This is an old project that stalled and finally got to the point I had to sell it or finish it. I bought the body at an auction in 2000 and was going to build a flathead powered 50's styled hot rod, mocked it up and then put it aside. Decided about three years ago to finish it and this is a quick run down of the build, about 90% done in my garage. I hired out the critical welding, had some help on the body work in a couple of places and had the top and pin striping done. The first picture is in 2010 when I was building my 60 T-Bird mild custom and had parts piled on the coupe.
View attachment 4983375 View attachment 4983376 View attachment 4983377 View attachment 4983378 View attachment 4983379 View attachment 4983380 View attachment 4983382 Running driving, interior is next.
Wow! It looks great. I need some ispiration and ambition to finish my 57 Chevy, this thread may just do it. Pat
Wow a Sport Coupe that's still a Sport Coupe...looks Fantastic @Model A Gomez...Your hard work is coming together in style...
I've never liked the Coupster look, they don't look right unless you modify the windshield posts. The top wood is a pain on a Sport Coupe, buoght a kit and had to file or sand every piece to get ot to fit right.
1940 Ford Mandarin Maroon, used the PPG single stage urethane, got a lot of comments when I said I was going to run Hugger Orange wheels.
What about the other popular conversion...to a Coupe...I suspect the rehab of Wood and Top may have contributed to these very popular conversions...The modding of wood is not just a Sport Coupe thing...I did a 30 Coupe and a lot of that wood needed modding to fit as well... I see you have a Special Coupe too...another that falls under the conversion knife many times as well...2021 looks like milestone year for getting out in the Sporty that's for sure...
My avatar is also a Special Coupe, 28 with a V8 60 I built in the mid 90's, replaced the wood in it and my 30 Pickup and you're right it never fits quite right. The wood kit and the top for the Sport Coupe was one of the bigger costs of building the car but always liked them.
Is the wood left exposed inside a Sport Coupe similar to bows in a Convertible or are they paneled in with fabric? I agree it is a work of art that adds interest to the whole package as a whole...
I absolutely love that color and the orange wheels. If you would have told me beforehand I may have scoffed, but I've had been wrong. Nicely done!
All the wood is covered with material that matches the top, gives it a more finished look. Don't have a picture of the inside of the top.
The title of your thread begs me to respond! That’s a nice project. You should have fun with that. Keep us posted as you get it on the road, etc. Also, it’s a similar color to my car, so I like it even more. john
It is on the road, have about 200 miles on it and working out bugs. I've already had to rebuild the transmission, one of those mistakes that could have been avoided. Got the trans from a friend and pulled the top, looked good and shifted good on the work bench so replaced the gaskets and painted and installed it. Had about 150 miles on it and second gear failed, bad synchronizers. Pulled and rebuilt it and back together and back on the street. The other problem I've found is that when I did a hard right turn I had a grinding noise and found out that the tie rod rubbed on the back of the crank pulley, added a spacer behind the right steering stop.
The Jalopy Journal
