Projects winter project - "so let's chop a 40 coupe (and fab everything else possible...)

Ok Dan, here's a quick update!
Your's looks bitchin - lotsa work there!


Ok so I haven't had much time to work on this thing.
But here's a quick update of what has been done.
Not too exciting.

First off my brother widened a ww2 airtank,
and had these old scraps...


we also acquired this...


which allows this...


making it easy to do this...


So now this...


Looks like this...



I've always imagined that there.
Have no idea what will go in there though!
It's a good Hooch-tank though, or will be once welded up...

TP

 

Also I've spent alot of time reorganizing the shop.
There is another project or 2 that I need to wrap up,
so after shuffling around, put the 40 in a different spot...

Kinda mocked everything up.
Was never able to actually see or work on the rear part,
cause there was never enough space.

After a week or so of seeing this,
I had to work on the decklid,
which is thee major stepping stone to positioning everything else.

Unfortunately it is so rusty I had to start redoing the hingepoints...




Definitely not the prettiest welds, but it is rusty 20ish gauge added to 5/16 plate with 309ss.
Hopefully it will last a couple years!

After tacking up in place, this was what I had to deal with.
(remember the chop moved the rear of that rear panel 3" forward,
so there's a 3" gap between the decklid and the original panel)


Made some templates and found some scrap...


And a couple minutes later these appeared...


After a failed first attempt, figured the correct pivot position...



Which allowed the decklid to fully open...


And close...


Even though it was only a couple hours work,
its a really big deal.
Like I stated, it is the basis of positioning everything, rear fender, filling the missing strip,
the rear apron/panel, filling in the body above the fenders (after the 2" section/channel)...

So now I can peck away at it all these little projects...

Oh yeah I kinda gussetted the hinges a little better too,
not perfect but good enough for now...


Talk at y'all later!

TP

 

I just love this thing! Keep the updates coming please.

 

Whats that motor out of? I'm sure its said somewhere, but I didnt see.

 

more more more!

 

I'm like Stu....the first one I actually think has proportions correct. The rest of the build is amazing to me..didn't anybody ever tell you ya can't just scratch-build a fat fender frame? Guess not. Guess you can.

 

nice work, i too would like to know about the motor

 

love the headers!

 

Man Travis, you sure do great work!

Only 40 coupe I can really say I like.

 

Wow, amazin work from top to bottom.Please keep the updates coming,totally subscribed to this thread!

 

I love this shot.
More More More More.

Jeff

 

Travis, it looks great! You need a tri-power on that!lol!

Any progress updates?

 

Any updates?? Its been too long sisnce I had a fix!

 

Travis, we really need an update here!!!!

 

Holy Shit!

 

travis recently went to burning man, it takes him like 4 months to recover from that.

 

Every time I see this post I wanna build a forty!

Very cool build, glad to see other folks building cars from pieces!

Pete-

 

Hahaha. Time to go yo work Travis!

 

It took me 4 months to recover from that cruiser run!
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TP

 

Ok so when you last saw it it looked something like this...


Than one night I was cleaning out the shop and found the repop panels that came with the project.
Made me do this...



Which lined up the rear quarter panel,
allowing a better idea of where the rear fender should go.


So that got me fired up to fix the messed up door bottoms,


and at least make the framework for the bottom.
They wouldn't hold there shape at all without it.



I made some temporary hinges, those weld-in ones, just to get a template.


It was cool they actually worked.
Unfortunately it opened up alot of issues with the floppiness of the cowl,
since the fender/cowl area is cut out, and the firewall is missing that distributor bubble,
there is no rigidity, so I started on the back end.

Oh yeah actually I made this out of some old scrap from a boat project.


It will be cushioned, so it won't be so blingy.


Ok, gimme a sec here..

TP

 

So after that the project sat for a month while I tried to make some money...

The shop got messier and messier as everything got unintentionally spread around,

so I finally decided to swap out the rearends and put all the pieces together.
The one I had mocked up was a v8-60 4.56 geared one,
so I cleaned up a good 3.78 and reinforced the radius rods and stuff,
made a torque arm? and the front pivot plate,
and put together the spring which had ended up in various places around the shop.


Even though it was just dirty swap out work,
It was a big deal to actually fit the rearend in the frame,
and put the rear down on some mockup wheels.
I now was able to clamp the fenders to fit around the tires,
it sat for a week or so as my plan of attack kept changing.

One night I brought over some tequila and decided to weld in the rear panel.
The plan was to weld in the rear fenders,
mainly cause there was nothing left of that area.

The tequila helped since it was tough to choose going from the inside out or the outside in.
I figured it would be easier to just put the body together and make the bracing later.

I forgot to mention that I made a mock up front spring, just some angle iron,
to position the front end heighth, so this is where it should sit,
probably an inch lower all around.

The bottom back panel was the beat up one from my other 40,
and it was surprised me it came out as good as it did.

Since the decklid seal lip is really the most important part,
I made a rear frame crossbar extension, and then some bolt-on brackets to brace it up,
which allowed me to get exact templates of the missing gap.



there's alot of space that needs filling...

Here's the only shot of how the rearend is set up, kinda.

TP

 

Looking good!

Wish you were closer, I'd try and con you into some panel replacement on the Packard!

 

So last night I ended up going to the shop late to clean up a little,
and this gaping hole was taunting me.


So four hours later it was put down.

the top part is still cardboard,
and the curve of the decklid is just cut down, not fine tuned yet.

The bummer is there is soo much welding,
and since the original is so oxidized, its only possible to do little tig spots,
grind them, and just keep making the spaces smaller.
It doesn't look like I file the rust off, but I do make it as shiny as possible before welding.


So this is where i'm at now,
have to do the other side which is basically the same,
and then the top part.
It will be weird not needing to imagine what its going to look like!

TP

 

Thats some top notch stuff there! Good job

 

Great thread - thank you.

 

Wow...

I hadn't checked this out in awhile...The fact that this shell, if you can even call it that when you started, really seems to have a life of it's own...

Very impressive work and vision...

BRT

 

Me too!
I'm contemplating a front distributor mount setup,
and it would be fun to brainstorm some ideas.
I'd love to use a ford flathead crab style but they go in the opposite direction.
So i'm thinking of shortening a chevy 350 and having it stick out horizontal.
There's alot of space and i'm thinking of having the radiator in back anyway.
Than I could shorten up the original distributor hole with the oil pump spinner,
and have a flat firewall.

TP

 

GREAT work Man, coming on real NICE!

Nick.

 

Isn't there a crab style cap that can be used on a Chevy distributor? That'd give the Ford look...

Good to see progress again.

Neal

 

I love this thread! I really have very strong feelings for it.