Hot Rods A 40 Ford Coupe for Uncle Mike Build Thread

Since the fan shroud covers 100 percent of the radiator I think it needs some vents for when the car is in motion equipped with rubber flaps that will close when the car is sitting still and force the air from the whole radiator surface to be sucked through the fan.
We laid the four vents out and used 5/8 radius for the corners. A small pilot hole was drilled.
A uni bit was used to bore the wholes out to 5/8" followed by some more hand filing.
The motor mount was cut from 1/8" steel stock.Don used the band saw,gig saw and some files to make this piece.

Here are the parts we made today that will mount the electric fan.
We didn't leave much room for the fan in the hole. Hope we can get it centered well because I don't want have to file a bigger opening in the shroud. Next phase of the project will be fitting the fan and motor combination.

 

Incredible work! Great thread!

 

Thank you Green Monster48! It's nice to hear from viewers. Kind of reminds me that someone is reading this stuff.
We continue with the fan shroud project.
We centered the fan in the hole.
Clamped the fan in place.
We then put the motor on the fan along with the center fan bracket.
The washers between the motor flange and the chrome spacers are there to for set up only. When removed the fan will drop down providing the required clearance between the fan and shroud. It is nice to see the motor was made in Canada instead of China!

I don't know what to call these things.... Lets call them spreader bars. I thought I should show how they are laid out and bent. This first step of the layout is pretty simple. We wanted 20 1/8" to 20 1/4" between the inside edges. Curiously we measure out 10 inches from the center on each side.

We wanted a long radius bend here so we found a piece of 2 inch pipe. A soft jaw was used on the round stock side of the vice so that the round stock would not be marred by the vice knurling. Using the tri square the rod is set at the 10 inch mark.
A piece of 1/2 EMT conduit was used to make the initial bend. I would have preferred to use 1/2 inch pipe but this is what we had on hand. This set up is not ideal.....You have to lean into the bend pretty hard and always be ready for the whole set up to fly out of the vice. But since we did not have a bender on hand we improvised.
So for the second bend you have to make sure the first bend is maintained flat while you line up your 10 inch mark.
We had to use this brass drift and that nice little black hammer at the bottom of the photo finish the bend on each corner. Don would hold pressure on the conduit while I hammered on the drift.
Finished part comes out at the needed 20 1/8" 20 1/4".
Back at the shroud the motor brace assembly is tacked together.

 

Next was the test fit
Looks like the plan might work.
Looks like I could even use the front pulley if needed in the future.
Satisfied with the test fit I welded the system together. I welded around the bar on the top side and then plug welds were made from the bottom.
Of course I had to grind the excess off to flatten the surface.
My Buddy Jeff was busy changing out the timing gear cover on the engine by this time so we set the radiator up on blocks and tested the fan.
You can barley see the thin gasket material vent flaps taped to the shroud. They did work as planed. There was enough suction to hold them tight to the shroud.
This is the best air flow I have achieved through a radiator. Now all it needs is a little paint and then some pop rivets to hold the vent flaps on. We spent a week of our shop time on this project but I think it will pay dividends on the those hot summer days and Cascade mountain passes.

 

Where do you get your 19 GA. sheet metal? I've tried everywhere in Wa. and Ore.

 

Nice to see a well-executed fab job done on a fan shroud for a change.
So many of these are "temporary" at best. Kudos....

 

Send a pm to "Carbuilder" here; he will know..

 

well,I must say, this is one of the best reads and fab work I've seen in a long time,congrats to you and all your buddys,keep up the good work..........richie

 

The sheet metal was purchased from Greg Kemp in Entiat WA. (Kemp Machine) I think he might have purchased it from CDA Metals ( http://www.cdametals.com/ ) It comes in 4 x 10' sheets.

Thank you 36 ROKIT . This is my 3rd or 4th shroud. The first one I had a local sheet metal fabricator bend for me. The next two were done in my shop with ok results. This time the practice has paid off with the best results so far.

Thanks for the kind words richie rebel. Hope you keep watching since there is a lot more build to go.

 

very nice work--progress is outstanding

 

yes an deedy,i'll be watching............

 

I really like the fab shroud. Good way to package the electric fan to keep it inconspicuous. Good work and thanks for posting.

 

Thanks olscrounger. Have you had time to look for your next coupe project yet?

Thanks Landmule! I am not sure how inconspicuous it is but I agree it makes a nice tight package. The electric fans are kind of noisy but I will put up with the noise any hot day as long as that old flathead runs cool.

 

So I long after building my engine I decided that I should change out the timing gear cover for two reasons. One is I did not think my mounting system for keeping the distributor at the proper height to engage the cam gears and to keep it it time. The other is that my cover did not have a receptacle for the bottom of the distributor shaft.

This is the set up I originally fabricated to hold the Dizzy.

So I bought this Offenhauser #560563 from Speedway. It has the receptacle I thought I needed. and a
nice clamp to keep the distributor from turning.



This is my distributor (MSD 8573 for 49-53 Fords) . I bought it several years ago before I learned you could get distributors converted for much less by Bubba . Oh well I've got it so I am going to use it. If I would have known how much work this was going to be to change out I would not have made the swap. I thought we could do the swap without pulling the harmonic balancer and pulley set. Not so. Getting the harmonic balancer off and then back on was the hardest part of the project. The ID and OD clearances are just too tight.

The first thing we found was that the MSD distributor did not have an extension on the shaft to go into the receptor. Then we found the MSD dizzy would not fit the shaft hole in the Offenhauser cover. My Buddy Jeff volunteered to take the cover home and use his brake hone on it. He probably wishes he had not volunteered for that job. It had to be honed out .006. But he got it done.

Next we had to figure out a way to hold the dizzy at the correct height to engage the cam gear correctly. I decided to buy a 1 " stainless steel shaft coupling and just put that on. But that didn't work out because it also had to be machined to match the 1.006 dizzy shaft size . So I found out the shaft coupling was well under 1 inch. I spent a lot of time trying to machine the stainless coupling before giving up on it. Since I have a lathe I looked around and found a piece of aluminum round stock the right OD and bored it to size and then drilled and tapped it for a 1/4 x 20 set screw . Now I have a clamp that should allow the dizzy to return to the correct depth without out a bunch of fussy measuring during tune ups.
You can barley see the aluminum collar I made above the back steel clamp on the neck of the timing gear cover. As I said would not have made this change if I knew how many hours it would take to make the swap.

NOTE: See post 297 for further complications with this timing cover swap.

 

I decided to install some 2 "lowering blocks on the chassis. I bought some 3 x 2 x 1/4" tube and Don cut it int0 6" lengths. The rear end spring perches were 7/16" to wider per side so we drilled the bottom of the blocks on center at the 9/16" size of the spring centering boss. On the top side of the block we offset the center 7/16" and drilled it for 1/2" (actually 29/64" Tap size) to match the rear end spring perch.
I then drilled and tapped the block for 1/2" x 20 thread and installed a grade 8 bolt backed up with a lock washer and nut to hold it in place.

The bolt was then cut off with a cut off wheel at 1/2" long.
Trial fit was good.

So I welded some 1/8" steel plate on each end and ground the welds smooth. Sorry, lousy picture. I got in a hurry and forgot to take pictures for awhile today.
After some fiddling around we got the chassis on the ground on her new rubber for the first time. Looks like it will have the desired rubber rake.

I wanted to see what the tire to front fender clearance was so I bolted on this 39 fender to check it out. Found that the fancy harmonic balancer and pulley set up gets in the way of the fender cross brace so that will have to be modified. I just cut out the center section for the fender test fit but we will try to reconfigure the brace so it does not loose too much of it's strength. Henry would not have spent the money to put that cross brace in there it did not have to have it....
I realize the weight of the body will reduce this clearance some but it looks like I may have made the right decision on the tire and wheel combo.
We should be able to dismantle this thing this week and start painting some parts black.
Oh, and I almost forgot this little problem.... My fancy oil filter bracket puts the filter right over the axle and it looks like we will have to move the filter back about 4 inches to keep it from getting smashed..... That will be tomorrows first project.

 

I had to make a new cross link for the fender mount yoke ( SBC with 6 3/4 " balancer) But it's not welded on yet. I'm waiting until I have the hood and fr. fenders fitted.

 

joel said",I had to make a new cross link for the fender mount yoke ( SBC with 6 3/4 " balancer) But it's not welded on yet. I'm waiting until I have the hood and fr. fenders fitted".

I am sitting here trying to figure out how you will tie that into the inner fenders Joel. My previous SBC powered 39-40's just eliminated the yoke and have vertical mounts off of the frame for the inner fenders like this one from Weed eater. I have drawing on my other PC for an adjustable version of this. I would like to see that yoke of yours installed.

 

It replaces the original straight across link, after it is removed. You're doing a great job; I look forward to your updates.

 

OK now I get it! Thanks for posting the pictures. I think I will make something similar. I'll keep you posted

 

When this build is done, it really needs to be made into a printed build guide! I've got a basket case '40 coupe w/8ba and I find myself scrolling back and forth through screens over and over again to try and find the pictures and text I saw earlier. It has the most complete metal work I've seen for a 39/40. I'd buy it!

 

Well thanks white 64 I'll take that as a compliment. I have tried to post the various elements of the build as units so far but that is likely to become less common as the build goes on and the various sub projects are combined and installed. I have found that plans that looked good initially do not always pan out when combined with other parts of the car (for instance, the oil filter mount) . I find that particularly frustrating since I have tried to study up on all of this stuff and plan for every contingency. Some times I think it's like a battle plan...... You know, it looks great until the first shot is fired or something like that.

I do hope that I can figure out a way to print this build thread and put it in a binder of some sort that will stay with the car. It certainly is not going to be a text book but it is a chronicle of how a couple of guys tried put a 40 together. So far it has been quite an adventure.

 

"Guy" I've had several "likes" on my suggestion already! Your book would not be like other off the shelf build guides that turn into advertising for products, but about a couple of guys building a hot rod like the rest of us do, doing the best we can with the funds and tools at hand. Seriously, It would be a great "textbook", include even the plans/ideas that didn't work out... those should be included. Sometimes making a mistake, or having to make a change in plans is the best teacher.... called experience! I've learned more from mistakes than from successes (sometimes), I must be pretty smart by now....
Ryan! How does one print an entire thread?

 

Well white 64 it appears Ryan isn't watching this thread real close..... There is still plenty of time to figure out how to print it out though. I really appreciate your interest . I am not too shy about admitting when something doesn't workout and will be sure to update the thread when the inevitable posted failure occurs. Of course there have been and will be some failures that don't make it in the thread.

Over the last couple of days I made the changes to the fender support yoke. It is a variation of the modification that joel posted. Thanks for the inspiration joel!

So this is the problem the fancy counterweight and pulleys interfered with the stock fender support.
I layed out some pie cuts on what was left of the upper support beam.
I cut the pie section out with my dremel tool.
Then using the adjustable angle finder (I don't know what they really call that tool...) I made sure both side were bent to the same angle.
Then I heated a piece of 1/2" cold rolled round stock and don bent it by hand. Make that gloved hands.
The bend looked good so I cut off the excess. The 1/2" rod fit perfectly into the existing upper bar.
After a quick test fit I welded it together.
The stock bolt and spring system still will work with this modification but the bolt has to be inserted from the bottom instead of the top.
Once I was sure it would work I spent some time grinding the welds and it is now sitting in the ready to paint pile.

 

Very nice.

 

How does one print an entire thread? White64 this may help you save information.

This thread is amazing and one that I have gone through several times. I may get tarred & feathered but here goes.
There is free software such as Bullzip that allows you to print information of the web into a PDF the same as using a printer. It is an electronic copy that you can print if you want but the PDF saves paper. You can pick the selection or PDF the whole thing. You can go into printer properties and shrink it by a percentage, name it and put it into a folder. You can set up your files like a file cabinet with main folders with sub folders inside so it is organized to be able to find it again.
An easier way is to use a program like HTTracker that will copy a website onto your computer so that it is a file that you view the same as being on the internet except it is stored in your PC. if you go to the first page of a thread and cut and paste the address line out of the address bar in to HTT then it will copy everything in tht link or thread. I started to use HTT because Streetrodder had great information on building a 1940 Ford coupe for their 2012 Amsoil Road Tour that is still but had all the photos gutted out. They did the same to a multichapter write up on an excellent series on building a decent looking flathead engine similar to the 39 guys engine. I resorted to HTT to be able to capture good information and retain it. HTT will allow you to update and it retrieves the additional information. I agree that 39 Guy could write an amazing book . I bought the Street Rodder Guide to Building a 1940 Ford that was of no assistance except chopping a top. I was looking for a coupe but found one with a factory roof chop. I have learned more on the HAMB between 39 Guy and Zibo's 1940 builds than I have from reading a stack of recommended books. I will have no problem tackling the trunk floors & the below the deck panel after seeing how well it was done & detailed here.
Try HTT then play with it and once you have it figured out it will be helpful.
All the best,

 

Speechless, thanks for taking the time to photograph it all and share!

 

Thanks Joel and Hookedtrout! Patterg2003 I still haven't taken the time to try your Bullzip program but I intend to.

I received a quote for powder coating my frame last Friday and I am still in shock. Think I will have it painted instead. Today I am trying to organize and bag all of the parts we are taking off the frame now so I can hopefully find then without too much searching when it comes time to reassemble the chassis.

The body has been cut and buffed. I hope to see it this week. I will probably bring the body home when I deliver the frame for painting. Boy it's nice to be this far along..... but so much left to do. Sure keeps a retired guy from being bored

 

Post 113 regarding the oil filter installation on the engine has been edited. The oil filter will have to be moved to another location. More on that later.

 

I'll share a few thoughts on Powder vs paint.
1. Powder doesn't flow into small gaps between layers of metal and your frame has lots of those areas.
2. sandblasting can't clean in the area between the X and the perimeter parts of the frame, unless you completely remove the X .
3. I used Hirsch Miracle paint on blasted metal and let it run into every gap I could find. I used PPG Pithane over it for filling and durability. You could topcoat with urethane or enamel also.
4. Nothing is perfect and paint means going over the frame several times.

 

That's great information Joel. I just looked up both products. The miracle product sounds a lot like POR 15. The pithane must be a clear coating. I did not see a black tint offered. I will talk it over with my painter and see what he thinks about these products. He had mentioned using PPG products on the frame. He used PPG products on the body. Thanks for the input!