Projects 1930 Chrysler CJ build (UK) ...

Going by its size and location I'd say its the remains of the spare wheel carrier.

 

I'd say you're bang on. A helpful chap on the AACA posted up this to highlight the placement not that i could make much out:



but then I search around and found this:


Not sure I'd like a shovel looking attachment on the side of the car. Best use of a fender well I saw recently was to house a bicycle but I wont be doing that.

Out of interest anyone ever made a good looking* hot rod with sidemounts and fender wells?

*I know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but by good looking you know what i mean!

 

That "shovel attachment" is supposed to be there. The side of the tire rests against it and the tire is strapped to it with leather straps.

 

Horses for courses I guess

I like details with straps and buckles, like for holding down the hood on some works cars, but I don't think its an element I'd look to restore.

 

And I Compline about not having a Real cherry picker to help take bodys off frames Etc.! I really am blessed when I just see how others have to remove bodys from frames. I got to hand it to you. Good Luck with your car.

 

Well New Years Eve is here, been really busy all Christmas with the family but managed to take a few moments to measure up the CJ and start to put together a plan on how to tackle it in 2013.

Not sure if there would be any interest but thought i'd post up a preliminary drawing of the chassis and its measurements. I notice that they are fairly similar to the favoured Ford rails, if a little longer but then that accounts for lateral leaf springs front and back:

32 with 106" wheelbase
28-31 A with 103 1/2" wheelbase
30 CJ with 109" wheelbase

Hope thats right and i haven't offended any Ford-o-philes



*not to scale




Research to be done on cleaning up whats there without destroying anything and then the build back up process to follow.

Happy New Year to you all, may 2013 be prosperous for us all!

Duds

 

Nice progress - chassis doesn't look too bad at all. Are you still planning to retain the original engine and gearbox?

 

Yeah seems to be pretty solid thanks blackjack. There's only one section that needs serious attention at the front but its only a small section. Heres a pic I took a while back showing the worst:


I'm keeping it straight 6 but 100% decided to hop it up. Would love to get hold of a 230 but they seem as rare as rocking horse s*** where we are in the UK. I met a chap who has a couple spare 218 so I'll just utilise those. I think I'll experiment with the gearboxes, I have a 1936 Dodge box which was already in when i got the car so I need to look into whether its better than the 1940 Plymouth one I got in a deal for a bellhouse. Plenty of work to do!

 

Might be worth speaking to Kerry Tate at Originals (somewhere near Newcastle - PM me for his number). Either he can locate a 230 for you or if you can find one he has containers coming over from the US every month or so and he could sell you some space.

230's look to be cheap as chips in the USA - look at this one on eBay - 251195383674

 

Dudford,

If you have access to a 218 you are already half way to a 230. All you need now is a crank, rods and flywheel from a 230 and it will all fit in your 218 block as they both have the same bore diameter.

May be easier to find the parts rather than a complete engine. If you find them in the US it would absolutely be cheaper to ship the parts rather than a complete engine.

 

Same bore size huh... I was lead to believe that the 218 was smaller or perhaps its just what my brain automatically assumed. So are the rods shorter to increase displacement? Im off to epay the night away, this might make life easier thanks hkestes!

 

Dudford,

The stroke on the flatheads are 4 3/8 inches for a 218 and 4 5/8 inches for a 230. Both have a 3.25 inch bore from the factory. The rod length for the 218 is 7 15/16 inches center to center and the 230 is 7 13/16 inches.

The reason you would need to flywheel as well is that the flange on the 230 crank is thicker than on the 218. Therefore the 230 flywheel has a 3/16 inch (if I remember correctly) recess in the face to adjust for the flange thickness.

 

Thanks Kirk, Happy New Year by the way!

I guess I'd also need to swap in the bendix from a 230 starter as we'd previously dicussed.

 

Yes you would

 

I got "a sweet sickness" on DVD for Christmas, got around to watching it yesterday, really nice piece on the ford v8's only problem is it makes me eye up my Dads engine in his old F-15 truck...

Well, I finally sold an old Escort 1600 engine and Cortina gearbox I'd had kicking around for years and I did a friend a favour in selling it to him for his project. What I like best is that I'm converting that into two more engines and a gearbox for me, two 218's in bits and an extra gearbox. It feels strange to close the door on that small UK Ford block that I've had under my bench since i was 15 but onwards and upwards.

I lifted that old 218 up on an engine stand (heeeeeeavy!) but pretty sure it cant take the strain...


need to rethink that, dont want to end up with that on my toe/leg/body!

Before doing that I took the clutch and flywheel off and this clutch cover isn't original as it has "made in Britain" written on it. Any ideas/pics of what it should be or look like?

 

Yeah that picture looks a little shakey, beefing up that motor stand sounds good. Flathead Mopar motors are 600 + lbs.

People either buy 2 motor stands and use one on each side, or just whip up something to support the other end of the block. A simple cradle out of 2x4 lumber works, wood is pretty strong in compression. If you hit the front legs of your motor stand with your wood frame (and jack up the motor a bit first) you will have better weight distribution and still be able to wheel it around.

 

Funny thing is that my dad had his 24 stud 239ci V8 stripped down on that same engine mount and I dont remember it straining as much as my straight6!

 

Got a little down time after a night shift at the airport, sat down and drew a vector drawing of my Coupe body. I looked up same period vector drawings by other car companies, like the 1930 Model A, I understand theres alot of people out there who know the differences straight off the bat but I'm an FNG on this subject and alot of the time it alludes me.

I find the whole Coachbuilders craft and how the cars evolved through the 20's as essentially horse drawn carriages with modification, into the 30's and beyond as they became more enclosed and streamlined. My body was a Briggs body who I think made bodies for pretty much everyone and here's a vector drawing of mine, who knows maybe it'll help someone out if they ever take on a CJ in the future. One thing to note is the prominent curve at the windscreen, i like that.



I'm very green on using these vector drawing programs so could be a POS but just thought i'd share.

 

Snowed in... and on my day off, typical. Good job I had yesterday off with a clear drive up to Oxford to pickup this treasure trove of engine parts!













More Mopar Parts = No Problems

 

Looks like most of two engines, all apart. What will you do with them?


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yup, two 218's. I'm going to use them to make a complete good running 218 and a 230, thats the idea at the moment anyway. I'd like one to be stock and one hopped up. I'm all about the flat 6.

 

Gradually gaining more room in one of the sheds on the farm, just need to lift the body of the car off my Dads (work in progress) Shepherds Hut, lower it onto the ground and all with strops, ropes and pulleys... I hope this is normal behaviour!?



Once on the ground I can begin stripping and cutting away rot and taking her back to bare metal...

 

Job done!

 

Yep, normal behavior. Lots of folks use tall camper-trailer jacks or foundation jacks too, then pull the chassis out straight underneath it. But whatever works.

Any progress on the drivetrain yet? If I was in your shoes I'd be considering a chevy or Rover v8 and automatic, because I like reliability, but I admire the flathead 6 idea.


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Good to hear we are all singing from the same hymn sheet!

Drivetrain I am maintaining to go ahead with the flathead straight six. A 230 and running gear came up for sale over here in the UK recently. I offered the chap £250 but he wanted more so he listed it on ebay and someone else got it for £198... I didnt bid out of principle and didnt want to fetter his wallet with my cash after his attitude and all for a few extra cubic inches. I have bigger fish to fry anyway with all the chassis and body work to do.

I know its going to take some time but a guy can dream cant he...

 

Lovely barn!

 

I like this, back in the 50's my mothers brothers had a CJ3 roadster .Lowered with a ported relieved block and 100thou off the head. If you dig back through some of the 50's Hot rod mags there were occaisonally references to what worked on these engines and what didn't . one big swap was to fit the 25" engine into a plymouth (23" engine) .
Yesterday I finally completed a preliminary check of a 1930 Dodge 8 roadster. Thats straight 8 ,not 8hp.
I took it for it's very first drive today for the first time in 50 plus years. The owner had dragged it from a swamp 40 years ago!!. (some car builds take a while)
It was displayed this morning at a local car show featuring american cars ,especially the original and totally unrestored peirce Arrow ,thats what the mascot belongs too.

 

Yeah that sure is a beautiful car, I dont normally like the roadsters but that is a fine one indeed! I know what you mean about the Canadian made blocks being 25", i think they were made as 201ci, 218ci, 230ci maybe even up to 265ci in some cases. I bet that Dodge straight 8 sounds really nice though! I could care less about high speed, as long as it looks good and sounds right I'm a happy chappy!

Moving forward with the car, my chassis just went off to be blasted and primed:


I've thought into what to do with the body and once the chassis comes back from the blasters the body is going off to be blasted. Just need to finish taking everything off:


And with the last bit of time I had on the weekend I devoted myself to stripping down one of my seized dodge blocks and got two pistons out, just 4 to go!:

 

Happy New Year ... been a while thought i'd just check in, I've been away for a bit, few life changing events that waylaid any progress or activity on here. Hope everyone is well and hope 2014, year of the horse(power) as I hear it, will be a fantastic year to all.

Progress on the car since last time - nil

Thoughts and brain activity since last time - lots!

I've decided to make a U-turn, pulling out on the straight 6 and aiming to find a flattie V8 (http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=855360) Realise now, I have to please myself and build what I want, also had time to write a bucket list of things I gotta do, take my Pa out to Bonneville is near the top this year too.

Cheers!

 

Try posting a wanted add on the NSRA UK forum. There is a very healthy Flathead scene in the UK and you should be able to get sorted. You could get a NOS French flathead for reasonable money.