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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Advice for the new guy

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Discussion Topic: Advice for the new guy

51woodie

12-30-2024 @ 1:29 PM

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Posts: 561
Joined: Jan 2017

Brett,
Welcome to the Early Ford V8 Club.
When I bought my '46 Super Deluxe Coupe eight years ago, the seller was concerned that I would hotrod it. The car was pretty much original and in good condition, other than issues that come up from sitting unused for a number of years. I had thoughts of "upgrading" the brakes, changing to electronic ignition and converting to 12 volt neg. ground. none of that happened. I became a member of the EFV8 Club, bought the 1941-48 Ford book that the Club publishes, as well as service and parts manuals from various suppliers. Having a mechanical background helped me to do the work I needed, to make the car a reliable ride. I replace the brake shoes and wheel cylinders, tires, water pumps and motor mounts, rebuilt the carb, fuel pump and distributor. Some of the work was challenging, but it gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed to enjoy the car, knowing that it would be reliable and that I could fix it if needed. I drive it 2000-3000 miles per year, and it always brings me home.
P.S. I cheated and installed a 6V + ground Powermaster alternator.

JayChicago

12-30-2024 @ 9:02 AM

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"Sounds like the best course of action for me will be to enjoy the originality of this car and maintain current systems. "

Yes !

trjford8

12-29-2024 @ 2:12 PM

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If it "ain't broke don't fix it". As others have said keep it simple. If you want to upgrade the brakes you can purchase "floaters" from Flathead Ted on the Fordbarn or some of the V-8 parts vendors carry them. They work well and are not expensive. Purchasing the V-8 Club's '37 book will help you immensely and buying a service manual from the parts vendors would be another plus for you. Welcome to the Early Ford V-8 world. You will find you will get help on this site and have a lot of fun with your "new" old Ford.

Rebel_37Coupe

12-29-2024 @ 12:20 PM

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Thanks so much for the quick responses! I really appreciate the knowledge and guidance. Sounds like the best course of action for me will be to enjoy the originality of this car and maintain current systems. As I gain more experience driving the car, I'll focus on maintenance and addressing any issues that arise.

BRL

12-29-2024 @ 11:34 AM

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Hi Brett:
I am also a newby to the early Ford V8 and purchased a 37 Phaeton few years ago. Although I am a well versed shade tree mechanic with 70s to 90s cars, I was very ignorant and unprepared for the maintenance and correction of modifications to this car that had occurred over its life. Here are my initial take-aways for you:
1. the conversion of mechanical to hydraulic (juice) brakes is a bigger undertaking than you would expect, and lots more parts need to be replaced than you would see advertised in a conversion kit for sale. In a nutsh*ll, for the speed and power that this car has, the OEM 37 mechanical brakes are fine once you understand how they work and how to maintain them. You really need a brake upgrade only if you have a hotrod.
2. the conversion of electrical system from 6V to 12V is likewise a bigger undertaking than you would expect. You need some special electrical mods otherwise all your gauges are not going to read correctly anymore. The 6V electrical system is thankfully simple and easy to troubleshoot but it does have some trouble spots. To me, the biggest bugaboo is that there are not enough fused circuits. The OEM cigar lighter can set the wiring on fire very easily as can a short in the horn motor(s). There is also a wire that runs down the horn rod that can short out and set the wiring on fire when the OEM wire gets to 75+ years old.
3. As Alan and Tom have said, this website is probably the best place to ask for advice or ways to do things as the 37 Ford had a lot of changes from 1936 and then starting in 1938, and many of them are not documented very well. Also, some things on this car are improvements to previous models but they also tried a few things that did not work too well and were changed in 1938-39. Another thing to be aware of is that there were very many running changes during the production run of 1937 and so not only were there many models that had different parts, there are different configurations of each model car in 37....and then you have 80 years of owners tinkering thrown in with that.

Best of luck and even the seemingly simplest of questions are worth asking.

ford38v8

12-29-2024 @ 10:51 AM

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Brett, Your intentions are very common to new owners, and unfortunately usually don't work as well as planned. The good news is that your '37 doesn't need any of those things to be a reliable fun car to drive. Your original brakes are more efficient than any Ford brakes of the era, mainly due to the cables as opposed to rods in the the earlier Fords. The one modification I'd advise for your brakes is to install floaters, a simple and inexpensive job.
The single two barrel carb you now have is easy to set up and adjust, the only thing to gained by installing dual carbs being the visual to onlookers. likewise for heads.
Still, it's your car and if it makes you happy to change it, go for it, but with the knowledge that changes can get expensive and troublesome to maintain.

Alan

1940 Tom

12-29-2024 @ 10:33 AM

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Good morning, Brett--

Scroll over to the blue section of your screen and click on "Online Store". Then click on the "Ford Books" link.

The Club offers a fine 1937 Ford book, which should help you with the car. Not sure it can answer any questions you may have about your planned restoration updates though.

But that's what the Club's '37 Ford owners are for. Feel free to ask any questions you may have on this Forum.

The book is available in both hardbound and softbound editions.

Welcome to the EFV8CA and good luck with the car.

Tom

Rebel_37Coupe

12-29-2024 @ 9:29 AM

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Hello Everyone. I wanted to stop into the forum and introduce myself. My name is Brett and I recently acquired a 1937 Ford Business Coupe. The car is mostly original including the V8 flathead, brakes, and 6 volt system. This my first vehicle of the era and I'm really excited to learn. I want to keep the car mostly as is with the exception of some conservative period correct speed equipment (intake, heads, etc.), front disc brakes, and possibly 12 volt electrical. If you have any advice for a rookie, I'd love to hear it (or read it)! Thanks in advance!

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