Project 38: A Murderous Beginning

Project 38: A Murderous Beginning

Around 16 years ago, I wrote an editorial announcing my new project – a ’38 Ford coupe that I had found just outside of Chicago. My goals for the car were ambitious, but the 20 or 30 people that were on the forum at the time walked me through every step I took. And there were a lot of them… One of my most vivid memories was the fabrication of the dash. I was enamored with the Doane Spencer roadster and just had to have a fully engine turned dash. Luckily for me, Junebug had just engine turned a small bracket and had posted a tech piece on the process. I followed it to a ‘T’ – eight pieces of stainless and six days of hell later, I was able to come up with something passable. Just as I finished, my wife stopped by with a slushy from Sonic. The night before was our first date.

Of course, the memories don’t stop there. There are so many, that I don’t want to start telling then in fear that I’ll run on for pages and pages. We have important things to get too and those memories will only get in the way.

It’s a cold reality of this project. I’m destroying something special and pure. I’m destroying part of my history. I’m destroying my ’38… and I’m really damned excited about it. I feel like an assassin that knows no good and doesn’t bother pretending that he does. Too hell with the naysayers and the do-gooders. Let’s kill it!

In any regard and as previously reported, the ’38 is now in Northern California at my brother’s shop. I sent it out there a few months ago with the idea that Keith and I would do a simple refresh – just enough to keep the car relevant without rebuilding the whole damn thing. But then a force took over that seemingly can’t be slowed. It’s a common theme in hot rodding really. Give a fella the very idea of “full potential” and it’s almost impossible to stop short of that.

The first image that Keith texted me was that of my ’38 sans the front sheet metal. The fenders, grille, and hood were all removed leaving my hacked together and bagged front-end naked to the world. I winced in embarrassment even while knowing that Keith is well aware of my fabrication limitations. It’s hard to explain… But allowing someone else to see my work is a very personal thing. I felt oddly exposed and vulnerable.

Keith, however, was a gentleman. He didn’t so much as mention my sagging tits. I love and respect him for that.

And this first emotional hurdle seems to have been the tallest. After getting over the visual, I’ve become the assassin I mentioned before. I’m ready. Keith’s ready… and we have a general idea in place. We’ve killed the notion of a simple “refresh” in favor of an absolute and murderous rebuild. A refresh would have left us with a confused car pointed in all kinds of directions. Murder brings new opportunity and gives a new life to my beloved ’38. With all the car has given me in the past, I’m certain that it is deserving. My only regret is that I’m not there along side Keith slashing, cutting, and stabbing… with blood all over my hands. But this a long-term project, and I’ll be there soon enough.

Anyway, the ’38 is going to be reborn into a mid-to-late 1950’s race car. It will give the finger to the silly players like Ed Roth and a nod to serious hot rodders like Doane Spencer. It will be black, low, loud, and most of all – FAST. It will not be a show car or a parker, but a driver and a hell raiser. Thunderbirds are most definitely go!

Plans call for removing all of the “modern” hacked together shit that I originally put together. The Mustang II is gone. Disc brakes? History. Tilt column? Don’t ask. Monster Reher Morrison Small Block? Shelved for later. All replaced by simplicity slanted towards the period chosen. The chassis is going back to it’s roots with a dropped axle front and a leaf sprung rear, brakes will be ’40 drums, steering stock, etc… Power will come from a radically built and 471 blown Y-Block Ford. But I’m getting ahead of myself and giving to much away.

First things first.

When I originally built the ’38, I had never so much as seen a set of stock early Ford pedals. In their place, I used a set of really offensive pedals sourced from a GM van. The self loathing began shortly after the first time I sat in a car with a proper set up. It stopped a few days ago. Jason over at Pete & Jakes offered up a set of his ’35 Ford pedals and a with a little modification, they fit the ’38’s crossmember just fine. The end result and the photos sent by Keith were liberating. I’m literally foaming at the mouth, ready to right so many wrongs, and create a car that can only result in very bad things.

This, fellas, is gonna be fun. And I plan to cover as much as I can here on The Jalopy Journal. So… STAY TUNED!

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