The Rabid Whippet

Well I have spent a bit of time in the last couple days on my 1929 Willys Whippet Coupe. I have about 10 hours involved and think Im doing pretty good as I have never done anything like this before. First couple hours was bracing for a chop. I chopped it 3" as it only gives 6" left on the front windshield. Next I bent some 1" tubing to conform to the trunk and then cut out one side to make a channel around the trunk. My car had no gutter around where the trunk would be . I tacked these pieces in and then bent some 1/2" tubing to match the contour of the trunk opening , then cut my trunk skin out of 20 gauge steel and tacked the top edge and rolled it down the 1/2" tubing while tacking it with my mig. After I got it all tacked, I set it in the trunk opening, it was close but needed a couple quick bends to fit exact. My next part was to try and make a roof that I had laying outside for yard art before I bought the Whippet to fit. I dont know what it was from but after cutting 2" in length and adding 1" in width, cutting the window and chopping the sides down, it fit good. It still had the hole in the roof so the left over steel from the trunk, I used by dropping it on the roof, using a felt marker and scribing and tracing the underside of the steel that mated with the roof . I then added 1/4" to the original scribe, cut and dropped it over the hole. Man it fit!!!!!! I like this stuff. Its really looking like a car now!!! I only dropped a molten piece of metal on my hand and watched it melt into my flesh once. I do construction and a ton of other stuff so this actually really seems pretty easy. I also formed the 1" pieces at the window by hand and my vice with a small chunk of 1/2" tube to form around. Like I said, you are looking at about 10 hrs. Im likin this hotrod stuff. Heres some pics.

The day I bought it.

Bracing.

Drivers side view

Direct front view

passenger front

This is the top that came off of ? dont know what but after setting it into the passenger compartment and then establishing height scribing at belt line cutting and then adding one inch to the width, it fit perfect.

Rear drivers side.

Passenger rear showing trunk

This is what the stock trunk looks like. It looks like its missing a couple inches at the bottom.

Showing roof patch, 1"width patch and trunk.

Another front view with fenders off.

And the mess I am working in!! Actually I cleaned house after tripping over this crap while doing the fabrication work so I will have a sort of clean slate to start with while welding the panels all solid.
The engine will be the 1952 hemi thats shown in the picture complete with a 12 volt gen and power steering from 1956 Imperial.

Thanks for viewing my first hotrod project.

 

Wippet good!

 

Project's lookin' good, but making me look bad........you got more done in 10-hours than I have this month !

 

lookin good

 

Running outa room are we?

 

That is too funny!!! I just build a two story barn 30 ft high with 1680 ft on the first floor and 800 on the second floor. Its packed!! The garage where the Whippet is in, I have 900 sf and am stuffed!!!! Not many people have 8 engines, 7 transmissions, a mass of 1968 Firebird parts, 40 + carbs, a pinball machine, and a ton of other weird shit in their garage. I also have a 680 sf garage on the house and its packed. Somewhere in my family, they bred with a pack rat!! LOL. So yes, I am out of room!!!


heres a couple pictures before some cleaning.

 

Are you going to use the stock Whippet radiator for cooling or what? I am putting a '28 Whippet grill shell and radiator on my Model A "modified", with a 350 Chevy. I am having a second radiator built to fit behind the Whippet to actually do the cooling as the Whippet has the great honeycomb core look but leaks like a sieve. Time will tell how well it cools. That's why I am curious about your approach. Your car is looking very good.

 

The 29 Whippet grill is alot bigger than the 28. I had a 28 grill and rad and sold it to cover some costs on a 1935 Chevy grill that Im going to use. I still have the 29 but am using it for wall art.

 

hahahhahaa, me too !
great start indeed, keep the updates coming.

 

scoot some of them Firebirds outside... you'd have plenty of room!

Just joking... project's lookin great.

 

Actually every one of them are in my new barn. The Whippet is in where they use to be and this garage is just for working on cars, and the barn is for storing them. I have heat in the garage where the Whippet is. The barn is like an ice box and having 30 ft high ceilings, I cant afford to heat it.
The next thing that I need to do on the Whippet is to section it and Z the frame so the body isabout 1/2" higher than the frame and stick a 1940s Ford 4" dropped axle with the transverse leaf under it. Im debating whether to leave the spring in front of the axle or figuring out !!!!
how to either install the spring above the axle or behind. Oh the decisions. I think this is what really makes it fun is building what ever you want and there are no rules. I have always been into Muscle cars and you are alot more limited in creativity.

 

Cool project......different.....whippets are fun.....oh wait, Whippet the CAR.....

Keep the progress pics coming......

Say, I think we've met before at Unfinished Nats in Elma a few years ago??

 

That Whippet is wild, can't wait to see it around the Puget Sound area.

 

Yes we did and I think your truck gave me some inspiration to take a project on. Never thought I'd start with a Whippet but hey, how many Whippets, never mind hemi powered do you see? I spent alot of time eyeing your truck. I knew that you were on here and see you post all the time. I wonder how many others here I know but just dont know their board name?

 

Nice, the chop and the hemi remind me of my 30 plymouth i'm building up the Valley in Sultan

 

Wow, solid body for a 29. What's they story behind it? Looks like the rear sheetmetal stayed very much the same until after 32, might give me hope that I won't need to use model A stuff... Gotta love the Hemi. Any more pics of what it looked like before you started cutting it? Keeping the front fenders??

 

Well this was a Montana car sitting in a field. A guy who hauls cars found it and got it for a song and dance. He kept it for about 10 years garaged and then I bought it when i heard about it through the grape vine. The pictures actually make it look rustier than it is. As far as the fenders, Im a horder and I have buyers remorse, sellers remorse and separation anxiety . Ugh Im sweating just thinking about it!!! So I guess no, they arent for sale!!!! LOL!!

 

Oh well, as I said more pics would be appreciated, both before, during, and after. I may have to bug you for a few measurements down the line. What's the axle combo under there now?

 

Heres a couple pictures of when I bought it. I rolled some tires against the ones that were on it just to see what the spoke rims would look like. Also I put a top on it that I had kicking around.










The car as it sits has the stock leaf springs front and back, stock front axle etc. rear end is a Maverick but will have a different rear installed for the drop. Feel free to email with questions about dimensions.

 

Rabid, thanks for the shots. I'm going to have to build one of these out of basically a frame and a cowl, and even they ain't that good, so any little bit of information helps. Thanks again.

 

This is the front end under the new Z'd frame. I will cut the frame so the spring will clear.



This is the stance Im after. I have about 6" from the bottom of the frame to the ground.

I used a roof from a car that is unknown but it was about 6" short at the back of the door so I made a patch with my vise to keep the door flush with the panel.



After a 3" chop and a 4" channel I only have 6" of vision out the front window but the side windows are still like 10" . I like how the top of the side and front are even. Even with the chop and channel I still have 4" above my head with a stock 1968 Firebird seat inside. My friend who is 6'-4" still had about an inch clearance. Glad my neck wont get sore trying to fit under the roof.


Im thinking its looking like a hotrod.
Heres what Im thinking of using for my pedals, what do you think?

One last picture before the next progress.

This is my first build ever and I am so addicted compared to working on my 60s muscle cars. You have so much more freedom with these hotrods. Im diggin it!!!

 

I have some of those I was thinking of using for pedals too. I don't know what they are called, but they mount on a stand and shoe makers/repairers use them to hold the shoe while they work on them.

 

I was thinking about using the drum pedal as it is a Ludwig Speed King!! But after seeing these at the swapmeet for $2 a piece I might try them.

 

Any ideas for brackets to mount the wishbones to the frame? Are there specifics on the taper that the Wishbone end mounts to the frame and is there a made part that can weld to the bracket that has the same taper and is it hardened steel? I need to build these brackets next to lock the axle from sliding around.

 

wow... now that is progress... awesome car guy! you are making head-way like a mofo.. keep the updates running!

 

Well progress has been slow but steady on the Whips. I took a little video of it and my messy garage. Anyway, I think its looking pretty cool as this is my first ever hotrod build. I painted the grill black and it made a 100% improvement with the shell working with the car. Enjoy and let me know what you think so far.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzpm5VQ1Y10

 

Cool looking project! I just found a coupe this morning identical to yours, now I know what it is! LOL
I have no idea if it's for sale or not, I have to go back and see if I can track down an owner. It's pretty much complete as far as sheetmetal goes, but it's rough. Might make an interesting project or yard art, though.

 

kick A** car and hemi power to boot ,

 

Cool mate, interesting build, thanks for posting.

 

Thanks for the comments. Anyone have any pictures of rear bagged Model A's