Opinion...fenders or no fenders?

The 51 chevy is about on its way out and I think I will begin on my 1935 Ford 5 window next. I have toyed with the idea of putting it together as a highboy...any pics of 35 ford highboys and what are your opinions?

thanks,
Mike K.

 

Everybody has different opinions, but I have never liked fat fendered cars without the fenders...leave them on!!

 

I'll second that.

 

Me too. Shoulda made this a poll.

 

everyone is taken em off, I like them gone personally but leave em, it be sumtin different....but who cares what I think!!

 

It will look more like an early-style stock car that way -


Story on this car is it raced in Virgina in the early 50's.

 

A full fendered 35 is a beautiful car. I looked for one for a while but found scrap metal. Good luck

 

No mistake,fenders got to be on if its a good body.Those 35's are a real nice body style.If its a basket case,an early stock car look would be cool though!!

 

A 35 can look good without fenders but it ain't easy!
Clark

 

Well put. I have seen some, but NONE of which appealed to me...they simply look like a car missing the fenders, which is not at all what a highboy should. It should look like it was meant to be that way, and I know someone out there has seen or put on together, and I am dying to see it.

 

Fenders. Pleeeeeeeeeese.

 

A friend built a 35 roadster that looked pretty good. He just joined the HAMB maybe he'll have some pics and insight. One of the key things to making it look right is moving the front axle foreward.
Clark

 

I think I will stretch the wheel base by 4, lengthen the hood and sides, maybe shorten up the cowl section....drop the grill down....throw the axle out towards the shell...probably channel it some too, just to take up some of that siderail.

I am strongly leaning towards highboy, everyone puts fenders on that style car....we'll see...I need to find time for the project, got alot of other shit in the shop right now, but we have a few cars leaving this spring...so we shall see.

Let me know Clark if your pal has some pics...

 

I forget his name on here..Limey Kid maybe. Stewart Woolard. Used to be with Fairlane Fiberglass. I have a picture of it somewhere. I'll have to scan it when I find it.
Clark

 

Richard Graves built a highboy 35 or 36 Ford two door turned delivery about 13 years ago.
It is/was dark blue.
I think I saw it in someone's show coverage here on the HAMB last week.
They look good that way.

In other words, it's been done, so do it because you like it, not because you think it will be a novel idea.

I think just running the axle under the spring, out far enough to be under the stock location of the X member would do the proportions good, with a flatter X memeber of course.

 

Fenders.

 

Fenders good.

 

Yaa fenders good!...If you have them and if you don't then no fenders look good too on running rod!

 

Every car '35 and up should have fenders.

 

Absolutely right.

 

some fenderless 35's








I dunno...I think you would have to chop it big time and move the axle forward for it to look good.

 

Fenders, wouldn't think of running without em.

 

looks like shit without fenders, but what the hell do I know ?

 

Fenders... Saw one done hot rod style- sans fenders at Paso last year (rear fenders were bobbed) It looked cool, but not as cool as a full fendered sled...

 

That car was badass...I think the sedans lend themselves to that style better

 

OK it was me wot built the hi-boy '35 roadster!!

The key is in the position of the wheels. I removed the front crossmember and replaced it with a stock '34 one but about 4 inches forward. Then I used a pre '35 type spring set up, as in spring on top, not in front of, the axle. this moved the axle about 8" forward, putting it right under the top of the grille as in a 33/34.

Moving to the rear, I moved the back axle rearward 2", to position it in the centre of the wheel arch. This gave me a wheelbase of about 122"

The rear of the body came next. I cut off the rear valance/gas tank cover. I made the cut parallel to the bottom of the trunk opening about 5" below it. I then carried the wheelarch reveal around and across the rear panel, again similar to a 33/34. This then left a big gap between the top of the gas tank and the bottom of the body! So I remade the frame rails higher so raising the gas tank and closing the gap.

You have to run some tall tyres to fill up that wheelarch, I used 7.50s on steelies.

The bugger is when we moved house a couple of years ago I lost a lot of hot rod photos, including all the ones of my old '35. The car ended up with a frenchman who lived part of the year in Cinncy OH and part of the year in his homeland. I've seen it once since I sold it, at the GG Nats in Columbus a couple of years ago.

In my distorted opinion it looked like a highboy '35, not just a '35 with its fenders missing!!

Cheers,
Stewart.

 

Youll notice the 1st two cars pictured by stevil have a 33, and then a 34 Grille. The 35 grille ones look silly.

I would NOT think of running them w/o fenders, and opinion is what you did ask for.

 

Maybe im alone but toss the fenders. So much tougher without them!

 

Foggy memory...
It's a '37
But it's in STREET RODDER this month (June 06) p 116 in Daytona!
It's got flames on it now which is how it was last time I saw it in Seal Beach about five(?) years ago.

 

fenders - IMO without them they just look unfinished. guess im biased because i have fenders on mine