why not go early 60s build, use a period automatic, nice little 2x2 or 3x2 intake on the flattie, 59ab, personally id stick an olds in it instead of a flatty but im biased, im putting one in my 47, theyre period, badass, overhead valves, can make decent power... just some thoughts. if yiu do go flatty see what automatic adapters are out there and which ones cheapest/cheapest trans, you wont ever break it no matter what it is behind a flathead so i say save money there
That sounds accurate. A flathead came with the car - a Canadian C59A with C7RA-A stamped on the heads. Not the aluminum head Canadian version unfortunately but rumour is that the Canadian blocks were thicker cast and had better cooling for the colder climates. If true that hopefully translates into little to no cracks and more opportunity for bore. If the engine ends up being junk, I'll have to reconsider what engine option I will move forward with. I get flatheads are more of a pain and can be costly to build compared to say a 302, but the look of a 32 with a flathead is just too cool - and thinking of the 3x2 intake setup as you say. I've found fairly economical transmission adapters for a C4 and as chance would have it my trans/rear end builder has a rebuilt one on the shelf I can get for cheap. He also said the Dana 44 I have kicking around will be a cheap rebuild as well. Could there be better options? Indeed... but sometimes using what you have works just fine. Would love to hear some opinions on sources for complete suspension kits - including steering box options. I like the SoCal setup with the drilled dropped i-beam and from what I have researched the common is a Vega steering box setup (SoCal also sells the mounting plate and pitman arm for that). Cheers, Aaron
i wish i knew more about the suspension on those 32s but i dont. you oughta post pics! pics get the guys fired uo for question answering
dang.... i dont say this often but now im thinkin that thing needs to be restored to stock. its not too dang often you see an ORIGINAL 32! ROADSTER... thats just crazy. beautiful car. museum worthy. rumble seat too, just awesome and amazing
^^^That's what I thought too. Get that car running, buy a Brookville body, after-market frame and build a hot rod out of that. The idea of tearing apart an original "32 roadster and put disk brakes on it breaks my heart. Somebody'd pay big money for what you have just to save it. They're only like that once.
An original car deserves old Ford parts, just like you'll read about in the Tardel book. But if I were buying a complete street rod frontend assembly, I'd go straight to Pete & Jakes. Excellent products, slightly lower prices than SoCal, free shipping for Alliance Members and awesome customer service, which is hard to put a pricetag on.
I've got to agree, that car is WAY to nice to be replacing major parts. You will devalue the car, as well as decool it. It deserves a nice gentle hot-rodding. No paint work. A bolt in flathead, and you could even bolt on some 40 Ford hydraulic brakes with a proper kit for the master from Lacy's. Drop the axle and springs, maybe an F-1 steering box, some 16" steelies and big and little Firestones. Done. Chop the windshield and carefully reuse the top fabric on the lowered frame if you must. If you want a modern hotrod (yes your described plans are a "modern" hotrod), I'd suggest starting with repro parts. Or a much less complete body to begin with. A new chassis, cause an open X member will be required for the auto transmission. A real shame to be wasting all the good 32 parts that you would be throwing away from such a completely nice car.
What's this "restore this restore that" bs! If this were a model A or a 34 everyone would be telling you to turn it into a drag car! But the "turdy two" must be left stock. Don't cut it up, but minor change that can be undone sometime in the future is what early hot rods were. A hidden C4 behind a flatty will be fine. Skip the worthless 8" rear. The dana diff has been around since the 1940's A nice dual carbed flatmotor with period correct bits on it will be damn nice. And maybe some 15" merc steelies with wide whites.
facct is being a "turdy two" means it was produced in the middle of the great depression, not very many sold in comparison to model As. its a 1 yr only body style and everything else. the hands down most hot rodded version was the roadster. theres plain probably only a handful in existence in that condition. its his car, he can do as he wishes, however most of us on here have an appreciation for history and what he is the shepherd of right now is an extremely rare surviving piece of history. but it is his car and his decision
AlsopAndSons, What are your thoughts on using a Columbia 2 speed rear axle? Yes, they are not cheap, but they work well, and fit in with the quality and level of the car you have to start with... Coupled with a truck 3-speed, and a well tuned flathead, you can have a very good driver, and go anywhere you want... As has been mentioned, doing the 40 Ford juice brake conversion would be a good choice, along with an Andy Kohler dropped axle (more period than going aftermarket, and sometimes less cost)... Lastly, the chopped windshield and 40 Ford rolling stock, and you've got yourself a gem of a hotrod!
I did basically what I recommended to Alsop with this sedan. Everything was done with bolt on stuff, except for drilling 13 holes in the chassis and trimming a little from the front crossmember for tie rod clearance.
Well, if you plan on driving any distances in your '32, it would be advisable to go SBF (keeping it all Ford), when I first built my '32 in 1962 I went with the early '39 trans. & '41 rear end. This lasted only 1 year of local distances. After shearing the "cob" on the main cluster , & twisting the axle keyways, I replaced the whole running gear with a B/W 4 speed trans. & a 9" Ford station wagon rear end. This combination has worked great for 300,000 miles to date.
My thread blew up. lol There are things you can't see in pictures. Apparently the frame is not straight, so it likely hit a something at some point. The paint on it looks like it was done with a vacuum and there is bondo here and there. In short, the body needs to be removed from the frame and stripped. The frame needs to be straight for true before I do anything with it. The interior is also looking like a cheap vinyl kit. So the car is not original paint and interior timepiece - it has had some cheap work done in its history. Perhaps in the 70s. It will not be a museum build. There are enough cars in museums and I'm not a fan of re-pop cars. However, I do appreciate the history, so that is why I am not modifying anything on the body. It will keep all the original handles, chrome, etc, etc. I will do a chopped windshield, but I will buy a different one so I don't have to cut the original. I will also buy a new top and bows so I don't have to sacrifice the original. The dash I am not going to alter at all and put a new gauge cluster and insert that fits the stock insert. I've considered a new chassis, but I won't be storing the original chassis - plus there are identification numbers on the chassis I want to keep. The reason why I am going with a solid axel versus say an IFS is to do minor yet reversible decisions. If I did sell the car and someone wanted to take it back to "as made" then it could be done with some work, but not a lot. When you start to chop, channel, and do other street rod things then it can go too far to bring back. My hope is this will result in a hot rod that is traditional in nature, safe and reliable to drive, and not offend what the car is or the overall community in general. Deuce Daddy if you can share any info / resources on installing a SBF I'd be interested in researching this as well. Clearances look tight and wondering if there was firewall mods needed - among other things.
If I was going to redo a whole chassis from scratch, using a Pete & Jake's style setup (cross springs and ladder bars front and back) is the simplest way to do it. Rock solid stuff that is proven many times over. Well built and not overpriced. There are others who do similar parts and systems, so shop around on your own. But I bet none of them have the 40+ year background that P&J do.
Forget putting another stupid 350 SB and ignorant auto trans in a 32! Seems like everyone and his cousin has a small block in their ride. Anyone can do that by visiting the Summit or Jegs catalog. But you have a really desirable car that should get something better than the usual know-nothing small block. That 32 will be considered as raped if you don't go ahead and put that flatmotor in, in as much as you have already located it. They are as reliable as any engine and will go down the road faster than the speed limit. I went to the trouble, with my 33 Tudor, that came without running gear of using a 53 Dodge hemi as I was lucky enough to have one. Don't do what is normally seen at local car shows [SBC] just because it is the easiest thing to do. Hell, I got a 401ci Buick nailhead that I'll sell for 250 if you want something worth while.
No worries here, no SBC will be done. If I go anywhere close it will be a SBF. But given what it is I believe a traditional inspired rod is the best thing - so flathead etc. Ping me on the nailhead, sounds interesting as well...
Alsop there are lots of guys in this area who are driving long distance on original style chassis done with old style parts. Your chassis will accept an F1 box, flatty, and later banjo with ease. I like small block fords but the flatty will be cooler and run quite well if tuned correctly. There are guys on the island here who can help sort out your parts list and chassis with ease. Pm me for details if you like.
There are a lot of really knowledgeable guys in the Vancouver area, the best builders I know who would be happy to give you the best advice to get you started. Let me know if you want to talk to them.
When you start pricing straightening and boxing the frame, rebuilding an oddball rearend, buying all the suspension parts, steering, brakes, etc.....you are getting pretty close to the cost of buying an aftermarket chassis. If you are doing full fenders, you can stay away from polished stainless, chrome, etc. and have a reasonably priced frame with motor mounts, tranny mounts and all the plumbing there. All new. I was pricing things from different vendors when a HAMB member suggested I talk to Pete and Jakes. Great people, build it however you want it, exceptional work. Very happy with what I ended up with and it was a lot cheaper than I thought it would be. Lots of detailed pictures in my build thread for chassis info. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-32-5-window-project.1104121/ I also used a SBF/C4 so you can see how that worked out. You will have to do some firewall mods but nothing as drastic as people lead you to believe. How I shortened my SBF up is also in that thread. It's barely longer than a SBC they way I did it. SPark
I'm glad to hear that this project is on the back burner for a few months, that will give you time to get over your newness to the HAMB and all the garbage advice you'll get here...and other places as well. Get the car running as it is right now and don't change the first thing about it. Let the project settle in and mature before you start making any changes or start buying any parts. You'll feel differently about it in 6 months than you do right now. I guarantee it, and every step you take in haste and ignorance you'll have to un-take later on.
Ugh. Some of these guys forget this is a traditional forum not street rod.com. You don't need cross steer, or a ladder bar rear, or an aftermarket chassis, or disc brakes, or any of that junk. You can have a nice driving car with an original chassis. On a stock dropped axle with 40 juice brakes, an F1 push pull box and a later banjo rear for half the cost of all the street rod crap. Reverse the eyes on the springs, drop the axle, make sure the frame is straight and square and go have some fun.
I get your point, but it’s been months putting the deal together so I’ve been planning it for a while. It’s good to hear experience and views. Ultimately I’ll end up going with works best for my end goals.
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