bought my first coupe! need advise

Sell it! Sell it! Sell it! Before you tear off on some stupid adventure to create something everyone will hate to look at of even hear run.

Can I make you an offer I'm in the market for a new project!!

 

or I can put it under water and wait 10 years till it rusts than put a crappy odd numbered oil dripper of a motor in it and the it will be a "true rat rod"......
then jack will think I'm cool........

 

Yeah, because I'm all about the rat rods.

 

Looks like you have a great car to start your project.

 

Nice post

 

I'd get it running and be sure it's safe to drive first. Then look at some of the HAMB cars, magazines, etc. and start with one change, chop/channel hood-no hood, you want and live with it for a month or so. If you do it that way it will all fall into place. and you will end up with a car YOU like-and will get to drive it during the trasformation. I've been doing mine for two and a half years, driving it and getting it the way I want it. every time I do something I seem to begin to see what goes next.

 

Definately looks really killer man!! Would love to have that car

Alot of guys are telling you to keep the fenders....thats fine if you want to take flight when hits higher speeds. I guess it depends on what you want to use the car for.

If you're running a hopped up motor and you want to go really fast....dump the fenders.

If I had that car I would keep the model a frame as is....no kick up...., install a lowered front crossmember, box the frame, and keep the front end intact as is, just clean everything up. Channel the body so its flush with the bottom of the framerail and chop it 4 inches. Run a hopped up V-8 flatty with 3 deuces with a toploader trans, keep the bones unsplit, and run a later banjo rearend with the model a rear spring. 475 16's in front and 700 16's in the rear.

You'll have a really nice raked stance and no-nonsense with cutting your frame up and trying to put things back together again.

couple of cars for inspiration are on http://www.circlecityhotrods.com..... the Nichols 30 and Adams 28 will give you the idea that I'm talking about.

Good luck,
Keep us posted!!

 

Well it looks like a cool start. Youve got tons of work to do so dive in!
Also get it titled before you do anything else. Nothing worse than a happy driving car that you cant register. :-(

 

WOW, Thanks everyone who commented on my coupe didn't know it had an impact like that. Fuel pump, that means a lot coming from you, your 5W is awesome and one of my new faves!
Heres my car. It started stock, looked an awful lot like yours does now (I saw yours on CL by the way, looked like a buy!)
I lowered the front with a 4" dropped A axle that 5wbomber did, reverse eyed spring and stock wishbone. Out back is stock rearend wise, but I put a T spring in to lower it. I also added hydralic brakes, wich I see your car already has. My engine is a souped up B with a V8 tranny.

 

I would lose the fenders, keep it on top of the A frame, leave the 32 front end under it (undropped), slice the roof 4 inches, and put some 16" wires all the way around. Heres mine, if you need some ideas...

 

nice body, a lot nicer than most folks start with, look at alot of threads, check out scooter's build, bass, rolf, littleman, bleed, they all have great design and are very creative. but 350/350 is real cookie cutter. you can't go wrong with a hemi, flatty, nailhead, or caddy motor. just make it interesting and most of all your own. good luck

 

love it!!!

 

Nice Score ! I saw her too when she popped up on CL... Kind of kicking myself now...

Tell Jack he can dog ya when he finishes one of his own !.. Ha
-Lucas

 

Sure is a fine start for sure. Two of the main things I love about Chris' car is the full fenders and the stock top.
I don't have to tell ya how much harder it's getting as the years go by to find one like yours. So many have been chopped, full tops are becoming fewer, so to me, cooler.
Not knockin the fenderless/chopped ones now, I just know what I myself lean towards. All of them are works of art in my opinion.
Whichever way you go, you have a great car to start with.

And, it's not my car, I just want to say aside from plentiful parts, fight the urge and try hard not to do the 350/350 thing, cuz it is kinda "cookie cutter"....imo. Something unique needs a unique motor.

Either way, Great score!

 

For another point of view, heres my Brothers car. Just as cool, but 180 from mine. Still banger powered, too. 5" chop.

 

You lucky sum bitch

 

Where do all these unmolested cars keep comin' from?? Hard to keep arguing about "keeping the nice ones uncut cause there's not too many left" then more and more show up Glad they do though! That's a beaut of a little car to start with and can't wait to see what you do with with it. To me- there's nothin' cooler than and lowered full fendered A with a cloth inserted top and a well done flathead with shiny stuff. And, I'm not much of a Ford guy!

 

What did you get it for?

 

Take your time, do you homework before you start hacking into it.

Make a plan, make a parts list of what you need. Read the posts on this board to give you ideas.

Keep in mind, all you read here will be of the "Traditional" Nature.

You'll be happier in the long run.

 

looks like my old model A, bakinthday. Also looks like it was being built or was built the old way. We used the stock duece front end and duece frame center section, stock A rear end, and with big an little tires 40.s hydraulics and some fiddlin' and shabam! A V8! It all just about bolted together.

 

1st off i F'n hate you!!!. i say just clean it up a little make it safe and drive it, but thats just me. and dont chop it!

 

this car sat in a garage in orange county for 40 years, the guy I bought it from had wanted it for 10 years and when the old guy died, his wife sold it, but the guy I got it from now has other projects and kids so he turned it. have the original pink slip from 1965, thats when the old timer bought it and then it sat in a garage...I'll keep everyone posted!!

 

He got it for to build. If you mean how much, thats not important, what will you sell it for is!!!

 

Go easy,,, If you want to go 350/350 or 700R4 build a fiberglass car like I'm doing. Your car deserves a Flathead and 3 pedals, Banjo ,16s. Keep the fenders, not enough real tin out there with fenders, don't get me wrong, I like fiberglass cars if there done right, shit I'm building one so I better like em, but an original A needs to be kept alive in the true spirit of hot rodding, you've got a great car to start with, run with it. Good luck

Oldschool66

 

I guess a flathead with a modern trans would be nice, I just have seen too many flatheads on the side of the road, they are a bit bitchy if you want to hop em up.
I could stick a 2009 honda motor in it

 

sorry for the delay on my progress guys, work consumes my life most the time.
but, I disassembled the whole car and got rid of most the parts that were from 1930, didn't seem to safe
did a lot of buying, selling and trading parts over the past year to get just what I need to bring the car up to a roller!!
with the brains of lucky burton and the awesome welding of ian berky the car is looking like it can hit the road. I decided to do a full fendered mild rod. I went the a SBC 350 for a motor, I know there was plenty of hub-bub over flatheads and chevy motors, but I went with the sbc for one reason... of all the car I've owned they have been original motors, some hopped up or stock, from a plymouth 6, to a pontiac 389, to a buick 8 with duals,,,and it gets sooooo expensive to keep these engines going. especially in LA, with the summer heat and traffic. if I could afford it I would run a flat head or even a baby hemi, but I've helped too many people after they break down with their flatheads, so I decided I wanted something road worthy and not to mention inexpensive in parts.
Hence, the SBC. but don't worry, I'll make it look old school, not like something in a 68 corvette.
just last week during my hiatus I was able to get the motor mounts welded in, along with the steering box, upper shock mounts and running board mounts. still have to get in the trans crossmember and master cylinder. but after those two things happen I'll be able to paint the frame and lay some frame welt and bolt the body on.
its coming along slowly, but I guess its better than the car rotting away in a field.
I'll post more asap, and once again, thanks for the support and great info, keep it coming...
and pics are on the way!!!

 

Creepjohnny, find this book that Casper spoke of. It is called "How to Build a Traditional Ford Hot Rod" by Mike Bishop and Vern Tardel. Here it is on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Tra...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263513084&sr=1-1
Get this book! It has everything you need to know and it explains it in great detail. Great find!

 

creepjohnny, AWESOME coupe man, I am glad you desided to go with fenders, I really like the coupe chris has. Wish i would of had that much to work with when i built mine. Keep us posted on you'r progress. PINCHER