Hot Rods Trying to build a 1920ish Ford roadster body out of this!

Body looks great, like the 1915 windshield, they are rare with the riveted brackets. Bob

 

@thunderbirdesq had a couple of wishbones for sale recently...

 

Unless you're lucky enough to find a set of NOS shackles you're going to have to buy new ones. I got mine from Macs. I bought 1932 shackles which was the first year to have rubber insulated shackles. Now the shackles plates and self locking nuts are finished in a horrible cheap chrome and look so out of place. So they had to go.
Like most of you I've dismantled loads of pre-war Fords and parts of them. I always keep the old nuts and bolts because original Ford hardware is good quality and can be re-used either as is or sandblasted and re-painted.
I trawled through my collection of nuts and found some castle nuts. I chased the threads and then wire brushed them.

Then I found 8 old rusty but original 1932 shackle bars. I wire brushed them clean which makes them a milk chocolate color. If your fingers look anything like mine just rub them over with your fingers and they'll turn a nice dark chocolate color. Finally use a square file to clean up the square holes to make the new pins fit.

Assemble and Voila - Nice looking shackles. Compare the difference to the new shackles as they come.


You'll notice I didn't find enough original castle nuts but will get some more in soon hopefully. Finally the shackle pins will need drilling for cotter pins.

 

If you've got a cowl you've got the car. That's all you need. Go for it. The Hudson is very flat sided. They also made a great looking boat tail version which would look great as a ROG candidate with tall skinny tires.

 

Love this thread. Crazy cool metal work. I can't wait to see you build a 292 HEMI for this thing out of an old Atco Windsor engine! (that would be like Briggs and Stratton on this side of the pond)!

 

I do actually have the Atco - see here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1950s-atco-lawnmower.879465/
Sorry to disappoint you but I'm putting a stock Model-A engine into it which has DOUBLE the power of a Model-T engine! To be on the safe side I'm installing 1932 brakes all round which are much bigger than the stock Model-A brakes. Just to make sure I don't get into trouble with those 40 horses.

 

I am just glad I picked the correct brand of mower. I had that funny thought pop into my head but had no idea of a recognizable brand of mower over there. I did a bit of "Goggle" work and decided on the Atco, but it was still a bit of a shot in the dark...LOL!

 

That really was a long shot. Atcos aren't really all over the place anymore.
Ed

 

Progress so far. I made a suicide front end using an original '32 heavy I-beam and split '32 'bones mounted to the side rails using tie rod ends and brackets made from 1946 Ford body mounts. I then moved the radiator forward above the axle which gives me room for a mechanical fan now. Brakes are '32 Ford and the rear axle is an early '32 mated to a Model-A torque tube. The bells have been reversed and I used a Model-A rear spring.
Here's how it looks today.

 

Looks very nice! Bob

 

Ed , you´re a genius. I love your way of building cars. Good stuff.

 

Love it! Amazing job!

 

yep,killer job!

 

Wow how did I miss? Just read thru the whole thread, awesome job.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Before and after pictures.
- It's just metal. It'll be whatever you want it to be.

 

Outstanding build!
I have a friend that does this style paint jobs. He also uses dark gray and light gray primer spray bombs, and randomly lightly fogs them over the reddish/brown color paint to give it a "less even" overall coloring.

 

I somehow lost track of this thread. Glad I found it again! Car looks amazing, great job!

 

UnFuckingBelievable!!!!!!! Build.
Gary

 

I wasn't happy with the rear end. The reversed bells stuck the rear axle a bit further out than I thought. OK, I knew exactly how far back it'd sit but I couldn't forsee the visual imbalance.
After a bit of soul searching I decided a rear mounted spare tire would redress the balance. And carrying a spare has several advantages. Obviously you have a spare tire in case of a flat, but you can also strap extra luggage to it. Also it gives me somewhere to mount my taillights.
So I welded a pair of cut off rear 1932 chassis horns to the Model-A rear crossmember and cut little cut outs in the body skirt so the body would sit down on the frame again. The frame horns came directly out and don't droop down like on 32s.
Then I cut and narrowed a 1932 spare tire carrier to fit. These are so cheap and easy to find despite being genuine Deuce parts but nobody wants them. With the rail horns coming out straight it set the spare tire at a sporty angle.
I think the car looks much better with the spare than before.

 

Love it, a great solution nicely executed.

 

I scored this late 20s or early 30s Marmon dash insert on ebay which seems perfect for the T's small dash. I've got a collection of instruments to fill it including a round Model-A speedo. Just hoping they'll fit. I am pretty excited to have found this dash as it's just the kind of over-the-top Art Deco style I was looking for.

 

Yes with some gentle persuasion...and a few acquired skills here and there...

Very inspiring build Edward.

 

Id personally like it a bit more if the rear axle was forward so that it was centered in the trunk area. But that's just me. You've made a killer little car out of a pile of scrap. AMAZING work!

 

Yes, I'm still not sure myself. If I was to flip the bells backwards again I think the wheelbase would be too short. And I did want to avoid shortening the Model-A driveshaft which is why I built it that way. using an early '32 axle gets the car lower at the rear.
Maybe the solution would be to build a longer trunk for it which would give me more trunk space too and leave all the mechanical parts intact.

Ed

 

I'm sitting here amazed at what you've accomplished.
I'd leave it, just so if people asked me I could then ask them what exactly did they expect out of a pizza delivery van.

 

I passed on picking up a 1932 spare tire carrier earlier this year. It was in perfect condition with no rust for $35. I've kicked myself numerous times since because now I'd have a use for it.

In your application, it looks great! Such a cool little car.

 

I like the wheelbase. It reminds me of Isky's T which is one of my favorite Hotrods ever!

 

Mine too. Isky's T was in my mind too as I build it.

 

Id leave it as is over a longer trunk. Truly, the proportions are amazing and even more so when you know its a cut up pizza truck. I really am amazed at how it came out from the first photos of your pile of sheet metal.

 

This is the route I've decided to take. I've bought an original Model-T fan assembly and ordered one of those accessory Model-T water pumps from Macs. They had two different types on offer. The more expensive one claimed to be "leakless", which I figured was a pretty good idea for a water pump so I bought one.
I'm tempted by one of their electronic ignition distributors with automatic advance too, but wow they're pricey!
Ed