Kay, I responded to you on the 'part 1 post', but in case you missed it I wanted you to know! "Kay, It is good to see you on here! I hope you approve - your opinion is important to me. I love Tuffy more that you will ever know! There are so many decisions. What to leave and what to change and everyone has a different opinion. The bottom line is.... that I hope I make you and Ron proud! Kathy"
What! A wise crack about my age? RichardD is gonna be pissed he did'nt come up with that!!! But seriously folks, this is a learning experience for me, and the guidance and skill that Louie has given is amazing. I know Kathy could pull this off herself, but then we would miss out on all the fun. Kathy, show the folks your new fab table!!!
I am excited about this car...... I think it is in good hands and there is alot of heart being put into it. The best art is always made with heart. That being said, you really can't go wrong, it will be a great car no matter how it is put together....... If it had been found in tact, it would be a tradgedy to change it.... but it was all apart...so its almost a clean slate. Building a new car with those parts that pays tribute to the origional is a fine idea.... like I said you really can't go wrong. BUT being that you have most of the pieces of the car in the picture, and being that that car in the picture happens to be completely AWESOME, it seems crazy to me to not build it exactly like that picture. Right? I mean how can you top it?...... I'm suprized no one has cloned that picture yet, and this is the actual car. You can change stuff.....refine it, make it safe, smoothe it out etc... etc... etc... but it will never be as cool as it was in those pics...... its just not possible. As far as it being drivable and safe, scrub lines etc.... its all relative. If you built it to represent the pics you would have to drive it as such, you would have to be careful. Common sense type stuff. BUT you would be driving the car in the picture. Crazy. When I look at those pictures or any old pictures of Hot Rods I always dream aout what it was like to drive it, what it was like to be there. Thats why survivors are so great, they were THERE. Its like stepping back in time. Another way to go, would be to build it to look like the picture, but z the frame front and rear... Then you would have more room inside,the body would not hang below the frame and it would still look like the pictures..... It could all be done in a way to represent what could have been done.... using all old parts etc. That way it would still retain the character of the origional. If it were mine, I would try to recreate those pictures down to the nut and bolt..... then when finished I would blow them up lifesize and display the car next to them..... and I'd drive the shit out of it.
Bob Bleed: Another way to go, would be to build it to look like the picture, but z the frame front and rear... Then you would have more room inside,the body would not hang below the frame and it would still look like the pictures..... It could all be done in a way to represent what could have been done.... using all old parts etc. That way it would still retain the character of the origional. I think Bob has something here... Bring the center part of the frame down to the body, kick up the front and rear to allow suspension travel. Car would look pretty darn near the same, would have more interior room than the original and the frame would protect the bottom edges of the body. This would be a lot more work, but I'm with Bob...I think the results would be worth the extra effort. My $.02 for what it's worth!
Your score so no one can tell you how to build the car but I'd say a lot of us dudes are looking forward to seeing this car exactly as it was...... .....however I would rather see you driving it with your kids and enjoying the car rather then sitting in a garage and being taken only to shows. I think there is a way is have the best of both worlds. There just needs to be some brainstorming and creative thinking to overcomes the engineering issues. BLEED, how about one of those frame you built for Stephen (31whitey) with the sectioned rails (minus all the crazyness of the x member) and even a "bleedsweep" to help that car get stupid low??? That might work.
Thats a pretty special Hot Rod! Its good to get the feedback, but in the end go with your gut feeling and build it the way you want. Other wise you will be kicking yourself later. Farm some of it out if that helps, that way you can consentrate on the things you can do and possibly finish it sooner. Good Luck and keep posting the updates
You make Tuffy your own. I'm just so happy to see it getting the love it deserves. Can't wait to see it when it's finished.
Your frame build was discussed. Trust me, the original pictures make my heart pound! I need to go back to my original plan and stop listening to what everybody else wants. I am not building Gene Lade's Coupe (although I love it), I am building Ron Bettin's Coupe (I love it more). In case you all missed this, this is Ron Bettin's wife. I am glad she is on here. Please welcome her! Someday, she and I are going for a ride in Tuffy!
O.K.; let me get this straight,,,, back to a single AFB, normally aspirated? The parts are there, but she seems to dig that blower.
I could be wrong, but I think she'll dig that blower a lot less if she, as she has indicated in her posts, plans to drive the car a lot. As Kathy has indicated she would, I think I'd re-think this whole project in the light of her goals and what would be best in the pursuit of them. A blower - or any piece of exotic speed equipment - can be made streetable, but it's still going to be a weak link in the enjoyment of any cross-country ride...especially with kids in the car. I personally would vote for a nice, dependable carburetor. Just my $.02
I guess the blower is where everything started to change, both now and in 1966 when Ron took it apart, and started to unchannel it. It's really kinda funny to think, here we are in 2010 facing the same decision. You have to change some of the cool factor to get to Bonneville. It sure would be easier and cheaper to put the original intake back on it. We could pretty much hone it and put the engine back together. And the blower (with a spacer) could still be used on the 354 Poly motor I have for the 35 Chevy. Man, we could even swap them out if we wanted. I am impatient to finish this car and I have been stressing on how I was going to do it with two kids in college. This may be the perfect solution!
Its good to see you on the HAMB...It was a pleasure meeting you last summer.....if our paths ever cross again ...its my turn to buy dinner....Rons car is in excellent hands....Bill
Still looking for the tail lights, I think we had 3, I KNOW they are here somewhere, so I owe you, just haven't found them yet, but was with Ron when he bought them back. There is just so much "stuff" here, so far I've lost a whole motor that Ron had to fix for a friend of his. It's here somewhere, but as I said there is so much stuff and Ron was the one that knew were he stashed everything.
Hi Bill, If we meet again dinner is on you, thanks. Kathy not sure what your blower idea is, at one point he had a McCullagh (sp) blower. Tuffy was always a work in progress, if something worked, something else might work better. He was always tweeking things to get that little extra ounce of horsepower, so the pictures were how it was at one point in time. Make it how you want it, you may find yourself changing and tweeking things as time goes on too. From the pictures, it's looking awesome and much happier. Thanks for bringing Tuffy back to life.
Welcome to the ....Trying to build a car with 2 kids in college club. It's still just as much fun, it just takes longer.
I've been watching this saga from when it was first posted. It's got to be one of the best stories that's been shared in some time. I would not pretend to tell you my vision for the car but just enforce what has been posted. Having Ron's wife on board is about as good as it gets. You've got to appreciate the fact she was closer to him than any living person and I would honor any request she might have as far as the car goes. Since she has given her blessing about the direction the rebuild is taking that would be good enough for me. Keep us posted on the progress. I for one will be anxious to hear every detail. Frank
I've seen pictures of this car, how great that it has surfaced and life is being sweat into it again. I'm partial to channeled cars. The channel is extreme yet it works, the short and low grille is just naughty. The car is just tough, and all its own. It is unique, and its there in your shop nearly 60 years later. This is history! There is something about a channeled coupe that just makes them look tough! I'm building a '33 coupe that was built in the 50's, channeled not chopped. For me, I really want to honor it's heritage. Enjoy the build, we are only the care takers preserving the history for the future care takers. They'll show up just like us with that glazed and dazed look, they now what they are looking at. My Build Thread.... <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
Kay, your words of support are heart felt. Thank you! It has to make you proud to see all these people that loved Ron's vision of a 32 Ford. Ok guys, I have four days off, let's see if I can get it back to where I started!
How about a update on the history of the car and how you came to get it for those of us who don't know?
Arthur Here is a link to part 1. Grab a beer, it may take a while. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=397461 Stance is now back to about here (old pic, but scrub line was taken into consideration). Everyone can give a "big sigh of relief"!
Kay, WELCOME to the H.A.M.B.! Kathy, I'm very excited about your renewed direction for Tuffy. YAH! Good luck with the project! I'm subscribed, (my favorite thread).
Count me in with the crowd that says keep it as close to original as possible while still being able to drive and enjoy it. AND....,by all means paint the damn thing to keep it from rusting!
Ahhhhhhhhhhh I too would like to say, "Welcome Kay". Magic happens here! <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
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