I'm new to this board, and need some advice. I picked up this body dirt cheap and now I see why. But now its mine now and I never have done a car from the ground up. Here is a pic of what I'm dealing with at the moment. Would like some advice on how to put it back together and get it right the first time so I don’t have to revisit this issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
What a mess, looks like you may end up cutting it apart and redoing it........ Have you got a side pic? That may help identify it.
A "tudor" means it has two doors. So it can't be a four door two door. A side photo would help a lot.
Wow!, Not sure what the hell it is but let me tell ya. The guy that sold it to you is laughing all the way to the bank. That my friend is not even worth a second thought. I would not put one single ounce of energy into it. Especially if this is your first rodeo. Scrap it and cut your losses. Just saying. Find something a little more mainstream and complete. That's the best advice I or anyone else here on the board can give you. Good luck.
Do you have any photos that show the whole body? It's a mess but looks pretty solid and you can make some changes to make a better looking body out of it after you get it tacked together. Right now it's about like the infamous solid red 5000 piece puzzle but I'd think you could make a decent body out of it with some thought and planning. It isn't something that I could see a guy dumping a lot of money in the car on though. Build it simple and clean without a lot of money eating frills.
I see the front doors and cowl in your side picture, it appears to be a four door that has had the rear doors welded and the window post removed. I think it may be an Essex, '30 or '31. A real challenge for a first time builder, maybe too much of a challenge for what it appears to be. Good luck.
If I were you, I would teach myself how to weld and fab on this while I was looking for something else
i think, since the sides needs to be welded together, i would use model A dimensions to get it to fit on an A chassis. the top wood in the photo looks way too tall. model A top wood kit and sub rails might make redoing it easier. i see potential! buy lots of clamps.
Looks like good fodder for a Fuel Coupe. What does the cowl look like, that and the windscreen will aid in identifying the body. 33's idea of the A dimensions is a great idea, would make it easier to find and fit parts using A components. Doc.
kinda hard to tell what you what's the best route to go with the car if your up to a challenge then start with a frame of some sort and a set of subrails for the body. and whole lot of planing. Mount the cowl first and hang the doors adjust the fit of the doors and cowl, from there the quarters B pillars and adjust the door gap that will give the the basic set up for the car from there it will be cutting slicing and making the panels fit till you get what you want. If it was my first go i would probably look for better starter project one i was confident to build, If you tackle this then it will be a build to remember a lot of potential and a great learning experience for sure. either way keep us posted.
Looks like the last guy was in the same shoes as you. Dirt cheap, first time and butchered don't go together well. If the bottom is solid, you can get some I-beam or even square tubing, lay it on the floor, and set the body on it, with the beams running left to right. Then use short peices of the same stock to use in the back where it is cut, and anywhere else that u need support, to have the same height. then clamp it all together, and tack it. U can then build a sub floor, from 1.25" or 1.5" square tubing, that will set on a frame. I put 1" on scetch, but i think 1.5 will be better if it fits in the body where the old sub rails were. Good luck!
I think it was a four door someone tried to make a tudor,,and fail miserably. You stated this is your first ground up I thank you are biting off more than you can chew,,bail out before you get in too deep. HRP
Yep, that's a fordor tudor. Pretty rare, but if this is your first project, I'd say pass it on to a "collector" and start with something a little more complete. And have an experienced hot rodder go with you the next time you're shopping for a car.
This is what i would do if it were mine. First I would tack the back together trying to get a good fit up. Then I would cut the length of the body to get good fit up of the window opening, and get rid of the bad welds. What you would end up with is a shorty sedan, which I think would look cool.
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