Projects 32 Tudor Build Thread

I figure I'm far along enough to start a build thread on my 32.

I found the body of Facebook in Eastern Tennessee. Made the deal and my Dad and myself made the 20 hour round trip to pick it up.

My first plan was to build it full fendered, heavy chop, spindle mounts, and pull the blower motor and trans from my 34 truck and run that. As I started working on it my thoughts changed. I don't need to sell my truck, so I'll keep it and put it back together again. I want something I can drive daily, when the weather is decent. I also want something I can road trip in. I'm doing to Power Tour this year with my Dad in his Camaro. I want for us to do a road trip in the 32, hopefully Bonneville.

The new plan is no fenders, full hood and satin paint. I'm a big fan of 51farmtruck's Tudor and Eastwood and Bakarat sedan. This one will be similar. I'm definitely not trying to reinvent the wheel, just a bad ass hot rod that I can drive the shit out of.

Oh yeah, she's really rough......

 

I like all the holes...! Neat chop 5"????

 

Wow, you guys mean business! Nice setup to get it square and sturdy.

 

Great save! What's the story with truck conversion in the background?

 

good luck man. Seems you have a good start for sure, congrats on the find, I think you have a great direction now for it.

 

The end product is going to be good looking at how it's going together!

 

Mean look on that chop, even tho they made more work for ya....at least you can see it as inspiration being you purchased it. Good move.....

 

Looks like you know what your doing!! Looks great!

 

I noticed the brazed in back panel. I bet your sedan was originally a sedan delivery that someone converted back decades ago. Makes your car very rare and worth a mint.

 

Great job!

 

It depends where you measure it. it looks like most of it is around 4-1/2" but its very uneven. The front side of the passenger window is 5-1/4"!!

It was so floppy we keep losing the door gap and the b-pillar. So, we kept adding to it. It's so much more study with the bustle tacked on.

Not sure, the guy I bought it from had about 50 cars, projects and parts. It was overload just taking it all in.

Alchemy, I was wondering about that. I'm assuming the side window blanks were bolted in? Would there be any other identifying things that would confirm it was a sedan delivery?

 

Looks like fun.

 

Sedan delivery side windows had hardboard blanks that I think had a tin skin on the outside. I don't know for sure how they were attached, but maybe you can find some screw holes on the inside lip of the window frame?

I was really just joking about it being a real sedan delivery. But who knows, since they were originally built by Ford from sedan bodies. Stranger things have happened.

 

I see you were kidding somewhat in this statement. The braze line is much larger than the original sedan delivery door size, but that doesn't mean that the panel could have been damaged and cut out oversize.

For Mat, other than a less molested survivor it would not be possible to distinguish an original without remnants of the door or the wood structures that were specific to the delivery. Ford had not planned to produce any sedan deliveries in 1932, it was only because of the demand from a tea company that Ford sent 400 sedan bodies to Briggs to convert to deliveries. There were no serial numbers or tags to identify the deliveries as the Murray built 3 windows received. There are no records of which frame numbers got a delivery body, they were only built near the end of production in Oct or Nov.

 

Thanks for the history lesson. I always like learning more about these old Fords.

 

Looking great.

 

Since this got bumped up, I'll add an update.

I made the rear subrails. I didn't weld them to the front part of the rails. I want to make sure I don't need to adjust them yet.

The bustle is finished welded.

I roughed in the patch on the drivers door.

I have the cowl, rocker and quarter patches fitted and ready to weld in.

 

Impressive work. I’m in for sure.

 

Very nice - great stance in that last shot

 

I figured I post a few updates.

I tend to bounce around on a project not to get to burned out. I started to fix the bad chop on the drivers door.

The plan is to get the doors right then make the roof fit the doors. I got the idea watching the videos of Walden Speed Shop chopping a 32 3 window. The roof and chop were so bad on this thing, I figure it would be the best way to get it back in shape.

I do have a stock height passenger door. I used that to make a paper template of the window opening. The driver side was chopped 5-1/8" at the back and 4-7/8" at the front. The passenger side was 5" at the back and 5-3/8" at the front. I wanted a slight wedge with the A-pillars laid back. I ended up with a 5-1/8" to 5-3/8" wedge.

I made a wood buck off of my paper template from my stock height door with my measurements. This way I can make each window exactly the same.

I cut out all the bad chop from the door and stole another top from a donor door. I used the buck to lay the pillar back and make the fit perfect. There was quite a bit of rework in the front to make it all flow. A lot more then I first thought. I basically rebuilt everything new from the hinge up on the inside.

Once the door was done I hung it back on the car and sliced and laid back the A-pillar to match the door.

I have the passenger door going back to together and hopefully I'll be on to the roof soon.

I'm thinking about picking up a UPAC coupe roof, since the most of the roof is toast on this thing. I'd love to hear some feedback if anyone has used one to fix a sedan roof.

 

Wow Matt. You've done a lot of great work.
Just looking at the pictures is exhausting.

 

Thanks Gary, It has been a lot of work. Let's say I've been making the best of quarantine.

We have similar tastes in these old sedans. I've been following along with your build also, looks great!

 

Great job so far Mat. I love the way Walden plans his chops. You are a smart guy following his examples. If I ever chop my Coupe, I'll be doing it the same way.

 

Mat, Thanks for the kudos. This is looking like a mean mofo. Judging off your avatar, you are going to have another monster like your truck.

 

Great work Mat, wow!

 

Thanks for the positive comments, guys. @51farmtruck, it won't be the monster the truck is.......but it'll sure get driven a lot more!

Not too much to update but I'm making progress. I keep making more and more rust disappear.

I got the passenger door patch welded in and the top tacked on.

Fixed some holes on both sides of the cowl where the hood sits and got the cowl vent welded in.

Ordered my roof from UPAC and it's scheduled to be here tomorrow. But I want to get the top wood kit roughly installed before I get too crazy cutting off what's left of the roof.

Until then, I'll keep fixing rust.

 

Looks great! Is the metal in the B pillars C channel or box? Really like how it looks with the holes and it should really stiffen things up

 

Thanks, Tim.

It’s 16 gauge I had broke into a c-channel. I used my shrinker/stretcher to give the correct curve. Then it’s spot welded into the original b-pillar.

In hind sight the 16 gauge was overkill. I think 18 would of been way strong enough, especially with the dimpled holes.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Clever! Might have to steal that idea