Hot Rods El Codorniz '29 Roadser build by the FNG

Morning guys and gals this is my current situation. I've had this moth balled trying to finish other stuff up but my game plan is a 50's'ish Traditional Hot Rod. Started leveling it up on my make shift frame table. Tacked some braces to keep is square Front cross member...it gone

 

BTW be gentle or at least buy me some flowers...other than my youtube PHD, the Tardel book, and a big grinder this is my 1st attempt at a build like this.

bought an after market front cross member. Getting is set in. Triple checked the frame it was square and is spuare. New one is centered and square.
Just gonna tack for now. Looks right far as I know

 

Nice start! Good luck, I subscribe to these build threads and see some come to fruition and others fade away and disappear. I hope yours becomes the former not the later. For us that don't know (like me) what is the " El Codorniz '29 Roadster"

Pat

 

Heard Ump-Teen opinions on where to up the motor mounts and my Tardel book is first run so here is where I got them...for now. Also, trimmed too much off the mount so I had to rework them. I found some gussets I had that should fix my mess.

 

Some Back story on the Roadster. My good friend got it in a will from his highschool friend when he passed too soon due to cancer. They had planned on building it together but cancer happened. It was on my buddy's list of cars to build and I kept jacking with him to give it to me. Finally after about 5 years we horse traded some work and I got it. It was still in the "family" so he knew it wasn't going anywhere since I too have a rust addiction. Trying to budge build this I have been trying to keep cost low so this and the cross member have been the only new purchases so far out of pocket. Luckily, I'm right next door to my storage. safety is my middle name.

Been working the old perches with some penetrating oil.

So much for saving the Square bolt.

 

Time to tear down the Front suspension. I believe this is a '37 front end, but not really sure. After some heat and a BFH One cam out and other was a booger but I got it...Hopefully not damaging anything else.

 

Just Awesome...bring it on...and a spirited build at that...Bluey 2

 

Now I'm just about caught up where I'm at in my build. Yes after I put it together I realized up put the wish bone upside down. It was late and I didn't want to tear it apart again. Here is sits unloaded. Game plan is to Set the engine/trans in and see where I want the rear ride height.

Big debate, I was planing on doing spring behind because that's that I got. What are yall's thoughts? I figured I'd have to cut the frame either way to get it to sit a little lower.

 

Spanish For Quail. I Figured I need to keep the Quail radiator cap

 

I would put the mounts for your wishbone as far inboard as possible if theyre split, you will get a lot of tire rub with that axle and a reducing turning radius. The perch holes are spaced out farther on the later axles compared to the Model A axle.

 

Thanks for the photos. I love starting a build.

 

Nice start and you seem to have a good approach to the project. My only comment would be it looks like you had your frame level on your table when you set the front cross member in at 7 degrees. Later you mention setting the rear ride height. Any frame and/or tire rake will reduce the cross member inclination. So if the 7 degrees is your final desired inclination most guys would start at 10 degrees with a level frame to allow for the frame / tire rake.

 

Good deal I’ll look around for some picture. I’m good at cut and pasting

 

This rear is looking rougher than I realized. The perches has some “vintage” welds and the drums are different.

That all said what would you recommend? I do have a ‘51F1 rear end; I know it’s a little wider and open drive. Didn’t know how hard it would be to make my 35 trans and make it open line?

 

Stay with the wide five rear. They can be cleaned up and it will fit your transmission after you shorten the torque tube. This is much easier than having to gusset the arms, make a front pivot, and add a triangulation arm to keep the rear from bending the arms.

 

The problem is one arm was cut off this rear end and the other was cut off at the tip I'm gonna have to rework it either way.

 

Are they bolt on arms? I couldn't tell from the pictures.

 

Bolt on

 

We’ll my tacks are holding the engine so that’s a good step. Hopefully I can get some maypops this week and start on the rear.

 

I have a lot of that stuff, as I save every early Ford part I find. You should be able to get a set of arms for it. On the last model A build I did I moved the rear cross member forward and used a model T spring with the bells swapped side to side to put the spring in front of the axle. I had to add 3 leaves to the T spring. It works quite well.

 

They should look like these, middle and left.
In stock near Boston

 

Don't take anybody else's measurements as gospel. Before you mount your engine, you should mock up your body (at least the cowl and firewall), and the radiator. Make sure to install all the pulleys and belts and fan you will use. Only then will you know if your engine will be in the right spot. Much easier to wiggle the engine around than to wiggle the firewall or radiator a couple inches.

As for the rear axle, I highly recommend using a closed drive with an early Ford trans. It is a perfect solution, truly foolproof if assembled with good condition parts, won't require any hard to find or expensive conversion parts to make the trans open drive. The housings on your axle seem to have booger welded patches, but Ford made millions of them so finding another will be easy. Save the yucky one for parts, as you might need some internals.

 

Definitely do the complete mock up because it is such a tight fit. The fuel pump/breather/fill tube at the back of the engine can have interference issues with the wiring block mounted to the firewall. Steering box to exhaust manifold clearance. Fan to radiator.

 

Yea I’m debating on options and searching for parts. I have a 8BA I was hoping to use in stead of the 21bolt posted. It has a 3 speed with an over drive. It came out of a shoebox. And I also have a rear out of a 51F1 but I don’t know if it’s too wide I need to measure it.

 

Yes sir. This 21 bolt fits with the cowl on but I’m planing on putting a 8BA I have. Right now everything is just tacked so I can make adjustments.

 

The 8BA water pump and pulley system is different and might cause clearance issues with the radiator and cross member. Also its water outlets are at the front of the head and the carb base is angled on the intake making it a bit harder to use. The 59A engine is much easier to set up.

 

I measured the front and should be good. I’ll double check when I get it to my house. I’m trying to poor man the build with what I got or horse trade so I’m hoping my eng works…it’s ever evolving.

 

There are many build threads on here with 28-29 roadsters, so many tricks to make everything fit. Good luck we are watching

 

Check out my 28 Cabriolet build thread. 55willys
It's a sport coupe that I built a few years ago. There are detailed pictures of the rear suspension. I used 37 front wishbone tubes and a model A ball socket, Mustang 8" rear, model T spring. If you have any questions you can post here or PM me or call 360-536-1441 Jim Ford Highway 101 Rod and Custom

 

Had to wire whelk the rims so I can put some maypops on waiting on the tube now. Small progress but a grain of sand makes a pile

now I need to address the spring hangers. So the bones were not as bad as I thought. I had to re weld the tips on. Not sure what they just cut them off instead of unbolting. Not sure how traditional it was but I had my German mistress, Ursula help me move some stuff