Introducing my Fuel Coupe-styled Tudor

"Jackandeuces" bent my spindles' steering arms & installed new bushings.


I moved the steering box bracket to just aft of the motor mount. The drag link will angle back slightly but its well within P&J recommended tolerances.


P&J tie rod, drag link and front panhard bar. The blue masking tape is supposed to protect the spiffy new chrome.


My son and I assembled the rearend with the stock F-150 11" brakes that he and I rebuilt, the diff that "Clutchdumpin Dan" and “BurnedOutOldMechanic” rebuilt, and shiny new 31-spline Moser axles. A skateboard makes a dandy rearend/ transmission dolly.

 

Next was the P&J rear panhard bar. The AN fitting is the rear inside-the-frame brake line.


Inspired by '60's Gassers' lead-filled pipe "bumpers" with screw-on end caps, I made one that’s similar, but simpler, from scraps. It's a thin-wall seamed 3" steel tube with 1/8" plate ends, all filed and sanded down to 400#. The plan is to get it chromed later, along with the front axle.




"Dino64" provided a piece of 12"x12"x1/4" thick box, which I cut up for the bumper brackets. I'll drill some lightening holes in 'em when I get my own drill press.








So far so good.

 

Wow, great work, making lots of progress .
Go Matt, love to see father and son teams.


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Very cool!

 

Bumper came out great too, glad to see those big meats finally mounted. Look'in good


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This is great, definately gonna follow along. Re rear tyres, whay did you use to scrub of the lettering, and how did you finsh them? I never thought General Grabbers could look so good..

 

Great job guys, really like how this is coming together.

 

Nice work Doctor..

 

One of my favorites... they just look so mean!!!


"Keep on keepin' on"

 

You can use my drill press anytime

 

Glad this thread was brought back to the top or I'd have never seen it. Read the whole thing - cool build. I'll be following the rest of it.

 

The Hemi has insufficient vacuum to support power brakes, so the master cylinder is a 7/8" bore, manual disc/drum unit from an '80 Mustang.


Unfortunately, the through-the-frame- brake line stubs emerge where the master cylinder bracket typically goes. No problem- I lengthened the P&J bracket by 3.25" and OJ machined a longer & stronger pushrod. Together, they reposition the master cylinder farther aft, but keep the brake pedal right where it needs to be. Those two dark holes are through-the-frame tubing for electrical wires.

Will probably add reinforcement bracing when finish-welding the frame.




Mocked up driver's seat, steering column, brake & gas pedal. So far everything fits. Seats are MG Midget/AH Sprite (free off Craigslist) but may get replaced by more racy fiberglass buckets.

 

I'm gonna use a tiny alternator mounted low on the driver's side, so the stock crossover's alternator mount was an unnecessary wart. I whacked it off and filed the crossover 'til it looked right-- stockish but just a little leaner.



Finally, front tires are Nankang 145/R15's mounted and speed-balanced on skinny 15"x3.5" Fenton Gyros. Can you say "under-steering pizza cutters"?

Inner and outer sidewalls are ground and sanded smooth, just like the rears'.

 

Wow, way to go, made lots of progress this summer

 

Wheels and rubber are really nice. They will look great on the car.

 

@Just Gary
Been wanting to do just this with the front tires on my 51. What grit/grit's of paper did you use? they look great!

 

Jason, here’s my tire sidewall smoothing process:

• I practiced on the back sides of my wife’s minivan tires.
• Like bodywork, use progressively finer grits but don’t transition to the next grit until ALL bigger scratches are COMPLETELY removed.
• It’s much easier to smooth sidewalls when the tires are mounted & inflated. Protect the rim with a round piece of plywood.
• Wear a dust mask to prevent black boogers and do it outside in direct sunlight. Use white chalk to mark where you started, outstanding flaws, etc.
• For DOT inspection purposes, don’t remove tire size & DOT markings.
• The skinny front tires’ sidewalls were far thinner than the big rear truck tires; so on the fronts, I skipped step 2.

1. Flap wheel on Dremel to remove whiskers.

2. #80 flap wheel on 4.5” grinder:
a. Use the rounded edge to minimize gouges.
b. Hold grinder flat against sidewall. Holding at an angle causes gouges.
c. Let the grinder “float” over tire. Use multiple light passes. Use your arms’ full extension.
d. Continue until all letters & crosshatching are gone.

3. #60 sandpaper on jitterbug:
a. Remove all the gouges from the previous step.
b. “Float” jitterbug over tire. Let it do the work. Use multiple light passes.
c. Continue until you have a consistent feather finish.

4. #220 sandpaper on jitterbug:
a. “Float” jitterbug over tire. Use multiple light passes.
b. Continue until consistent feather finish around entire tire.

5. #400 wet sandpaper on jitterbug:
a. Wet sand with water from an old Windex squirt bottle.
b. “Float” jitterbug over tire. Use multiple light passes.
c. Continue until consistent feather finish around entire tire.

6. Hand-held green scotchbrite
a. Rub the entire sidewall- including remaining DOT markings- all the way to the rim. Continue until uniform finish on entire sidewall.

7. Wipe down with tire dressing.
a. Apply two coats and let them dry between coats.

For more info, see “Drive’em’s” tech thread and another thread:
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/smooth-blackwall-tire-sidewalls.378955/
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/sanded-polished-tires.86131/
And a 2009 Sport Truck article:
http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/wheels-tires/0703st-bfg-tire-sidewall-smoothing/

 

Thanks! @Just Gary I have been wanting to do this to the Cooper tires on the front of my 51 since I put them on. They look like the should be on the front of a Honda not my Chevy. I think I will skip step 2 as well for the front tires on mine. Love how those turned out!

 

JUST FOUND THIS THREAD AND AM I GLAD!! Thanks for posting all this info especially all the little details. Please keep us informed as this is really cool. Thanks again.........

 

"Holy brackets, Batman!"

 

Nice work Gary.

 

Yes, love the work you are doing on this car!!

 

Great work Gary, lookin good !

 

Thanks for the updates and looking forward to the next post...........

 

Looks great. Taking your time and doing it right.

 

very nice build!! I see a few similarities


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Hammer-Formed* Floorboards:

I made a cardboard template of each floorboard piece, then a male buck from 1/2" MDF; slightly smaller than the final floorboard size to allow for flange thickness.



... and temporarily screwed & clamped 18 ga. sheet metal to the buck with a bit over 1/2" overlap on each side.

The buck's slots are for my "caveman bead roller"; I pounded a 1/4" diameter steel rod against the metal above each slot until it deformed into a nice straight stiffening bead.



...then clamped each edge with an angle iron brace (an old bed frame) and gently pounded over a 90* flange.



Finally, the flanges were trimmed and screw holes welded shut.

I also made a simple flush access panel for the brake m/c.



Right now, they're just press-fit into place. I'll plug-weld them to the existing subrails & cross-rails after all undercarriage work is complete.

And yes, the engine & trans are mounted high in the chassis, requiring a big trans /driveshaft tunnel.




____________________________________________________________
*FULL DISCLOSURE*
This unconventional method- using only hand tools in my garage- worked great for this project.
But... For a second car or anything bigger or more complex, HAMBers like OJ or ClutchDumpinDan,
using a bead roller & brake, could easily fab beautiful floors in a single afternoon,blindfolded and
with one hand tied behind their back.
____________________________________________________________

 

Wow !! Looks great. Done like a true hot rod by making the most of what you have on hand.
Good to see it done by hand.

 

Living & driving in metro DC, I compromised with front disc brakes. But if you squint your eyes, they kinda... sorta... almost... look like mid-'60's Hurst/Airhearts.

My 17-year-old son helped install 'em & pack the front wheel bearings.



"Long shank" lug nuts.



Next on the list: Fuel tank.

 

Fantastic Gary. I like the way you did the floor. Shows thinking outside the box, and figuring out how to make it happen with what is on hand. Car is turning out great. You and your son should be very proud.