"Lauren" - Part 2

As parts were gathered together or taken off I have tried to restore them as I have gone along - interspersed with my valiant efforts at bodywork, in the vague hope that I will have a whole load of gleaming restored bits ready and waiting - nothing worse than having a shiny new car and boxes and boxes of rusty old bits to be sorted out.

First items were the lamps, bezels, and some of the odd mouldings that are metal as opposed too stainless. As mentioned in the last article, most of these came via Eagle Pass Cars and Parts. The front lamp chrome surrounds were bought not a long time ago and were and still are, very expensive, as these items tend to rust away. The rear bezels are suppose to have a black inset line that disappears when they are replated (surprise) so this was carefully masked up and sprayed satin black to match the original. The back of all the metal trim was cleaned and painted with silver Hammerite and the chrome was then lacquered (to be removed when finally fitted). Each bulb holder was stripped down, cleaned, and refitted to the bezel. The front lamp holders were sprayed with Eastwoods chrome paint to provide a more reflective surface. The wiring was very carefully checked for cracking /hardness etc.: because Lauren has led a fairly sheltered life all these were very good and cleaned up beautifully. 1958 wiring can only be replaced with more modern connections as it is just too expensive to reproduce those fabulous moulded Ford connectors. The sealing boots on the bulb holders were replaced and sealed inside with silicon sealer. If it is good enough for electrical connections on satellite dishes, it is good enough for me (and it's cheap!). New gaskets, lens screws, and a full set of restored lamp units were ready to be put away. As the moisture drain holes at the bottom of the lenses often get blocked by dirt or old gasket, it is worth checking yours - a few minutes can save a lot of money.

The headlamps were treated in much the same way and adjuster screw sets are available to save some time. New sealed beams units and similar treatment to the wiring and away we go. It is worth checking, and not only on the 58s, the grommet in the lamp bucket and the plastic cased ring on the inner fender. The plastic cracks and chafes through the wire, nasty.

On to the good old hood scoop. The inserts in these were reproduced but there seems to be a bit of confusion: the Custom 300 is different to the Fairlane, but I have seen both on both cars, and all supposedly original fitments. Only difference I can see is the Ford shield either has a crown or the FORD letters, any answers anyone? While on the subject, check out the seal around anything on your hood: it not only stops the paint getting scratched, but is meant to stop water getting inside the hood and making the front lip rust - check the drain holes as well.

Script-wise, 50's Fords are well catered for by the aftermarket people, except -wait for it - the 58 front Fairlane script, being bigger than the '57. Custom series owners are lucky because you have the FORD. letters. These repro scripts have solid backs instead of the original "open" backs. This is why the old ones always break in the same place. Personally, I would prefer new stronger scripts than risk a second hand one that will fall apart as soon as you touch it.