Projects Transforming my stocker 34 Ford coupe into a tasty little Hot Rod

Picked up this 34 coupe..A nice solid stocker that needed some hot rod love..


The motor is a 59ab that previous owner claimed was rebuilt and had a stack of receipts. Needless to say I was skeptical because although the heads looked clean,the rest of the engine was dirty and greasy like an old junker..It didn't run or crank for that matter when I got it but a new battery and starter was in it so someone tried to get it going..I pulled all the plugs out and poured some oil down each cylinder..Then I put a wrench on the crank bolt and she turned over by hand!(whew!what a relief!) .The battery cables looked in really poor condition so I swapped them out,cleaned all the connections and she started to crank over..After cranking a bit I was able to get some oil pressure on the aftermarket gauge under the dash AND the fuel pump sucked up some rancid looking liquid from the fuel tank! It was varnish but at least the pump was working! Next up,Ignition! I removed the distributor just to check the points and they looked ok. Put her back in and after a few more cranks had spark! The gummed up carb wasn't taking any fuel so I poured a little lacquer thinner(yes, lacquer thinner,Its an old trick for fouled plugs,an engine will run on it) down the carb and she fired right up!AWESOME! I swapped out a known good 97 carb and even with the bad smelling fuel in the pump,it started up and idled well enough to hear the engine run for a minute.
Time to see if it has any water in it..Answer: NO..Poured water in the radiator and it ran right out on the floor. Sadly,two big holes in the radiator and the water pumps were shot so the rad had to be pulled out for repair. Before pulling the radiator I ran the engine and put her in gear to see if she would move under power. She was able to idle in and out of the garage but the clutch is chattering really bad. I decided to pull the motor out to fix the clutch and check the engine out more closely. I plan on putting some heads/intake/cam on this motor if its healthy.

 

I dig the look of 1935/36 stock 16" spokes.. Not sure why,but the original 17 inch wheels just don't look as good. After yanking the motor out today I couldn't help myself and added the first hot rod touch..16's with big and little Firestones! I think I'm in love!

 

Damn nice looking coupe.Hope the flatty turns out ok.

 

Wow...I can't even IMAGINE that! Around here that car would prolly cost in excess of 25 grand. Lookin good.

 

Cool - Congrats

 

Oh hell yes! $25k won't get you an old rustbucket 33 coupe!

 

Very nice coupe, I hope you don't find any major issues, and get her running soon.

 

Picked up this 34 coupe..A nice solid stocker that needed some hot rod love..

Ya gotta love the simplicity of that line

 

Cool hot rod

 

Good score! Like the direction you are going with this build.

 

That's a good one. congrats..

 

awesome hot rod, best o luck with the mill. Excellent score!

 

Great car.

 

Hey, George, looks like a nice new project. I'll follow this one with interest.

Mart.

 

If I saw that for $25K, it would be in my shop! Great car and I like your plans for it!

 

Starting on next years TROG entry already!?

What a difference the black rims and tires can do, takes it from a boring old restoration to a sinister Hot Rod.

 

Thanks Guys! Yes,rust buckets are plentiful here on the east coast..Lucky to snag this one..Not a patch panel on it..Does have some rot inside the decklid from where mice made nests but the rest is original Henry with one repaint.

 

Thanks wax...Motor updates coming today..

Thanks for the compliments! I plan to do this car proud..Little tweaks but big improvements over stock..

 

Thanks Mart..How's my old 33 coupe doing?

Thanks B+S!

I don't think this is TROG material..After racing TROG for 5 years I'm done..Been there,done that,got the tee shirt! Ha ha!...
Crazy what a difference wheels and tires make!

 

Some engine updates..

I did a compression check on the motor and it has above 100 psi in each cylinder! So stoked about that! Pulled the heads and it looks pretty clean inside..bored .060..Cylinders have a little wear but no ridge. I checked the cam lift just for laughs and its actually about .280 lift. Probably a stocker and has oem style lifters..I have a Isky 77 that I think I may put in it for a little more go.
While I have it torn down,I pulled a few rod and main caps off and the bearings/journals look in great shape..The engine is looking pretty good so far..

 

I'm green with envy.......what a cool car to rod!

 

Those black wires and the big and littles do make a huge difference. Sweet ride.

 

When when I scrolled to the top I gasped. Lucky!

 

Very nice coupe..like your tire/wheel swap.

 

Black on black is always a winner. Looks killer

 

That is a sweet looking ride. I could stop right where you are with it and be happy as hades. Looking forward to seeing what else you have up your sleeve.

 

Kind of like this.

 

Thanks everyone! Appreciate the comments!

 

Thanks Pete!

Thank you..Yes,I have some other things planned for it..Stay tuned!

Yes, that's got it..I was gonna go the steelie route but love the 16" wires.