I just brought my 49 Ford sedan home and I had some thoughts. When I first saw the car I had crazy thoughts of doing something crazy. I wanted to cut the roof off and weld the doors shut after I sectioned it. Then I would also channel it. As time got closer to actually bringing it home I thought I'd just leave it and drop a drive train in it. What would you do? Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
My original idea was section the side and get the car low enough to just hop in. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
If it were mine , I wouldn't go through the bondage of sectioning it , or even channeling it , for that matter . I'd fix the rust , maybe give it a haircut if you really want to do a major body mod , throw a reliable drivetrain in it & drive that sucker ! Don't weld the rear doors shut - it just doesn't look right , and without the flip front seat , you'll never get anyone/anything into the rear seat . Rock the 4-door proudly .
^^^^^^^^^^ What he said..............in spades.........it looks like a pretty solid old survivor.........why %#@&* it up forever.......? Ray
Yep, less is more on that car. Clean it up, lower it with white walls and keep it simple and drive it until someone comes along who will love it more than you do. Don't do anything "radical" and screw it up for the next guy. That is a car that the fun is in the driving and going rather than in how radical you can make it and turn it into crusher bait because it will never get finished.
When ever I get a car, I think about resale if I get tired of it. If you do what you want to do, would anyone buy it?
Any reason WHY you would do all that to that sedan? Any particular look/style/goal in mind? To do all what you are thinking PROPERLY would be a huge undertaking. Scan the ads, look at all the cut-up stuff for sale. Would yours end up like those did? Those are things I would think about. Sounds like a glass T Bucket might be what you are trying to build.
If you do what you plan, that car will be yours forever and lost to the world. Give the old girl a break, let her live another 64 years.
They look good sectioned, most don't go through the trouble. if I was just thinking about driving it and that is all I would say to myself, self you do not have the patience for or major body work better just get 'er going and drive it.
Back in 49-51 and up as late as yesterday, people bought those shoebox Fords because they looked cool! Even a four door looks cool. This one seems in decent shape, even the chrome. Clean it up, put whatever running gear in you chose, and drive the new wide whites off it. All of those mods were done years ago to make the car look different. Today it already looks different than your neighbor's Honda.
i would get the vehicle running first. cruise it around for a bit and then decide about major body reconstruction. i personally would just lower it a bit and keep it that way but thats just me. they do look nice sectioned and channeled but it is a lot of work and time.
Do what you can to get it running and have fun !! other wise it wont be on the road form a long time,,,,,,if your anything like me , and my projects....Keep it simple !!
asking us what YOU should DO to YOUR car? man up, cut it up the way YOU want the world won't miss another four door ford.
Or at the very least don't bogart it. its a more door what it is good for is getting the groceries. No offense intended. It is not good for major mods unless you plan on going full tilt with it.
I don't know how much bodyworking skills you have but you don't, I'd keep it mild with a clean up and fix what's broken...drive it. [dump the dangerous 49 door latches for bearclaws] On the other hand...............I've always wanted to use a 4 door to build a 3 window coupe. The C-pillar looks just right for this kind of project. I'd leave the top tall, buy a pair of tudor sedan doors and scoot the 4 door c-panels forward...use the front part of the 4 door door-tops to replace the straight-up door tops on the 2 door sedan doors...so both front and rear of the door tops angle. Fill in the resulting gaps and build a new, longer tulip panel below the back glass. I know, I know..ZZ top had one like it built in black with copper wheels and accents...loved it! That's what I'd do with that 4 door.
"I wanted to cut the roof off and weld the doors shut after I sectioned it. Then I would also channel it." I'd suggest finding a hobby where you are more in tune with what is going on.
Clean it up, get it running good and clean and drive it. Do what YOU want and not what is some FAD in a crappy magazine. Drive it and show all them tree huggers that old cars do not belong in the crusher!!!!
uh, er, what, oh yeah. I've been watching two many black and white B movies with stop action monsters.