Projects garagefind/ survivor 40 coupe build. FIRED IT UP!

I haven't decided what color to paint it yet, but it's done. The little chrome buttons on top cover the access holes for mounting. I've been looking for a black rubber floor mat; if I find one, I'll paint the box black. If I chrome the garnish moldings, maybe I'll plate the box and carpet the floor.
The small pix are the first box I made and an experiment on fixing a tank filler neck that was "pin holed" at one end. I used silica bronze and the tig and it worked pretty well.

 

Looks good Joel! Now you will need a heater since the hot engine air can't blast through that shifter hole

 

The heater is a ways down the list, but it's on there. Now , I'm working on the last ( I hope) of the issuea left from moving the engine to correct u-joint angles. I started installing the exhaust, and the left side interfered with the fender/ running board joint.
After a couple of days of studying the issue, I thought I could shorten the headers in section where there is a straight section of 2" pipe. The 2 pipes were too close to weld 360 deg joints; here is how I got around that.
Next, the top is completely welded and the bottom pipe is done except the space under the to pipe.

I cut 1" out of each pipe and staggered the joint so I could weld the top one complete. I was able to use the slip on collector and scribe marks to help with re-alignment. I tacked it up and installed it to check for fit. This is the first attempt; I had to cut these and rotate the top slightly and re tack them.

Above , the bottom pipe is being welded. Also I added bungs for the Air fuel ratio gauge I bought.

I cut the 2 head pipes, not all the way through, to allow the lower pipe to be bent down enough to finish welding the 2" joint in the foreground. The next pic is moving the pipe back into position using a rachet strap

Then the head pipe pipes back together.


The last 2 pix are turning and twisting to get the welding all done. I blasted most of the pipe and am in the process of repainting now.

 

Man that was a lot of work for a few degrees of alignment. Good job!

 

Thanks. You know that it's not done 'til it's fixed.

 

Here is some catch up on the exhaust reinstall. It should be short and sweet, but....
I didn't expect the pipes to all fit perfectly after moving stuff like I did, and it didn't. I had tucked the Flowmaster mufflers neatly into the frame, but with the body on, there was just not enough room to wiggle the pipes together. Or maybe, I didn't have enough patience. I spent a couple of days looking at round body mufflers. ( Porter, Cherry Bomb, Thrush, Brockman) I decided to go with Brockman and the last couple of weeks have been tweaking pieces until everything fit. Here are some pix of the system finished and installed.
This is the competitors preview and some thumbnails of the details.
By the way, I can here the solid lifters now.

 

I like the preview. That project is another one of those details that can eat up a lot of time but has to be done right in order to enjoy the ride. I have never heard of the Brockman muffler option. I am sure they still emit enough quality sound to irritate the dogs in the neighborhood while being music to your ears.

 

They're pretty mellow glasspacks and my son doesn't like them. It's a good thing they are not on his car. Brockman is a company here in Indiana; I'm trying to help the local economy.

 

Really cool work there ! I wish that I was as far along on my 40. Thanks for sharing.

 

It seems like a never ending process. I 've been wishing I was where 39Guy is. I'll get there and so will you. I found that doing a thread helped keep me organized... sort of.

 

I installed the cowl vent to get it aligned and the3n I'll have to remove it for priming and paint. It fits pretty good.
I've been moving stuff around in the garage in preparation for starting the body work. I ran across the frame for my seat, which I knew needed some work . It's going to need some channel made to hold the tack strip; about 1/2 of the channel is rusted away. I blasted it the best I could and welded some pits. I made I little patch where it was pitted through.

This seat frame is specific to a 5W coupe and is much different in construction than the sedan/convert./business coupe seat I have in the car now.
The main part of the frame is not bad; it's just the track that the cardboard roll was pinched into.

top pic is the adjuster track; it's pretty nice for 75 yrs old. The bottom pic is the frame after blasting; it's hard to see, but about 1/2 of it is undamaged.
Weld repairs.

 

Looks like you have plenty to keep you busy this winter. It seems that every piece of these 75 year old Fords needs some sort of repair....... HMMM so do us old folks..... Merry Christmas!

 

You know it. Merry Christmas to you and to all who visit here.

 

So...am I the only one patiently awaiting a new video with the brockmans on there??

 

I'll have to get my 'sound technician" to come over and make a recording.... I'm always looking for an excuse to start it. Good Idea!

 

Great work. Still trying to find a 39 or 40 myself. Really nice.

 

This is the Brockman mufflers video. I apologize for the engine stumble; it was just not warm enough.

P.S. I even took it around the block to warm it up!

 

Doing a cool car sounds video on Christmas Eve...Now THATS hardcore. Sounds good!

 

Love the video of the muffler sound, very nice.

Can you explain the difference in seats that you mentioned? I am the proud new owner of a basket case '40 coupe that has parts from dozens of cars and I am not sure what the seat I have is (it is only springs and a frame). It is a bench with fold forward seating sections, for access to the rear. I was told it was from a take out of a '40 at a rod shop, just not sure what body style it came from. Also not even sure if I have a business or 5 window as it is a gutted shell. It has the spare tire set mount towards the trunk so I think it is business (the one with jump seats right?). Thanks for helping a newbie '40 owner out.

 

Those Brockmans sound good!

 

I'll see what pics I have to show the main difference between a 5W coupe and the business coupe. The seat you have sounds like the Business Cpe/2dr sedan/convertible. Post a pic of what you have. T he Business Cpe has 2 verticle supports, from just below the rear windows , down to the floor and the step in the floor pan is almost directly under the rear windows. EDIT. here are 2 pix of a 5W

Thanks, I think they are going to be OK. By the way, I talked to a shop in Indy about that SpectraChrome spray on stuff on my window moldings. It looks good in the pictures.

 

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/paint-body/1201sr-bob-drakes-steel-40-ford/

Here is an old article that explains the ever confusing difference between the what I think were miss named coupe bodies from the very beginning. To me the business coupe will always be the one with the package tray and no opera seats......

 

Yeah, I still do that also. I started using the "official " terms after I joined the Fordbarn and bought a reprint of the " greenbook". There are 5 members in my club with '40s ; there are 4 coupes and one 2 dr sedan, with only 1 "opera coupe".
The opera coupe is a survivor that I knew of personally. I can't fill in all the details, but when I started driving my coupe in '62 as a freshman ,a senior had this car. I saw it for the first time in the summer of '62 after he graduated. It had a 322 Buick with some accessories and a knock out rolled and pleated interior. It took me a couple of weeks to meet up with him to get a look at the car; we didn't travel in the same circles and he was dating the hottest girl in the school. Anyway, I got the name of the woman who did his interior. I had to get one of those. I talked Dad into possibly loaning me enough money, depending on the cost, to get my coupe done. Unfortunately she had retired from GM and wouldn't do another interior.
Fast forward about 12-14 years; I was in a club and a young man joined with a '40 opera coupe,nailhead engine and R&P interior dyed black. I knew the first time I saw it; it was Oakley's car. The car is almost completely redone with small block Ford, automatic, 9 inch and it's running but in prime. Some would say it should still have the engine, etc. from back then, but at least the body made it and it doesn't have a MII. I wish I could find some of the old pix.

 

OK thanks for the clarification, the car is for sure a Business Coupe (has the two vertical supports) and when I get back to work, where my parts are stored, next week I shoot a pic of the seat.

 

It has been a while, but I have been working on that seat frame repair. John made me some U channel and gave me instructions on how to fit the corners. I took a few pix of the process.
I welded some i" square tubing together and tacked the seat frame to it. The bottom pic shows some of the rot left, but the right side channel was already gone. I started with that section first and made just 3 cuts to accommodate the slight contour. See below.

You can see the outside edge of the frame is pretty eaten up, but I think there is enough to weld to. The next pix is of the corner pieces.
The top pic is the corner with pie cuts and partially welded and the bottom is installed and tacked in place. This is for a tacking material strip and all will be covered by upholstery.

The last 3 pix are of the other corner and the last pic is the clamping so I could start tacking. The little indent, shown in the pic, is on both sides of the frame and gave me a little "shelf" to set the new channel on. there is one more little piece, about 3" long and it'l be done, yea!

 

Looks like a good save Joel! Another time eater.

 

Thanks and you called it; I had to buy this seat (Texas) and with $350 invested, I couldn't let it go. I'm now shopping for tack strip (5/8 wide X 1/2 tall ). I haven't found that size yet.

 

I have some catch up to post as I have been trying to finish up some small items and procrastinate on the big next step.. BODYWORK. Anyway here are a few pix
Hood latch support and linkage. This came up when I got serious about aligning the hood. Below is the safety pawl that I replated using Eastwood's plating kit.
The last pic is of the "chrome " garnish done by Indy Paint. I don't think anyone will confuse it with chrome, but it's not bad.
it probably looks better here than in person.

 

It looks great! Sounds great! Between your thread and 39 guy there is a ton of information for '40 coupe builders and owners.

Thanks for taking the time...

 

There seems to be no end to those little details............... You can't avoid that body work and paint forever. If you are like me at all seeing that body in shiny new paint is a great motivator to finish all those little things and get the project on the road.

I like that e plating outcome on the latch. The window garnish looks like it is a satin finish. Combined with the right interior colors it should look pretty cool.