Projects Took the plunge- 1931 Roadster

Hello All,

I have been lurking here for some time and have been reading the Tardel and Bishop book on "How to Build a Traditional Ford Hot Rod". I have been impatiently watching Craigslist here in the Greater Los Angeles Area. I prefer the body lines of the 1930-31s, so I had been looking for a roadster built during those two years. I decided that I had found a likely candidate so I rented a truck and car trailer and headed towards Fresno early on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. I have the best wife ever as she is always supportive of my new passions which usually involve two or four wheels. She went with me and we had quite a road trip. Left around 6am and returned around 6pm. It was a long day and we were beat, but I now have the bones to build a traditional Ford Hot Rod. The car is in great shape body and frame wise. I spent more than I would have liked, but I have started projects before with a rusty base and I wanted to jump ahead a bit with a great starting point. I felt a little guilty about hot rodding this car, but I got over it very quickly. I was at the Early Ford Store for some parts last week and saw some very neat hot rods in his store. We are heading to the LA Roadster Show & Swap Meet this weekend and I am excited to see some great cars along with seeing what the swap meet has in store for us.

I joined the Alliance yesterday in order to prepare for the many purchases to come. Wont' take long to make the $50 fee back. Tires from Coker alone will most likely recoup my investment.

Below is a picture of the car on the way home along with one of my wife and I during the first ride. I had it running after about a days worth of prep work. I need to jump through a bunch of hurdles at the DMV which started today. In order to get the car titled I need to drive it down to the DMV and have the VIN verified along with a few other hurdles. I am making it road worthy and put some new tires and tubes in it last weekend. I took the family for a spin with the half of them in the rumble seat. It was a fun first family ride.




Since I need to drive it down to the DMV, I need to fix the radiator. It is either plugged or has a leak somewhere as it overheats very quickly. I pulled the radiator out today and took it to the radiator shop. They are going to look at it and see what it needs. I am hopeful they can fix it to get me by for a while.

My first question on the forum is: I will eventually use a 1932 shroud and grill on the front when I modify the car into a hot rod. I plan to run a flathead Ford V8. If I need to buy a new radiator, what radiator would I eventually run with the flathead? Can I purchase the correct radiator now for the 32 shell and make it work with the 4 banger until I tear the car down? Anyone tried this? I know the flathead radiator will have two inlets and outlets so I would need to plug one of each. I hate to spend a lot of money on a new Model A radiator and then not use it in a few months when I convert over to the flathead and the 32 shell.

Thank you all in advance for the help and support with my new addiction. I am very impressed with the projects on this site and the excellent members of the forum. There are so many talented and helpful members here and I am looking forward to building a traditional Ford Model A Hot Rod.

So Cal Brian B

 

Very nice looking roadster, enjoy

 

Congrats on your purchase and keep us posted with plenty of pics as you go....

 

I put a 32' shell on my 31',kinda wish i keep the 31' shell on now. I think they have more character.

 

Cool project. Congrats

 

Very nice...as a kid a neighbor had a stock one that was a coupe...I can still hear it putter by the house...

 

What a nice start.Drive it awhile as you gather parts and plan.

 

Welcome to the HAMB, nice to see you starting with a good solid car. Set out a plan for what you want the finished car to look like, saves a lot of time and money. Bob

 

Hi Dan good luck on your build. Like Dan31 say's the model A grill shell has more character. Why do what every one else does.

 

Thank you all for the warm welcome and for the advice. I appreciate it. Looking forward to getting through the DMV process and moving forward with the project.

Brian

 

Very nice, use original parts when you can.

 

If you need to buy a new radiator, I can only recommend a Walker. Expensive but worth it. Yes you can temporarily block off two outlets.

 

I had a vin verifier come to my house for under $100 this week... well worth it. im busy with work during the week and try to minimize distractions, so next step is to enlist my local registration service to deal with dmv.

 

tow it to the dmv, park the trailer around the corner, drive the car to the office for the inspection

 

If you have the GAV in too far they will run hot. Also if you don't have advance lever set right they will run hot. You get the feel for the right settings after a while. They will run sweet with the GAV wound in (lean) but sometimes you need to wind it back out a bit so it doesn't run hot.

 

Looks like a nice starting point for sure. Let us know your DMV procedure, and if they
require two frame stampings....

 

good luck with the DMV.....and nice start....paint me jelous........

 

Another option is a Brass Works radiator. Talk to Lee, he's a wealth of info and they're located in Paso Robles just up the coast from you. Take the wife to a nice weekend at Pismo Beach and pick up your radiator at the same time. Like a Walker they ain't cheap but definitely worth it, IMHO.

 

If your current radiator checks out good, I'm pretty sure a good radiator shop can add an extra inlet and outlet to your top and bottom tanks, and a '32 shell fits over the A radiator nicely if you notch the bottom of the shell for crossmember clearance.

 

The filler neck is in a different location between the '31 and '32. The hood hinge supports are different. The Model A has a rod in the center of the hood and the '32 has a formed stainless piece. When you take the car down to have the VIN verified (which you should have done before you took the car but that is water under the bridge) do you realize the VIN is under the body and you need to lift the body to see it. If you are lucky the DMV might let you use the engine number or there might be a DMV installed tag on the door. Find the VIN and compare it to the title before you go to the DMV. Nice car, drive it and enjoy it before you tear into it. Go slow and plan your changes carefuly.

Charlie Stephens

 

Nice ! I love model A roadsters. Here is a pic of one i did a couple of years ago.59 ab,39 trans and a 39 Merc rear.Dropped 34 axle from oakie joe.It was a fun project.

 

Just another thought. Please don't start taking it apart until you have all of the parts ready to put it back together including a rebuilt engine and transmission. Drive it and and enjoy it. FYI my AVATAR has a 181 cubic inch, 4 cylinder Mercruiser engine. This is basically a larger version of the old Chevy II 4 cylinder engine. I would keep the '31 shell if it was mine. Here is another thought. If you are having problems with your current radiator get a Model A radiator with the filler neck relocated under the hood and no provision for a radiator cap. Run the Model A radiator cap by attaching it with a strap under the shell. If and when you go to the '32 shell either fill the shell or attach the '32 radiator cap with a strap from the bottom (that is what I did on my ÅVATAR). I think this should work but I would appreciate comments from others. You will still need to rework the hood hinges. Any thoughts about a hopped up 4 banger?

Charlie Stephens

 

YES!!!

 

Charlie Stephens[/QUO

These words are gold.

 

Wow!! Absolutely so many great suggestions. I really appreciate the feedback, input and advice. So many things to think about and plan. Once I have a the title and registration squared away, I will drive it and enjoy it while I finalize the planning and gather all the parts.

Excellent suggestion of having all the rebuilt parts on hand and a clear plan prior to tear down. That would limit the amount of time that I am not driving and enjoying the car.

Looking at the Brass Works radiator and I like that they are somewhat local.

Thank you all,

Brian

 

Hey Brian, great looking roadster! I look forward to seeing the progression as you hot rod it. Where are you at in So Cal? I'm in Fullerton.

FYI, check out Hoffman Radiator in Orange, they do a ton of custom hot rod radiators. And the shop is just down the street from CW Moss and Rieds Hot Rod Parts shop, 2 places you really should get familiar with if you aren't already.

http://hoffmanradiator.webs.com/

 

Congrats on your purchase/project. It's nice to start out with something as nice as you've got.
You'll have plenty of ideas bouncing through your head at the roadster show!

 

Be sure to take a camera to LARS and get pictures of what you want your final car look like. Also get pictures of the details you want to incorporate (such as what you want your dash to look like). If you have any problems with it in its stock form visit the fordbarn.com site with questions.

Charlie Stephens

 

I'm surprised nobody has pointed out that the car appears to be a 1930. It has the '30 grille shell and the two piece splash aprons.

 

Good catch. Brian should post the VIN on the title (with the last three digits shown as XXX) and ask what can be told from that number. Also a question for Brian, where on the car is the VIN? Maybe a picture. Attached is a picture of the VIN plate on the door jam (with the last three digits blanked out in two paced) of my '31 RDPU installed by the California DMV in the seventies. The DMV also placed the same number on the frame.

Charlie Stephens