Hot Rods 1929 model A coupe. Banger hot rod build.

I'm working on a mild banger powered hot rod build for a client. I've been doing a "step by step" on my Instagram and I thought ya'll might enjoy it as well.

I started with a typical amateur restoration 1929 model a coupe.

It originally looked like this...

But got a paint job in between me starting work.








This is how it looked upon arrival at my shop.

 

My first order of business was to tear it apart.

I started with pulling out the front end.



Some brake pins and cotter pins



Then I pulled the floor



More "factory" parts







Pulled the e brake....broken...



Pulled the u-joint cover



Pulled the brake rods



And the rear spring clamp






Rear end about ready to come out.



And now to save what we need and throw away the rest...




More nail pins...that's how you know it's authentic.



Only one in this side




Next we remove the cotter pins for the backing plate hardware. Notice anything missing?



Yep, king pin lock bolt missing....



So we start pulling the brakes...





And the tie rod. If you don't have this tool. I highly recommend it for early ford tie rods.





Here is the king pin lock like the other side should have had.


Next the perch pin nuts and remove the perch pins. I forgot to take pictures of taking the spring off. But you can see my spring spreader. Works great.



The perch pins came out in 5 minutes. Maybe a record?





And here are the wasted shackles



Next time...the rear end.

 

Plans for this car are as follows

Dropped axle
Juice brakes
39 trans
T rear spring.
Police head
I have a dual updraft but might put a down draft and 97 on this.

I already have 17 inch wire wheels and 5.50 front tires. Probably gonna run a 7.00 rear.

 

Giving that new shop a workout...Great subject matter and love the bandaids of the past...I guess nailed it sums it up......I'm in and thanks for sharing it here @Hitchhiker...

 

It's the coolest. Though...you should know. Lol

 

Yeah, It's obvious just looking at the nails that it was done ages ago. The car is super solid. I think it was a pretty original car before the paint that was then repainted again. Most of these replacement pieces were pretty common in my experience and we're gonna get everything just right on it, and then I'll force @Flootiebuell to go cruise with me.

 

Also @Flootiebuell if you want to share some of you painting process, I've gotten multiple people asking about it. 2 guys even mistook it for original paint. Unless it's top secret, that is.

 

...It does look really solid and you're off to a dashing start...can't wait to see it come together...

Wasted shackles indeed......that makes for a bit of an optical illusion...

The missing lock pin on the kingpin...does that mean it could have worked itself out but it didn't?

 

Not really, it's still kinda held in by the backing plate and mechanical brake stuff. But certainly undesirable to drive on.

 

Looking forward to this thread, should be fun to follow along

 

Not a secret, but it has taken me a few years, multiple vehicles, and many hours of trial and error to get it right. The key is to not make it look too forced, and attempt to make it look natural. Just rubbing it thru to the later below is not enough. Gotta look at the curves and areas that would naturally become thin. Also creating cracking, and scales really add to the “look”

 

Don’t think I’ve sleeve seen anyone do a blue layer with it, but clearly it works. The textures are very convincing from here

 

No forcing required!

 

So is the car getting a Buick nailhead at this point to retain its history lol

 

Maybe just a nail keychain so you know which car they go too

 

Actually those nails were repurposed from the shipping crates at the factory

 

It doesnt have a dropped axle! How does it sit so low in the front???

 

Snagged this dual updraft set up from @2tall2beahotrodder Thanks for the hook up!

 

I completely forgot about this thread....lol.

Hang on. Update incoming.

 

Lol

 

WOW, the paint you created looks almost exactly like the 50 year old worn paint on my 28 roadster.
Any chance you could elaborate on the paint you used, any special application techniques and especially how you created the cracking.

You are soooo right: the cracking really adds to the look!

 

He's gonna do my roadster...so...I'll take notes...

 

.....and take Pictures?

Either way, that would be Awesome!

 

Those too....we'll see if I remember to post them!

 

Winfield 7.5 to 1 head, late B cam, b flywheel on a crank, lube line to center main,harmonic balancer, bronze timing gear, single Holley 94, FSI distributor 40k coil,reds 4 into 2 header, Mitchell overdrive..
Catch that kid in a Kia sleeping on a rolling start I can gap him for a few lengths..

 

A few ways to add “character” Acrylic over Enamel, drying times are different, don’t wait for curing times, light spray bottle of thinner then paint over while still wet, water before painting, and so on. Ya just gotta get the paint to bubble, or look crusty, then the sanding, buffing creates the look.

 

Sounds like I need to experiment with those techniques on some scrap panels.

So few painters who attempt to match an existing "well loved" vintage paint job get it right and yours is the look I will need to do to match mine.

Another question I have: after sanding and buffing through the layers do you spray anything over it (a flattened clear, perhaps?) What about UV protection, etc

 

Depends on how it looks…I do hit a few places with matte clear, but not evenly….just sort of how I think a certain area would look after years. The best part is ya can’t really mess it up…don’t like it, add more paint, or sand it down…I have done a lot of cars and bikes…it’s super fun! Only down side is the flack from the purists, but that is somewhat entertaining!

 

I just want to mention that this car has had multiple people ask if it's original paint...

Also I am working on the update....just going thru a year of photos of it...

 

I feel like there really isn't much to tell. These cars are so simple. It's all bolt on stuff. Once you gather everything and clean and paint it all, it goes pretty quick.

At this point, the car is in a million pieces. Floors out. Front and rear end out. Transmission out, head and manifolds off the engine....



One of the first things we did was get the engine back together. Original police head, and a dual updraft intake should wake things up. We also threw a lightened flywheel on it. 43lbs. I'm probably gonna try and talk @Flootiebuell into a B distributor as well.



We used a clings v8 transmission adapter, rear brake backing plates. Ebrake kit and mastercylinder mount.



I cleaned and painted the rear end. And mounted the backing plates, so I could run the brake lines. I use all factory early ford parts for this. You can drill and tap the top of the bones for the junction block. Then just run the lines up each bone. I use a factory soft hose to connect things from here.





I was rebuilding the transmission when I heard about Pat. So I snuck this in the bell.



Once I got the transmission rebuilt we slapped it in.


and then I threw the rear end in. And mocked up a wheel and I was worried.



Then hooked up the front axle. And mocked everything up so I could fine tune the springs. And get some weight on it. This is it today.