car test photo

[Heywood Jannockitov]

View attachment 116544

Just trying to skip the Photobucket thing and go direct off my photos. Thinking of building a car like this

That would make a great Rat Rod, but a bit too shiny isn't it?

 

[sixdogs]

That would make a great Rat Rod, but a bit too shiny isn't it?

I'm 60 years old so shiny is OK and desirable. Figured to find a model A coupe (or roadster), with shiny black paint and slide the body onto a new frame and suspension. I have done this stuff for decades. Small block 350 w/ 5 speed and call it good. Figure I could build it in four months if I paid attention.

 

[CCWKen]

Figure I could build it in four months if I paid attention.

Four months? You'll have to pay more than attention to get it done in four months. Maybe, if you didn't have to make anything. But that's just assembling, not building.

This is 31 Ford Tudor, mild custom. SBC 350/350 on an aftermarket chassis. All steel except for the front fenders. The wood bow roof was replaced with steel. Hand made the floorboard and seat risers. The body was twisted and in the shape of a banana when I got it. You couldn't close the doors. This job took almost a year working about 50%.

 

[CCWKen]

This one took nearly the same.

 

[sixdogs]

Both of the above vehicles are very nice. I do like the two door and the truck is a parade-stopper. Figured there are a lot of "A" coupes around and I like the look. I would go un-chopped for the top and just run a nice stock body.
I figure a few months ( I have done it before) because I will buy a nice body that is in excellent shape so I spend no time on that. I'll buy a new frame and kick up the back myself so little time there. I have both "built" and "assembled" things over the years and a combination works OK. The guys from the '60's would fully approve and we longed for some better way to put things together. A new frame built on a jig solves a lot of future problems.

I once spent a winter chiseling the rivets out of two '37 Chevy coupe front ends to convert from the Master DeLuxe knee-action shocks to a "Master" stock straight axle with six bolt hubs. Not all the crossmember holes were in the same place so I had to drill holes with 1960's drills and bits. Then I needed an adapter machined to adapt to five bolt wheels.
Today you can buy a Magnum axle, torch or grind off the old rivets, install a better crossmember and be done in a day. Plus I feel better on the Interstate in the blind spot of a semi. It's not truly home built but a close second maybe?