Hot Rods CA Hot Rod Deuce Coupe **Found***

Please resist the urge to leave it in "patina". That ship has sailed. Do a good job documenting everything during the build. It seems that you are already starting that way.

 

I would suggest, just look for something close to what you like and build it similar. Don't think you're gonna find anything about it. The body looks great, so i would get to building. Like Pat said, there were so many running around back then, so it could just be a copy of what some guy saw that he liked at that time.

 

This was found on Instagram....

I am realizing that it will be difficult to exactly identify this car with a random picture in the past.

This car is going to be full show/drag style!!

Since the floors are already cut it’s gonna be channeled over the frame.

I have the olds J2 motor with tri power but needs a complete rebuild. I may go caddy or hemi....

It will be a mix of the Tognotti coupe and the weesner picture. I am excited!



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So are we...it'll look real nice beside Cody Walls 3W...

 

I agree. If that car was all together in that condition, i would say leave it, & drive it. But, since it's all apart it would an injustice to not clean it all up, & lay down some paint, & finances permitting, lots of chrome

 

How much/more do I need to remove from the floor to channel it? The bottom rocker at the door is so nice I’d hate to cut it there, but I do want to channel the car.


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The only missing from your floor is the cross channels and the tin skin. You basically have all of your subrail in position. If that car was channeled before, it was done the flip and dip way. They slid the frame in sideways, up into the middle of the body, then bolted through the bottom frame lip to the top of the original subrail. Not very common.

Most channel guys just hack all the subrail straight up form the outer edge of the frame. Basically leaving only the outer edge of the subrail and the rocker skin in place.

I suggest you find all the pics you can before you start cutting more. Hopefully there's an elegant way to do it. Personally I'm not a fan of channeling a car with nice subrails in place.

Something else to think about: have you sat in the car? Put a board across the current subrails and put a seat in there. Now measure how much room you have above your head. Can you stand less room?

 

That Deuce is a thing of beauty! Thanks for sharing!

 

Finding one with intact subrails is a rare find. IMO cutting them out would be a shame. Most guys spend a lot of time and $ trying to get their old bodies back to what you have.
If you are dead set on a channeled car, do as Alchemy said and slide the frame into the body and bolt the bottom of the frame to the floor. That way you dont loose all the strength of the subfloor and only are cutting up the rear section for axle clearance. Plus if you or the next guy decides to unchannel it there will be way less work.

 

I would be surprised if the “channel job” done before I got it was the way your describing.

I think the previous owner painting it yellow saved this body!!

And being kept upside down for who knows how long saved the doors and subrails.

I really can’t believe how nice it is....


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Congrats, your a lucky dog! I’m super happy for you, Bob

 

No new information. But these look good together


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Yes.Yes they do.

 

I find it really hard to grasp your so dead set on channeling the car, you are starting to cut it , you haven’t asked enough questions , researched the how to do it frankly you seem to already be in it a bit over your head but that floor is going to get cut one way or another

that’s how so many old fords ended up in a pile of parts and hauled off to scrap , I’ve fixed so many things an over excited well meaning person cut into and got way over their head, think ,look and listen before you cut

At the moment you are literally a couple hat channels , some rear subrails work, a floor skin and a weekend from having a floor in your car

from what appears your skill level you are opening up a big can of worms on a car that is pretty valuable currently in its condition

 

The floor was cut like this when I found it. I haven’t cut a single thing....

I think that’s what happened to this car to begin with.

I just figure I’ve got a perfect candidate to channel. Nothing is set in stone.
Thanks for the opinion....


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How I found the car.....
and how it’s been since 1967.....


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Yeah, that car was never built channeled. I can't say why they cut out the tin and the cross rails, but they never went all the way and channeled it.

Up here in Iowa we never find 32's with that much steel still left on the bottom edge of the body. Personally I'd never cut up those subrails.

 

Nope, that is not cut for a channel job. You've got a nice pair of subrails there. Who knows why the cross channels were cut out, but they are a super easy fix.

I wonder what the deal was with the top of the cowl. Looks like it has a bunch of welding done to it.

 

I was told the car was “cut to be channeled”
Not sure If it was or not, but that was the plan when someone cut the floor out.

Pretty sure that person was not the original owner/builder and was not skilled enough to actually channel the car. That’s why it went for sale again. I bought it from another guy he said
“I un-channeled as soon as I brought it home. And drive with wood floors for a while”
Makes sense with the cowl missing and a wood cowl installed from my previous owner.

Their are holes on both the bottom and top of the frame that line up with body holes....



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Looks like late 40s Chevy taillights would fit in the holes that are there.

 

If your gonna cut it up and modify it all who cares about the history.

and i dont agree the patina boat has sailed.

too nice of a body to channel, and i have channeled a few of my 32s cause they were worth a crap on the lower, if they had subrails in them they likely wouldnt have been channeled.

 

i mean if i had this and it looked like this, damn id be happy. get a rear end in it and a a motor and go cruising.

 

I think it’s important to know where this car existed and any historical information on it. Not often is one found with such custom work done to it.
But it’s still my car NOW. I am undecided in channeled or not.
I might run it as is or blow apart and take my time with a finished car the first time.

I am at the beginning stages of adding a 24x40 shop/garage in my backyard. So the 32 is on hold till then...


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Well this is a new color I found.
It’s a mystery....



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Great score! Congrats!!

I was going to ask if there were holes on the bottom of the frame. This was common way to channel a car and would explain why the outside sub-rails are intact but cross braces cut. With what the previous owner told you the channel was done just not completed to what we would expect to see.

If I had that 5w I would build it channelled, either way I look forward to watching the build unfold.
If you decide to build another (-yawn-) highboy this below has the look.