hello all, after making some steps forward with my 41 chevy coupe proj (installed M2 setup, rear leaf conversion done, picked up a 350, started in on the floors) hit a huge snag. more like a giant tree actually. every time we peel back something to work on 1 area, we find serious issues with the car - so much so that to get the floors and all structural elements taken care of will be too cost prohibitive. so right now i have 3 options: - punt it and eat my losses which at this point is about $6500 - leave it to the side, get to it when i can and when i have cash (will take forever and prob just rot away) - try and find a donor body to swap. i like the car, i dont love it. its not my dream car but ill be happy to drive it if it ever gets done. that said i found 2 local options - a 41 coupe that is supposedly very solid for 3500. the swap is a no brainer (provided it is what its claimed to be) but 3500 wont be easy for me to come up with. theres also a 46 fastback coupe style for less cash. again havent seen it in person to evaluate the condition. Assuming all things are equal is this a better or worse option? my question then is: i have a brand new Mustang 2 setup for 41-48 chevies, all new floor pans etc for the same, plus a rear leaf spring conversion kit for the car. will any or all of these transfer over to the Fastback style? and is one of the car's styles more desireable than the other? thanks for the insight. i need to spend well the next time i make a purchase and look to you all for advice. - jason
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/index.htm Try looking here. If you decide to punt, and want to sell ther rear end kit, let me know.
I'm more familiar with the later 42-48 Chev's. I did pick up a 41 Chev 2door body, to use on a 47 Chev conversion to a 2door. The quarter panels measure out correctly, but I'm going to only use the outer panel anyway. The doors are a little different but I think that I can make them work, with some modifications. What you should do is make some measurements on the later Chev and see if it will work. First place to check is the wheelbase. The safe way would be the 41 Chev route.
cool idea...swap the 46 fleetline's body onto the 41 frame [or swap all your suspension stuff to the 46 frame] and use the 41's front sheetmetal and doors. Make your very own 41 chevy fleetline! A "phantom" car. I've always wanted to do that. Make damn sure the 46 body isn't as bad as your 41 body.
While the idea of a '41 Aero Sedan is appealing, there is more to it than just using the '41 front clip. The cowl is substantially different between '41 and '42/'48 models. It would require "clipping" the '46 body with the '41 cowl....or....significant modification of the '46 cowl with '41 sections to accommodate the the '41 front sheet metal. Also, the door skins on the '42/'46 would need rework as they have stamped in shapes where the 'pontoon' fender extensions bolt on. And, the leading edge of the door is different. Probably easier to use the Aero Sedan upper door frames on the '41 lower doors. Not saying any of this is beyond consideration, only that these issues exist.
According to the Chevrolet parts book 41-48 used the same frame so you can just put the 46 body on the frame you've done the work to already if that is an option you considered.
Another thing to think about if you try to use the 42/48 doors with the 41 cowl is that the door hinges are different between the years. So you would have the use the 42/48 door hinges on the 41 cowl or modify the doors.
The 41 coupe is a prettier car than the 46 fastback, IMHO. The fastbacks really only look best done in lowrider style, they make terrible hotrods and weak customs.
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