Projects Jan 2023 Updated: 31Apickup: 31 A coupe Build

Very nice workmanship throughout.

 

Thanks


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I agree, looks great.

 

Nice looking work. Looks like a full summer worth!

 

Thanks, that’s the advantage of having to work from home this year, can start earlier and finish work earlier and gain an extra hour a day to work on the car.


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What a nice little coupe......I want one!

 

That thing is way nice!

 

What kind of transmission are you looking for? I have shelfs full. 39 top loaders, Saginaw, t-5s.

 

I was leaning to an automatic, something with an overdrive, although a world class t5 may be good for something this light.


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That's some mighty fine work there sir - thanks for the post and pics - I be working on a 30 A coupe myself


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Don't know how I missed this one, just read it all. Nice, clean work with a lot of creative problem-solving.

 

Very cool! Nice work 31Apickup!

 

Have only done minor things to the coupe this winter so far but did get this delivered yesterday


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Ordered the radiator from Brassworks, a H.A.M.B. Alliance vendor. Lee was great to deal with and the radiator looks great.


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Wow such a great build. I love how you went into detail on your fixes. Hope to be cruising with you soon.

 

Wow, didn't realize it's been over a year since I updated this thread, thanks to Frenchtown flyers recent post about dead threads. Anyhow the build has been moving along over the past year, here is what I've been up to.
last December/January, Scored a pair of Corvette valve covers on ebay, and received my 2" chopped radiator from Brassworks. Lee at Brassworks was great to work with and supplied a great product.

 

I had to trim the sides down on my original 32 grill shell,. I had two Model A hoods, I used the better of the two as the main hood and cut the front off of the donor hood to extend it. I initially mig tacked it all, but gas welded it and did some hammer and dolly work. Since I will be using the Model A hood hinge, I machined front hinge receiver and welded it up. I actually made two front hinge mounts, after building the first I decided to build one that tapered and blended down to the grill shell, which is the lower photo.

 

Photos of the hood extension, formed up a piece or the center hinge. Initially I though I'd have to split the hood along the length of the hood hinge, but I was able to reshape the hood somewhat and it seems to fit well. Will need to do some final tweaking.

 

I had ordered up all of the rear brake parts over the winter (66 Bronco small bearing 9" with 10" brakes). Blasted and painted the baking plates. need to move the self adjuster cable below the spring. Pulled 700R4 this past summer, showed 100k miles, fluid is nice and red, but will most likely have it gone thru. Also started on the front shock mounts, heated and bent a set of F1 mounts, need to finalize those.

 

Spent most of the summer doing body work. I final fit and nailed the roof down along with the visor. On the passenger side roof when pulling the roof down, it would bow towards the back. I noticed this when I first got the car, even after refitting the wood and bolting the body down it was still an issue, so I decided to cut a relief slice and reweld it. Seemed to resolve the issue. I also welded the visor seam along the font.
along the front.

 

I built a lower dash rail out of some 1" square, cut and welded it so the bottom curved. Didn't take any progress photos of that. Had to notch the firewall to clear the distributor.

 

My summer of body work, fill and sand, repeat. Use Rage Gold filler, then reprimed with Kirker EnduroPrime and topcoated with Featherfill G2. It still needs a final blocking, but looks pretty good. Didn't get to finishing the doors or decklid, our 70 degree weather in the PNW is pretty limited.

 

This fall, I started on the motor mounts, was going to use a Hurst front mount, decided to build side mounts do I didn't need to consider bell housing mounts. Also fit my steering box up. Jut need to finish up the shock mounts.

 

Here is how it sits today. I sand blasted and painted the wheels over the summer, need to order my tires. I am currently building the brake pedal assembly, will be using a stock 40 pedal and my own mount which will be similar to a 34 mount since the frame has a Chassis Engineering X-member. Also fitting up the steering column, which is a 35-36 column, using a 40 column mount and switch with a 39 Banjo wheel.

 

Built the brake pedal assembly, need to finish a few minor parts but it is all fit up.

 

I haven't updated this thread in a while although I've been continually working on it except for the last several months since it's gotten cold out. Here is what I did over the past year (2022).
I mounted the steering column and hooked u the steering box. For the Column, I'm using a 35-36 Ford Tube and cut down shaft, 40Ford Ignition switch and a 38-39 Banjo wheel. I didn't take photos, but I ordered several bearings online and machined up a piece to fit in the bottom of the column with a bearing. I also switched to the 2.5' rams horn exhaust manifolds in order to clear the steering shaft. I didn't care for the block huggers, plus they were leftovers from a long ago OT project. The photo is deceiving, the exhaust studs has alot of clearance.

 

I had stretched the hood, it still needs some trimming on the edges. I was going to extend the stock hood sides, but came across a deal on a pair of 32 Chevy hood sides for $20 at the spring Monroe swap meet so I am going to modify those to work.

 

I am going to run shoulder belts and decided to build a structure similar to what the Late Rich B. did in his coupe. Ordered up some 1 5/8" tubing and cut and tacked it together. Still have to pul it all out, finish weld and permanently mount. The downtubes in the back will have base plates.

 

One of the other things I needed to decide on was where to put the fuel filler. The fuel tank will be in the truck with a firewall between it and the passenger compartment. I though about using the racecar type filler, just leaving to filler in the truck. There was a pile of miscellaneous metal in a scrap pipe at an estate sale last spring , the guy said I can have whatever I wanted, got alot of solid round stock, some 3/8" aluminum and a metal cabinet door that was louvered. The louvered part looked perfect for a fuel filler door, so I decided to put the filler through the decklid. The decklid had seen much better days, spent alot of time with a shrinking disc on it, it was no big deal to cut it. I built a frame for the door, used a shrinker/stretcher to contour it to the decklid. Cut the hole, fit up the frame and welded it in. I welded the lower part to the inner structure. I will build a piece where the filler neck come up that will seal to the decklid, when the decklid is closed. I also built my own hinge for the filler door.