When I revived my 39 Pontiac (barn find), after I dropped and cleaned the gas tank rebuilt the carburetor. I pulled the the plugs took an eye dropper and wet the plugs so to speak. It helped start this car almost right away after 50 yrs . It shorten the time.
I've never found an a long stored engine that didn't have cylinder rust, some have nuts, mouse corpses etc in various cavities including cylinders. Checked stem to stern to kick the gremlins out.
Glad you gents caught a break on something . This car was actually in excellent condition . The wiring was the most sketchy part of it , beyond the fuel supply setup . All of it seemed easily deleted , & returned to original . It sure smoothed out with a fresh carb , & is very quiet . This will be a nice one when you get it all sorted out this summer . Excellent post , & great job Iron Trap Garage . Quite the team !
I've watched you guys for several years now and have noticed that only time Matt has a grin is when he's behind the wheel of a very recent aqucistion of a flathead powered vehicle. this one is no exception. Keep um coming.
I usually don't watch for the comedy, but discovering the tighty whitey's just after the trunk tried to chomp down on you had me ROFL. The wood spacer and plate under the carb looked to be some sort of effort to keep engine heat away from the carb. Heard of the wood spacer trick for this purpose elsewhere.
That car is beautiful. Straight and well maintained for most of it's life. The owner loved it. Good to see you are still getting it done Matt! Good crew you have there. -Glen
LOL that’s what I would do too probably.put them in the stove! Love the car hopefully will see it in the fall or when you guys get time again Thanks for your saving these time capsules and history!
I have watched hundreds of your videos. This a standout! The joy on your face, smile, happy cool, and collected about how great this original, superb '39 Ford drives. Wonderful.
Matt-that flattie motor is the Ford/Rube Goldberg Edition, not widely installed except on Special Order.what a wonderful find! Put some fresh gas in her and take a spin! Maybe it's the first BACK TO THE FUTURE car with Jim Ignatowski's grandpa's design. That headlight could get hot enough to start the box on fire !
That electrical system is what we call a "split system". Common on emergency vehicles like fire trucks. You run on one battery and crank on two. Might tell you something about where the guy worked.
Super Cool Survivor. wow the wiring - guy must've been Howard Hughe's OCD brother...even came with the vintage Grandma Chenille Bedspread on the seat - gotta keep that in there and love those trim rings. - get some Benny Goodman on the radio ! ps my first car was a '40 Merc coupe (1973)
That yellow clothespin under hood lamp clip is actually a quick connector for the old style twinlead TV antenna screw terminals used from the beginning of time until the late 80's. They were designed for TV repair shops to speed up connecting the shop antenna to whichever set was to be worked on. The supply has dried up so while probably only a $2-15 they are desirable. TV collectors who do our own service (like me) typically connect those clips to baluns then to our RF modulator signal sources. That catfood can module had a orange adjustment pot that looked like a convergence adjustment pot out of a late 50's to late 70's color TV...Another part that can be a pain to find replacements for...That whole cat food can module was probably an adjustable Solid State voltage regulator (probably built off a 60's or 70's magazine DIY article).
Every time they show a revival, whether it be the 34 or this 39, or even that Pontiac, I fall in love with the car. I grew up with my fathers 47 Ford Super De-lux 4dr. It started right up every time, even in the dead of western NY winters. It was converted to a 12 volt system. Unfortunately it was sold while I was away in the Air Force. But I will some day have me an old flat head for myself... Thank you for your content.
That may have been Doc Brown's first time machine before he bought the Delorean. 😆 re - that clothespin light: those plastic / metal clips were used to quickly fasten the flat antenna lead-in wire to the antenna terminals on the back of your tv set.
The wood spacer is to isolate the carb from engine heat. It also helps with hot starts, by keeping fuel from boiling out of carb after you shut engine off( from heat soak ) after longer trips.
Makes sense 12 volt charge/start system with 6 volt light/accessories circuit cheap way to upgrade & theft deterent. Outstanding orignal car can't wait to see you cruising neighborhood on a nice sunny day. Thanks guys for another rescue Ford
I would nickname that ride "Tighty Whitey"! I could only dream of finding such a great car as a young man in the Air Force 1970's. Imagine driving that to the base every day. Look forward to seeing you detail it back to new.
You never know what's gonna turn up, today I said to myself "I don't think I've ever driven through this neighborhood", a couple sides streets later and I spotted a 37 or 38 chevy coupe through the hedges parked under a pole barn! As if I need another project!
Just a suggestion, Got this from Vice Grip Garage. Use 2 cycle gas down carb instead of brake clean, gas, etc. the oil in 2 cycle will help lubricate the cylinders. Other stuff will wash the lubricants from the cylinders. Made sense to me.
Nice car. Mainly for your subscribers, I'm sure you do this, but when I have a "new" project that I just got running I disconnect the battery on it after putting it away, just in case. Keep saving them!
Great job Matt and Steve.Really put a smile on my face all the while as you undid things and made thing right for the running. You have one of the best channels for reviving old iron. The '39 was a fantastic score and I'm looking forward to new content in the spring.
It was so nice to see and hear that cool flathood fire up after so many years. I was really rooting for you guys. A 39 in this condition is a rare and wonderful treasure. It's also a lesson in automotive archaeology as you figured out the how and why of what the previous owner did. Flatheads can be very quiet when running. I can hardly hear the 59AB in m y 48 Super Delux. Looks like the previous owner put in some kind of DIY heater on the passenger side of the engine bay. Also, I didnt see a period box heater under the dash.
The switches and all that wiring in the trunk…,that’s where he had his “blackhole” generator for his “time travels”. The headlight on the floor was for when he was actually IN the blackhole
My 34's wiring was similar. I am still finding wires as I upgrade/fix things the previous owner had done. The amount of wiring balled up and not connected to anything could have wired another car. I even found a radio antenna mounted under the running boards. How that antenna was suppose to recieve a signal mounted sideways was beyond me. It is a labor of love.
That car is stunning! One of the prettiest cars ever built in my opinion. I hope your just going to basic resto it. A good clean and fix any mechanical issues. What a beautiful time capsule…🇦🇺🍺🍺
"Wow" what a lovey old pretty original car, great find, if only Iived on your side of the pond, man your so lucky to have all those beautiful old motors over there, that you can still drive and enjoy, unlike here in the UK where they want us all to drive EV crapp or a push bike, grrrrrr. Keep up the good work guys, just love watching your great vids.
Wow a good deal on that one i have a friend that is just like that guy was he has so much stuff going on in his car if you was to ride with him you have to be careful were you set and put your feet we call call it rednecking wiring in missouri that is one quiet running old car.lmao when the trunk tryed to keep you from getting the wires out😆
Matt, that's the problem with collecting just about anything, salt & pepper shakers or cars, you end up running out of space. Good luck on finding the room to keep your prizes safe and dry. Looks as though you won't need to buy any alligator clips for a while.
You guys have found a super sweet ride once you cleared out the mad scientist mods! Congratulations! When I was a young teenager I used build radios, model train controls and wood frame go carts, so I can relate to the former owner of the 39 (though I never used that much wire)! Great video!
Matt, a thought with your headliner. Guys are starting to use “DRY ICE CLEANING”, I’ve seen the before and after cleaning door panels, carpets, and seats. Just a thought. Beautiful coupe. To me these car years are so classy! I love 30, 40, 50’s and 60’s cars. 👍👍👍👍👍
I'm going to speculate that this Ford is a repaint because I can see paint bleeding on the back side window of the passenger side. But if it is a repaint then they could have repainted it in a stock color. Ford had it's own Paint codes, and I know you could get different shades of gray. Folkstone gray is the shade that comes to my mind. You guys are doing a great job. Glad if fell into such capable hands.
I had a thought for a half second that it wasn't fair to classify him as a mad scientist, then the video kept going and going and yeesh, yeah, mad scientist it is!
That wooden spacer is an advantage as it insulates the carh from engine heat. I know you can buy a phonelic spacer for those carbs. Wood does the same job! Plastic filters IF not left laying on hot parts are 100% ok. Rusty old tanks and shitty fuel require them. So another very clean 85 y/o car. Yet so many say they are not around.
Such a nice quiet idle! When you and Mike got in I heard it crank, then I thought it hadn't started, it was so quiet in the car, the only sound was the square tyres! Great score!