Projects A 40 Ford Sedan Deluxe Build

Here is a photo of mine. It has a 4 inch dropped axle, with a posies reverse eye 2 inch dropped spring in the front and a posies reverse eye 2 inch drop rear spring with 41 shackles. This combo rides great an straight as an arrow. I rebuilt the stock steering box and with The 39 banjo wheel drives like it has power steering.

 

It’s not suppler low but low enough to my liking and I don’t have to worry about smashing the grille on a giant speed bump. Let me know when you might want a hand and I’ll drive it up so you can see how it sits in person.

 

.......That's what the HAMB is all about. Big thumbs-up to you, Jason, for helping out............Don.

 

I own a '40 2-dr deluxe sedan and I love it, but that '39 Standard nose is just too cool.

 

That 39 standard looks really good! Thanks for the offer of help! It'll be a while before I can take advantage of it.

 

Right rear fender off. It fought me tooth and nail, but a 4" grinder usually wins!

That is one old mag wheel!

 

Cool story, watching

 

I hope you have 3 more of those old mags!!! They are awesome!! I have a 32 sedan they would be perfect on.... hint.... hint...

 

If the wheel wells are an indication of the rest of the car’s bones, you are in good shape!


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I found a long snake skin in the headliner of my ‘39 Sedan. Still looking for the snake!


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.......Hope you see it before it sees you!

 

Here is my 40 with stock front end, stock steering. No lowering and has the old ford conversion for late model shocks.
It rides well.

 

One of the things I did to it back in 1966 was to sand the inside of the wheel wells and fenders and then paint with Rustoleum and then undercoat that. It lasted! Before he would let me drive it, my Dad had me replace the king-pins and rebuild the brakes. Of course, the brake rebuild didn't help much as they weren't any good new off the assembly line.

 

I had two but many years ago my Dad took one to the gas station as it was always going flat. He wanted them to fix it. They fixed it alright! Now I'm down to one.

 

So today I got the left rear fender off. I had sprayed penetrant on the bolts last week so they all came out. Just took a little time. No grinding needed.

Next I started taking the seats out (and running the vacuum cleaner almost non-stop!) Guess what I found underneath the front seat? (High school hot-rod, remember?)

The front seat came out no problem:

My Mom had sewn that corderoy cover for it back in 1966. Here's what was under it - I didn't remember she had patched it up first. Lots of vacuuming just to get all the dust and dirt off of them:

 

Looks pretty rough but mechanically I think it is mostly okay and can be stripped, repaired, and recovered. They are (were?) pretty comfortable seats and I think an upholstery shop should be able to restore them nicely. The lower back edge on the driver's side will have to be repaired. I'll have to find an upholstery shop locally that can do a good job of working with these frames. Any suggestions for the Fairfax area?

Here is the thing that took a lot of vacuuming. The back seat bottom had mouse nests in almost the whole row of rear springs (that's the lowest row of springs in the picture below. I had to cut the burlap on each of them and put the crevice tool on the vacuum to vacuum out each nest. It was mouse turd city!

Happily, it appears that the mice left my top seat back alone:

And now I've got the seats out:

Doesn't look too bad. Surface rust over on the driver's side. Under the tar paper it's still shiny black!

I'm going to loosen the body to frame bolts next. But first I'll have to find them all to spray them with penetrant to make it easier.

Where do you guys sell stuff? I have to generate funding for my next purchase.

 

Right here on the HAMB is a good place to sell stuff. I’ve sold tons over the years.

 

Happy your seats are okay - besides the 40 I'm working on - my 39 seat also had them mice build in those seat coils....curses to then all !!!!!

 

I should look around for my back seat. I don’t remember where I put it thirty years ago.

Likely in the attic over the garage. The original radiator is also up there......,,.,,,,,,,maybe, I hope.

 

I replaced the window glass in the car back in 1967. I scrounged glass from the local junkyards and had it cut at the local glass shop. I'm thinking that it was too thick as the window regulators were very hard to turn afterwards. Does anyone know what the glass thickness should be for the side windows?

 

1/4” or a touch less.

Just measured it w/dial calipers.


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Thanks for doing that! I went out and measured mine. They are 1/4 inch thick. So, it isn't the glass thickness. I replaced the channel felt guides when I changed the glass. Maybe that is too tight. I'll be pulling all of that stuff out and trying to figure out what the problem is.

 

I use a stock front end with discs and Saganaw power steering in my 39, Works great, tracks better than my stock 55Chev truck did. Just sayin. Also ,you may get tire rub with a dropped axle. You need a fairly narrow tire.Your car looks to be in great condition ,good luck.

 

On the issue of "tire rub" are there any articles or references discussing this? I don't plan on using super-wide tires on the front end and want to install a dropped front axle, but would hate to screw things up by getting it wrong.

 

Use a dropped 36 axle, it is narrower than a dropped 40. Needs to be used with split bones.

 

You can use a 36 front axle and split the 40 wishbones or you can use a 35 36 axle and wishbone Un split. This is how I did mine. 36 axle dropped 4 inches and a stock 36 wishbone.

 

Cool car, great plan and progress @Scott's 40 . I became a '40 Tudor owner/rebuilder last August too when we pulled the "F-Bomb" out of her resting place since the 90s. Somebody started her as a hotrod project back in the day and replaced the front end with a Nova front end grafted onto what appears to be a stock frame. They put a Nova rear under it also. My plan is to gradually make it our cruiser to take to all of the places that have been on the bucket list for all of those years. It's going to be a gradual process as there are some irons in the fire.

I'll be following your progress and wish you the best.

@Graybeard4545 - we're not too far from you and hope to see yours once things start opening up again.

Here are a few shots of the "F-Bomb" - she's pretty rough and unlike yours may need to have a replacement frame under her.

 

Is this when "hairpins" are used? How do they differ from a split wishbone?

 

Thanks Jason. Is there much difference between a split and an unsplit wishbone in ride quality?