Projects 40 Ford Sedan "The Varmit" IS DONE! Successfully completed a Reliability Run

Kids have been sick, we've been traveling, so not much to report. I did get the radiator raised and mounted, for spacers I used the speedway motor mount spacers they said I needed but didn't need. They raised the radiator about 1.5"
The radiator doesn't look too tall...

I also obtained a 41 Super Deluxe bumper from @CB_Chief (foreground) which is a lot nicer than the bent up 40 bumper in the background.

Here's a quick mock up of the 41 bumper. I still have a nice 40 bumper for the rear so I will run that until a nice 41 rear bumper comes along. Without the fenders it looks too wide, but this is a narrowed axle, so with the fenders it should look fine, and I've seen plenty of 40's with 41 bumpers and they look fine.

I also found some moon gauges on Craiglist, and mounted them in the 'usual' place, and bent up some copper tubing for the oil sending unit because I'm artsy fartsy like that.


Last thing I did lately was painted the ROUGH 1940 Texas plates in preparation for driving (someday)


I'm one short piece of brake line and a t-fitting/brake switch away from fully plumbed brakes, so that's on the to-do, as well as the fuel lines are roughed in. Kinda short on cash so I'm gonna take care of all the free/cheap list items for a couple of months. Thanks for following along!

 

Looking good man, I dig your raised radiator trick!

 

Looking better all the time Dan!

 

I wouldn't use the pressure brake switch, I have replaced mine twice and decided to go with an electric switch, I used a Chevy pick up switch and mounted it to the floor boards. People that were following me would constantly tell me that my brake lights didn't work and when I check them they worked but you had to use a lot of pressure on the pedal to get them to come on. In traffic when you slow a little bit it wasn't enough pressure toke the brake lights come on.

 

@haychrishay I have heard the same thing before. What year chevy trucks had that switch?

 

Looking good Dan!!

 

Little things and big things ; they all count. You're coming right along.

 

I think the chevy truck switch is the same as the mech switch speedway sells. Napa carries the same switch but it cost twice as much and is generaly not in stock.

 

Hi Dan, any progress is good progress. I try to do at least one thing a day on my coupe project. Even if it is just researching or ordering a part it is one more thing to check off that seemingly endless list. Thanks for posting.

As to the Brake switch issue , Not to discredit haychrishay but just to give another opinion I offer the following text from my maintenance log 2 years ago. The switch mentioned in the text has been working fine so far.

Brake switch: The problem is that since the car does not have power brakes it does not take much pressure to activate the brakes. The after-market switch I had installed last year had already failed. So I checked the HAMB first for some ideas and took some advice to go to the local NAPA store. With a little searching I found an Echlin SL113 switch. This switch was designated for some 35-36 vintage GM and MOPAR cars so even though it did not give a pressure rating needed to activate it I figured it would work. It did. Now we see how it holds up.





I also bought a Harley Davidson switch from a local motorcycle store. I put it in the trunk of the car for emergency use. The switch is Drag Specialties #DS-272191. It takes blade style connectors so put some 90 degree ones on the switch. The SL switch uses ring connectors. I applied red thread locker on the screws.



I also did some research and found a manual/ mechanical switch that might be a better choice for a switch. It is Mc Master Carr #7287K12. This switch could be installed under the floor board. It is water proof.

Sam

 

Dan,

I have two of those mechanical lever style switches, if you want one, you can have it. I am running the Harley hydraulic switch in both of my '40s. HD part number: 72023-51E, if you decide to stop by the local Harley dealer.

 

Bret, why a HD switch? Just curious?

 

The Harley switches are low pressure hydraulic switches. Lights come on much earlier than with a typical hydraulic switch. Every Harley dealer carries them, so they are readily available.

 

Makes sense.

 

Dan,

Here's the lever type switches that I have. http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...switch_1487934_259&keyword=brake+light+switch

 

^^^ right there- why I love the HAMB members.

 

Hmmm... lots of good info. Now I just need to decide what to do!

 

See you can teach an old dog new tricks! Thanks for the info Bret wish I would have known that earlier.

 

But, why put a part that could fail into your hydraulic system when you could keep it out? No need to break the seal if the lever switch goes out. No rebleeding the brakes. Plus you can tweek/bend the lever slightly so the electricity will flow exactly when you want it to. I screwed mine to the bottom of the wood floorboard. Easy peasy.

I got mine at the local parts store, and am pretty sure they had it in stock. I forget the application though.

 

Well...the way I see it, the entire brake hydraulic system has parts that could fail. I also didn't feel like lying under the car and trying to reach up to an already cramped area to try and put a switch up on the floorboard.

 

It's about 50/50 like-hate of hydraulic switches it seems. Since I don't have a T-fitting and switch currently, I think I'll go lever switch. The floorboards on a 40 are plenty big for such a switch so it space shouldn't be an issue.

 

A bit of an update. Brakes are done man! Bled and everything. I didn't put in a switch so I guess I'm going with a mech. brake light switch when the floorboards are in. I messed around with the front end and set the toe in at 3/16" and did my best of adjusting the drag link to straighten up the steering wheel. In doing this, I discovered that when I rebuilt the steering box, I somehow got confused and reassembled it with the shaft 180* off....... DOH!! So, the horn button is upside down and the column will only lock if I turn the wheel 180. I haven't decided whether I'm going to correct it or not.

I also buttoned up a lot of loose ends on the rear end. One question I have is the way I bolted up the sway bar. (See Pic) It's so low that the Drake sway bar was running up hill at a pretty severe angle. My solution was to eliminate a bushing, leaving only one bushing between the mount and the bar. Whatdya think? I think it'll work, but was curious what the HAMB intelligencia will say.


The other things I've done lately have been cosmetic. I found a dash for sale on Facebook of all places, dirt cheap. I bought it because my dash had been cut out for a radio. It would be an easy patch for someone with that skill. Since I don't have that skill, buying a nice dash cheap and swapping for my dash was a no-brainer. And, I already have my old dash sold. So, I painted it Gold and white because that's how I roll. Certain Crossmembers CC buddies who shall remain nameless said it reminds them of Elvis..
My old dash that was original to the car:

The new-to-me dash as found on FB:

Painted

Installed


To wrap up, I have obtained a wiring kit, and that will be coming soon. I'm also saving up for a small Hobart MIG to do the floors. Thanks for following along. If it wasn't for the HAMB, I wouldn't be building this car!

 

Your dash looks great!

 

Thanks!

 

Looks great Elvis!

 

Joel, I might have already sent this to you, but here goes again. My '40 sits just clear of the stock firewall on the right bank. There was enough room to include a big fan plus a fan clutch along with a shroud that extends back to the centerline of the fan blades. Not sure if the fan is 17", but the car runs cool, even with the a/c running.

 

In South Texas, a shroud is just good insurance against overheating. Your setup looks like mine, plus a shroud. Sitting at long traffic lights, you will be glad you have the shroud and clutch. Traditional or not, these two items are worth the trouble.

 

ROLL ON, BIG DAN. ROLL ON.

 

Nice. Every peek gets better and better. That thang' looks mean as hell with the tires tucking the way they do.

 

Dan, can you use these, they go on the under side of floor pan where front seat bolts...
https://imageshack.com/i/ipAUIqozj

 

There's a company on the east coast I believe that used to make those floor stiffeners. I can't remember the name right now... I called them about 6 months ago, and the guy that owned it passed away. The new owners were trying to decide what parts they were going to continue making and were still in transition. As of now I know of no source.

However, there of such a simple design that my buddy has made a pattern and said he could make a pair for me pretty easily. If that doesn't work, I'll just weld in some hat channel and be done with that. This car is miles away from a 100 point restoration.