You have done good. Here in NZ we got Canadian sourced Fords and Mercs in RH drive and our 54's were still flat-head too. I have a 48 club cpe running the C59A flatty. Flat-heads are a disease that science has never managed to find a cure for. Will follow this with interest
Before I left NZ decades ago, I had a C59A too, mine was bored and stroked with Triple carbs in my 39 Std. Coupe. It was Red Dawson's first race car.. Lots of fun hooning around Auckland in the 70's.
I wish I could take it on the challenge, but it was well over the 700 dollar limit according to the rules. Don't worry, I will do my own road trip or two with it next summer!
Your car is the same color combo as My dads old 54 Ford was. He said it was one of the best cars he owned. I own a 57 Monarch Richlieu now owned it since 86 from the original owner.
'54 Ford should've been my first car, but my brother wrecked it two months before I got my drivers' license in '68. It was in the family for several years before that, and was a reliable, comfortable old warrior...two-door post. Alas, it had the 223 six-banger, which was actually a great engine--just not a flattie.
I can't drive it on the road cuz I have no breaks..uhuh. We all knew where that was going 😊 She chugs so happy after so many years. Amazing! And your happy face, hahaa! This inspires another road trip, we hope? And: I will always remember the big black Mercury a friend owned. We used to go clubbing in that thing. It roared like a lion, drove so smoothly.A gem of a car! Gas was cheap then. 😁🇳🇱
Carb is a holley 1901 "teapot". Mercury, lincoln, and ford big trucks used this carb. My 52 merc has this carb. Don't listen to all the bad stuff online about these carbs. The passages inside the carb get plugged and they leak. You will definitely want to rebuild it. Use an ultrasonic cleaner to get it really clean. Mike's carburetor parts has ethanol-safe rebuild kits for these. Great video!
Wow what a sweet car,my grandpa had one just like this,it's really amazing how it runs so good,that's the coolest video I've seen in long time thanks for sharing,can't wait see what you do with it..
My god my dad had 54 mercury white with blue roof n blue interior 4 door 3 on the tree even with cracks windshields a travel company name cata they had 6 of this cars back in the 50 the used to carry passengers from Argentina to Chile crossings the Andes mountain 🏔 very danger back then yes it was v8 non flat head I use to drive the car when I was 14 or 15 years in the 70’ good memories good luck with that car n thanks for sharing 👍
Yes, Cold War motors is filmed about 45 minutes from where I live. I know we will likely bump into one another as a friend of mine knows him a fair bit!
This has been a trip down memory lane for me! First off the car 54...I had a 54 Ford in 1963 and lots of Flatheads before that but it 54 had a 312 Y block in it but the watching you drive yours down the road, looking out the windshield, seeing the beautiful dash, the steering wheel, the open wing window so cool a step back in time for me ... brought a smile to my face too. The Flatheads are my favorite engines, my Dad owned his own car repair business so with his tutelage I learned how to rebuild, diagnose problems and how to hot rod them ...the Flathead V8 sound is like no other. If you can, put some dual exhausts with some glass pack mufflers, the sound is amazing. Cant wait to watch the rest of your journey with the 54.
Thanks so much for commenting! So glad this brings good vibes for you and others. I can't wait to drive it in the spring, it has been put away for the winter and I miss it a lot. I love that engine and can't wait to dig into it some more!
Being laid up in 1966 this car has never tasted ethanol laced gasoline......unless the gas you're running it on now has ethanol in it. Old gas or not, the tank, fuel pump, lines, and carb will be in better shape than anything run on "modern" gasoline. Congrats on the find!
I am not surprised the old flathead came back to life they were tough engines. I wish I could find an old Ford or Mercury to tinker around with I'm quite sure you will get a lot of enjoyment out of the old '54 Meteor, good stuff and thanks for the video.
After seeing the rusted out drivers door; remove door, cut off lower half of the door using angle grinder with a a cutting disc, make new panels using old ones as a template, and weld in new metal.
I learned to drive a1953 Ford 4 door with automatic. I had it up to 100mph. Ford in the US stopped making flat heads in 1953. I still have nos front fender trim.
For gummed valves, sticky lifters, and rings, let alone dirty fuel systems, run a quart of Marvel Mystery oil with the next oil change (minus one qt from reg oil) and in the gas tank, one ounce for every 10 gallons of gas, for the fuel system, you'll be very glad you did...:-) This is something people have no idea about today, it isn't called Marvel Mystery Oil for nothing....trust me. Run the car with the MMO change for about 100 miles or so, and watch the transformation, it cleans the engine and fuel system like nothing else on the marker for old cars.
Hi there from Geelong Victoria the clock is a wind up one because it's a 6volt system you have, they changed to 12volt with the OHV came out OK and you have to wind up the clock every day,see you.
It looks like your shopping list, and your "things to do" list are going to be short on this one. You've made a major score! It's not going to be tough at all to get this fine beast in first class condition. It looks like it's about 90% there already. The hardest things are probably going to be the door and the windshield. This is gonna be a real fun car to play with and run around in. You've really got yourself something here.
Maybe for the sticking valves , drain the oil , put in one marvel mystery oil with fresh oil. Then Lucas upper cylinder and fuel treatment in the gasoline
My first few vehicles had manual steering and as long as you're moving it's not bad at all. It's only a little difficult when you're stopped and need to turn it, but then, that's why those old cars had such large steering wheels...more leverage when turning the wheel. If ya don't believe me try putting in a modern size wheel and then trying to turn it when stopped, LOL!
Yeah, I agree with the gentleman that in 54 you would have had the overhead valve Y block. The newest this car can be is a 53. Which, was the last year for the flathead V8.
The last year for the flathead V8 was 1953 in the U S . In Canada for whatever reason maybe we had lots of Flatheads left but the Canadian 1954 Fords had Flathead V8's . The first year in Canada for the overhead valve V8 was 1955 which caused difficulties because in 1955 Ford still had a 6 volt electrical system . My Dad was a fleet mechanic back in the day and said that unless your 6 volt battery was in top shape it had difficulty starting the overhead in cold weather.
@@conniemorris9025 it was difficult because of the compression ratio on the overhead engine. I retesting about Canadian fords. Must have had a snoot full of engines left over from 53 model year to make another model run in Canada.
Since you are in Alberta, contact Scott at Cold War Motors, He has quite a collection and has a weekly post on YT on Saturday. He can assist is sourcing parts.
Carb. shown is a Holly used on 49 thru 54 Merc. US, good carburator. Fuel pump was never to good. New gas tank and line with an electric fuel pump will fix it up..
Not sure yet. I found it in the garage last night and yes it is a pretty hefty valve. Had an EX (exhaust) stamp on it, and a TC I think. Not sure what that means.
Are you going to restore this beauty? If so, please do a series so we can see how she turns out or will you be selling it to someone who can restore her.
Real nice. It will have the Mercury 255 engine like my 52. Holley "teapot" carburetor. There is a complete repair and parts manual for that carb online. Be sure to lube up all the pivot points on the hood hinges. They are weak, easily bent and broken. New ones available are over $1000. Sounds like it still has a miss. Spray some seafoam down the spark plug holes into the exhaust valves. Thats what I had to do on my Merc. Subscribing.
Usually that carb is found on Mercury's, but Canadian cars did alot of different things, they are a good carburetor, but if you rebuild it, you need to watch alot of the rebuild kits as internal parts are not quite right, most replacement accelerator pumps are too long and cause a issue
As for the E-Brake, use a Teflon based lubricant like Tri-Flo, and let it soak real well for a couple days, then work it gently, then lube with, (here again,) MMO ( Marvel Mystery Oil)....Seriously....:-)
I eventually figured out it is a Holley 1901 Teapot 2 barrel. It truly is a great carb, you will see in a future episode how well it was designed, durability is it's strength!
Ford used a Strombergs carb from about 38 till the end of the run. Mercury 48-51 used a strange carb with the air intake be on the side, don't know who made it.
Hello I recently did an engine swap in my 2014 dodge journey and the motor will not stay started did you have to flash the ecm or pcm or did you get the ones that went with new engine
Didn't flash anything, computer was original to the car. Mine ran real rough when I first started it. I had to shut it off myself and restart it a few times between clearing the codes with a code reader. After doing that a few times it ran fine, no codes. What does your code reader show for codes?
I am glad a man like you found what you were looking for !
Such a beautifull old car , and with that lovely , relaxed , lazy old burbling V8 soundtrack ,an amazing find .
Thanks, yes I love the sound of that engine.
Wow, I was holding my breath!!
Same!
Hope I didn't cause any stress haha.
That car is a winner! I would restore it in a heartbeat!
Thank you, I'm working on it, much more video footage to come!
So cool! 😎That’s the year I was born!
"Lets take her down the road! What could possibly go wrong!" Heck, It threw a valve! I love it ! Dude, I'm as excited as you are!
Love the sound of a flathead
No brakes, doors flying open, hole in the exhaust. "Lets take her for a ride". I love every part of it lol.
Ha ha thanks Chris. Until I started editing last week, I totally forgot about most of that, especially the doors that wouldn't stay shut!
You lucked out buddy !!!!
Beautiful car what a classic!!👍
Your excitement about this car is so infectious. Great job on getting her running!!!!
Thanks, I'm really enjoying working on it, cars were built so tough in those days.
@@ParklandFilms yea. Amazing that she still turns over. Once they put the computers in that messed everything up.
You have done good. Here in NZ we got Canadian sourced Fords and Mercs in RH drive and our 54's were still flat-head too. I have a 48 club cpe running the C59A flatty. Flat-heads are a disease that science has never managed to find a cure for. Will follow this with interest
Before I left NZ decades ago, I had a C59A too, mine was bored and stroked with Triple carbs in my 39 Std. Coupe. It was Red Dawson's first race car.. Lots of fun hooning around Auckland in the 70's.
Congratulations
Sweet ride.
What a fantastic find!!! 2022 Beater Car entry perhaps?????
I wish I could take it on the challenge, but it was well over the 700 dollar limit according to the rules. Don't worry, I will do my own road trip or two with it next summer!
Good job.
That is so awesome !
Iv just found this channel mate. I will be looking for the next videos. so best of luck for the future. Paddy from Belfast Ireland.
Thanks and welcome!
Great find. Love old flats heads.
Absolutely love that car. Well done on saving it. Hope you can get a good windshield. The green trim is fab.
Thanks, it's a great car I'm really enjoying it.
Another great video. Thanks for the ride along.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Love my 4 Doors pontiac catalina 1959
Awesome, you have a way with these cars!!
Thanks! 👍
Simply amazing! Hope it's not related to Christine,,,, LOL! ~Yes keep us posted please.~
Lol, if it was I could make a movie! Wait....
LOL!!
Brings back memories for me. My mom had a '53 two door back in '65. Dash similar, instrument cluster a bit different. Nice, nice ride.
Your car is the same color combo as My dads old 54 Ford was. He said it was one of the best cars he owned. I own a 57 Monarch Richlieu now owned it since 86 from the original owner.
Very cool, my Dad would be so jealous, he loved his 57 Monarch.
'54 Ford should've been my first car, but my brother wrecked it two months before I got my drivers' license in '68. It was in the family for several years before that, and was a reliable, comfortable old warrior...two-door post. Alas, it had the 223 six-banger, which was actually a great engine--just not a flattie.
I can't drive it on the road cuz I have no breaks..uhuh. We all knew where that was going 😊 She chugs so happy after so many years. Amazing! And your happy face, hahaa! This inspires another road trip, we hope? And: I will always remember the big black Mercury a friend owned. We used to go clubbing in that thing. It roared like a lion, drove so smoothly.A gem of a car! Gas was cheap then.
😁🇳🇱
Ahh, the memories of youth!
Carb is a holley 1901 "teapot". Mercury, lincoln, and ford big trucks used this carb. My 52 merc has this carb. Don't listen to all the bad stuff online about these carbs. The passages inside the carb get plugged and they leak. You will definitely want to rebuild it. Use an ultrasonic cleaner to get it really clean. Mike's carburetor parts has ethanol-safe rebuild kits for these.
Great video!
Wow what a sweet car,my grandpa had one just like this,it's really amazing how it runs so good,that's the coolest video I've seen in long time thanks for sharing,can't wait see what you do with it..
Thank you! It's been great working on the car and I do have more footage to put together. Stay tuned!
Nice find. Love those old cars. Have fun with it. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
listen TO HER PURR!
👍👍👍👍👍👍🍀🍀Happy New Year
Happy new year Brian!
My god my dad had 54 mercury white with blue roof n blue interior 4 door 3 on the tree even with cracks windshields a travel company name cata they had 6 of this cars back in the 50 the used to carry passengers from Argentina to Chile crossings the Andes mountain 🏔 very danger back then yes it was v8 non flat head I use to drive the car when I was 14 or 15 years in the 70’ good memories good luck with that car n thanks for sharing 👍
How cool!!!
for the drvers door panel watch Cold War Motors... in Canada too.. dd panels on a 1960 Plymouth that may help you...Rob from Ontario Canada
Yes, Cold War motors is filmed about 45 minutes from where I live. I know we will likely bump into one another as a friend of mine knows him a fair bit!
Thank you for posting this! I always love to see a piece of history come back to life.
This has been a trip down memory lane for me! First off the car 54...I had a 54 Ford in 1963 and lots of Flatheads before that but it 54 had a 312 Y block in it but the watching you drive yours down the road, looking out the windshield, seeing the beautiful dash, the steering wheel, the open wing window so cool a step back in time for me ... brought a smile to my face too. The Flatheads are my favorite engines, my Dad owned his own car repair business so with his tutelage I learned how to rebuild, diagnose problems and how to hot rod them ...the Flathead V8 sound is like no other. If you can, put some dual exhausts with some glass pack mufflers, the sound is amazing. Cant wait to watch the rest of your journey with the 54.
Thanks so much for commenting! So glad this brings good vibes for you and others. I can't wait to drive it in the spring, it has been put away for the winter and I miss it a lot. I love that engine and can't wait to dig into it some more!
You may have a Marvel Schebler carburetor. If memory serves me right he was a fiddle maker who also had a mechanical knack.
Being laid up in 1966 this car has never tasted ethanol laced gasoline......unless the gas you're running it on now has ethanol in it. Old gas or not, the tank, fuel pump, lines, and carb will be in better shape than anything run on "modern" gasoline. Congrats on the find!
I am not surprised the old flathead came back to life they were tough engines. I wish I could find an old Ford or Mercury to tinker around with I'm quite sure you will get a lot of enjoyment out of the old '54 Meteor, good stuff and thanks for the video.
After seeing the rusted out drivers door; remove door, cut off lower half of the door using angle grinder with a a cutting disc, make new panels using old ones as a template, and weld in new metal.
So cool of a car love my ford products
The more you run it the better it will run
You are so right. I have more videos coming on the progress on the car. It runs so much better now.
Love this car. Especially the interior and neat dash. I have a few cars on my channel but think I now need one of these!
A car with a tea pot carb should be a Mercury in the US. The crankshaft is rare here, worth about 300 bucks if it can be turned. Good parts there.
I learned to drive a1953 Ford 4 door with automatic. I had it up to 100mph. Ford in the US stopped making flat heads in 1953. I still have nos front fender trim.
For gummed valves, sticky lifters, and rings, let alone dirty fuel systems, run a quart of Marvel Mystery oil with the next oil change (minus one qt from reg oil) and in the gas tank, one ounce for every 10 gallons of gas, for the fuel system, you'll be very glad you did...:-) This is something people have no idea about today, it isn't called Marvel Mystery Oil for nothing....trust me. Run the car with the MMO change for about 100 miles or so, and watch the transformation, it cleans the engine and fuel system like nothing else on the marker for old cars.
I just found your channel today and I must say I love your videos, keep it up!
Thank you!
Hi there from Geelong Victoria the clock is a wind up one because it's a 6volt system you have, they changed to 12volt with the OHV came out OK and you have to wind up the clock every day,see you.
It looks like your shopping list, and your "things to do" list are going to be short on this one. You've made a major score! It's not going to be tough at all to get this fine beast in first class condition. It looks like it's about 90% there already. The hardest things are probably going to be the door and the windshield. This is gonna be a real fun car to play with and run around in. You've really got yourself something here.
Maybe for the sticking valves , drain the oil , put in one marvel mystery oil with fresh oil. Then Lucas upper cylinder and fuel treatment in the gasoline
My first few vehicles had manual steering and as long as you're moving it's not bad at all. It's only a little difficult when you're stopped and need to turn it, but then, that's why those old cars had such large steering wheels...more leverage when turning the wheel. If ya don't believe me try putting in a modern size wheel and then trying to turn it when stopped, LOL!
Marvel mystery oil add 1 quart to engine oil, after oil level is down 1 quart,
Also use in gas. May take a year to work. But is slow and safe.
John
Yeah, I agree with the gentleman that in 54 you would have had the overhead valve Y block. The newest this car can be is a 53. Which, was the last year for the flathead V8.
The last year for the flathead V8 was 1953 in the U S . In Canada for whatever reason maybe we had lots of Flatheads left but the Canadian 1954 Fords had Flathead V8's . The first year in Canada for the overhead valve V8 was 1955 which caused difficulties because in 1955 Ford still had a 6 volt electrical system . My Dad was a fleet mechanic back in the day and said that unless your 6 volt battery was in top shape it had difficulty starting the overhead in cold weather.
@@conniemorris9025 it was difficult because of the compression ratio on the overhead engine. I retesting about Canadian fords. Must have had a snoot full of engines left over from 53 model year to make another model run in Canada.
Since you are in Alberta, contact Scott at Cold War Motors, He has quite a collection and has a weekly post on YT on Saturday. He can assist is sourcing parts.
They don’t make them like that anymore. You going to take it in the beater challenge? Look forward to more updates
Can't take it on the beater challenge (paid more than double the max price in the rules) but I'll do my own road trips with it, I can't wait!
Carb. shown is a Holly used on 49 thru 54 Merc. US, good carburator. Fuel pump was never to good. New gas tank and line with an electric fuel pump will fix it up..
Thanks, yes I'm planning on getting an electric pump as a backup plan for road trips.
Lord Mr. Ford What Have You Done By Jerry Reed
At 18:40. Best laugh ever.
Nice to see a classic back on the road. Ever find out where that valve came from ??
Not sure yet. I found it in the garage last night and yes it is a pretty hefty valve. Had an EX (exhaust) stamp on it, and a TC I think. Not sure what that means.
Are you going to restore this beauty? If so, please do a series so we can see how she turns out or will you be selling it to someone who can restore her.
I'm definitely keeping the car and will absolutely continue to post a series on it's restoration.
It's a meteor Curtain ? 😁
Not a complete shock the E-brake works. It works on my '66 with an automatic! They get used even less on an automatic.
What kind of car is your 66?
@@ParklandFilms Ford Falcon
Coolman
Sounds better valves are freeing up
They are, yes it is running great now. Stay tuned, I do some work on the engine later on!
Real nice. It will have the Mercury 255 engine like my 52. Holley "teapot" carburetor. There is a complete repair and parts manual for that carb online. Be sure to lube up all the pivot points on the hood hinges. They are weak, easily bent and broken. New ones available are over $1000. Sounds like it still has a miss. Spray some seafoam down the spark plug holes into the exhaust valves. Thats what I had to do on my Merc. Subscribing.
Run some transmission fluid through the carburetor at a high speed it will do some good for valves
Good idea.
My first car could have been a '51 Custom in the 80s but my uncle that was a car guy didn't like that someone messed with the flathead
It’s hard to tell with the audio on my phone but sounds like it’s on all 8 after that drive?
😎😎😎
how cool, its got a dash from a 54 merc.deidnt ford put there y block in there cars in 54? oh wait this was canadien. my bad
Usually that carb is found on Mercury's, but Canadian cars did alot of different things, they are a good carburetor, but if you rebuild it, you need to watch alot of the rebuild kits as internal parts are not quite right, most replacement accelerator pumps are too long and cause a issue
As for the E-Brake, use a Teflon based lubricant like Tri-Flo, and let it soak real well for a couple days, then work it gently, then lube with, (here again,) MMO ( Marvel Mystery Oil)....Seriously....:-)
As long as you drive uphill you can stop. How many times does Ryan say "55 years"?
Lolol, yep hills help. Did you know it was 55 years since this car last ran? Hahaha
Those “coffee pot” carbs are tricky to work on. Few people are alive anymore who know how. Where will you ever find a door for this car?
You might find valuable info at your local library They might have some old Chilton's, or Motors repair manuals you can check out.
Any Ford or Meteor 52-3-4 fordor sedan doors will work. Contact Scott at Cold War motors he'll be able to fix you up with a door.
Park a modern car for that long and see what's left, one things for sure it ain't starting and it ain't drivinn...
53 was the last year for the flathead
You are correct about the USA, but that's not the case for Canada. We had it one more year.
What is the make/model of the carb? I could look it up in my 1960 MOTORS if you need any info.
I eventually figured out it is a Holley 1901 Teapot 2 barrel. It truly is a great carb, you will see in a future episode how well it was designed, durability is it's strength!
Good, could only find tuneup specs in the Motor's anyway. Seems to be more information about them on line.
Ford used a Strombergs carb from about 38 till the end of the run. Mercury 48-51 used a strange carb with the air intake be on the side, don't know who made it.
@@ParklandFilms The "teapot" carb was used on the 54-56 Y-block. Two if them on police engines were notorious for catching fire.
where did you find varasol? i have not been able to find any since 1991.
It was either Canadian Tire, or Home Depot
Rebuild that fuel pump ,that old diafram will give you nothing but trouble .
Did you check the gear oil in the trans and rear axle? Or just drive it until something seizes?
Hello I recently did an engine swap in my 2014 dodge journey and the motor will not stay started did you have to flash the ecm or pcm or did you get the ones that went with new engine
Didn't flash anything, computer was original to the car. Mine ran real rough when I first started it. I had to shut it off myself and restart it a few times between clearing the codes with a code reader. After doing that a few times it ran fine, no codes. What does your code reader show for codes?
How many years."…."????.
55!! lol