Projects BACK AT IT FINALLY!! RE-BUILD OF AN EARLY CHEVY COUPE WITH A HEMI

Dale just sent me more photos of his installation of the boxing plates, new hemi mounts, the center x-member with the trans mount, the rear ladder bar kit and course, the front and rear suspension. Every task he did is only spot welded at this time.

Looks like he will install the rear cross member, coil over shocks/mounts, plus the rear panhard bar to finish up the QCR soon enough. He moved the Ford front crossmember forward a few inches to get the needed 9" or so clearance for the lower blower pulley. At some point, Dale will install the front panhard bar and my chromed Vega cross steer box and disc brake system to finish the front end.

 

Following now. First time today I have seen this build and beginning to read through the full thread.
Very cool !!

 

Thank you @32 hudson - glad you find my build interesting enough to follow my progress. It's easy to see that our hot rods are so very few and far between, I don't believe I've ever seen a '32 Hudson before either... Going to check your profile page to see if you have any photo albums to check out.

 

Please do. Our odd rods are a labor of love.

 

Went over to Dale's Hot Rod Garage last Sunday afternoon and was delighted that he's on the home stretch in finishing up my chassis setup! He has only one left of the center x-member square tubing to weld in when he has my dual master cylinder to mount in my frame. He needed to take some photos of the chassis before he placed the body back on recently, but he mentioned that the body will come back off to finish the master cylinder.

In the meantime, Dale had me sit in the coupe on one of the '59 Thunderbird bucket seats that I brought over to begin setting up the angle of the steering column. Still shaking my head that my column will go through the new steel floor and had more room of clearance of the hemi than we thought. I was missing the bottom bearing of my Limeworks Speed Shop polished hot rod column, so he will go the hardware store to pick it up and begin setting up the steering assembly with a few steering u-joints to have more clearance around the engine block. We're thinking that we may have to add a small notch to the engine mount for the polished D-bar when it's attached to my chromed Vega cross steering box (his steering box is loosely mounted for mock up). Looks like Dale and I will tow my hot rod back to my garage in early March!

 

Love it, just read start to present and subscribed!

 

So excited to see you back at it! I will follow along also hang in there!

There are times when a road block becomes so big that we cannot get around, over, under or through it, then the right person comes along & just seems to navigate it without much fuss, we can be left feeling silly or grateful for their help. That is our choice

 

Oliver, glad that you found interest in my build! This is the stage of my build that is most exciting and getting much closer to get her streetable once again since 2007!

At this moment, I'm on the home stretch of completing the chassis setup, sending Dale the last bit of parts that he needs... The brake master cylinder, steering column mounts to lock it down, D-bars, steering u-joints to gain clearance around my hemi and so forth! Dale and I are towing my '31 back to my garage in the first week of March!

 

Dale will be receiving 2 more parts (the universal joint) that will be attached at my chromed Vega cross steering box and the new chromed drag link with stainless 11/16 inch rod ends to complete the steering assembly.

In the meantime, I made arrangements to grab my hot rod and trailer her back home next weekend. I'll have more detailed photos to take once my hot rod is back in my garage. I couldn't thank Dale enough for his welding and fabrication skills!

 

Just out of curiosity, bottom pic(interior shot) did you guys drill something to get that wood pile by the a pillar? If not, looks like you’ve got termites. Ask me how I know…

 

Looks like this is a SERIOUS problem with these gosh darn termites... That wood floor was a new piece of Oak that I bought way back in 1996...

 

Wasn't in a car but we had termites when I lived in the tropics 3/4" long & 3/16" round they ate allot in a hurry! Plastic too if it got on their road!

@31chevymike the coupe is looking great! You must be wrapped with the progress & how it's turning out!

 

Dale just received the universal joint this afternoon that attaches to my Vega cross steering box, the polished DD bar and one of the two supplied universal joints at the steering column. I did sent him both steering column mounts, but Dale already fabricated them and installed... Better off, personally, the mounts I bought look too "STREET RODDISH" and glad Dale had the opportunity to fabricate these mounts by hand for that "OLD SCHOOL LOOK" that we HAMBERS love way too much!

 

Just got her back from Dale's Hot Rod Garage this morning from Phoenix - feeling so relieved with the huge step of progress in my build - engine, trans and final completion of the Winters Quick Change rear!
Next, I'll be shooting for the final steering completion with the tie rod (2 inches too long at this moment - for mockup) and drag link purchases with the correct measurements.

I need to try and remove the chemical residue that I used to remove the rust coverage over the entire body and frame when I got here to Arizona from all of the rain thru 2 states. I'm hoping to use scotch brite pads to do small sections at a time to hopefully have the appearance of a smooth, bare metal body. Any ideas on this would be greatly appreciated!

 

Awesome!!

 

Thanks Oliver, I'll be thinking the same way after I drop the REAL HEMI in it's place!!