Hot Rods My new Flathead coupe made from a sedan

I've recently come up with a set of old 32 rails and a 31 4 door sedan turned into a coupe so I decided to build the frame and put it under the crusty old coupe body. Years ago, this would be called a rat rod but the direction that all went, I don't want to go there. This car will be without paint and for the most part, surface rust. A buddy and I installed a 32 firewall and cowl vent and we have a 32 windshield header to do next. I've got an original 32 Heavy axle for it that has a 5 1/2 inch drop and it's still pitted like it was when I got it. A couple weeks ago, I managed to find a later model flathead and a nice pair of Sharp heads. As time allows with all the other projects that we have going in my shop, I want to get the motor running and dress it up. I may run a 2x2 and I may run a blower that I have with a 2x2 on top. I bought an old chrome oil canister at Hershey and I've got lots of 35 wire wheels and dirt track tires so that will probably be included as well. I've built lots of shiny cars, this time it'll be crusty and just for fun. Here's a start to my build thread.

 

Here's that gem of a frame that we started with. I'll do something with that roadster body someday.

 

No disrespect intended,,,,but even today,,,,,,the direction you’re going ,,,it is still called a Rat Rod ,,,,,sorry man .

Tommy

 

None taken. We're just having fun making something out of the rusty junk that I have on hand. At least it won't have barbed wire and rubber rats like the clown rods we see anymore.

 

That’s not a rat rod that’s just a sweaty old hot rod. Keep us posted a few friends had that “coupe” body before you got it and I’ve always thought it had so much potential. Love
to see where it goes!

are those frame rails/ roadster from an old hot rod? They look like a car I saw for sale not to long ago, I think in rural nebraska.

 

The rail's came under the old roadster in the picture above. The car was in listed on Ebay from Excelsior Spring, MO in August so that might be where you saw it. It had been built by the sellers late father back in the 50's and he didn't feel he was up to doing anything with it. He also had a 32 five window on a separate Ebay auction. The coupe was as sorry as the roadster but it didn't have a frame or a dash because they both were used (and included) on the roadster build. Both cars had sat in a muddy field for 40+ years and it showed.

Both auctions started at one dollar with no reserve and I got the roadster bought for $234 and I would have tried to buy the remains of the coupe too but it sold to someone from Texas for $2300.

 

Better check that engine for cracks. 4out of5 have serious cracks

 

Awesome

 

We got the flathead running and it seems like it might turn out to be a decent motor. We pulled the heads and there isn't any cracks that will cause any issues so we'll put it together with the Sharp heads and the Offy 2x2 and finish building the old "coupe" body.

 

We cut the quarters off that had been grafted on the body and replaced them with a pair of sport coupe quarters that I had as well as the tulip panel too. That let us square it all up so the deck lid would fit right. The old quarters had been put on with one side 3/4" longer than the other so we had to fix that.

 

We've pulled the body off of that old crusty frame and we've mounted the rear end, the front axle and we hooked up the clutch and are working on the brakes next. It's coming along pretty fast. Hopefully I'll have it on the road by spring.

 

At some point I'll need to decide what back tires I want to run on it. I've got the firestone dirt track tires shown above and I've got some firestone street tires that are on it in the pictures above. I just came up with both sets of tires via dumb luck at local swap meets. Both set's were new and had fairly recent date codes. The price of tires have gone crazy lately too.

 

Rodent rod?
Looks like a cool old hot rod in the making to me.

 

I like to just call it my crusty coupe. The odd thing to me is I'm having too much fun putting this one together that I don't have time to get my steel 32 three window going.

 

Man this is turning out great!

 

Thanks for the detail on this build, enjoying it greatly. When you get to the part where you are un-visoring the A body, I'm hoping you will share lots of that process. I think that's a rare but tremendous customization. A modernized A with a later (is that a 32 roof front?) forward roof and rounded windshield top corners it really pulls the A look into the golden era.
Cheers!


This one has the entire 32 coupe greenhouse grafted onto an A body, but I think the visor to rounded roof front is huge bang for the buck.

 

Better check your math again ... 6 out of 5 have serious cracks and the rest are junk

 

I've bought three flatheads so far and all of them are good. If I buy a fourth, it might bite me but so far so good.

 

We're making progress on this coupe build. Last night we cut open both doors and fitted them to the jambs better. When to body was first stitched together to look like a coupe, the doors were tacked shut to hold them in place. We also got the flathead for my roadster ready for paint today. Brad's got me started grinding the motors smooth on everything removing casting marks and all porous surface marks. It makes for a nice finish on the motor

 

It's almost ready to graft in the 32 windshield header.

 

Looks great, man. I love your go get 'em approach of getting this car done and on the road.

 

Shit that’s cool I hope to see it this year!

 

Any updates?

 

I've almost got it on the road now. I still need to wire the headlights and tail lights and fix the doors so they latch right but I've taken it to a couple events on my trailer and it's a blast. Unfortunately I've got several projects going at the same time so I'm not progressing on it as fast as I'd like but it's coming along.



I have several sets of both styles of 37 Desoto tail lights but I decided it would be fun to just use a pair of mis-matched ones.

 

That bitchin! Any plans for more events would love to see it in person

 

Very Kool

 

Changing the front roof on a Model A makes it a killer !. 1964. I purchased a RUST FREE 1931 Chevy coupe body and frame to build an EWRA circle track modified. Paid $150.00. A salvage yard in Ripon Wisconsin. I installed the front roof section from a 32 Chevy four door sedan. M S C and E W R A required O E M sheet metal. I got real good at hammer welding. PS; Diamond T grille shell. I used about 6-7 more early rust free bodies bodies. Then I went to late model 1/4 panels.

 

Last Saturday, we took our grandsons and our old crusty model A coupe to an event called the Moonshine Mash-up in Lebanon MO and my 10 year old grandson was in heaven. I let him make a pass down the dirt drag strip and spend a good amount of time cutting donuts in the mud outside of the pits with me hanging on in the passenger seat getting covered with mud. All my cars are nice with the exception of this coupe that I assembled with all the cool parts but were all almost beyond saving. I think I have a fun way to work my grandsons into the hot rod by letting them start out driving for the first time in a crusty old hot rod with a five speed in a muddy field. They can't drive any of my other cars until they are 16!

 

Great looking coupe!

Incredible job!

 

Man that looks like a good time! Maybe next year we can make it over that way