New guy in deep waters: 28 Tudor planning

Thanks for the explaination. I was using the wrong term. Pinching the front...I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

Yep, the first one has been the one I've been yammering about.

 

Boxcar, its awesome to hear someone so pumped to start a project and I can tell you are absoluely itching to get going and you dont want his project to drag out over many years! I know the feeling... I've got a long term project that I need to save cash for however starting the body before the chassis is done is a No no according to every hot rodder ive met. but its so tempting to go cut stuff now just to have started.

Can I recommend that to save time (in the long run) You stop right now, do some research and work out every single detail of the build.

This way you wont do anything twice as you learn more about hot rodding. do not chop or cut anything until you could almost build the car peice by peice in your minds eye.

Tardell's book is Model A hot rod gold. read, learn, start build

 

That's fair advice to wait. I do believe a frame will be coming my way within the year. As I bought the car in Evansville IN it was easier to load it up in my fathers truck to haul to Southern IL than orchestrate moving it back to Florida. So for the time being...planning is all I got.

I can scour the junkyards for parts though....looking for a donor metal top...that'll be a fun pick.

thanks for the input

 

I used 1" square tubing in mine and used a 84 astro van roof turned backwards. I have some pics in my album. Good luck and post lots of pics. I have some insulation mat between the roof and metal bows. Fit is snug. I have seen some use expanded foam to fill the gap.

 

I know I'm miles from needing an engine for this but hey...something interesting just fell in my lap. A workmate had a 292 Y block from a 56 Merc complete less the trans, unsure on the specifics (no idea on the heads or if it's been altered) After some reading and Y block site searching....I'm interested. This may be an oppourtunity to add something different with my build. I'm intrigued that many say's the Y block has it's own unique sound. My father, a regular chevy guy was not as jazzed as I was? I am learning here and had no previous agenda with engine choice other than I'm happy to keep it all Ford. I've found a lot of online references, Yblock forums, and rebuild guides. I've also been impresssed with the regular and dress parts available for the Y blocks. I do have a few questions for the crowd however.

1. Do you believe that in general this build would be considerable more expensive that that of chev 350 or windsor 351?

2. Do you believe using a Y block lends a level of different to the project?

3. Do you see any unusual limitations with using the Yblock?

4. If dealing with a stock 292...what would you change for a "mildly mean" street rod?

5. What transmission would you equip it with?

My goal for this first project car is to have a car that I can drive and enjoy. I'm not interested in a highly aggressive performance. I believe my fuel carrying capacity will be limited so......

Thanks alll
Boxcar

 

its this simple ....you have to put the body where it's going to live before you chop it. some need to learn the hard way i guess...

 

Roger....I'll be sure to have it on the frame before we do any bodywork. Thanks for the drive-by.

 

Will be taking some time off work for some serious car time... Moultre GA Swapmeet this Fri/Sat, then up to Illinois to my dads to spend a full week with him on my tudor.

I have a wood kit for the top to pick up at the show and hopefully between the show and the drive up to Illinois I'll come up with that makings of a frame. Found a fella selling some new stamped 32 rails (only) that i may buy. So I guess my shopping list will include some crossmembers.

Hopeing to have some build pics to formalize this build soon. Trying to fight off the feeling of being overwhelmed with all the chassis considerations.

 

You seem to be at the first stage of car ownership. Love and glow.
Now is the time as others have said to research. Get the book. Hang out with other rodders. Go to shows and take lots of pictures showing what you DO like and what you DON'T like. There are many years of car mags you look through, also so you can develop a better yes/no taste. Develop a plan. Learn skills you will need.
All of this isn't going to make that body at your dad's any straighter or smoother, but it will allow to to have a vision and a plan to get there.
Make sure you have a plan for the paperwork.
Figure out what style of chassis you want, along with front and rear suspension.
decide if you want 2 pedals or 3. Understand what is required for each.
Which steering are you planning on, and why that affects the engine choices.
Add in things like gas tank placement and seating that will need to be juggled to make it all work and fit your vision.
THEN you can use that knowledge and skills to get the body on a frame and get it fixed.

 

OK so it's been a few months of planning and living on the Hamb in my recliner. Took some vacation and got up to Moultre GA Swap Meet for some goodies to help me start the build and had a CL find to hunt down on the way up to may car. (Car is at dads place in Illinois...somewhere in between I picked up the following.

- 32 Dearborne rails w/c noch
- 32 shell & rear stainless trim ring
- A jig table made of 4x4 1/4 sq tube (Nice)
- A chromed out new alt from speedway
- Some rectangle tube metal stock for the rear crossmember
- some bung material for the coil overs to mount thur the rear crossmember
- Some tube for some k mbr action
- Repop front crossmember
- set of 32 backing plates
- Tri rear 4 link w/ bracketry
- odds n ends
- Couldnt control myself...had to buy some rear tail lights (promised myself only to buy essential stuff)
- Got a new wood kit for $125....new kit retails for $400

Here's some goodies


Met some very fine people buying this stuff. Mike Voog, you are a class act! thanks

Time to get started..."Houston, ...one small step for man,...one giant leap for mankind"

So I got the truck unloaded. Got the jig table in place and decided to get some common references established. Centerline and the rear axle. While establishing the centerline was simple, the 32 for a model A diagram aided us in setting the rear axle center point on the table and then we market the rail c notch c/p.



Marking the center point of the c notch and aligning it with the table mark set for the axle.



the diagram showed it should be 28" from the end of the frame and we agreed with what we could see.



Tomorrow we are going to notch the rails at the point where the go from flat and begin to arch up...and pull em flat for the A. Decided that as the floor is good I'd rather have the car set flat than a light channel dropping the body 1 1/4 below the rail.

Here's the gap we're gonna kill...about the size of a dime.


This is a personal preference thing.

So we're going to pullem (rails) down and pinch them. We will do the pull down first.

(Admin note) I will be delayed in responding as this computer connection is not available at my dads... I will be looking at the thread via my smart phone...SOOOO if you see something silly...I'll be checking...if you ask a Q I'll try to make sure I answer when I get back to this for updates. Today was church and eating with the family..so not much progress, sorry for the slow start.