Hot Rods Working on the Vicky body, a build thread with pics

I've had just a little time this weekend and I decided to start tacking my Vicky body together. I've never had one before, nor have I had the opportunity to work on one so there is a learning curve here. This is what I started with.

I bought this from adam401 on here, (thanks again!). To get it home my wife helped me cut it into panels and stuff the whole thing in the back of my SUV for the ride back from Connecticut. After having all the panels blasted and the surface rust removed the shell is in remarkably good shape.

I've begun reassembly and adding a 3 1/4" chop that puts my side windows at 9", the same as a 4" chop on a '30-'31 A coupe. In my eyes perfect proportions.

I know this is not how you put a body back together but because of the way it was cut apart I can reattach the panels at the same place. The wood frame was completely gone so I will substitute a steel structure to square and align the body. My frame foldings arrive Wednesday and I already have all the crossmembers and frame parts fabricated to build the chassis.

Over the Spring I was able to screw together a really nice '57 283 with some goodies and a Clay Smith cam, 4x2's and old Mallory. The trans is the unusual, for a rod, Muncie 318 with a Sparkomatic yoyo shifter, (thanks Pete!). There is also a really mint '40 banjo to bring up the rear and a load of vintage parts for the rest of this one.



So in short, this thread is the start of another build for me. I've been banging on the 'glass bucket but to be honest, it was never "me". The Vick is much more palatable. The really cool part is the '31 Vick is actually more of a deuce than an "A". The body dimensions and a lot of details on these, also dimension wise they are much more a deuce. This body is being set up for a two inch channel over some custom sills.

Back to work with me.

 

Nice to see that body being saved. Should be nice, Steelbacks look nicer than the full padded top IMO.
Bob

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/avrg-abused-vicky-recovery-group.157552/

Good luck with the save, you are in good company. Bob

 

Here I thought mine was going to be a challenge. I've got mine up for sale right now because I found something that I have been hunting for for a while. The plan was always to go full fender but lately and after I pulled what was left of the rear fenders off channeling it the width of the frame and a slight chop seems a lot more viable as it is the same as yours as far as the wood goes or went.

 

Wow! Too late now, but I think you would have been better off to have tacked the body panels together at original cut lines first. Get the body supported with some rudimentary interior bracing before slicing and dicing bits and pieces of the body for a ‘chop’. IMO, you have made the job a whole lot more difficult.

Ray

 

The body was pretty bent up so I felt it a bit easier to straighten the panels, put the body together, and chop it at the same time. I've been using the cuts I made in Adams driveway as a reference point to make the chop work. I would have been way better off if I had my chassis together and used that as a reference to square the body as I assemble it. As I don't have anything to reference or any body dimensions I'm just welding what I know goes where and getting the body lines right on the rest. I'd like to put a solid roof on it and as such I need to get the roof perimeter on the money.

 

I cut this from your post above.

"The really cool part is the '31 Vick is actually more of a deuce than an "A". The body dimensions and a lot of details on these, also dimension wise they are much more a deuce."

Most of that is inaccurate. Yes a Vic has flush doors unlike other A's. Yes the Vic had a slant windshield like some 4 door A's.

Dimension wise it is a Model A. The chassis and fenders are Model A interchangeable. It shares nothing with a Deuce other than a few design features like the flush doors.

Had a nice Vic for almost 30 years, so I've been through this. I hope my comments help with your build. Looking forward to following along.

Phil

 

Neat project!

Sent from my SM-G892A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I've got to follow your build to help with mine if someone doesn't fall in love with it.
I figure that If I go ahead with mine it may get channeled rather than go full fender as my wife wants.
A flat bed trailer full of tubing and start cutting and welding.

 

I’m a sucker for a “save” build thread.

Im doing the same with a very rough 32 Tudor right now. I’m with the others in getting a foundation first and building off of that. But there’s more than one way to do a project. I’ll be following along to see your approach.




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

 

Go Koz Go!!...I like the 'Rules What Rules Inspiration' being employed here...The Jalopy Hotrod...and The Ole 283 looks fantastic...One of the Great things about a Sedan is you can get that legroom you can't in a Roadster Coupe or Bucket...Look forward to your journey with this Classy Body Style...

 

Picked up my foldings from Steel and Metal Services on todays' morning parts run. Fred did a great job again! Right on tolerance. The crossmember I made a while ago. When properly gusseted it will take the spring ahead frontend nicely. I did a rework on the 'bones a week or so ago using a simple fixture on my steel bench. The axle is drilled to add a bit of flexibility.

The last few days I've been trying to get a few hours in each night after the shop closes to work on my own stuff. It's been 11 years since I've had a car of my own on the road and I'm sensing my mortality. I really do need one more ride to Wildwood. This car will be no showpiece but it will drive great and do exactly what it needs to do.

Last night I was able to get a little time in on some pick and dolly work on the shell. It is really getting quite nice for a bag of walnuts. With a little shrinking and file work it will be a really nice body. I do like the proportions of the side windows to the rear window etc. I am going to need to shorten the tail by 2 5/8" to make it work with the way I'm bringing my frame tails out. It will look very cool though.

 

Got about an hour and a half in tonight. I layed out the frame components and made some one off posterboard templates for the frame splices. The ones with the holes are the front sections which are obviously exposed, and will join to the rect. tubing sections under the body. I have the layouts to taper the tubing and cut the splices for another night. The front will get boxed with folded transitions from the 1 3/4" wide front flanges, (Model A), and the 2" rect. tubing. I use this type of splice, as it is according to a mechanical engineer who used to work for me, about the strongest splice you can run on a steel section like this. I don't know what they are actually called but they are very common on ocean going vessels and I have seen them on railroad car chassis as well. They should hold a small block OK.

 

Scavenged some time this weekend to assemble and box the side rails for my frame. The folded parts were right on the money so it went together really easy. This is a quick and dirty frame, not like my usual stuff but it will get to Wildwood and back. Dimensionally, they are right on but just not as involved as they maybe should have been. They will be plenty strong and the only thing you will actually see is the front rails beside the engine and the bottom 1" of the side rails. They do have some nice tapers and the front rails look like they should, being 1 3/4" wide, with a square boxed inside like a real Model A frame would be.

I have the rear setup to take a deuce dimension spreader bar and the exposed tails will look real nice out the back of the Vick body. I need to cut the reliefs to follow the A frame profile tonight and I'll set them aside until next weekend. The next step will be to lock them into the marriage fixture to allow the installation of the crossmembers and all related brackets. I placed tapered bungs to accept the rod ends for the front end and have a lot of the other stuff made already. Busy week in the shop here so next weekend until I can give it hell again.

 

Lots of interesting ideas. I had some frame parts bent up like this in the past as well.

 

Looks like the frame is going to be really nice quality piece. Bob

 

Had a little time tonight and finished up my front and rear cross members and rear spreader bar. I was just going to order a bar from Speedway but they are only 14 ga. and the spacer plates are 1/8". I decided this might need a little more beef so I made this one up of 2", 3/16" wall mechanical tubing with 3/16" plates and spacers. I'm going to need to get the front cross member in to make the rest of the parts for this.

The big question is, I have a set of front and rear Houdaille shocks that I would really like to use. I'm just a tad worried that they are too early for this car. Not sure when these disappeared from the scene but I'm placing this car in the very late '50's. Big decision here as I need to add plates and brackets in the frame to take them. Anybody have any thoughts on this? Some pics of what I'm up to.....

 

They were still using those shocks on modified stock cars in the late '60's if that is any help. Bob

 

On the other hand tube shocks had been used as OE on factory built cars for ten years by the late 50's. So tubes would also be an appropriate update for a newly built rod.

Phil

 

Both good points. I wasn't sure when they disappeared from rodding. Ford went to "airplane" shocks in late '47-'48 and a lot of rodders went with the newer style. I'm using a spring ahead cross member, like the red one in the pic below. This pic is off the HAMB and I know the owner is on here, but I can't remember whos' car it is, so maybe he can jump in. It is on a full fendered '27. This should set the cross member/spring just behind the pickup shell I'm using. If I use the Houdaille shocks I can set my '35 Ford pickup lights right where I want them.

 

Hot late night yesterday and I was able to get the rails and cross members out of the fixture. Nothing special but deadly square and on spec. I just roughly fitted the front suspension parts and everything is right on the money. Ride height is just as planned. I got lucky! Actually, I drafted a full set of 'prints on the chassis so it would be pretty hard to screw up. There are sections of boxing plate both front and rear that need to be done and will greatly improve the appearance of the frame with some much needed detail. The frame looks light and spindly in the pics but is quite beefy when seen up close.

I don't have any space in the shop to set another chassis up so I'm going to make up the center section on the bench and add it to the rails as an assembly. Id really like to get the engine and trans in there with the chassis on ride height just to make sure everything clears nicely. Also I've developed a desire for a sectioned deuce radiator with an early core as opposed to just buying out one of the offshore rads that won't have a lot of character.

I think the front end is working out fairly nice. Still a lot of work on this frame to get it on the wheels.

 

Pondering some of the body details on this beastie and I keep going back to a very cool Model A roadster with a shortened body and pretty much pieced together everything else. The car was a sort of reddish maroon with black frame, SBC, single four, with a three speed, and aluminum slots. The seats were '50's era kitchen chairs with the chrome tube frames and red metalflake upholstery. He stayed at the old Rio Grande Motel every year for the Fall Wildwood run and unfortunately I never was able to meet up with him. I have this thing where I don't like to be a pest to car owners and actually almost never just walk up and chat with anybody at a show. It was a huge missed opportunity as this car along with the Full House deuce were the biggest influences on my car building ever.

My question is, Does anyone remember or have any pics of this car or maybe know the guy? He was way ahead of the whole nostalgia thing we have today. I will add, he drove the wheels off it every year.

 

@Blake 27...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...er-frame-full-fendered.1114940/#post-12652743

 

Koz so cool what youre doing man! Keep those updates coming!

 

Just came over to see how you’re making out. Looking good. Makes me inspired about my own frame. Because my pinion angle is way off and my frame travels under my seats l’m going to cut it at the firewall and start over. I want to bring the frame out as far as I can so I can lower the floor to give me more headroom. Then set it up with a four link and a 9”rearend that way I can have a suspension. I also wouldn’t mind having some kind of roll cage. It’s going to take quite a bit to get it done. Thanks for the inspiration. Good luck with yours.

 

I did the same thing in my old roadster. I used a four link and coil overs in the rear with a 9". You couldn't see any of it and it rode and handled great. I did have a relatively high driveshaft tunnel though. I'm hoping I can get the same performance on this one with a traverse spring because everything shows on this one. Working on a better trans setup at the moment. Pics as soon as I get a bit of time here. We should plan on meeting up somewhere at a run next Spring. I always work best under a deadline....LOL!

 

I’d enjoy a meet up. I work best under pressure as well. Although I will be getting quite a bit of help. The frame work is above my skill level. Plus I have to work so much to be able to afford this stuff. I wish you were closer. I’d love to have you do it. You do amazing work. Good luck with all you do and most of all have fun doing it.

 

As an alternative to my relatively weak Muncie 318 box I put together a Ford 3.03 Tremec with a Jeep T 150 top for the Vicky. This conversion has been covered many times on here and is easy to do. I milled the sideshift bungs off the case and tapped them for 3/8" pipe plugs after hitting the work with a needle scaler to put the cast texture in. This saves an inch+ in the legroom area. The front bearing retainer was turned down to Chevy dimensions and this setup will drop right in back of the Chevy 'bell. I picked up a very nice stick from my buddy Pete and grafted it to the Jeep stub so it will look like and early Ford box but is way stronger and full synchro. I need to finish up the weld on the stick but I'm out of Argo n on a holiday weekend so it will need to wait for Tuesday. I have also put these in back of flattys and they work great. Ratios are very close to the typical early Ford "78" case trans. Just some late night stuff in the shop.

Also snagged some mint wheels along with excellent front and rear brakes and drums, ( Thanks Matt Murray and Pete!), so more stuff coming together.

 

NICE! I remember seeing that body for sale; I'm glad to see it getting built!

I like your front crossmember. I am doing something similar if a bit more crude on my car.