Picked this up a couple weeks ago and here is what I'm thinking Get the Flathead going if it can (If not... Go to a SBC and automatic) Mustang 2 front end (modern brakes and wheels) '06 Mustang rear (or similar with modern brakes and wheels) Just get it running and safely for now. Supposedly it's been sitting in a garage for 60 years or so Looking for input.
kinda hard to do, I can't.. but you need to get set on a path of what to do.. if headed the street rod way...buy one done for 25 cents on a dollar.... but if what you wanna do is make a big mess at your house and do all the work your self.... go for it... but here's what I think... thats a nice traditional survivor... I would start with just cleaning the shit out of it....put it on jack stands... pull the wheels and clean and assess what you have...see if you can get it to run...... my self... I'd think it would be cool as is with some small mods...
typical build 9'' rear ,ifs front... it's more BMW type build..power eve r thing ac/ heat doors trunk.. I'd rather have your car... that way i'd have another car to work on...but serious, thats a nice real patina barn find...just get it to run and drive... way cool
Nice car you have there. As AllDone says, clean the shit out of it. If the seats are to dusty a blanket. You know what style blanket. There are a few threads here of guys who cleaned up original paint with great results. Looks like you have two primered fenders to deal with though. Guess you have figured out what the pushbutton is in the left corner of your dashboard. The car actually looks like its allready lowered in the front.
I did one like this years ago.... I pulled the seats... lots of small rust holes , pencil size.... I cleaned the shit out of it... wire brushed and such , then used spray 3m glue, and glued 2 layers of aluminum foil, carpet rebound pad,.. followed by used black carpet from the upholstery shop (free).... then watched the furniture for sale till I found a guy selling a wore out brown leather sofa and love seat..used that to upholster the seats... 0000 steelwooled all the bright metal and scotch pad and comet on all the paint...this car is a score being all there....and anything thats broke to beyond repair can be replaced ...I left all the bad glass but new windshield you can make a real cool piece out of real patina cars..
take terry cloth rag, wipe the dash with rust mort...just keep going over it till it gets to where you can see some of the OG paint... then satin clear... are the og rubbers still on the pedals... I found this through the years,,, if they are there, try to get them off in one piece.... then 3m glue them back on...they tend to rip apart and fall off the little edge that holds them on crumbles
I agree, there's already enough with SBC/TH350 Mustard 2 IFS. Clean it, get to stop & steer, then worry about "Go" . Maybe different wheels, but I'd leave it much as is.
Depends on your skills and bank account. Level One - clean it up and get it running stock. Cheapest, provided it doesn't have major issues. Fun, will not do everything a modern car will, but can be used in modern traffic with care. Level Two - mild mods to make it more usable. Self-energizing hydraulic drum brakes, a taller rear gear for highway calmness. Level Three - wheels, tires, lowering. Level Four - drivetrain swap. Disc brakes on lowered suspension. Probably 12 volt and wiring. Level Five - full paint and upholstery in stock or vintage style. All trim and details in great shape. This is about the max for HAMB era style. Level Six - Swap out front and rear suspension, Power discs, A/C, gauges, modern upholstery, paint, wheels and tires. Level Seven - Full modern show build. Search out and save every similar car picture you can, good and bad. Develop an understanding of what you want the final outcome to have. While looking, see what finished ones are priced at. If it will be cheaper and quicker to buy done than to build (it often is), did you see one that suits you and you can afford? Price out the parts, inspect what you have and develop a cost sheet. If you are going to farm out the work, price that out too. If you are going to do most of the work, check for special tools (hub puller, etc). Once you have done all this, you should be able to answer your own question. My opinion is like the others; Start out at level 1 or 2, keeping in mind that if you are determined to for example swap to hydraulic brakes don't sink time and money in mechanical brakes. Ease into it, don't just take it apart and have a giant mess. BTW, this applies to any old car project!
It looks lowered because the spring is broken. That's a big reason why I'd probably go straight to a Mustang front end. I was at the triple crown of Hot Rodding and Posies had a booth there. Pretty much front axle kit with disc brakes for $1800. Mustang kit I've seen them around $2500. Just replacing the spring itself would be (new) $300 or so. But who knows what other issues I'd find?
That's weird. Posies didn't have that number or a price that low in the catalog I picked up last week Thanks
A friend of mine that is on here went with me. He's building a model A roadster pick up. He was more excited about the car than I was. I didn't want to get too excited about it because that's not good when shopping When I got it home is when I really, really liked what I got
You don’t need the whole front axle set up for $1800. Just a dropped axle, new spring, shackles and long pins. You would keep your spindles and wishbone. If you got to a later trans there are kits to split the wishbone. Chassis engineering had the kits now part of Heidts or check with Weedeater whose on this site they supply similar stuff.
Here's a discussion on it, with a good exploded drawing. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1937-ford-coupe-front-end-assembly-diagrams.1141294/
Ok....The general plan is to replace the busted front spring and clean up the frame. Car has been changed to juice brakes. I'll check them out and try and get the engine going. Replace windshield glass which is bad and see where it goes from there. I was thinking about going straight to the IFS but just want to get it rolling under it's own power for now.
Ratdoggy, this just my 2 cents so take it at that. My '36 Chevy has a FatMan front end( lots of thought and trial and error went into spring and shock selection) and my '36 Ford had a '40 drop axle with unsplit bones, Chassis Engineering anti sway bar, disc brakes, Posie spring and a Vega steering box. I can honestly tell you that the ride and handling of the Ford with the buggy spring was far superior to the independent on the Chevy. If i could easily undo the Chevy suspension, I'd install a Ford axle system under it...Just fix what Henry Ford put under it and you will be on your way. Mitch
If you want a Mustang 2 type ride, go straight to buying a mustang. Oh wait..right! There's a '36 3w around town I'd love to scoop up. Has a junkyard m2 under it, hack job from the 80s. Torch would be out in flash to shitcan that , and put it back to the "Right " way Didn't know about the hydraulic brakes, you're halfway done al ready.
Joining those who said keep it as is, sort out what's wrong and drive it for a bit. Me, I would have modified it but in period style. There is a lot one can do to make the car go and stop much better than in 1937 and if you're not looking to break speed records the flathead can be sensibly modified to live with modern traffic (there are also overdrive units which would work with the torque tube to allow cruising at 70 mph all day - or you convert to a T5 and an open drive).
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