Customs My 1950 Shoebox, unconventional build

Well...I'm well past the start but I thought I'd put a build tread up so some of the other Shoebox guys out there can learn from my mistakes

Its unconventional and non-traditional...but I really love Louise! I learned to weld, well still learning to weld on this project and she was so far gone/done poorly that most would have bailed on her...but we are still together.

Let the feed back fly...I'm going to try to get this in the correct timeline.

 

Didja take pics during a blizzard?

 

What I started with...

 

Lets cut the roof off...thats the easy part! It took 2.5 attempts to get it correct









It was that close...

 

First attemp at the roof was a little tough...there was a lot of gapping between the pieces of the roof.

The chop is a 5" chop at all three points! Basically a square chop (like a late 20s early 30s car) on a curved roof from the 50s. The 49-51 Shoebox has 3 distinctive curves/archs...not the best for a square chop.

We measured, measured some more and remeasured some more...finally I figured it out! The tape measure was the problem! Seriously, I just tossed the tape and went with look and feel.

Thanks to my dad and a spool of bright pink twine...it seemed to be coming together. But the gaps still didn't give me the look I was wanting.

 

So thanks to Craigslist and my wife being cool enough to drive 250 miles round trip on "date night"...I found a solution!

I bought a 49 Tudor sedan from behind a barn and cut the roof off. Using the original front and back pieces, then the middle pieces from the 49 donor...it gave me a better look.

Donor...

 

I wanted as much of the original car used...so I practice recycling! I use as much of the cut out metal as I can...and it fits so well, especially when you flip sides.

 

Looks like a fun project! We'll enjoy watching it come along.

 

Thanks! Those pictures are actually close to 2the yrs old. I'm trying to get more posted but I'm trying to keep to the timeline.

 

Cool !!
Chopping is a very difficult thing...
You got my respect for trying, and changing til you got it right!
Lookin' good.
Cheers....

 

keep going dude!

 

is that car channeled or is it my eyes?

 

Looks good! I miss my shoebox.
Tom

 

I originally had a 4" channel but it was terrible! Sounded like a soda can when you got inside. The floor ended up being unsalvagable...so when in doubt, cut it out!



Yes...I sat the car on the rockers and cut the floor out completely! Then I started bracing up the body with a stick frame.




Once the front was square, it was time to start bracing front to back.

 

Like I said...the floor was shot and one night I was look through old pictures of projects, thats when I came up with the idea of doing a laddered floor. So once it was square I started building the tranny tunnel and bracing it throughout...I might be a little over engineered.






I later realized that the stock tranny tunnel on the frame would be too low...so I fixed that with a new taller one, you'll see that in future pictures.

 

Speaking of the frame...I am building this to drive a lot! I have 3 small kids that will be in it, so I wanted it to be solid and easy to control. Therefore I went with the S10 front clip option instead of paying out my ears for Jamco...plus I wanted to be able to lay it out flat with the air ride.

This part I actually measured a couple of times...and with the help of my good friend Craig, we got it put together pretty nice.

Rear with stock leafs and axle


Front with S10 squared and secured in place




Rear is stripped and about to plate the front

 

After the front was plated it was time to start on the air ride. Since this wasn't a bolt on rear end, it took a few different mockups for it to get good. As for the front, that was part of the benefit of the S10 clip...the front was assemble (for the most part).

I decided to use an S10 rearend (it was there free ) and it made the bolt pattern and width match up. But to get it low, really low I had to make a sizeable notch in the rear. I wanted it to look a smooth as possible and didn't want a huge square notch in the way. So I played with it a little. ***Note that all of my metal work is done with basic tools, I don't have a plasma cutter so all my cuts are by hand shear, chop saw, sawzall and grinders..

Enjoy the crazy!

Front end with tubulars arms and bags. There was some additional cutting an modding on the front clip but it will lay the frame flat with a 28.5" total diameter wheel/tire combination.



The rear notch was the trick...get it high enough to clear but make it look as close to factory as possible. So after 3 pizza box tops, 2 rockstars and a Sharpie...I had it! Now I got to cut it out 4 times...and out of damn 1/4 plate (remember I over engineer things, just watch).




To make it real smooth, I laid a 4ft piece of 11 gauge steel over it that was 4" width. I formed, tacted and hammered it into place so that the top and bottom both had re-enforcement well beyond the notch.

 

Nice work, subscribed!

 

Looking really good!

 

i had my doubts, but this thing is looking good. cant wait for a laid out side profile shot!

 

I cant wait to see the pics...they are all but gone

 

all im seeing is red x's.

 

Sorry about the Red Xs...I guess I messed up! I started organizing my Photobucket account after I posted them here...I'll fix now!

 

Bitchin'!!!! I love it!

 

It looks like its coming together for you , There are so many how to chop shoebox fords on the hamb here maybe look around on here for some ideas next time , but like you said you've learnt from your mistakes and you've kept going so there's a plus good job and keep going

 

Thanks for the good words...but honestly I wouldn't have been able to learn from the others. I looked at a ton of them...they all had too similar of a look to me so at first I wasn't going to chop it and was going to put a panoramic glass roof out of a Ford Edge in it ...I told you guys I'm unconventional.

Then my wife was sitting out there with me and said to make the top look like a new Chrysler 300..that was it, a square chop on a round car...so we gave it a run...if it didn't work, I would have just just capped the doors and make it a roadster

 

That roofline reminds me of a Jag MkII. It's going to be a bit different that's for sure, not for everybody. You're blazing your own trail, I think people should be able to respect that. Keep going, thanks for the updates.

 

Doubts??? I have doubts everytime I'm out there with Louise...normally about half way through whatever I'm working on

I'm trying to keep the story in order...Like I said this build started a few years back so the work you're seeing now is not where I am at...so here is a peek at a more current stance.


For reference...those are 20" wheels sitting on wheel dolleys and its still out...


Here is an earlier view...but it was on 18" wheels, so I had to put 3" blocks under the frame to keep from smashing the rockers

 

Looks like a good start to me.I guess this is the first shoebox chop where the rear window is chopped too.Doesnt look bad,but something different for sure.Keep it up!