Projects My new project '40 Ford coupe (60's style)

Here is my new project. A 1940 Ford, standard coupe. I usually have a pretty good mental image of the finished car in my head, but on this one it’s not all figured out yet.
I am thinking a 60’s styled hot rod with a period SBC possibly a 301 or a 327 with either a Muncie or Super T10 4 speed and a 9” rear. Dropped axle, split bones kit and parallel leaf rear suspension from Chassis Engineering. I am undecided on the exterior. I may not paint it and leave the old black paint with all new chrome trim. The interior will be white pleated, maybe with another color possibly gold accents or panels in it. For the wheels, I am thinking Chrome reverse with big and little Bias plies.
I have been looking at ‘40 coupe threads for a few days and there are so many nice 40’s out there it’s hard to decide exactly what I want to end up with but I really like Gary’s (Hot-Rod Roadsters) Black 40 and will probably try to follow that look.
Now I just have to get to work. I want to have it done for spring.
So first I’m going to take the body off the frame and get to work on the frame first.
I am sure I will have many questions along the way and would appreciate any advice or input from you guys (especially guys that have built these coupes before)
I want this one to be pretty fast and fun to drive but also be able to drive it anywhere, so I would also like it to be reasonably comfortable too.
To help offset some of the expense of the build I will be selling the running flathead drive train and some of the other parts that won’t be used again

 

I think it looks good just the way it is.

 

My suggestion is to sell it to me!

 

Knowing the products you've put out in the past, I'm on board with this one...

 

What you're planning sounds fine, but it does look great as is.

 

While its a driver, it's not what I have in mind. The interior is the original rotted out mohair stuff. I've already pulled it all out of there. It is a pretty unmolested car though. But this is more like what I have in Mind

 

Oh my...that is nice !!
Good luck, and anxious to see what you do with it.
Cheers.....

 

drive it for a while ... then take it apart ...

 

a good looking coupe. I would lose the whitewalls

 

3x2 292 Y block or dual quad 312 Y block would be more period correct, forget the chevy.

Or a nailhead, but no chey.

 

Gee, I had a 40 Ford convertible in 1963 that had a 265 in it. Wasn't that "period?"

 

Thanks but this is definately getting a Chevy. They were used plenty by the 60's and frankly would probably put a spanking on most any Y block. Besides my last 2 builds were flatheads. Im done with ford motors for a while. I have some cool old SBC speed parts I've been wanting to use, or I may just pull the 471 blown 327 out of my truck for it. But Im trying to buy an old 291 from an old timer that has had it since the 60's thats built from a '59 283.

 

I need that blown small block for my coupe build!!!!

 

Love your thinking....here is what I put in my old (since sold) 40 sedan....

 

Seems correct to me. 327 4 speed in a 40 std is what I started in 66. I'm still working on it. It looks like a great car to start.

 

Pat I'm sure you'll find something cool

Thats NICE!!!, Do you think there would have been enough room in front to fit a 2" blower drive in there?

 

Are you ready to take the body off the frame yet?

 

NO.... Im hoping maybe this weekend but I have to figure out the logistics of how and where before I can do it.
I probably will have to build a stand for the body or we might be able to put it on my big table if we can lift it that high.

 

Im hoping to start putting the susp together on my 40 by the weekend.. let me know and ill come up and help.

 

You would certainly have to measure, but I think so! Lots of room under those hoods! Good luck with your build! I may have a set of side chrome for a coupe if you need it.....Eric

 

Cool car, you obviously have a plan for it.
I'm in with the potent SBC.
I'm not keen on the WW and lowrider bit, but that's just me.

Good luck with it.

 

dam good lookin 40. sold mine a year ago, but i want to do another one. go with your gut. the chrome reverse and whites look dam good on a black 40. go for it!

 

I have a 350 and a 4 speed with a 9" rear in my coupe ,a great combo. With some planning and a bit of cutting you do not have to split the bones. I have a stock front end (disk brakes) and a reversed eye Posies spring. I am 8" at the chin with 205x65x15s, this in my opinion a safe height as you clear most curbs in head on parking conditions.
Try to keep your car as original as possable interior wise, a stock recovered seat fills the cockpit but is comfortable ,the steering wheel and column are classics keep em.
My interior is now covered in vinyl but sort of stockish looking.
I do not do pictures or I would include some. Good Luck

 

Thanks for the input 39 Ford. Some other guys mentioned not splitting the wishbone too which sounds like a good option. Thats about what I had in mind for my front end dropped axle (47" axle) and spring with brake upgrade. Do you have any front wheel clearance issues?

 

Nice car--can't beat a 40 coupe--have done a few and getting ready to start on another next week. High windin' small block sounds good to me--gonna use a dual 4 327 in the next one.

 

Good to hear! Stick to your guns on the Chevy. I wouldn't bother to tie the rope onto a Y block to use the damn thing for an anchor. And, the the Chevy swap was many many many times more common "back in the day". Why? 'Cause they fit these cars like a glove and produce gobs of H.P. simply and inexpensively. Hard to argue with how pretty an early sixties dressed 283 can be too! Love 4/71s on these as well. I can't wait to see!

 

No problem, but I have the stock axle not dropped.

With the body off the frame set the motor trans in place and you can see how to modify the center x member to fit. I used Chassis Eng mounts this time around. If the body is still on you may want to set the motor in and make sure you have firewall clearance befor welding the mounts in. I have a 2" spacer on my short waterpump fan and no problems. Mount the radiator with the spring between the rad and the frame gives more clearance for a large fan.

 

with the manual trans like a muncie you do not need to split the wishbone. we have done this setup on 3 going on 4 cars. you can still get the chassis engineering center x kit, just without the splitting kit. the last one i did i made all the pieces.its in my 36 build thread. great looking car, i love where you're going with this!

 

That's gonna be a hell of a car. Good luck with the build man!

 

Like HeyitsNate said, I have seen the unsplit wishbone done on a car with a manual trans many times over. Matter of fact my old '39 Deluxe was done that way. Usually the Th350 has clearence problems with the width of the pan that causes the need to do the split. I have seen this at one time years ago with the auto and an unsplit wishbone by dropping the 'bone's mounting point with a bracket off the bottom of a Chassis Engineering type center plate. It struck me as leaving the 'bones awfully close to the trans pan for my tastes though, not to mention ground clearence issues.