Well, just purchased my first project. Gotta say that it is pretty rough, but I can't wait to dig into it. The plan: definitely going to keep it unchopped, and keeping the 4 banger in it, but putting on new heads at least. Need to buy a subframe and patch panels galore, but in time it will happen. Came with a ton of parts I will clean up this winter; as so far that has been what I have been doing; cleaning up parts. I am tending toward fender less hot rod but keeping the stock grille and hood. Definitely want it closer to the ground, but up in New England you can't get that low. As stated, I am only 19 so I could use a lot of help. I am digging deep into the Tardell book right now, but you're the experts. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App! -Ben LeBlanc
Ben, Ben, Good luck with your project! My avatar was built along the lines of the Tardel-Bishop roadster but being in CT, I figured I could get a lot more use out of a coupe. My car is a '29 special coupe, One word of caution would be to really think through the measurements provided in the book. I don't mean to disparage anyone, but I could not make sense of some of the measurements noted in the book and could not see how they did either. I have to say this car is pretty low in the front and I got it quite a bit lower than stock in the back as well. These measurements worked out fine On another note, building this car and driving it around has bee tremendous fun. I attached a picture so you could see how it all turned out. I hate to think of it being in the garage all winter not getting driven. . The other picture I attached was something I just pulled out of the barn at my parents's house today after parking it there over 40 years ago. I plan to get on this next. Best wishes and have a lot of fun! Pete
Ben: You have your work cut out for you young man. The car is rough in spots but very buildable. You're a little cramped for space too huh? But: you can buy everything you need for the project. You can find lots of help here on the Hamb. Don't get in too big a hurry, it causes frustration!!! You mentioned a sub frame, I'm thinking you meant sub rails for the body? I wish you well and keep us posted on your progress. The video covered a lot but send us pics now and then. Tim
Congratulations Ben,looks like a great project and your plan sounds good. Rome wasn't built in a day and no Hot Rods were ether,take your time and there is a lot of work you can do on a budget,keep us up to date and start a build thread. HRP
Congratulations Ben. Having lived in Westford for a LONG time and graduating from Nashoba Tech, that looks like good ole virgin northern steel. Thank god I live in the south now where the weather and the metal is a lot better! There is a boatload of good guys and good information here on the HAMB. Your work is cut out for you, but be patient, persistent, and you will be tooling around at some point with a big shit eating grin on your face!
Oh wow, I didn't realize the subrails just weren't there on the pas side. Is the driver side the same? You still got a good deal on the car for up here IMO. Strip those fenders off and get them out of your way so you can see and get to what you need to. Check MAC's for body parts. I'll keep an eye out for subrails, but you may find an easy solution for fabricating them. In the meantime, you can sit the body on a 3/4" piece of plywood if that'll make it easier to work with. HERE are the repop rails that I think you need: http://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_m...osssell=Homepage_Featured_Category_Body+Parts
Looks like a very good start Ben. Disassemble and get under way. A little at a time. Take your time, and I think you will have something you can be very proud of. Being part of the HAMB, you already have the best source for info, help, and knowledge. Best of luck to you.
Thanks a ton for the advice and support. That suggestion on measurements is great, and definitely something to think about when I am building. I was busy all weekend doing construction up in Maine with my dad, full drive through garage 24' by 60'. On drywall right now, but hopefully I can move the project up there for more space one day. I plan to follow the Tardell book for the process, but of course make it my own. Hopefully I can disassemble it tomorrow a little bit. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App! -Ben LeBlanc
Well, got a little housecleaning done, as well as some dissassembly. Took off the driver fender, and was going to get the passenger one off but it is too pinched under the body. Also been trying to find out where the issues are with the body, as it doesn't seem to sit right. Looking at the pictures, tell me what you think. And this is weird, because the other side is actually still connected, but is forward. Me being my first time would have to say that I need to mode the left side of the body forward about two inches... Right now I am thinking that I will need to take the body off the frame. Tell me what you think or if it is truly necessary. Also, here are some parts I was looking at. I really don't need to box the frame if I am sticking with the four, but it looks good and I think would be cool. I have already contacted wolfes, but just wanted to ask what people thought about me doing so... http://www.ebay.com/itm/220896905800?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT Also, what is the community opinion of this subframe assembly on ebay? Looks like the easy way out for me, but need to know what the pros think... http://www.ebay.com/itm/290963228344?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I got a set of really nice subrails from Mack Hils but you need to request their catalog to see the pictures they refer to. http://mack-products.com/
Thanks for the tip. Here are some photos of cars I would like to build my car to look like. I am thinking of a blend between the two, as I want to keep it un chopped.
It looks like someone brazed, filled, or welded the front section of the side apron to the front fender. That lumpy crap around the joint may be lead. No matter what, you are going to have to take the body off of the frame at some point.
Even though my "shop" is kinda wet and rainy right now, here are some interior photos. Tell me the thoughts you have, and give me some suggestions! I am the grasshopper right now at this...
Looks like you got got a good start. A lot of work ahead of you but it can be done. I'm always hyped to see other hot rodders around my age
Okay, let's get you going on that body. The first thing I would do is get the body squared up. Now This Being A Model A they have some pretty big tolerances. You don't have to be exact down to the 16th of an inch. But the more exact you are the better your finished product will turn out. I would concentrate on getting the doors to meet the body line on the quarter and get them squared up in the door frame. Once you have those in the right places I would use some square tube on the inside to brace everything up and tack everything in place so it remains square when you take the body off. You should basically build a cage inside the car to keep it from collapsing on its self when you remove it from the frame to fix the, subrails. Once it's all square and sturdy, remove the body, so you can rebuild the, subrails. I would build these on the frame and remove all the, rust garbage from the, coupe and plop the body on to the new subframe. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Thanks a ton hitchhiker! Now look a couple posts up and take a look at that subframe on eBay. You suggest going for something like that, or building my own!? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App! -Ben LeBlanc
Here's a good reference site on how the sub-frame and body go togther. http://www.fordgarage.com/pages/bodyassembly.htm
I think I saw that before, but I like it! For some reason I really like that kind of work. I really should find out if they make those tables or if it is easy for me to make!
As long as it doesn't require metal bends, I should find those measurements. Also, I need to figure out why he had that little support up front, and what those dimensions are. If I can get that, I can easily have my father store this for me because he could just cart it around if it is in the way. That way I get a ton of room... I was going to work on shining up the wheels in my woodroom; just to start tackling some of the stuff before I have the time to take the body off. However, there are some pits in the wheel, seemingly from brake dust as it is on the backside of the wheel. I was thinking of filling the pits with a little weld, and then grinding smooth. I would say that anything I do would be fixed by the balancing, but I just want to make sure, because I could not find any info on how to remove pitting...
You can build it any-which-way you want to as long as it does the same thing. You could use an old bed frame or wood with metal bracing, as long as it holds its shape. The 2" tubing shown in the article is probably the simplest way to go. You can probably go to Metal Supermarkets in Woburn and puck up the tubing cheap enough. You can get casters from HF online or in Medford, Salem NH, or Danvers. You'll want something no less than 3" and at least 2 with brakes. I'd focus on designing and constructing this rig rather than puttering around on those wheels; the best way to get things done is to figure out what's preventing you from moving forward and attacking it. You can email the guy who wrote that article and ask if he will share his measurements and/or design with you. The link is at the bottom of the page.
Ben, I would suggest you get the full subraframe to start as a square base. I built a '31 coupe a couple of years ago. I first started with my frame and made sure that was square and level on a homemade table. Then with the frame clamped to the leveled table I started at the cowl and worked back. My car started as Sport Coupe and had no roof so I was able to disassemble the entire car easily. You can do the same thing on a 5 window coupe with the roof sections attached to the quarters. I set the cowl up on the frame and added new subrails. After I squared all that up on top of the frame (you'll need a new body wood block set to mount on) I hung the doors then fit the quarters last. Since your car is pretty rusty I would suggest you go a route simiar to this. Starting off square makes everything easier as you go. Check out my build thread as I have lots of pictures of the process I'm refering to. Good luck with your coupe.
Begin at the beginning-- total rebuild- takes time but worth it( 2 years and counting on this one).----- PM sent. Good Luck!! YOU CAN DO IT!!
Buy the kit if you want it stock. The sub rails are fairly complicated to make your self. Or if you don't care, start welding!! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I didn't get a title, it is all bill of sale. I think the fenders are not original though. The headlight bar that was on it was kinda flat, so I think it was a 28/29 light bar. The fender on the pass is different than on the drivers, so I think it is just the years of stuff people had put together... Thanks a ton for the info and help mike. Will hopefully be working on it a little tomorrow. Hopefully I can get the body in progress. If I can drill out all of the rivets and get the body completely disassembled, I could do a lot. So that is where I am heading. And I hope once I get the body off that I will get some money from work and be able to get the subframe. Then the wheels will kinda be in motion!
By going through a couple of old TROG photos, I have my direction! The following pics are where I kinda want to head. What I have really been trying to find out is what the best way to go about lowering the rear of the car was. Main reason is that I am a novice welder and I don't know if I want to do such a huge thing such as z-ing a frame yet. So, look at the pics and tell me what you think; even though they aren't the same car as I have...
To lower the rear use a reverse eye main leaf from a - springs and build your pack as.a.7 leaf roadster pack at first then pull two leaves out to get to a 5 leaf pack. It will take some time to get it where you want but it's only about $100 in parts
Be real careful when working with springs on A Models they are always under pressure and you need a spreader to remove them from the axles lots of guys fit T Model springs to the rear to drop the height and still have a good ride cheaper than getting the eyes reversed
I'd strongly advice firstly in finding someone who's built a Model A before thats local to you. Secondly, buy the Brookville full subrails and looks like you'll need the cross pieces, as well as the toeboard angled pieces. You might be able to use your original "heavy duty crossmember" - its the one at the rear of the body, with the two holes in the center at the back. I'd also get a big large table, and put the subrails flat on it and your cowl and get it all squared up.. then build up from there.
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