I pulled the trigger his past weekend on a trade, my 56 Chevy sedan project for a 27 Roadster. This will be the first build I've taken on that's this old, everything else has been from the 50's and 60's. I'd like to build this is a traditional roadster. Lower the stance, painted steel wheels, small block powered, auto trans etc..... The very first poster of a hot rod that went up on my wall was a Ford Roadster when I was 13, that was 27 years ago so I've waited a long time to get started on a car like this. What I'm going to be looking for is some advice from the HAMB experts on best way to build this car. I've read a lot about swapping the T frame for and A if I'm going to use a small block power plant. I'd also like to hear your thought on the best way to get this thing lower to the ground and still ride decent. Here's a shot of it mocked up, the engine will be a 283 with a Th350 tranny, not what you see in the pic. I'll also include a shot of what I have in mine for a finished product stance and style. Any suggestions are welcome and advice is always appreciated guys. I'm an open book here
Well I like where you are headed with this. A swap to an A chassis is very traditional for a T and way cheaper then to use deuce rails. I am curious, what is that grill shell? It looks good albeit different from the norm.
I would sure keep that grill shell, maybe it will need to be trimmed down a little bit but it has a good look to it. I would avoid getting all crazy with the dropping method, a simple Z in the rear and a dropped axle in the front. Keep it simple.
that's whats intended with this build, keep it simple, keep it traditional, keep it cool. How much of a Z in the frame would be required if I use a 3" dropped axle?
Good luck on your new journey. Looks like you have some great bones to start with. The photo of where you are headed looks good, the advice you get here on this forum, is second to none! Search for some of the chassis threads, mega info with regard to chassis set-up. I would post some links, but don't now how.
Looking good, avatar and plan. Looks a little like a Chevy grill, and one more on the keep it team. The 283, with all the right parts is hot, I feel not the same way about the th350, why do you want a car with a gearbox build for the one legged man How about a good manual gearbox, most anything manual can be made to look the part. Like you plans so far. Black on black with a tilted windshield, never seen that go bad!
I wouldn't Z the front at all a 3" drop axle will put you pretty close to where that example is, with the proper spring and mounting location. I used bad terminology I should have said step the frame as I meant the rear and not the front. it should not take much of a step ( perhaps a little less than frame width) to get your rear where you want it. A little advice on channeling the '27 ( I assume that you will want to do that) if you want to sit in a '37 and not on a '27 you can't channel it very much. The roadster is not a deep body to start with. I think I have an example of a channeled '27 in one of my albums. Let me find it for you. This car here is channeled the width of an original T frame ( about 3") and you sit right on the floor in it.
Im not a big fan of deuce grills on Ts or A frames for that matter. When put on an A frame the body looks like its hang out in the middle of nowhere. When put on a pinched 32 frame it gives the car more flow. Just my two cents.
I would suggest a dropped axle front and reversed spring eyes front and rear, maybe a flattened front crossmember and a frame-height step in the rear, if any. My '26 is on an A frame with 6.00 and 6.50 16"s, dropped axle but straight rails and I think it's plenty low, for my taste, although rear end travel clearance is probably a bit too tight, we'll see. Mine will not be channeled, just not enough room in a T to not look silly when you're sitting in it, unless you're really short in my opinion. I personally like the front axle to be directly underneath the grille shell/radiator. A lot of T's and some A's even like to use a suicide mount to push the front axle out front, to make it lower and give a stretched out look, but I personally am not a fan. Here's my A frame awaiting the T body to go back on it (body is out getting painted right now).
Thanks for all the starting out tips guys. I'm going to look for some pictures do a 26 or 27 on an A frame that haven't been channelled to much. I'm 6'-1" so I need to keep as much room as I can
20140603_175632 (640x360) by Paul posted Jun 3, 2014 at 7:12 PM 20140603_175730 (640x360) by Paul posted Jun 3, 2014 at 7:12 PM IMAG4284 by Paul posted May 2, 2014 at 6:18 AM
Paul , your roadster is looking good. I've missed seeing regular updates on it. ......................... Jack
Does anyone have a tech article for making small independent wheel fenders? Our provincial safety standards state that I'm going to need fenders but I'm not sold on the full factory fender look of these roadsters. Something like on this one
I've been looking in to fenders of a bike. I live in a country that wants us to run fenders. I believe the triumph fenders look the part, but there might be other, that fits the bill. Depends on wheel and tire size. The might be something else available on you side. It was common practice back in the day to run bike fenders, bobbed rear fenders, or cut up continental kits/front fender spare wheel covers. Rasmus Brynk Andersen, from Denmark.
A lot of the fellas make them from spare tire covers. One cover equals 2 fenders. I am sure that if you search there is tech on the subject. I have used rear fenders from a limey bike before as well as steel flat fenders from a chopper. For the rears if you want a wider fender a cut down model A fender or even a cut down T fender will work. Boat trailer fenders are another option.
I'm going to try my hand at making my own cycle fenders. I have a bead roller and a shrinker stretcher set so it should be do-able. I also have a set of 1 1/2" rounding over dies that I got from Ron Covell. Google Ron Covell building a cycle fender and you can see how it's done.
I happened to be looking at a tech thread on cycle fenders just two days ago and saved it to my bookmarks... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/cycle-fenders-how-to.276283/#post-2932613 Is that what you're after? Glen.
I was playing around with and still might go head with hood and fenders on my roadster, like in this early construction photo.. thanks for all the ideas
hey guys, I'm making a list of parts to order to get this into a rolling chassis as quick as I can. Where do you recommend for brakes? I'd like t use the 40 Ford hydraulic brakes up front, is there any place that sells this as a kit?
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