Bought a really bad project- so now what?

The frame does look very solid. As said before, It is very fixable! The guy that built it should not be allowed anywhere near a car!!!! Knock all that hacked up bullshit off and bolt in a straight axle. Its not hard to put in... 33,34 axles are not that expencive at the swapmeet ( Carlise and Hershy coming up soon). Have your shop set up a rear axle if your not comfortable with that??? Take your time... Ask questions and everything will be cool!!

 

Thanks! I've gotten some great gouge from you guys. Builder said he didn't have any spare parts- not sure what he did with them but they weren't where I could see them at his place (I'm planning on posting his name here after I get home and dig it off the bill of sale and title). I'll have to catch up with some of the HAMBers at swap meets and learn the fine skill of finding old parts- since knowing what is still usable might be tricky. I see some 34 solid axles and other parts for sale online here, got to figure out reasonable price for condition plus the joys of shipping or road trip.

 

Now your cooking ... There are still smoking deals on early Ford transverse stuff, once you know how to ID the stuff. swapmeets, CL and even tractor/farm swaps.

You've got some good swaps coming up, find a hamber Ford guy to travel with.

 

For the record, I never suggested taking the body off of the frame, I think that would only prolong getting the project on the road. If the body came off the frame, then you might as well strip the paint, then fix the rust, then... You get the idea, it would be starting from scratch, which was never the intention if I have read correctly. Besides, the frame and suspension can be addressed with the body on pretty easily, as has been mentioned.

Sounds like you are going to bite it off and give it a shot. I wish you the best of luck, there is a lot of good advice here. Doing this kind of work is never easy, but ALWAYS rewarding.

 

Good luck with it mate, wish I could help directly. Throw up an ad in the wanted section for a complete front end, you might be surprised what you find, also put it into your signature (Like mine). Just dont bump your ad until the 3 days is up

Another thought is you could contact every street rod style shop in the area and tell them what you are looking for, MII change over parts will be cheap.

 

yes its a hack job from hell but it is very fixable. and if you can do the work yourself you will save a bunch of money (im sure this has been said many times already in this thread, i only read the first page)

 

I have fixed worse.

 

my mouth dropped more with every picture.... but it does look like the original frame is ok, just take out the added on stuff and put the stock suspension back in.

 

There is a complete 34 rolling chassie on ford barn now for $2500.

 

I was jsut gonna say check the fordbarn

 

After looking at the pictures, I tend to agree with the guys who are suggesting legal action against the guy who sold this "car" to you.

I can't believe that you would just let it go and accept the mistake you made in the purchase.

It is not an exaggeration to say it is very fortunate you were not killed driving it. Someone else could have been if it wasn't you who bought it.

People (the seller) should be held accountable for things like this.

If you just let it go and look for a way to repair this then I suggest you open your pants and look to see if you actually have a set of nuts

 

Everyone vilifies the "builder" and wants him drawn and quartered, reported to the Feds or physically humiliated in some fashion. Let me be the Devil's advocate for a moment. I've been screwing around with cars and bikes for over 45 years. Many, many times I have seen stuff like this, though that car does raise the bar for sheer ineptitude. In almost every case, the guy that did it thought it was absolutely magnificent and was bursting with pride over his "baby". There are folks out there, and most of us have met up with them, who just don't have an eye for what is good or bad. I think it is sorta like dyslexia or something. I went to a bike swap meet years ago and there was a frame builder, "Bonaroo Bob", displaying his wares. The tubes looked like he bent them over his knee, the welds were, easily, as bad as the ones on the 34. It was, from 20 feet away, clearly crooked as hell. He thought they were beautiful and just as good as the ones from Paughco. Was he a butcher? Absolutely, YES. Was he, purposely building dangerous crap? No. Did he sell any frames? I hope not.
The buyer of this car should have looked under it very closely before shelling out his bucks. If he is not a car guy and doesn't know what to look for, he should have sought advise.
He can "call the cops" on this guy all he wants. The fact is, nobody cares. It is probably a civil matter and his only recourse is to sue the "builder". After costs he will net a fraction of what he paid for the car and he will not have it any longer to boot.
There are two, distinct, schools of thought here. One is dump it and run. The other is, it is fixable. It is absolutely fixable. Many have done far better with far less to start with. If he is not a car guy, now is the time to learn. Early Fords are the most basic car ever built. You may have cut your teeth on a wrench or you may be 50 and never even seen one. It doesn't matter. Put on your grubby clothes and dive in. There are resources here and "out there". Read some magazines. Go to some shows. Ask questions. Send for every catalog available. Educate yourself. Learn some skills, you might just love the grease, blood and pain.

 

Wow. What a mess. Fixable, but a mess none the less. I'd go for it though. Sure would make for some good stories. Not sure it could all be done in less than a year. Stay positive, take your time, do the research and ask lots of questions.

 

Lots of deals out there like this one (just found randomly).

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/pts/1895514562.html

Good luck!

 

That is a great option. I had a buddy years back who was able to grab a '32 Ford chassis that was being traded in on a later chassis at a local rod shop. The chassis he got was nice, aftermarket all the way with disc brakes and a 9" rear, smooth paint as well. Keep your eyes open or do a post in the parts wanted section.

Bob

 

same thing happened to me, what you see in my avatar is what i bought, all, repeat all i used from the original hack job was the body and i had to add all the normal rusted panels, everything else, new... original price 3500.00 now, who knows$$$$$ but i still love it and am more excited everyday when i finish some little thing. i only wish i had known about the hamb.... good luck the more you do yourself the more proud you and your daughtwer will be!!!!

 

Replacing the frame with another chassis might be the easiest thing to do. However, keep in mind that the frame under your car likely has the serial numbers that match the title. Another frame and you're going to lose the only factory ID numbers on your car which may cause problems later. Your frame looks savable anyway.

 

You can fix it... you will cuss, bleed, and get dirty, but when the day is done they wont be able to wipe the smile off your face. Other than sex, its the best stress reliever there is!!! Big Jim

 

Oh I don't know about all that. I just like a challenge and if it doesn't cost me anything all the better.

 

One more to get on the you can fix it band wagon. Leave the body on; pull the front sheetmetal and start unbolting and grinding. You will be pleasantly suprised how much better it will look. Then you can take an honest look at what you got to start with. Looks VERY good to me. Search 33-34 on the HAMB and you will see that a lotta guys have started with worse. After studying your pics, this looks like a week-end project, with a Sawzall and grinder.

I've bought most of my 33 CE suspension parts at half price or less at swap meets, E-Bay or on the HAMB. Become a scrounger; the stuff is out there. After a month or so, you will have educated and skilled yourself to a new level.

Get your daughter involved, hands on, and watch the admiration she has for her old man tackling and sticking to a project. This can be one of those "life's lessons" for both of you.

Good Luck! Just eat this elephant one bite at a time. And post some pics.

 

I wouldn't drive that car to the end of my driveway, and I once drove a '55 Willys Jeep over a mountain pass in heavy traffic with one working brake and no seat belts.

 

I agree take your time and rebuild it the right way if it was not a challenge then it wouldn't be teaching us anything don't be afaid of failing just not trying good luck and keep us posted!! Jim

 

Carl La Fong is right on the money.I have seen some cars this bad,maybe not worst but just as bad.My brothers old t bucket had 2x4 wood blocks holding the rear suspenion in[no my brother did not build it] and they fell out while i was driving it.Luckly i wasnt going too fast.Another friend had an OT vega that he drove on the street that was a drag car running 9.90 The steering shaft was held in place with a Craftsman wrench that was heated and bent and then welded to the frame.He drove that car a long time on the street.What i am trying to say is everyone has a way of doing things they think is right.You car is worth the money you paid for just the body and bare frame as others have said.Fix this car with some good help and you will have the pride of knowing it was repaired the right way.

 

Mike51Merc,

Sorry, been on the road, haven't been able to convince the wife to read the builder's name to me on the phone (yeah, she's working to meet a program deadline). I'll post it Friday night. He advertised it as a roadworthy car in the Craig's list and verbally- and I couldn't crawl far enough under to see all the bad stuff- my mistake (I REALLY should have insisted on a full inspection and walked away when he would've said no- since I'm sure he knew he was selling junk work). Going to pick the car up tomorrow from the shop and go over it with a magnet to see if there's any bondo (some of the popped paint looks like poor surface prep- I could see a couple places that were bare metal, no pitting and no bondo).

Thanks for the advice, Rocky and the rest of the crew. I'm generally on the road a couple weeks a month, home most weekends- and my 15 year old daughter wants to learn how to drive on her "new car." Yeah, we both fell in love with the design and got stupid. I'm seriously thinking now about not even starting this after I priced Speedway front end kits ($1700+ after getting the 4 bar suspension kit 91639503, brakes and suspension kit 9133904, panhard bar, tie rot kit, etc). Posies front kit is $1850, rear suspension is $969 plus another $600 or so in parts, if I understand everything needed. Yikes, this is starting to add up fast.... Another gent had a lovely rolling project, looks like it needs some interior work- but then he reminded me that while I might enjoy driving a 400 HP car, my kid won't do well with that much power on our narrow country roads.....

 

Ya don't need all those fancy aftermarket parts. Plenty of good used stuff out there. Ya just gotta work harder. Hell, i'd take Porknbeaner up on his offer. Wish I could help. It would'nt be as hard as you think and when it was done you would have learned a ton and gained so much confidence.

 

Thanks for the lead on the 34 rolling chassis, Tom32 provided good pictures. If I wanted to use his chassis or just the suspension components, would I need to rebuild or x-ray/NDI them (images attached)? Trying to figure out the logistics of old parts vs new parts.
Thanks.

Doug

 

That looks like a nice frame.I`m from the old school of hot rodding.Henry ford built a great chassie.boxing the frame is overkill.they were designed to flex.other then checking visually for cracks ,you are good to go.realizing off course ;you will have to check all bushings,kingpins and bearings,tie rods etc. and replace where necessary.Looks like that engine may even go.Hyd brakes is an easy conversion.If the serial number of your frame is on your permit,it will require restamping the new frame or cutting that section out and NEATLY welding it in the new frame.Show us some better pics of the 34 body.

 

It's not driveable now, it's not saleable now either if you have a conscience, which seems to be the case. Don't pull the body off, pull the sheet metal forward of the firewall and remove everything that's not '34 Ford. Remove the "rear suspension", and, like so many others are saying, get some early Ford running gear back under that frame. Solid axles and buggy springs. Sell the Aerostar motor/ trans/ rear end and put the procedes towards '34 parts. It can be done inexpensively. If you're not an accomplished welder, and it needs wishbone brackets or whatever welded, have someone else do it. Once it's a roller again, take a step back and reevaluate. If you still have enthusiasm for the project, continue. If not, at least it's saleable with the early Ford running gear safely under it. Good luck, I think you can do it.

And yeah, post the name of the "builder". This imbecile needs to be shamed into taking up a different hobby before he kills someone.

 

Just remember you'll get basically nothing for it should you sell it. That loss will be far greater then what it will cost to get this on the road.

Another option to consider is to look for a late model cheap beater for your daughter and slowlyl do this over a couple of years. She'll less likely crash it and it will be an awesome project as you go.

 

Don"t throw your money away into all the speedway parts,at this point the rolling chassis is your best deal,sell the van engine and you might get a few bucks out of the frame after stripping it. You should be able to pickup a descent engine and tranny for what you get out of the van engine and bare frame.In the future dude one thing you have to remember,look at what you are buying cause this deal you basically screwed yourself,And definitly don"t forget to post this idiots name!!!!!!!!!