I also wanted to address the seating thing, with that drastic angle. There is no fixed rules when it comes to seating in a Hot Rod. I do not see this as a problem at all the seating can be addressed as you go along with the build.
I actually like the sound of a blower whining more than hearing just an engine. That's probably how it'll end up, gotta love a car with a big ol blower on it, you kinda forget what's under the huffer....
tried to like it, but the color is the only part of the orange machine that grabs me. Guess I’m with @tfeverfred on this one.
No, I didn't own the orange coupe, mine was blue..................this is my old coupe. It is now owned by a guy named Mark Jenny in Carthage MO
This is a car that I have lusted after for ever. Someday maybe,I keep seeing a dressed out Nailhead in mine but a SBC would probably be Ok also.
Actually some of that stems from the '60s dragster look. Lots of '60s show cars got built with either a swept frame or an angle channel to give them that swoopy dragster look in a shorter streeter type of a vehicle. IN my mind I think that a tall T needs to be a short wheelbase car so given the leaned forward look even subtly would make one look very extreme. On a short wheelbase car a little is a lot.
It's funny, i was in a small town on the kansas/colorado border eating lunch in a family owned diner on the way back and a guy in his seventies says " I've a few of those cars sitting in the back of my property, but they'd need to be dug out." so i said "Are you interested in selling them?" he replied "Nah, I don't think so." then his friend at the diner asked him "Why don't you sell them, this guy sounds like he's interested in em'?" Then the guy responded "If i sold em', then I wouldn't have em' anymore!" I gave the guy and his wife my business card, maybe they'll call me sometime, but from the look on his wife's face and his buddies reaction, they'll probably just sit in the mud an rot into the ground forever. I've never understood the mindset of, I've got it, I'm never going to use, but you can't have it. It's such a waste, these old cars are getting harder and harder to find and when you do find them, people would rather watch them melt into the ground then sell them.
I've decided on a 12" sweep on the frame, from the front of the cowl to the rear axle, while it was still on the floor I tested it out and it had the perfect rake to the body and was still comfortable to sit in the car.
I broke out the hammer and dolly and started on the body. I'm going to start with working the metal back in place where there are a few bullet holes. (big surprise, I've never found a T body without at least a few) I think it only has 6 bullet holes and three deflected bullet marks. I got the first one worked about shut already, It's good enough to weld closed from the back side and move onto the next one...
OK, question... Does anyone sell pre-drilled door hinges for a 26-27 T coupe? Some idiot apparently cut every hinge with a cut off wheel. I guess some people are to lazy and hurried to use a little penetrating oil to free up parts. Everywhere I've looked, i have to drill all my own holes. I'd be really pissed if i mis-drilled a hinge at $68 a piece...
Well if you eliminate the middle hinge, you would only need to deal with 4 of them. With my coupe nearly every 10-32 trim screw was broken off but with perseverance it can be dealt with. On a positive note, your decklid looks very good. I remember that someone did a thread on T hinges a while ago.
Im looking forward to watching this one take shape. Really dig your pickup too, I have a similar one thats probably next up to be built.
Hey, it would be interesting to know how many degrees you move the back part of the frame up with the front frame rails level. It would be a starting point for the next person. That is if you are "Ving" the frame with the body on. Hey that could be a new term in the world of Hot Rod lingo, "Ving". Yea, my car is chopped, channel, and Ved. I am a hero. ---- HA HA
I plan to measure the degree of the V of the frame when I get to that point, so I'll post it up, in case someone else wants to try the same thing with theirs later on.
Thanks, the truck is an 83. It was my wife's grand fathers truck, he bought it New. When he p***ed away we inherited it. I just put a new engine in it, because the old one was shot. It's a really nice riding old truck.
I'm planning to try and keep all six hinges, my deck lid is pretty good. It has one large "soft" dent in the left/middle, but it looks like an easy fix. The big selling point on this body was that it was at least all there.
I just scored a nice TH350 automatic trans, complete with torque convertor, crossmember, and Lokar shifter on the cheap. I friend of mine is switching to a 700r4, so I know it's a good unit. I may as well go Chevy for the motor and trans anyway, as I already have three small block Chevy engines... I know the diehard Ford guys are gonna complain, but I can't see any reason not to use parts I already own and Chevy is cheaper to build anyway.
SBF engines are not traditional. SBC engines are. Simple as that. Sent from my LGLS992 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I hear ya, all i'm saying is ford guys always complain when people don't put Ford motors in the cars. I actually have a late 50's 283 SBC, that i thought was the perfect "traditional" engine for this car. The one part i can't seem to find for it though, is a set of forged pistons. I want a blower at some point, so I really want/need forged pistons.
Forged pistons are not hard to find for your 283, I know that Ross will certainly make you set at any compression you want. I am sure there are others as well, I think of Ross because I just had a set made for my Blower motor.
I know I can have em' made, Wiseco said they can make em', but it'd be nice to find a complete set of "off the shelf" pistons, because they'll be much cheaper. That was really what I meant in my earlier post. On another note, I spent the evening working closed a couple more bullet holes and straightening out a few small sheet metal bends above the doors. It's gonna be a slow process, but with a little perseverance it'll get there... Once I get the minor stuff closed up, welded shut, and straightened I'm planning to send it out for media blasting. Then I'll start on curing the "cancer" issues.
OK I can certainly understand that, custom pistons are a little on the pricey side. Do you have any idea what size you are going to need? I would be glad to keep my eyes peeled for you a set.
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