Technical 26T Coupe Of My Youth Gets A Re-do! (build)

So the next thing is shocks in the rear. Which this car did not have before. Well the mounts were kind of there but the shocks were not. I tried and tried to find a better way to do these and to be honest with a little more time and patience I could have but like most things on this build, money is almost non existent at times so you do what you gotta do sometimes. I took some scrap frame tubing and made the hangers and turned some bungs for the frame that I welded in. I looked into the HAMB about shocks being straight up and down and some said it would work. I would have rather had them slanted but... Also not sure about the ends of the shocks being turned 90deg from each other but better than nothin' maybe?

 

I hate to be critical at a time like this, but when I initially built my car, the rear suspension was much like yours, with the rear bars parallel to each other. Before a year was out, one of the tie rod ends on the front of one bar broke off. I had a lot of discussion with my buddies about this, and finally concluded that every time one rear wheel hit a bump, it would move up putting an unreasonable stress on the joints. I finally ended up pie-cutting the bars and bringing them together so there was a single pivot point on the front of the rear suspension. With the suspension components forming a triangle, you can see how each wheel can move independently without undue stress on the parts. What you have now is the components forming a rectangle that has to flex unnaturally everytime one of the wheels moves.

Guys have been doing this for years and getting by with it by using heavier components, but it also has a deleterious effect on ride and handling. Something to think about, anyway.

 

So I'm no genius but even I know that a frame needs support. The old frame did not have any crossover supports other than the trans mount. So I took some more tubing and made this crossover. Nothing elaborate but hopefully it will work and be at least better than it was.

 

So part of me kind of wanted to keep the 65 mustang master cylinder but I decided to go ahead and put the cylinder under the floor to clean the firewall up, plus have better brakes. I think this will be a good decision!

 

Thank you very much. I guess I should have posted this build a lot earlier huh? LOL!

 

So you can see in this photo the fuel tank in the rear. This is what I had made the tubed frame for. It originally just sat on some plywood and the frame for the wood was connected to the body. This is all welded to the frame to prevent any beating and banging and undue stress to the rear of the body.

This is the tank that was originally in the car. (1957 VW Beatle) Well the tank was bent twisted and just beat all to hell to make room for the old shock mounts and was completely full of rust so out it goes. Luckily the frame I made was just the right size for an Aluminum tank instead!

 

So here the frame painted. You can see in the one photo where I mounted the small battery. I researched the shit out of it and everyone swears that they work! God I can only hope so. I wanted it light and out of the way. Before it was in a cavity in the trunk that was hooked to the body. A 50 pound hammer beating the shit out of that body one pothole at a time!

 

You are doing a great job of keeping the flavor of the old build while improving the build quality. Too many cars get changed to the point where the original is no longer recognizeable. About a month ago, I went with a friend to pick up his newly acquired deuce coupe and joked that it probably had Mustang tailights. Sure enough, in the boxes of parts were Mustang tailights.

 

so if I understand correctly,the lower part of the steering box bracket is welded to the frame and the upper part is bolted to the bracket and the sturdy bolts are passing through the upper bracket and you drilled abd tapped the frame to accept the machine bolts thereby making a sturdy safe connection?

 

Some more History!






Below is my Mother and I arriving at the Nationals in Columbus, OH 1984




Below- My Mother 2008




Below- Me and Jake 2006




Below- Me at Colonial Williamsburg Rod Run 1987



Below- My sister driving at Shenandoah Valley Street Rod Assoc. Rod Run- Waynesboro, VA 1983




Below- 1986 The T with my High School Daily Driver. Which I still have! 1970 XR7

 

I think the Mustang tailights are everyone's limit! LOL!

 

NOPE! Just welded to the frame. Bad idea? I do not see where bolts are stronger than weld? No?

 

Missing photo

 

Thanks! Couldn't figure out what happened.

 

It was too large of a file I think. That is usually what happens when they are too large.

 

Nice write-up and great car!

 

So as you can see, my bondo has a body problem! It was close to an inch think in spots. Funny thing is the body was not really bad at all. I did have to re-skin the bottoms of the doors and quarters and cowl just due to them abrazing patches OVER the original steel. They had re-skinned the doors by pop riveting the panel over the door and then just mudding over it. So as I post the repair photos be gentle. Im no expert with this body stuff but I feel like I did ok to respectable. better than it was anyway. I have all but completed the body work at this point but I like to learn so if you do see something way out of sorts. fire away

 

So I've welded some sheet metal before but never something that i couldn't throw away and start over on so I stared at this door for a week trying to get the nerve to cut it apart. You just have to commit! I couldn't really figure out how to form the sides of the door that was rotted away so I just cut separate pieces and welded them together. I don't have a shrinker or stretcher or that type of fab stuff.

 

A great story and excellent work.
Thanks for sharing.

 

So one of my next projects was to fix where they had just filled the hood reveal with filler and had brazed a patch over the cowl door. This is also why i went ahead and removed the brake cylinder from the firewall because I knew i was going to have to replace the firewall anyway. I made a new firewall larger and did it as correctly as i could. I think it's much better now. i also cut the cowl patch out and flush welded a new patch in.

 

So now on to the door latches and "dovetails?" Not surre what they're called. They were rotten and beat all to shit. I actally used some rubber from a sanding block and some scrap copper sheet i had and remade the inserts. You can buy them but they didn't look right to me. Looked like they were made to bolt in. I actually had to cut the door sill panel in half to get the pane out so i could cut the dovetails out a remake them. Then i just spot welded them back into place to prevent from melting anything. Then I welded the panels back in. Im sure I'll regret that move.

 

Todd, the T is looking really good! I LOVE that coupe. I'll never forget the first time I saw it, and met you. You had a flat top, and was driving the coupe. You looked like you had just drove out of 1962. But the coolest part is your family history. Your dad and mom, you, and now your sons too. A great family, and history with your HOT RODS. I looking fowards to this summer, and following that cool little coupe around. Keep up the great work. Cousin Ronnie..................

 

All this work and effort...……...and Todd will still own it …………...wonder if it was all worthwhile

 

Love this!

 

Excellent story! Good work on the coupe.

 

Dam fine work for not having those highfalutin machines available.

 

Thanks Cousin Ronnie! Love ya!

 

Another brazed patch job I had to remove. Not sure if you can see in the photo but I have peeled the patch panel down.