It may have looked good at dusk, but the old Ford needed a bath!
Of all the compliments I hear concerning my 1955 Ford Fairlane, the one I hear the most has got to be the appearance of the car. The tutone red and white paint, the bright stainless and chrome, and overall finish of the car seem to have quite the appeal. The car is a driver - that is for sure. It is easy to spot flaws in the finish here and there, and at times there are nicks (from parking lot dings) that I have to fill in ever so slightly with a q-tip daub of paint. But, there is the satisfaction of being the one that did the work, shot the paint, and endeavors to maintain the appearance of the old Ford from time to time. Beyond the Y Block and carburetor questions I get from the website and from my YouTube channel HotRodReverend, the next category of questions I get concerns how I keep the car so clean all the time. In addition to this post, I also have a video that I recently posted to my YouTube channel and you can view it at the link towards the end of the post.
It is a labor of love to keep the 1955 Ford looking so good each day.
Helpful Tips and Suggestions
Let me begin by covering the types of tools and products I use. At times, I hesitate to mention retail items - I have never received any kickback from promoting any product. I did receive a t-shirt, a tin sign, and a few other nicknacks from the Newport Wiper Motor Company. A few years back they read my blog post about installing their wiper motor in my 1955 Fairlane. I guess enough people were ordering their wiper motors after mentioning my article that it prompted them to send a "thank you" my way. But that was the only time.
Two Buckets: For the painted surfaces, glass, and most of the brightwork, I use a simple, 5 gallon bucket with a grit guard at the bottom. I use a separate 5 gallon bucket for the wheels, hubcaps, tires, and bumpers.
Car Wash: Most of the time my buckets will have a generous portion of Turtle Wax, Meguiar's, or Armor All brand car wash concentrate.
Wash Mitt: I prefer a high quality wash mitt that has a gentle microfiber side with the reverse being the cloth mesh that is known for removing bugs and debris from surfaces.
Tire Cleaner/Brush: I spray Black Magic's Bleche White on all four tires and let them soak for a few minutes. Next, I use a contoured, hard-bristled tire brush to clean the tires. The wheels and hubcaps are cleaned by using the wash mix in bucket #2 and a microfiber cloth.
Squeegee/Terry Towel: Rinsing the car off leaves quite a few droplets; the finish encourages a lot of beading up. The squeegee is used to remove most of the water from the glass and body panels. A terry towel finishes the job easily.
The wash process I use includes the following:
Park in shade (or sun in cool weather) so surface temperatures will not leave water spots
Wearing clothing with no buttons or buckles that could scratch paint
Filling two buckets with water and car wash
Parking the car on a slope or slight incline so that the water can run front to back
Rinsing the car liberally from the top down
Begin washing the top, windshield, door glass, and rear glass; rinse thoroughly
Move to the front clip and grill and wash; rinse thoroughly
Wash from the doors to the quarter panels; rinse thoroughly
Wash the trunk and rear deck lid; rinse thoroughly
Wash the bumpers and rocker panel trim; rinse thoroughly
Wash the tires, wheels, and hubcaps; rinse thoroughly
Rinse entire vehicle one last time
Squeegee the all body panels and glass, beginning with the top, working to the bottom
Finish drying the car with a soft terry towel
The next series of photos shows the differences in body panel temperature when comparing a panel in full sun to one in the shade. These were taken on a day when the ambient temperature was 61 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sky was sunny and clear with no breeze.
Almost a 40 degree range in temperature - very telling what sunlight can do!
Coming Up Soon
Subscribers can anticipate the content of the next blog post which will include a trip to El Mirage with video of Tim McMaster's run in the 1962 F100 Unibody truck, the results of using high octane aviation gasoline in the 1955 Ford Fairlane, Thunder on the Mountain, and a trip to Hanford Auto Supply in California.
I have updated the inventory of rocker arm assemblies, as of this writing I do have one set of ECG 6564 rocker arms and a few sets of the low ratio 1.43 now back in stock.
The Hot Rod Reverend
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