Projects 60's Era Street/Strip Model A Coupe

I'm referencing these three divots...I was thinking there should be two but perhaps all 3 are supposed to be there...I was thinking of the lineworker who drillspotted those all day long...

Is that the original piece below or you fabbed it? I was thinking its the original...If it isn't you did a great job of making it look like an original...


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@Stogy pretty sure he made it

chipping away at it, looking good man!

 

Offset Shifter for a Muncie in A Model A:

This shifter stick is pretty neat. To use it it definitely needed an offset.



It sat in the center of the car. Reverse and 1-2 were definitely where my leg needs to be.





It's threaded so that it only needs bolts and I can put a range of sticks on it if I wanted to change.





I found some old GPW NOS bolts.



After that, the stick got the diamond shape extended. It needs more work. A little too much belt time in one area, not enough in another. It should be really neat when chromed.



How it sits. Plenty of room... well, not plenty but plenty enough for a Model A Coupe.

I kept my test Hurst Stick. I really liked that one. It had a slight crack from too much heat & too fast a bend (or something like that). That got welded up and finished off. I'll get this one refinished as well. I like pieces that I'll be able to swap and change things up.





Both have the same offset but the heights and lean back differ slightly.

 

Yep, Tim's correct. It was made for the car. I can't buy one but they can be bought... haha.

 

@Austin kays has a crazy shifter in his coupe as well. I always dig seeing them done like this

 

Well I stand corrected @-Brent-...are those weld pools or drill spots...when you can convincingly create the past you get bonus points...

You're really honing this project ever closer to the finish line in style...the garnish moldings are truly exceptional...

 

Thanks, Stogy.

It's a small piece of steel tacked in place.

 

Great detail going on here Brent. Those shifter bolts are really cool, icing on the cake. The way this is all coming together is inspiring.

 

I did something similar with the stick in my truck. Not sure how guy manage to drive things with the shifter where it comes up originally

 

Beautiful man! getting a lot of inspiration from this build.

 

Model A Inner Door Panel Repair:

After I pulled the panel it needed some TLC around the edges.

Here is what it looked like:



And after it was blasted:



Here it is all repaired and ready to be installed:



And the repairs:















And a coupe brass machine screws were pulled and the cinch nuts tacked in.



I've got a little more work to do on the door skin before the door goes back together.

 

Model A Coupe Rear Window Corner Supports:

A long while back I came across a WordPress blog of a Model A Coupe build that was really well done. Turns out it was @Canuck 's coupe.

In his build he fabricated some window corners and I saved a pic, filing it as something to consider "down the road". At that point, my car was just a bunch of parts stowed away.

These last couple weeks I've (with some help) been knocking out a bunch of little projects and since the rear garnish was being chopped, I figured why not try these, too.

I started out with paper and tape, my go to.



After paper and some back-and-forth measurements:




Then, they got trimmed down into shape.

In the beginning, I was wondering if this was going to be a waste of time. But, as I got them into shape, I could see their value.



I drilled holes for them to be nailed in with the same nails that fasten the rest of the rear window wood.



Mocked in.

These were trimmed to fit the gasket width. That way the window garnish sits against the gasket and keeps it snug.





The plastic version you see in one of the pics is a copy of what many of the A's came with. They had a hole drilled in the center of the bend and were nailed in. They're $8-10 each, new, but I liked Canuck's style.

 

Chopped Model A Coupe Door Repair (the long-winded story) Part 1:

Sometimes a story has to be told.

(TLDR: A dummy never noticed the rot on his car project - that he's owned 30% of his life. He finds a door to help repair the rot but doesn't get anything actually done in this post.)

This coupe body has been to Hell and back. It spent some time living in the wild, I'm sure. There was so much evidence of hard use, rust, and neglect. After a lot of time, effort and money, it really started to come together.

What was left, aside from some repairs due to some grinder-happy hack from the shop that put it in sealer everything else was nit-picky metalworking or so I thought.

My passenger door had this damage:





I didn't want to pull the inner door panel because even though the happy-grinder dude ground it thin after a bubble-gum weld - I didn't have another panel to replace it and wanted to avoid unnecessary damage just to get access for hammer and dollying.

So, I had a great idea: find a paintless dent removal guy to knock the dings I couldn't reach. Then I could hammer from the outside since there's room to hold a dolly and then any shrinking needed wouldn't be hard after that.

After 2 calls, I found someone willing. Great news - smooth sailing.

I was eager to head over to the guy's place. We met outside his house in the pouring rain. He sees the dents and such and he's hesitant until I tell him "I only need it better, not perfect. I can work the rest from the outside."

Then, he says, "whoa, what about all these pinholes?"

He turns the door toward me and my heart sank... no, more like I got suckered punched.

How in all these years did I never notice 2-dozen+ pinholes in the top of the door? Granted, I'd need to be bent over and looking up but still, I feel like I have been over every inch of this thing.

Oh well, the door still needed the dents addressed. So I left it with him, which was good. I didn't have all that much time to look at the rot I never noticed and get annoyed, it was pouring rain, afterall.

A few days and $30 later I had the door back, looking much more workable for me.



When I picked it up, I really got to see just how many pinholes were in that area just above there the top of the door glass sits. I still can't believe nobody ever noticed. It didn't even have sealer on it from the goobers over at that "hot rod shop." Hahaha.







Now, I used to be a firey guy. Unplanned stuff (life!) would happen and I would get way off track because of my emotions/temperament. However, the good thing I learned after a while (too long of a while) is that there's a huge benefit to get moving into the problem-solving phase as soon as possible.

I could've left it all and found some product to fill in the holes and continued on. But, that would bother me. I've come this far, I've got to do it the way that suits me best.

So, I searched the usual places: HAMB, FB groups, eBay, everywhere else, but found nothing great. At one point I considered a $600 door only to see detailed pics that showed it was not worth it.

I cooled off from that impulse and figured there was a lot of other work to do. No sense in getting frustrated or desperate.

Then one day, completely unrelated to doing any work, I drastically dropped some prices for A parts I had for sale, locally, because I was tired of them being in the way. A gentleman reaches out who, over the years, would text about some part or other for sale but we never did any business. This time, we do get something sold and since his wife is in the area, she pics up the parts - so still, I hadn't ever met him. Later, happy with the hood sides (from this coupe, actually) he sent over a thank-you text.

(Side note, it always helps to be nice to people over the years even if you never get business done... because someday...)

So, I asked him if he had or knew of a passenger side door for a coupe since he has a coupe project on the back burner. AND ... get this ... the ONLY spare part he had was - a coupe passenger door he dragged back from Washington!

But, it's in a shed, he's away, and - I have to practice patience. However, his schedule opens earlier than he expects and pics come through. We chat and price comes up and I'm getting ready to hear an absurd number (because I am searching the world and seeing crazy prices for worse doors) and I kid you not, he gives me a number that I couldn't in good conscience pay because it was too low. So, I offered to double his price and throw in a little part he was needing. And still that price was a very VERY good deal.

Alright, if you're still with me - thank you. I purposely try NOT to write too much in this build thread but this is one of those rare times.

Now, some pics:

Before I sent the door out to blasting I removed what was left of the cinch nuts. Usually I'd try to preserve them, but someone really went at them in the past.



Comparison - chopped v. stock:



A few pics at the blaster's.







Finally, back from the blaster's and ready to hot rod:



It will need a little TLC but it's FAR MORE solid. I'm not 100% on the plan of attack. I'm just glad to have good parts. Plus, this has a great inner panel. So, I'll pull this one and the one off the other door. That way I can work out the dents that were under the filler and put an unmolested door panel in. Might as well since I have good one, now.

 

It looks to have been nailed to the wall at one time perhaps an advertisement at the wreckers...or a door to the bunny pen......ah the life of and Ole Model A, maybe a stock car...

Sure the old door wasn't part bowtie......very unusual pitting...

 

Nice details again! Thanks for posting Brent!

 

Chopped Model A Coupe Door Repair Part 2:

There wasn't a lot of body filler on this car other than two bullet holes filled over and on top of the dents in either door. The only filler left was the stuff on this door.

There was surface rust beneath so I'm glad to have found that and dealt with it.

Here are the dents:







Since I am pulling the inner panel, I can try to get things into better shape. I have friends who are incredible metal workers and whenever I hack around with my hammer and dollies, my respect definitely increases. They make it look so easy.

It's fun but it's still a mystery. I'm thrilled that I can make things better but I don't completely understand what the hell is going on... hahaha.

I am getting good at pulling these inner door panels, though.





With that out, I started working the dents. Going slow and avoiding urges to remove the dings/dents in are probably what help me more than anything else.





It's a 100x better. I'm not going for perfectly metal-finished. I love that quality, obviously, but I want to get it better than it is and good enough to use as little filler as possible. I'll do my best and I won't feel bad when it comes time to bodywork with filler.



All that said, for a couple hours of work, it's a lot better.

 

Chopped Model A Coupe Door Repair Part 3:

All day I was thinking about how exactly to get more crown into that belt line. I went back and watched a Wray Schelin video, at random, and I had an ah-ha moment while watching him use his tools and also how he had the piece he was working set up.

In the shop tonight, I tried the grip side of an old Snap-On dolly and it fit the larger belt line shape very well. Then I went into the toolbox and found a Harbor Freight dolly with a curve that also fit just right in the smaller belt line curve.







Also, I put a shot bag up on my workspace (I'm using the top of the toolbox because my bench is a little too tall for this work). I really started to understand what it feels like to work the metal "off the dolly". The progress happened a lot quicker and I got the crown a lot closer to what it should be. I compared it to the driver's side, occasionally, as I got it closer.



I'm excited to start practicing with the shrinking disc to get the rest of the door in shape, now. Here's the repair, it's A LOT better than yesterday. I know it's a simple thing but to figure some things out and have a little success has me feeling like I hammered out some mangled metal... hahaha.







Next up was to get that inner panel out of the donor door.



On this one, the spot welds couldn't be seen after the sand blasting. So, I took some scrap sandpaper and sanded for 15-20 seconds until the spots showed themselves.







Then I center-punched them and got to work. This one fought me a little because I didn't removed the door latch since the screws were seized.

After I got it pulled, I fixed up all my self-inflected damage on my homemade railroad track anvil.



The next thing I need to do (before any other work gets done) is deep clean my shop. It's getting bad.

 

You don't show how you are getting the spot welds apart so I add this that may save you some time and effort.

Sold in a lot of places (not my ad) simply center punch the center of the spot then one of these in a hand drill and it cuts a perfect circle around the spot weld WITHOUT going into the second layer, then the two pieces come apart easily.

Cheap and the cutters are replaceable easily when the get dull.

Much smaller than it looks in the photo, that extended tip has a spring behind it and it retracts when you push down on the drill.

 

I’ll add to what @loudbang shared that the trick to using these is to manage your drill speed, too. If you hit it at full speed the bits tend to catch and shatter. Just as slower drill speeds work better for drilling holes in metal, the same is true here.

 

I don't use cutters like those @loudbang. I have spot weld bits, which I like (I think they work better), but even with them there's no getting the full weld in spots (referring to these inner door panels).

I drilled and stepped up in size because whatever spot-weld process Ford used on the assembly line, back then, it doesn't create a weld that I've found can be cut/drilled completely every time.

I don't know if it's because of how the panels sit or if it's an access thing, but the spot weld can be off by 1/4"-1/2" inch in some spaces.

Spot welders we're familiar with are like touching the tip of your pointer finger to your thumb. What I have seen with these past 4 panels is that some spots are that way and others you drill out but the panel is still welded nearby.

This has been so with every panel.



I started using this Husky stiff chisel/scraper to help break the panels free

Some of the spot welds all you need to do is drill them out and tap at the lower metal with the punch but stiff scraper chisel helped make the process faster with less mangling.

Like anything, you have to make the tools you have at your disposal work for you.

 

I sold the Steck Seam Buster for years, STK20015, cheap and gets the job done with minimal damage and distortion.

https://steckmfg.com/product/20015_seambuster/

check it out, they work!

 

That would have helped! Looks like the perfect tool.

 

Enjoying your updates, that diamond shifter is killer, and nice choice of seats

 

THIS^^^ is the best method and what we used daily at the rod shop. Less damage than a spot weld cutter.

 

Really enjoying the write up.....better than most car magazines(anybody remember those?!!)
Gonna be a very nice ride.
One question.......The torque tubes along the bottom of the frame rails. Are they necessary or just so-much-eye candy?
Seems to me it really cuts down on your road clearance.
Jus ax'en
6sally6

 

Thanks, man! I appreciate that.



The chassis was inspired by drag tube chassis designs of the day, like Linwood's and such. There were also several earlier sports car and racing chassis that used trusses and, in fact, there's an example of a gas A coupe that had a crude truss system, too.

Are they necessary? No. So... in order to include an idea like this into the design of the chassis, it had to have a functional purpose. Though I love most things heavy-duty, I'm not a fan of details that serve no purpose.



So, the trusses were designed with a few things in mind. First, from day one, this car was built to be thrashed on. My long term plan is to run a blown 283-331(.030 327) and the chassis was built with that, too, in mind.

The hairpin mounts and crossmember each tie into the trusses. Dropping the crossmember gusset into the truss adds a huge amount of support/rigidity. That large gusset is also the spot where the ladder bars mount.



As far as clearance. The scrub line was one of the first considerations. The trusses are actually higher than the running board brackets.



Both Ryan and I really geek out on this stuff. So, it was a lot of fun going into depth and coming out with a plan that cut out any BS and looked good, too.

 

Welp.....now they make perfect sense. Blown 327 (prolly stroked a dab) coupled with a 4 speed tranny ...I could see how the old FoMoCo frame could be made into a pretzel!! (boxed or not!) Really nice details and great write up!!
Thanx
6sally6

 

"I gots-ta-know-man......" Is that a Lenco set-up or........a faux Lenco?!
6sally6

 

Finishing Off a 1935/36 Ford Dash In A Model A (The one thing that always bugged me) :

Way back, we made a trim piece that sits between the windshield and the back of the dash. It's something I felt that was missing from every 35/36 Ford dash in a Model A that I have ever seen.

My windshield was already thin on that lip at the back and needed some work. So that got trimmed and the windshield got repaired.

This trim, the gas tank top and that piece below the windshield was kind-of a fight to get it all installed.

So, that's what was on tap, tonight.

Before:



I pulled the cowl top and such and marked the hole centers.



10 minutes with the bench grinder and few more with the die grinder.



Now it looks like something Henry's boys would've made.



And... dang, it fits!



That lower piece with the caged nuts, will also get modified. I'm either going to weld in square nuts or do nutserts. I'm not sure what I'll choose, yet. Square nuts obviously will look the part but nutserts would take 5 minutes and be done.

If it weren't visible to nosy folks like me (okay, if I couldn't see it), I'd do nutserts (the ones with thicker shoulders) and I'd drop a tack on each for insurance. I'll think on it. We'll see.

 

im not sure but sure looks like a kilduff shifter to me and if it is they are the top notch shifter for a auto trans they are basically a lightning rod shifter like the old hurst olds cars had in them