Introducing my Fuel Coupe-styled Tudor

Born & raised in Geneva, OH. GHS class of '80!

Thanks much, guys.

 

The angle chop and bigs & littles give this car a noticable wedge shape.

After discussing it with Dave Lane at the last Rodder's Journal Revival then researching Brizio's cars, and a LOT of eyeball engineering, I reinforced the profile by slightly lowering the grille shell.

Speedway's 4.5" chopped '32 "Lo-Boy" aluminum radiator arrived in a brown UPS truck.
1/4" gap between the radiator's bottom tank & leaf spring U-bolts.


5/16" radiator support rods zig-zag around the air filter.
CAUTION: Bending solid 5/16" steel with a tubing bender might break the tool. Or so I've heard.


Stock carriage bolts/brackets are reused at the firewall and 5/16"-24 threads are cut into the radiator ends.


With the radiator secure, I trimmed 1.5" off the shell's bottom sides...


.... so it nestles down between the pinched frame rails and hugs the radiator top.


The shell's countersunk mounting holes no longer aligned with the radiator's mounting holes...


...so I moved 'em.


Then made some spacers...


...and bolted everything together.


No room in the garage for a profile pic. This will have to do.

 

How did you make the spacers? Some Nice improvements on an already nice project

 

Cool build...I like everything about it! A lot of nice tidy workmanship.

 

Thanks for asking. Each spacer is made from two washers and a short piece of tubing, arranged like a dumbbell.

To hold them together for MIG welding, I threaded them on a 1/4"-20 bolt, then squeezed them together with another washer & nut.

Be VERY CAREFUL if any of your components are zinc plated. Welding that stuff is dangerous. I ground everything down to clean bare steel before welding.

I dressed the welds with a dremmel.

Make sense?

 

Wow making your own spacers, top notch! Thanks for the how to on that, I'm not sure I'll have the patience to do it but I'll definitely consider it when need arises.

 

It’s the little things that count and at this point I’ve lost count! This will be a fun ride to check out in person.

 

Overheating is a recurring HAMB topic, so I preemptively made a fiberglass fan shroud.

It began with two 1" wide by 0.5" thick MDF frames; one the size of the radiator core and one surrounding (and touching) the fan blades, with MDF spacer blocks glued between 'em.


An old T-shirt got stretched and stapled around the frames:


I smothered everything in resin and added a layer of resin-impregnated mat on the inside. Then I trimmed 0.5" off both frames' inner edges; giving max core exposure and 0.5" fan clearance.


Countersunk brackets attach to the rad/grille shell bolts.


I sanded then sealed everything with a thin coat of resin.


More sanding & primer. I think Ed Roth would approve.
https://www.ratfink.com/ed-roth-cars.php


30 minutes of HAMB searching & 20 more at www.rockauto.com produced tailor-fit hoses.

Gates #20242 slid onto the bottom perfectly.


Gates #20380 needed a trim.



So far so good.

 

Great tech, Gary. I might add that the aluminum flex tubing used on a lot of cars (specifically '76-'84 Corvettes) to duct warm air from the exhaust manifold to the air cleaner works great for approximating hose shapes and it involves a lot less tape and cutting....I'm just lazy.

 

fwiw; the one I use has a NAPA part # 819-1127 and is labelled a "pre-heater hose". It has a pic on the box of going from the exhaust manifold to the air cleaner; just like Don said. It's 1 1/2" diameter so is a really close approximation for most radiator hoses. It's compressed to minimum length (about 8") for packaging but says it's 18" long. I've never stretched it out all the way to verify though.

 

Way to go ! Looks great Gary !!

 

Great job Gary, hurry up and get this bad boy done, I'm really getting old Pal

 

What an awesome build, full of '60s nuances, and an extra-credit Spinal Tap reference!

A couple of things: That scoop is cosmic, what about extending the rib from the top of the grill shell to the scoop to the cowl to the roof to the...you get the idea, for her pleasure! Secondly, when you make those fiberglass mold thangs, if you have a larger area than what a t-shirt could cover (although that's unimaginable for my t-shirts) head to Bed Bath and Beyond for some t-shirt material sheets. LOTS of expansive material for your fiberglass fantasies.

Go man go!

 

Lookin’ mighty Fine, Gary! (Insert engine noises)

 

Very clean work. Great job.

 

Thanks, fellas.

 

Nice work! Looking great!

 

You have great talent in making these one off parts. Very impressive Gary. I love this car!

 

Tic-Toc-Tic-Toc-Tic-Toc ........... 14 years buddy, let's pick up the pace.... I'm on social security now

 

Good things come to those who wait. My 40 has been 15 years now...

 

Here ya go, @AHotRod .

I tried this cool little 9"x4" dish Superior 500 wheel on the right, but the steering effort was too "arm-strong", so switched to the 12" Grant on the left. Both are mint and came from Craigslist.


Stock top mount. A new column provides fresh horn wiring while it's straight, skinny 1.75" OD looks old.


Bottom mount is a copy of @Dino 64 's.
It's a 1.75 ID exhaust tube/clamp combo, welded to a plate that's screwed to the stock firewall's threaded holes.






I'd cut out that part of the firewall earlier in the build, naively assuming major mods. After mockup, I tacked it right back where Henry Ford intended.




Toe-in is roughly ~1/8" with this gauge that @burnedoutoldmechanic gave me while cleaning his garage. If anyone nearby wants to borrow it, PM me.


This car *insists* on Stewart Warner gauges.
New SW speedos' bad reviews annoyed me, so I got a rebuilt one off EBay. Pretty sure the date code ID's it as Studebaker Hawk from Jan '56?




Puke tank made from scrap metal pieces.
It plus the radiator, fan & shroud will be understated satin black later, per https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=6937


Two "do-overs" (out of several ) worth mentioning:

1) I replaced the bi**et Thermostat housing with a chrome Mopar unit & can't believe you guys didn't razz me for that faux pas. Where's @Germ when ya need him???


2) Despite repeated measuring, the driveshaft spun scarily close to the rear floor, so I extended the tunnel farther back for more clearance.
Ironically, the tunnel's height also stiffened the rear floorboard.

 

Alright Gary
Fire-it-up and take me for a ride buddy !!!

 

Any holiday magic to share? Didja whittle an engine block out of spare aluminum, or weld fly wings together to make a crossmember, or sumpin'?

 

Nahh. I'm deciding where to attach some COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) P&J front shocks & mounts,
then install these things:

 

Great job on that column mount, I really think that is just a perfect design
Seriously, you out did me on that one !

 

Very nice Gary. I like the steering wheel a lot. Cool headlights also.

 

For shock absorber length at ride height, I aimed for ~60% compression (bump) stroke & ~40% extension (rebound).
https://www.cachassisworks.com/Attachments/Instructions/899-031-226_drag.pdf

I measured my shocks' compressed & extended lengths & made a "dummy" shock from 1" square tube & washers. Its length equals the 60% of extended stroke length.


It also aligned the two plates while trimming & tacking them, preventing weld sparks from damaging the spiffy new chrome.


*Real* '60's race cars often used the smallest legal headlights mounted up high, like @-Brent- 's street/strip coupe; but I'm a sucker for low stockers, like @da34guy 's Deuces.

After some eyeball engineering, the headlight bar got butchered:






I didn't think my little Lincoln 140 penetrated enough, so drilled/tapped a #25/0.150"/10-24 hole through the center and threaded in a SS machine screw...


...then cut off its head, plug-welded the ends, & ground/filed everything smooth.


Ninety-three-year-old fluted lenses, rings, conduit & housings with new CW Moss/Vintique guts.

Not a fan of the amber turn bulbs but will withhold judgement for now.


~1/2" gap between shocks & headlights.

I think the conduit will penetrate the grille shell sides (like stock) but am waiting for warmer weather to disassemble it & drill new holes.


Stripped down & low.

 

I like the headlights low, looks more menacing . It looks like we have the same front shocks Gary.

 

Nice work Gary. The shock mock up is a great idea. I'll have to steal that.

 

Adding to the "Look"!