Projects RHD '32 5W Build Thread: Pics...ideas

I think a nailhead would look awsome in that 5-window

 

Congratulations on getting your new purchase in the driveway! It's a great feeling,isn't it? Have fun and keep the pictures coming of your progress.

 

Thanks. It feels even better than I thought and brings some unexpected bonuses such as the buzz I'm getting going back through all my old magazines. Got some from the mid 50s through mid 60s I'm looking at now. I could scan a million cool things. Every page is a new smile. Some of the adds are classics. Bumped into Neal East's 5 window in the November '57 issue of Rod and Custom. Cool.

Question (for anyone), my body seems a bit wide at the bottom at the B Pillar. Looks like there has been a repair. Is the body supposed to sit proud around the outside of the chassis at all or should it be hard up against it? I can run my fingers up inside at the B Pillar but it's fits neatly at the firewall and the back corners (with a bit of coaxing).

I'm about 3/8" shy in overall width at the chassis at that point as well.

 

Chassis: To me, the 1969 era means no store bought chassis parts. Front would be a Mordrop axle and split bones, stock spring with reversed eyes and leaves removed, and chrome where ever you can do it. Rear would be a buggy spring with fabricated ladder bars, Narrowed Olds, 57-59 Ford (no narrowing needed), or even a Halbrand Champ rear. Leave the fuel tank stock (remember weight transfer). If you really want the drag look, leave the front end high, and for that matter, the rear too with pie crust slicks.

Body: Chop it, back then you didn't want a stocker and there was still plenty of them around uncut. Pick your paint from the new car colors of those years. Pontiac GTO metallic green was popular that year, and Cadillac colors were hot because of their heavy metallic (the poor mans metal flake look) content. I think one was called "Firemist Gold" because my brother painted his '57 Corvette that color. If you had the bucks, it could mean candy colors or metalflake, with pearls just starting to be used. If you really wanted the era, it would be a combination of all of them to reflect the psychedellic trend that was the rage then.

Motor: Anything from that era, the bigger the better, especially because the muscle cars were being wreccked and ending up in the junkyards at a rapid rate, such as the LT-1 SBC, 396/427 Chevy, 427/428 Ford, 440 Mopar or even a Olds or Pontiac big block. My pick would be a Rochester Fuel Injected 327 from a Corvette though.

Trans: It's got to be a four speed, and don't forget a blow proof bellhousing!

Interior: Rolled and pleated, usually black!

Wheels: Chrome steels (especially just in back), original American Torque Thrusts, Cragar SS up front, or just painted steels all around

Anyway, that's how I remember it.

 

Check your frame dimensions against the Deuce frame blueprints that are available. For the body to be that wide there the floor and body cross members would have to have been replaced at some time (and the subrails pushed out). It's possible, but since it isn't the original frame I'd check that first. It should fit snugly the entire length of the body.

 

Also, welcome to the HAMB Deuce Club! Join here:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145882&highlight=deuce+club

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=402753

Check the stance on this sucker, this is what I am talkin about!

 

32ford5 you seem like a guy who's willing to listen etc. which is really good so I'm going to put this out there just as a kind of reminder...the late 60's/early 70's period you are referring to is outside the specs of this board (traditional which in a broad sense means pre muscle car). With that in mind, you might want to re-educate yourself into a more early 60 look to go with that nailhead. That is if you can't bring yourself to do something late 40's!

The Doyle Gammel coupe rendered as a hammered 5 window would be badass. Original AR 5 spokes, piecrusts outback, dirt tracks up front and a nasty nailhead under a full hood.

 

Yes! Love those rear meats. I have no problem at all with massive ET3s or big Halibrands.

Vintage, I'll join the Deuce club tonight and thanks for the era tips. I think the chassis is going to be my main problem becaus ethey are so strict down these parts. I have to get an engineer to sign off on all this stuff and that front end is made by a well known local guy who the transport department approve but the earliest look I can get is I-Beam front end with four bar...and disc brakes. When were 4 bars introduced to the scene. I think it was claimed that 4 bars were being used in the 60s by a race team but I'd have to get an photo (which I've seen somewhere) to jog my memory.

What about the rear 4 bar? Can that stay (to fit the era)? And coil overs you say are also era correct? It would be great if I could find a picture of the earliest coil overs so I can see how they were set up and know when they first appeared.

It's a hassle but I have to work within the guidelines (which are somewhat liberal) if I ever want to drive it. The good news is I can sell all my stainless suspension bits and start fresh.

Vintage, my chassis measures correct but is 3/8" narrower than spec at the bolt hold at the A Pillar. I'm not sure if that's anything to worry about (about 5mm each side) but I could probably sell the whole chassis and start again without losing (too much) money. I even had a line to the original chassis but it went cold.

 

You know the bolt through the bracket at the bottom of the cowl goes in at an angle. (the body part not the firewall feet)

Unless the chassis builder allowed for that, you could think there is mis-alignment.

 

X-38, I appreciate your patience and would shut up and listen to you guys all night if I had the opportunity so I appreciate your feedback and you know what...? I was just thinking the exact same thing. I've got lots of magazines here from 1965 and before and I like heaps of cars I'm seeing (including all the stuff on this board) but for my own car I need a lot of power a 4 speed and fat rear tyres and an aggressive stance as a minimum (that's just me). I totally appreciate where you guys are coming from but I'll need big tyres on the back. My 1965 Nailhead would squeeze in but the suspension certainly wouldn't "pass" for that era.

I was trying to find what the "specs" of this board were. I knew you were into early stuff and I'm cool with that (for myself). I knew anything 70s and above is out but I wasn't quite sure how much of the 60s I could include and I was hoping that all the 60s were also ok but I respect this board for the niche that it represents and don't want to make a pest of myself so I'll continue this thread if I decide to go for a pre 65 look but I know that the suspension required for that look would be laughed out of the government offices so it looks like I'm stuck in the mud - if I want to keep posting my build ideas. Bummer (you guys are all pretty cool) but I understand.

Clearly the solution here is...I need to migrate to the US. ;-)

 

Man build it how you want it. If you want to cut the top or channel it then go for it. Those other cars are nice and it's never bad to get ideas, but why would you want to build a car that looks just like somebody elses only painted another color? If you want that then just go build a muscle car...

 

Good tip on the chassis bolt. I'll go and check. But the alignment at the firewall is pretty good actually (bolts drop right in). It's that fat body waist that has me concerned.

 

I hear what you are saying 'Ben and I will eventually certainly build this car the way I want. It's just that I like so many styles I've had to narrow it down to what I want for this specific car. I don't want it to look like a drag car but I do want it to be a car that someone who was really into drag racing would have built it to go to the drags in the 60s (and park in the car park - or race for fun). This car would have been "influenced" by all that was going on at the time in it's build style but wouldn't have to be a drag car to pull it off. Not sure if that makes any sense.

I think this thread is helping me work out what I need to have for a 60s era car, can I build it like that and is a car like that a fit for this forum. If it's not then that's ok but I think the conversation here is helpful in sorting all these images I have in my head so I don't build something that just doesn't make sense at worst or is a mish mash of styles and incoherent parts. I know that I could throw pretty much any American V8 and mag wheels on the car and it will look ok and give me lots of buzz but I'm after something a little more thoughtful than that and if I can pull it off I'd like to have a theme.

 

gotcha well it looks like you have a solid start and good luck which ever way you go with it

 

In a strange way I may have got too good of a start. My car's too good to chop and now I'm finding out my Nailhead is a pristine zero miles engine and it would "be a shame" to not use those nice original pistons. So much for my blown Nailhead idea. Fortunately I still have my Edelbrock dual carb B262 intake which will still look cool and was available in 64, 65 and 66 cars.

About the theme; I love the chops and channels of early sixties cars. I believe I'll be able to find era correct mags I like, Stance has been established way before the 60s so the only thing I need to scratch my head about really is the chassis and how to de-modernise it while keep the D.O.T. happy "enough" so they can leave me alone and still have a safe tough cool looking car.

With your prodding, pointing, head shaking and the odd bird being flipped (and I don't mind being influenced into an earlier style car so keep hambmering away) and lets see if we can't build a car that first of all keeps me happy, then D.O.T., I'd smile if I got a small nod and perhaps half a quick wink from you early guys as well because I dig making something cool out of something old and working with your own hands to create something you can be proud of no matter what anyone else thinks.

 

Bill,

You're far too cool to cut & run. I don't care if the SOB gets a 5" chop, 6" channel, & a psychedelic paint job, you need to stick around here.

...& I still vote for no chop, no channel, & a "modern traditional" build style.

Jim

 

That is a pretty nice car....I have to agree with Harrison on one hand.......buuuuut......my brain says chop and channel the living dog fuck out of it.

 

I like the way you think

 

why would anyone settle for anything less than a hemi?...

 

Never seen dog thrown into that combo before!

32ford5, I think you are far too paranoid about rego. Like today, not all cars were built exactly the same back then. I don't think you'd have any problem with a P&J ladder bar setup with a transverse leaf in the rear. Apart from that, if it's built well you should be ok. But, best run things by and 'inspector' or what ever you have down there first. Maybe shop around, they don't always agree with each other either!

 

I think Pete and Jake made the first four bar kits in the 70's so you aren't too far off using them. Big, wide pie crust slicks would be just right out back. In front I would use Lincoln style 12" self energizing drum brakes with Buick drums up front. Period correct and they stop as well as any disc brake. You can use 1953-1956 Ford 3/4 or 1 ton truck backing plates with 1946-48 Ford car spindles/hubs to replicate the Lincoln stuff or just order a set from Wilson Welding if you can't find that down under. And don't worry about any strict rules here, because if you are a traditional Hot Rod Hoodlum, rules are made to be broken!

 

Those fat rear tyres mean fat ugly cycle guards if you want it legal (especially in SA!).....unless you're going full fendered (I'd recommend it).

​

 

That makes at least 3 of us. Something like Todd's car would suit me right down to the ground. Sub' Hemi for Dual quad or blown Nailhead, add 4 speed, straight yellow (yellow cars pre65?) or metallic blue or green. I'm down with that for effing sure.

But there's a possibility that I can swap my glass 34 coupe for this car plus cash difference. The only "problem" with that is that I would have missed out on sourcing the parts and putting it together myself but that's not too much different from my current situation and I'm sure I'll have fun maintaining, modifying, making my own...or as some might say...just drive the living dog fuck out of it.

I'm presuming the chassis on that car would be more to "our" liking?

I would LOVE a Hemi but...I edit buickstreet.com, ex owner of a 1966 Electra with dual quads, huge Tommy fan, owner of a brand new zero miles 1965 425 engine and an Edelbrock B262, love the sound of a cammed up Nailhead...I'm happy to use a Nailhead this time and Hemi next time.

Good advice. Thanks.

Thanks for that. I don't mind if it's not period perfect as long as it's cool and behaves like how I think a hot rod should. Raucously. For me it's not about rules per say but more about building a car that makes sense and says something other than "I have a credit card". Some things money can't buy and careful research, soliciting opinions from those who know should lead me towards a cool car and besides...I'm having fun just talking it out right here.

True. I like bobbed and cropped guards for the back (like Todd's Hemi32) but would need something cool for the front. '36 spare wheel covers? But I think the styling would be a bit mixed up with that combo but we're narrowing it down.

Come to think of it my uncle hat a wide rag as a spare in n old 69 v8 Holden he owned. We always thought it was kind of cool. I could go wide blackwalls - easily.

 

I've seen it and it's a not bad 20 foot car. Rear setup is 4 link using bones for the lower tubes. Many features would not pass rego muster here though. Sometimes people import things they shouldn't. Can be a tough lesson.

 

As always we're probably both better off selling our own cars and walking around a swap meet with cash. Thanks for the report.

 

Thanks Jim, I'll do my best to live up to that but I'm not going anywhere. If I decide on a style that doesn't fit in here I'll keep my car out of it and just participate where I can. I really like the traditional style but I've never really considered it for my personal car...until now but tell me more about this "Modern Traditional" style.

What's the gospel according to Modern Traditionalists? Can it be defined easily? I'm here to learn from those who know.

The more I hang around here the more things I see I like. I've liked all hot rods ever since I was 14, Traditional as well as contemporary but now that I have to build my own I find this "defining a style and sticking to it" a very interesting exercise. Every single comment in this thread so far has helped so keep hammering, chopping and channeling me until we have something we can call a Hamber. I'm going to be riveting that Alliance plaque on my car as soon as it arrives and I want to make sure I'm not defrauding the public...if you know what I mean.

 

Build the 5w like one of these but use the nailhead

 

Fat whites are starting to grow on me...I must admit.

I was on your (cool) site Jimmy and found this drawing you did....


http://www.d1082234.domain.com/newstuff.html

...add a radiator and I'm there.

I'm also diggin' this...

 

Slightly off the topic of style and back to reality. What is the best way to lift a boddy off the chassis and suspend it in the air (limited room)? This must have been covered on here before. Is there a link to another thread I can go and read?