Hot Rods A little advice/suggestions/opinions... 37 Ford

Just Got the car last week. It's pretty solid and original. Was stored for about 30 yrs. Got 21 stud flathead running. It runs pretty well. Trans is rusty inside and will not shift. Still has mech brakes.

Here are my thoughts. I would like to build a low tech ride and keep $$ down.
Leave body and paint as is Except try to figure out why back of hood sits up about an inch.
Leave flathead in and drop in S10 trans and swap out rear for 8" ford with (posies) parallel leafs. (figure it will be easier and cheaper than trying to update original brakes and condition of rear is unknown)

Here is where I am unsure... dropped axle with rev eye and disc brakes or update to an IFS? Looks like by the time update steering if bad and dropped axle... the price is not too far off of an IFS. I realize IFS is not traditional but hidden under fat fenders, also gets better ride, new steering.... I am a bit hesitant about the install though as it is the unknown (don't want to f it up)

Thinking I beam will be fine especially since running flathead. Will prob be just an around town driver. However if the flatty gives out I would maybe lean towards an ohv more modern, reliable, and less expensive eng? Then it might be nice to have the IFS?
If I went IFS I am thinking Fatmans ultra low kit.
But truth be told thinking the I beam is easier, a bit cheaper, and less tear down to accomplish. Just don't want to regret it.

 

Damn, that's pretty. I don't see any text in your post, but if the question is what to do with it, a dropped axle or reversed spring eyes in the front is the only thing I'd suggest. Very nice car.

 

Next ? would be wheels and tires. I like the look of the original caps but they only fit the wide 5 wheels.
Radial tires or bias? Black or whitewall? Black or red rims?
I do want to lower car as much as possible... View attachment 2899464

 

You can add '39 hydraulic brakes to keep the wide 5 wheels, or there are adapters to go on different wheel bolt patterns to mount the wide 5's, I'd try to keep them, they look great on the car.

 

As for the hood, they were notorious for getting "sprung" and allowing a gap to develop.

 

Great looking car! I would definitely go with a dropped axle instead of IFS. If a regret were to happen, it would be because you chose the IFS (or at least I would regret it at some point). The dropped axle is fine no matter what motor you put in it.

 

Well nothing against the 8" but the truth of the matter is that unless you have gone through the 8" the condition of that rear is also unknown at least to you.

Parallel leaf springs are a nice upgrade, but I thought that you were keeping it

same goes for the 5 speed swap and the possible IFS?

A simple drop axle and reverse eye up front and maybe loose a couple of leaves or a de-arch of the rear would make your stance right enough. Maybe the 8" if you must and the 5 speed or you could open up the tranny first and see where it is then get an 8" geared appropriately if the tranny is a possible save and drive the bitch.

Nice car anyway, build it the way you like and drive the wheels off of it.

 

If it were mine, drop axle, juice brakes, and new springs up front, dual exhaust, keep the wide fives and blackwall bias ply (maybe do a little taller tire in back, shorter in front depending on room) and find another toploader trans to drop in. Then you're ready to drive.

See how you like it after a while, then maybe think about the next step of mods (T5, 8", etc).

 

Well I would like to have safety of newer brakes. Have heard the early juice brakes are not the best and while it is possible to go with the Lincoln self energizing the cost (and availability) of the parts will run way more than an 8" (I already have 2 almost new 8" 3rd members with 3:55 and 4:11 gears.

I had thought of a replacement 3 speed but looking like it is not so easy and cheap to find one of those. I found a T5 already for $150 plus then I have overdrive which hopefully will help with the longevity of the old 21 stud flatty.

Really leaning toward dropped axle.

 

So is that a hinge issue? Do I need new hinges?

 

From where I sit it looks like the hood may be humped up a bit. I would throw a straight edge across the bottom edge of it and see if it is just sprung a little. The maybe fiddle with it a bit to see if I could make it lay down better before I started throwing money at it.

Don't get hung up in that newer brakes trap. Yes there are more modern brakes and they do stop better but it is not likely that you are going to be hitting the off ramp @ 100+ in that old heap anyway. LOL make your changes because you want to not because someone else told you that you should. hell don't even take anything I say as gospel, I make suggestions just because everyone should have more information than they are starting with and nothing else.

 

Juice brakes, straight axle, T-5. Done. Drive.

 

used early 3 speeds aren't that expensive, the '39 trans is the best but any mid 30's Ford trans will swap in there and you won't have to build a new rear suspension, you won't have to change the rearend, you won't have to make a new driveshaft, change clutch linkage, engine adapters, ect. A T5 swap will cost thousands of dollars to piece together, they're nice if that's the way you want to go but if you're trying to keep the cost down, that's a bad route.

GreenMonster has the same ideas that I do. Start there. You can always make all those changes later if you decide you need to, but I bet you won't once you have it all going.

 

That's being a penny wise and a pound foolish. You'll need to modify tons of stuff up to and including getting a new rearend, driveshaft, etc. for the T5 swap. I had a T5 ready to go into my truck, but I went with the 3 speed instead and haven't lost much sleep over it. If you're going with discs, go with ECI Hot Rod Brakes and a dual master cylinder. Easy swap and relatively inexpensive.
Honestly, you're probably not going to be going fast enough to need all those brakes.

 

Why don't you just get the tranny running, install 39 brakes and install a dropped axle in the front and a mono leaf in the rear. Drive it like that and see if your happy. If not then go the street rod route with update engine and front end rear end. I've been driving a 37 for over 15 yrs now. Out of state you name it. Check out the stance on my 37 in the cream color in my album. That's exactly how mine is outfitted.

 

Nice looking car! Any time you change to an open drive transmission your limited project is likely to experience project creep and result in spending a lot more money than you expected and possibly resulting in much more construction time than you originally anticipated.

If I was brave enough to drive an old Ford on California streets and highways I would want to have the best suspension and brakes I could afford under the car. I can imagine that many California drivers will be passing you at the last minute and diving into that safe braking zone you are trying to maintain just to save them a second or two on their commute. So my advise is update the brakes , adjust the ride height, rebuild the transmission (or replace it) and drive that puppy.

 

You asked the wrong group for an opinion. This is a traditional board, they are going to give traditional answers.

I also got a '37 flat back sedan this past winter. I asked pretty much the same questions at that time and got the same answers. Mine came with a parallel leaf kit that I'm going to use and I also am using an 8" rear from a Maverick. I then traded some parts that came with mine for a Heidt's MII crossmember. It's getting a roller 302/C4. The body is staying untouched and the interior will be redone with a restoration kit back to stock. Steel wheels with caps and rings with radial tires. Not what they wanted to hear/see on this site but I think it's what I need to do to get where I want MY CAR to be. Probably not a popular decision around here.

There are a ton of parts for the '37 out there. I wanted a car I can jump into and drive anywhere. There are plenty around here that preach flat head, beam axle, banjo rear, buggy spring and I can respect their opinion. That's just not me. I wanted the more modern brakes, engine, tranny and suspension but keep the look.

Totally your choice. You need to decide what you want to do. You will most likely be thumbing your nose at the guys on this site or the street rod guys. You're not going to make everyone happy, why try? You need to make you happy.

Good luck,
SPark

 

I would do a dropped axle in the front, and install hydraulic brakes. Definitely keep the wide five wheels. If you feel you must do the T5 and 8" I have adapters and adapter covers that look like the original rear hubs so you can run your wide five wheels.

 

.......................It's possible but like 'beaner says, put a straight edge on the bottom lip of the hood. I'll bet it's the hood not the hinges that is tweaked. '37 hoods were known for that. If you look at a dozen orig. '37s almost all will have some degree of gap, especially on the driver's side due mostly to folks not opening them carefully over the yrs.

 

LOL he said he was being budget minded. he got budget minded responses.

if I was going the modern route on one I would sure not use an outdated suspension like a Mustang II that is like soooo 2oth century. For me it would be 6 piston brembos and corvette suspension, perhaps an LS swap with a couple of turbos, maybe even a complete chassis swap. LOL

Anyway he said budget and he got budget answers. Personally while I am not a big OD guy myself I may consider the OD on a 21 stud flatty they are a low RPM motor to start with. But it is not a budget install as has been mentioned already.

 

By careful trading and shopping, I have a complete new Heidts deluxe IFS crossmember, used (from a show car) stainless uppers and lowers, chrome Flaming River rack, chrome spindles and a new 4 piston SSBC drilled rotor brake kit for a grand total out of pocket of $450. That also includes the parallel leaf kit for the rear and the freshly rebuilt Maverick rearend. That's pretty low buck in my book.

There are deals out there for any way you want to go. Send some time shopping once you decide what way you want to go. Low buck isn't just for old school, it works both ways.

I actually got all my Heidts bolt on pieces from a guy that was converting his car back to buggy spring/dropped axle because he had to be traditional.

SPark

 

Don't forget the Time-out Doll!

 

LMFAO a friend got asked to leave a Good Guys because he parked his coupe on the dolls legs.

 

It ultimately depends on how you want to use the car. If you just want to putz around, just fix the trans, dropped axle and reverse eye spring. If you plan to get out on the highway alot, then the T5 is pretty nice with a flathead. The cross steer Ford box is a good one, you can get rebuild kits for them. A Saginaw 525 manual box is also a good fit, even the pitman arm bolts on, but then you need to cut the column. If you go to a T5, the trans adapter uses the early ford clutch cross shaft, the clutch is a direct hook-up. You will need to modify the pedal assembly to work with hydraulic brakes or change over to a 39 pedal assembly. You would have to take out the center of the x-member to install the T5, you can use the Chassis engineering center or fab up a steel top & bottom plate. You don't need to split the front bones, just make up a mount to attach the ball to the bottom of the trans plate. For an open drive rear I'd use a chassis engineering bolt in kit. Definitely upgrade brakes to at least hydraulics. If you want disc brakes, there are alot of bolt on kits, on a car like this no one will notice unless they crawl underneath.

 

If I wanted to go all high tech I would go '39 tranny with Zephyr gears.

Not much that Ryan mentioned that I would change here. Maybe a little less drop on the axle, but its OK for him to be different then me. Well that and I already have a 3" axle waiting for a car.

 

Axle, wide 5 juice brakes, '39 trans. Less cutting up & more right for that car.

Do this: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/40-standard-tudor-build.757181/

 

I'd just about kill someone for that car as is by the way.

 

With the body on the car, you're in for a lot of work to install a T-5