Projects 1940 Ford Tudor Deluxe Rebuild

Yeah, those were ideas to be done on the car. I doubt the windshield will get done this year seeing how it is fine. And yes I plan on finding a used frame, or purchase a fabricated one depending on the flow of $$$. I'd like to build this car like Jerry Morelands some day but not as hard core as his. Right now I plan on installing a 354 Hemi in it, some Halibrand replica wheels, either black suede paint, or a gloss black depending on what is left over from the rebuild here. I have more work to do now and more parts to buy than I had planned on.

 

If I'm not badly mistaken - - Medley's 40 coupe built circa 1980 has a Jag suspension front and rear..

 

Dang, that car has nice lines.

 

what photos would are you after? I don't have any before photos of the 40 Tudor as it was a stripped out shell when it came to me...the F-1 I may have some...and its still here so let me know.... Paul

oh actually I still have access to the 40 so could take photos of it now and where i positioned things to repair it?

 

Photos of the F-1 and the 40 would be helpful. I will try yo get the LH door to fit better, but I'm guessing it is going to be a chop the door and make it fit kind of deal. I could be wrong. If it comes to that, I'll get it as close as I can and move on. I don't want the car to be torn apart half the summer. I did notice today that my door hinges have been tack welded to the body shell as well as being bolted. I'm guessing the welds aren't ford.

 

That guy that did Medleys 40 was Kent Fuller. Long time, highly respected fabricator. I'll bet that Medley has put lots of miles on that setup. Might not be how you would do it, but I'll bet it damn sure worked.

 

It may have worked, but for how long? I wouldn't half ass it like my car is now. That scares me. The big 1/4" gaps between the engine cross member and the frame seems ok to you?

 

The deal with stock Ford Mustang II crossmembers is that they are made from SHEETMETAL. Like 16 gauge at best. And if an inexperienced guy tries to weld that to the old Ford frame (10 gauge) he's probably not gonna get a strong joint. The spotwelds that hold the folded crossmember sheetmetal together are just gonna peel apart when the weight of the car is butt welded to the backside of the crossmember.

And then you get situations like this car here where they didn't even make a nice joint, and left gaps. All kinds of points for a tear to start at.

I think (granted I'm not an engineer, just a hotrodder) that this is not a good way to install a Mustang II crossmember.

 

Hi again...I found some time to take a few photos today ...1st ones are of the body mount rubber cushion i removed and the replacement one in situ....theres another body mount under the floor roundabout where your heel would be....but i couldn't get a shot of it . its also round 5/16in thick

 

these ones are of the door in its closed position after i realigned it. you can see that the gaps are pretty well parallel and not too wide. The door is still sittin a little low overall as can be seen by the beltline accent lines not quite lining up...this would mean the whole door needs lifted straight up vertically.
For 2 reasons I'm leaving it as is..a) theres not a lot of adjustment up/down in the factory hinges and b) the owner only wants to spend a certain amount on he job. It doesn't need it perfect as he lives waaaay up a gravel road and uses it as a truck as intended by Ford..
main thing is...he no longer has to SLAM the doors to shut 'em

 

this lot show how I positioned the bodyjack to push the upper hinge forward and thereby lift the back of the door...

DISCLAIMER: remember I'm a qualified bodybuilder and panelbeater who knows how much is not enough and how much is toooo much. DO NOT try this if your vehicle has a laminated windsheild fitted as you'll probably crack it. Also if there is rust weakening the structure...don't try this method..
In short...I know how to fix it if I fuck it up

 

Thanks for the pics and info! I did see that my LH door guide doesn't line up with the pocket in the door jamb. The door definitely needs to go up and the bottom more than likely needs to go in. Thanks for the help! Now if I could just figure out what rear tire and rim size to put under the back.

 

ok no worries if you want my input on how best to get the door in flush with the body at the rear just holler..

 

heres a cuple shots of my cobber Gary's 40 that we're puttin back together now...not sure what size tyres he has on rear but they sit pretty close to the rear fenders...Fibreglass fenders...i actually wretch a little just sayin it...

 

Very nice! That car is beautiful! I think I might be able to squeeze some 245/60r15's on mine but I'm not 100% on that yet. I have 225/70r15's on it now. Going with the 245/60 will gain me almost 3/4" of clearance extra hopefully and won't rub the fender. IDK.

 

Ok, thanks a lot. I will wash it and get you some better pics and show you the door hinges too. Thanks again, Ryan.

 

Ford did spot weld as well as bolt the hinges to the door panels. The door jambs however are only bolted, this of course allows removal of the door along with the hinges. I wouldn't worry a great deal about your body fit yet. Don't get too critical about the fit and finish of your old Ford, Henry didn't. As long as you believe your car is safe, drive it a while before you decide to work on it.

 

Thanks for the heads up. This is the part I'm going to try to get fixed as soon as I have all the parts and have room in th shop. I'm planning on rebuilding the front end, repair the transmission cross member, replace the fuel tank and lines, install a power booster set up so I can get rid of the stock master cylinder, cam and intake the engine, replace the wheels and rear tires, and more than likely primer it with hot rod black or similar for now. Right now I'm putting a parts list together trying to get the best bang for the buck.

 

Well I replaced the spark plugs and tried adjusting the carb, but it still was running way rich and didn't want to idle. I drove it up to the house and had my Dad take a look at it. He started messing with it and when he removed the air filter top it idled up at least 500rpms. Dang the luck, the filter is plugged. It didn't even look really dirty. I blew it out for now but will get a new one coming. It's weird, that filter doesn't even have 5000 miles on it. Oh well. I cleaned it up and we messed with it some more. It runs really good now. It had too cold of a plug in it, and I'm sure the air filter was the root cause of it all. Now I think since I know how things go, I'm going to just try to repaint the LH rear fender and run the rest until this winter. I ordered the wheels and rear tires and they should be here before the end of the week. I went with the Halibrand replica polished wheels. 14x6 in the front and 15x7 in the rear with 245/60r15's. Hopefully they fit in there alright. I think I might remove the bumpers to see what it looks like with out them. What do you guys think?

 

Are those bumpers painted? I'd remove them. If they are chrome I'd keep them.

 

I would chrome the bumpers and remove the bumperetts. Mine has shaved trunk lid, just to give you an ideal of the look.

 

That looks very nice.

 

Yes they're painted. That's how it was when I purchased it. I sanded them down and reshot them to get by. But I honestly think they take away from the car. I wouldn't mind buying chrome ones, but I'd like to add some comfort to the cabin area for the wife if you know what I mean. All in due time I guess.

 

One other thing I forgot about............. Last year at Good Guys I purchased some LED tail lights for it. Went out in the lot and tried installing them, yeah freaking right. So last Sunday I dug them back out and took a die grinder and clearanced the bezels until they fit. Now I need an upgraded flasher so they'll work. But I'll be purchasing the nicer ones that have the bezel with them because the ones I have are the biggest POS's ever.

 

I look forward to seeing what it looks like with the new wheels.
I personally would keep the bumpers (but I would chrome them). It would be cool to take some photos with them off though just to see what it looks like. It would accent the pointy nose of the '40 without the bumpers and probably make the front end look lower too.

 

Don't be too upset if you can't get your LED's to work, you're probably better off without them anyway.

 

I'll snap some pics with them off and we can see what it looks like. I need to try to adjust them a little any way. I checked locally on getting my bumpers re chromed and I can buy drake bumpers and brackets cheaper. The only real reason for me switching to LED's is so goof offs can see them better in the day light. No one pays any attention anymore. Plus I like them.

By the way Labold, in a couple weekends, May 13th and 14th, I'll be in Bowling Green for a diesel event. If you have some free time, maybe we could meet up or something.

 

I got the new shoes on tonight! Let me know what you think. I'll get pics in day light tomorrow.

 

Hi there Ryan...I really like the new wheels!! but then the old ones were ok too..
We got new bumpers from Drakes for Gary's 40 , the chrome bumpers were pretty good ...but i had had to heat and re-bend all of the irons and have them re-sprung.
I woulda drilled new mounting holes but...they weren't even close to fitting
they sit nice on there now tho

 

Car looks good with the new wheels.