Bill,
My brother had almost the same car. His was a '50 Ford convertible with
a flathead V8 and 3 on the tree, no continental kit . Not sure what
mufflers he had, but it sure sounded sweet. Your lack of power probably
had more to do with that Fordomatic? tranny than the motor. I was
brainwashed on Fords, but broke the mold when I bought my TR250. I still
love flathead Fords. I've got a '41 pickup project - Merc crank, 2
deuces, finned aluminum heads and Smithy dual exhaust, of course.
?- Larry
On 4/27/2018 2:26 PM, Bill Dentinger via Fot wrote:
> Amici...
>
> This is a Long Story for the FOT, but directed mostly at old farts who
> were actually around in the mid-20th century.? These are people who
> might actually understand how the 'Smitty Flow Through' glasspac
> attempted to provide proof to the local police that your car actually
> had a muffler back in the day.? "See, officer.? There it is.? That's
> my muffler."? Newbees, who can't relate, might want to hit their
> Delete Key now.
>
> Back in 1957, when I was a senior in High School, my paternal
> Grandmother (God Rest Her Soul), who was also my God-mother, had given
> me $350 as a graduation present.? $350 was the most money that I knew
> existed back then.? I did not know that my Grandmother had $350, much
> less that she might consider giving it to me.? And it was a good five
> months before I was scheduled to graduate.? Talk about opportunity
> based on an Act of Faith.? Anyway, I took the money and I bought a
> very,very used, but very nice looking 1951 Ford convertible.? It was
> powder blue, and had an extended rear deck and continental tire kit.?
> I shaved the front deck, added eye lids to the headlights, and blue
> dot lenses (illegal) to the tail lights.? I added fender skirts and I
> replaced the rag top's rear window (several times).? I also lowered
> the rear end about two inches (to a point where that extended rear
> deck would drag on driveway ramps).? Out on the West Coast they were
> lowering the front ends.? Here in the Midwest...we were lowering the
> rear ends.? But that car looked GOOD!? It looked like a Classic Lead
> Sled.? It was fantastic, and in my pre-Triumph, Bebopper days,
> duck-tailed Hollywood haircut...the whole nine yards.? This is the car
> I used to court Shirley Jean.? Her long pony tail used to flop in the
> breeze as we tooled down the street with the top down.
>
> That's all the Good News about that car.? There is some? Bad News
> too.? This car had a Ford six cylinder engine and Fordamatic.? It was
> so slow, that Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile before it
> did.? And it only broke the four minute mile once, going down a steep
> hill.? But that wimpy drive train probably saved me millions in
> exposure to speeding tickets, etc. Another issue was the fact that the
> car used more oil than gasoline.? Talk about 'blow-by', the engine was
> shot...and made pretty blue smoke.? How did I deal with that wimpy
> drive train on such a great looking car? Well, I always was more into
> Presentation than Performance, and what I did was add 'fake headers'
> to mimic a duel exhaust system.? They looked great coming out of that
> extended rear deck.? I also installed a 'Smitty Glass Pack', and
> BINGO!? The car sounded like a screamer.? I'd hold the car in low
> gear, working the transmission against the engine cruising down even a
> slight incline...and that car sounded like it was capable of 200-210
> mph.? I had lots of offers for a drag race, but always was careful to
> say, "No thank you...I need to save these rear tires...".
>
> Sad to say, I do not even have a picture of that car.? I do not know
> what happened to it.? When I graduated from High School in 1957, young
> men still had an eight year military obligation, which I decided to
> address.? I joined the Navy two months after graduating.? I was gone
> for four years (Plankowner, USS SPRINGFIELD CLG-7).? Shirley Jean
> waited.? The car didn't.? I suspect my brother Ron ended up with it,
> and it probably died.
>
> Pity, but make a note that the 'Smitty Glass Pack' is a hero in this
> story...it helped make me and that car appear to be more than we
> deserved...and I still got Shirley Jean.
>
> Bill Dentinger
>
>
>
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