falcon - I've never spent so much back-to-back time in the garage! When it came time when we  were supposed to leave, we talked about quitting -but we were so close! We'd already added springs, shocks, distributor, belt, custom brake lines, fuel line, wiring, brakes, primed the engine, and were working to put back the front fenders and body. We continued working nearly 5 hours past the time initially scheduled to leave. Exhausted and delirious, it became obvious that there was still a good amount of time that needed to be spent checking over the car if we wanted to insure its safety before hitting the road. Knowing that we didn't want to take that risk - nor miss the entire day of Mooneyes...we decided to call it quits for the day and Kristin drove her 1955 Studebaker to the show. Although we were both disappointed by falling short of our goal of having Falcon ready for Mooneyes - we're thankful for the fun we've had, how well we've worked together, and...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #11 There's only 12 hours  left of this 10-day dash to get my 1960 Falcon ready for Mooneyes. The picture above shows where things are right now. A couple of obstacles have been ironed-out today - the distributor (which was a different size for the 144 and the 170) and brakes (whose new fittings we got weren't going to work quite right). Barring some other strange and uncorrectable obstacle, I don't see any reason why we won't get done... even though it may take staying up all night for! Next time you hear from me it'll either be at the show or not, do you think we can make it?!? Want to catch up? Here's where everything started:  12 Day 1960 Falcon Build #1 For more Falcon fun, check out Pikesan's project: 1963 Ford Falcon Wagon...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #10 Although many things are coming together - it seems like there's an endless list still to do! Some last parts still needed cleaned and painted  today amidst our putting everything back on. While it's a little disappointing to see that pretty engine bay getting covered up in wires and tubes...it means that sooner or later we'll have a functional car! While it may look like there's not all that much progress from last night, there is! Suspension and brakes are almost in, all the linkages are hooked up (the most important part), and now we just have to keep pressing forward! I'm keeping this one short, because I was... In the Garage Until: 3:17am (Kristin who has to go to work in the AM), Ethan... still working Want to catch up? Here's where everything started:  12 Day 1960 Falcon Build #1   For more Falcon fun, check out Pikesan's project: 1963 Ford Falcon Wagon...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #9 One of the things holding us up from putting the engine in last night - is we couldn't attach the transmission without getting the pilot bushing out of the old engine and into the "new". Ethan called up a friend, who's the Go-To-Guy for getting things taken apart, to borrow the tool.   His friend informed him no special tool is needed...just some toilet paper and water. If Joe-Schmoe were to say this, Ethan or I  probably wouldn't have believed it... but since Go-To-Guy was telling us, it must be true. So Ethan grabbed a wad of wet TP and shoved it in the hole - followed by hammering a metal object that fit snugly through it (in this case a socket). Taking a hammer to the socket, the TP got smashed down and another wad of TP was added. Ethan was beginning to think he'd had his leg pulled when, after a few rounds of shoving TP in, the bushing began to smoothly get pushed out! Hydraulic pressure at it's best! Success and a smart new "tool" to keep filed away in...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #8 After last night's final coat of paint, we're now working towards getting everything back together. I cleaned and painted steering and suspension parts while Ethan continued prepping the new engine block. It still feels like our progress is going a little slowly... but I'm thinking when the parts start getting bolted back in place things might speed up. While I was cleaning parts today, I found a new tool! I was looking for a larger wire brush when I found this $1.00 barbecue brush/scraper laying around. It looked like a good candidate for the job...and I was right. The wide brush with short bristles far surpasses the skinnier longer ones I've gotten before in the parts store - and it has an added bonus of the scraper on the end. Next time you see these for cheap, pick a couple up! We're ready to attach the transmission and hoist this sucker up and into it's new home. Catch up with us tomorrow for that - in the meantime, I'm the featured author over at Tinkernation.com this week. I write about some earlier progress...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #7 I sanded the few rough spots with 320 grit and feathered them out slightly - then it was back to painting time! Falcon's second coat of Suede Metallic Hot Rod Flatz went on tonight. I sprayed first (which didn't seem as daunting as it did last night,) and Ethan took the gun for the last little bit getting a few hard-to-reach places. It's nice to be able to work together as a team! The finished product looks smooth and clean - the suede and metallic combined are dreamy! Peeling the masking tape and paper off was just like Christmas morning! It's exciting to see the many hours of sanding and prep pay off! Ethan also did most of the final assembly of the engine today - tomorrow he'll attach the transmission before we drop it in. The fan pulley off of the old engine is being transplanted and still needs painted, although I kind of prefer it rusty...that's just the hillbilly in me I guess! Keeping on schedule, some more parts got cleaned tonight. I also tested the result of clay-barring the original...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #6 Today the color finally went on... isn't it purty! And goooooood thing I learned my lesson in mixing the primer, because  this can was very gobbed up at the bottom. I didn't mind mixing too much though, because the swirls were so nice to look at! I'm using Kustom Shop 'Hot Rod Flatz' paint in Diamond Blue Metallic. I'd ordered these from TCP Global, and was happy with their prices and service. Before mixing with hardener and reducer, I made my mix can dummy-proof by marking it's 4:1:1/2 mix ratio with a sharpie. I found the paint to lay really nicely when I sprayed it - and with 16 oz. of paint I was able to cover the entire engine bay and underside of hood. I found the engine bay to be quite a challenge to spray - with it's many tight spots and corners. So not a surprise that this beginning painter ended up with a couple of boo-boos. One spot got small fisheyes (which happened to be in a very visible place) and a couple other spots of mild runs. As much as we...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #5 We wanted to add a third layer of primer before laying color today. After a trip to register and insure the Falcon as well as pick up more supplies - we were back at it in the garage for a full weekend day. By the time the primer had dried and I'd painstakingly sanded the surfaces smooth (which took MUCH longer than I'd expected) it was already dark. With limited lighting in the shop, daylight seemed like a better time to spray color - so that's first thing on the list for tomorrow. In the meantime Ethan worked on some of the final engine assembly. Perhaps you were wondering if Falcon's inline-six would be going back in - and if so, did I already rebuild it? Yes and no. The original 144 straight-six will be going back in the car, but not just yet. I haven't rebuilt it, but it's in my plans to. (I know it isn't economical, but it's a great opportunity for me to do my first engine rebuild. And with Studie as my hot rod, I'd like to keep...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #4   Tonight was primer night! We'd finished the prep and masking last night, all that was needed before starting was to clean up our workspace and do a last surface prep. I used a tack cloth and Kustom Shop's wax and grease remover to cover the surface to be painted and ensure it was completely clean. It's always amazing how much dirt those tack cloths pick up! I'm signed up to spray the color paint, so Ethan called dibs on spraying the primer - designating me as the paint mixer. I didn't get started with that job too well. I shook the paint can as I'd do with any other paint then opened it up and poured it up to the mix line after giving it a quick stir. Then I added the reducer and took it to Ethan. It looked awfully thin and he asked me if I'd stirred it - and I had a little bit, so I said "yes." We pondered over how thin the paint was... but hey, I've never sprayed primer on a car and assumed that's just...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #3 Last night, we finished prep on the engine bay and started masking. With 9 days to go until Mooneyes Xmas Show, we completely masked off the rest of the car - as the engine bay and hood are the only thing we're painting. Our 1960 Ford Falcon still wears its original white paint which is in pretty good condition. The hood however, appears to have been replaced and looked ugly with just white primer on it. The ugly hood combined with having the engine out is why this whole paint job began. I've chosen a metallic-suede Hot Rod Flatz paint in a contrasting color for the task (you'll just have to wait and see!) After masking the car, we didn't want to apply primer that we'd be smelling all night while we slept. So instead Ethan turned back to cleaning suspension parts and taking apart the brakes while I shined the grill and headlight rings. I'd finished shining the grill with 0000 steel wool and was considering turning in for bed a little early when I remembered the hood. If Ethan planned on...

Homebuilt Ford Falcon by Greasegirl #2 The goal for tonight was to wash and clean the engine bay, apply rust remover where needed, and mask for paint. With a sudsy bucket of cleanser, I went to work while Ethan began cleaning suspension parts. It's amazing when you've done so much sanding and scraping - that you'll still find more! After I'd gone over the entire engine bay with cleanser followed by water - then dried and air-dried it - my husband came along and pointed out a couple of areas that I'd missed. Grrrrr! I went back over those after giving him a scowl. After one more wash and dry I moved on to the rust remover. Only small bits of rust are left, mostly hiding in corners. Bedtime was approaching, so the only masking that was accomplished was the holes in the firewall...but I'd say we reached our goal tonight. 9 more days to go!   In the Garage Until: 11:36pm Want to catch up? Here's where everything started:  12 Day 1960 Falcon Build #1   For more Falcon fun, check out Pikesan's project: 1963 Ford Falcon Wagon...