Lots of newbie questions re 40 Ford coupe

Hey guys
I just picked up my first street rod project, a rolling 40 ford coupe.
Need to know which Mustang or other front end will work the best?
Some of the after market ads like to point out that theirs has more shock travel.
Need to know if a SBC install requires a custom fire wall?
If so what would a good alternative be?
Need to know if the S10 rear end is the right fit or is there a better choice?
Thanks in advance.
Paul

 

I don't care if you did not follow the hamb rules about doing an intro first, before posting on the main board...but I do have to ask why you want to toss out the orig front end?

I just picked up a 40 coupe and I put a very heavy early Olds Rocket engine in it, and this car still steers like new. It even steers good while parked. I don't get all this front end swap stuff..

My big olds did not need a firewall setback, and I have seen some with SBC's with a hacked firewall, only because they wanted the uglyass HEI.

S10 rear? No, get an old time rear. This is the hamb, not a street rodders paradise.

My 40 still has the stock 3.78 rear and stock trans. The entire motor swap took 4 days, from "not run since 62", to yard driving condition.

 

Stock front end using aftermarket dropped axle and tube shocks;Chev. with short water pump and rear end of choice.

 

Maybe read a little before you just start typing questions...

 

Welcome and congrats on getting a '40 for your first project. If you decide on an independent front end I'd suggest you take a look at Chassis Engineering's offering. It's a stout version that will stand up to some serious driving if that's your objective and the adjustable ride height feature will let you dial in ride height to suit your preference. If a dropped axle suspension is your preference they can also supply the needed components. As far as rear suspension is concerned look at their parallel leaf offerings. Again, very substantial components that will live for years of service. They build some very durable and user friendly components and I've used several in builds over the last 10-20 years.

Frank

 

IGNORE THIS and keep asking questions.Not all on here are so high and mighty.

 

Get a flathead and do it the correct justice it deserves .

It's just plain wrong to stick a sbc in a FORD !

If you do a search you will find a million things to answer just about all the questions you will ever have for your 40 Ford .

BTW , the front ends are just fine ! You can get anything you want to spend all your money on for that 40 front end but Henry Ford made a great front end for that car ! Disc brake conversions are common .

Now if you are building a "Street Rod" then maybe you should look on a "Street Rod" forum . This forum is for "TRADITIONAL HOT RODS" .
Street Rods are for people with lots of money to pay someone else to build it for them .

Thick skin is needed to survive !

Retro Jim

 

My 40 Ford all stock reverse eye springs mitchel over drive

 

Factory Ford front end is the way to go, just go through it and make it like new again. The engine should fit right in without mods, as far as the rear i would go with an 8" or 9" rear before the s-10.

 

Don't worry about the bullies on the playground (HAMB included). The best way to deal with them is to pick out the biggest, ugliest mother of the lot and punch him in the nose. Even if you get your hiney shredded you get a little cred. Now to your question. Used to be traditional meant something that came in a formula dictated by using Henry's parts in a specific order, like playing with tinker toys and following the directions to the 't'. (I thought that way, once, myself, until a fellow HAMBER put me in my place and made realize the name of the game is building what you want and not following the crowd, even if they call your mama names and spit in the sandwich you brought to school for lunch.) Then came the New Wave of folks who wanted to have their cake and drive it, too. Independent front suspension is not a dirty word. If you're going the Mustang II front-end route keep in mind one simple fact: if you use strut rods and want the car down in the weeds they will scrape like the spurs on a cartoon cowboy trying to stop a cartoon nag with a lasso. Otherwise the kits that abound are endless. You can even find ones that bolt in if you're limited in your skill sets and can't weld for diddly, or don't have a welder, or don't want to pay someone to do it for you. (Look at what Bob Drake offers.) IF you're a good welder, check out Horton's Welder Series parts. It's a very user friendly solution to bucks down rod building. They have a lot of neat parts that can be bought to weld or are already welded. Tubular 'A' arms have become readily available and Speedway, to mention one seller of them, offers many choices in several price ranges. Freshly minted rack and pinions are also available, as well as universal joints, steering columns, or kits to use your old one. One Old School tip about rear-ends: use something like the 9" Ford that offers a drop out pumpkin. It has been called 'the poor man's quick-change' for good reason. And, never use a part just because you've got it. Think out your build. It's easier to hunt up good parts and follow a plan than to find yourself wondering, "What the hell was I thinking about?" With that said, I would refer you back to the suggestion that you do a little reading about the subject. Knowledge is power. It's easier to build something if you plan it out and know what you want to end up with, rather than ending up with a mess.

 

MAN , that is a hard act to follow.Get real ......ford in a ford (enough said)
"AND THE BOWTIE ROLLS ON"

 

And.. while you are at it, hit the search button for some great threads on 39-40 coupes like this one. Most of these cars are I beam/wishbone V-8 transplants. Lots of good examples to get an idea what you want yours to look like.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=320256

Here is my '39 with a dropped I beam and a big ass 389 Pontiac. The car rode and handled great and the engine only took a mild firewall set back.



Good luck and welcome to the HAMB. -Abone.

 

"And the Bowtie Should Stop at a Ford". I confess .........my 40 as a sbc. I have sinned.......................

 

Here is what I have used with great results. TCI MII, SBC no firewall modifications required when using CE or P&J mounts, Ford 8 0r 9 inch rear on parallel leaf springs TCI or CE work fine. You can do all of this yourself and have it welded if you don't have the skill. The combo is about as good as it gets for the 40. I prefer the dropped axle and split bones but that is my taste. (71 years old) Your thoughts are traditional in most people's mind. The MII has been around for 30 years.

 

God help me !!! I am about to sin too !!!! EVIL 327 How can it be so bad? It feels so good !

 

I can't think of even one bad thing to say about a 327....it's all good imo

 

The greatest thing that ever happened to a '40 Ford and a Small Block Chevy is CHASSIS ENGINEERING COMPANY - WEST BRANCH, IOWA!

They make GREAT stuff! Mounts for SBC, Bracket for modern GM steering gear with stock front axle, complete rear axle mounting kit, trans mounting kit, etc. etc.etc.

Stay with the front beam axle, dropped and reversed eyes on the spring. Use a '35 Spring or have the stock '40 spring shortened to '35 specs. It makes the front shacikles sit almost straight-in and eliminates front-end sway. Add a CE sway bar and you've got a real road racer that rides and steers great!

JG

 

Paul !, congrats to the find of the best looking car ever made
Don,t give a shit about those guys givin you complains about your ideas of parts for the car.
Fullfender cars are ok with ifs, nobody will ever notised it anyway.
Just make sure you get the right Stance and your are winner

You already got some great suggestions for the frontend here, another way to go is C4 Corvette but then you need to find shorter rack and make a new x-member.
But remember, a dropped restored stock frontend works fine to.

If you go with a sbc theres no need to recess the wall.
/martin

 

Like the others have said, get a Chassis Engineering catalog, some times there is no need reinventing the wheel. I would go with a dropped axle, and in mine I have always used a Granada 8'', except the 35 P.U. I'm building now has a 57 Ford (same width) 9''......because a friend gave it to me. Good luck with your car, your starting with an upper self car, their perfect if you don't go overboard.

 

I respectfully disagree, not everyone that owns or has owned a Street rod is loaded or has to pay someone else to build it.

 

I have buildt 40s with M11 fronts and with dropped axles.Prefer the dropped axle,old school and rides and drives as good as a M11.Any one want to go for a ride?

 

Build it how YOU want it.
Base your decisions on what YOU want it look, ride and drive like, and to serve the purpose you are wanting it to serve
Build it to the best your skills and wallet will allow.

Personally, I like them timeless. Built so they're not over-the-top traditional, or too "latest street rod magazine" trendy. By that, I mean a car that with a tire and wheel swap, it can look like it came from any era.

The nice part about 40's is you can put the later stuff under it, and for the most part, it doesn't show. It's not like an earlier Ford where the suspension is so much more visible.
I LOVE traditional parts, but I like being able to drive it anywhere, and not worry about finding parts for a flathead, 39 trans, or a banjo rear at the local parts store. If the car was just for around town driving, I'd be a lot more likely to run more traditional parts under it.

I've had mine for 29 years. If I had known then, what I know now, I would have done many things different. My Dad and I built it during the early 80's when I was a young teenager. It received a few of the dreaded "Street Rod" modifications, but I have changed many of those things. There are several others that I would still like to do, but the budget just doesn't allow for it right now.
Chassis wise, It has a 350/350/9 inch combo set up with Chassis engineering parts. Up front it has a Mustang II using a stock MII crossmember. Back when we did it, there was no options for aftermarket crossmembers, so we followed what a local rod builder was doing, and widened a stock MII crossmember....BIG mistake. It set the wheels out wider, and bumpsteers like a bitch. After almost 30 years, the only thing I would do different as far as the chassis goes, is put in a aftermarket crossmember so the track was right, so I could lower it about another 2-3" in the front, and put a stick in it. The stick was something I wanted when it was 1st built, but I let my Dad talk me into the automatic. I still regret that choice!!

Thats my 2 cents, but like I said....Build it the way YOU want, not how we say you should!

 

i've got a 70-71-72 maverick rear for mine, and 15''x8''et's (torq-thurst knock offs) with a 1-1/4 of space between rims and inside fender.it's a 8'' rear in the maverick btw. welcome.

 

dropped axle, 525 box, disc brakes--handle great--parallel leaf kit in rear with 8 or 9 inch rear. No need to hack firewall for sbc. Chassis Engineering stuff is great as others have mentioned.

 

I believe the options depend on how you plan to use the coupe. I agree with one post here ...I had a 40 coupe when I was a teenager ...it had an Olds 324 Rocket . It had the stock front axle and I don't recall any difficulty with the steering. But then I only drove secondary roads... don't know how it would have been at highway speeds.

I'll probably get grief for saying this, but if you want a local driver the flathead would do fine if you have or can find a good one. If you want something really dependable go with a modern small block Ford of Chevy. I've had a flathead , an Olds and SBC in these cars and I'll take the SBC any day over the others. Find an 8 or 9 inch Ford rear end. I run a Granada 8 inch in my 48 and I believe it, or the slightly narrower Maverick, would work well in a 40. Between the rear end width and wheel backspacing you can get the right combination for a good fit. The nice thing about these rear ends is that you can pull the pumpkin to change the ring and pinion. Much easier to set up on the bench rather than in the car.

I put a Fatman Mll in my 48 with 11 inch disc brakes and a power rack. With sway bars front and rear ( on an 8-inch Granada rear) it handles like a dream. I'm running a 350 SBC ,700R4, and 3:55 rear gears.

If I were starting over today I would leave the stock front to see how it worked. I would run a 302 Ford with a manual 5-speed and the same rear setup. Good Luck, John

 

Welcome to the HAMB and all its' glory, you'll have fun here.
I would advise to figure out what you got first. A '40 coupe has been hotrodded, drag raced and modified to hell and gone since the early fifties, unless you have a rare bone-stocker i'd be figuring out what somebody else has whacked out of it to make a gasser etc.
The one sure thing about the '40 is the fitment of the front sheet metal, it is a puzzle where one panel relies upon the fitment of another panel - kinda diasy chained together instead of sharing a common subframe tyeing it to the chassis. Because of the fitment alone i would keep the stock front suspension and that will give you a fighting chance at haveing a good fit on the hood. If you look how that hood sits you will see a fastener tyeing the inner and outter fender together, the hood will have a litlle rubber bumper and when closed that bumper will sit on that fastenor - and it is no mean feat to make that happen. A friend owns a '40 built by a master with tci frame, they had the body on and off the frame over 60 times befor that stuff would align perfect. I have worked on other '40s with subframes and suspension kits etc and all of those kits i have worked with require whacking the inner panel and the radiator core support gets shifted - because of the daisy-chained panels you will have a nightmare getting everything to align - ever wonder why so many 40's run around without a hood? Now you know. Keep as much stock ford stuff under the front as possible.
I'd reccommend a nice ford motor - as soon as they start to make one, in the meantime sbcs fit in the really nice, an olds or nailhead buick or a caddy you would be the tits.
I driven them with the transverse leaf and didn't know it until i crawled under it (that one has a 12bolt and early ladder bars) but i am not a big fan of the transverse as they can tighen your sphincter when letting off going thru the traps.
Again, i would do a detailed inspection to figure out whatever was done to it in the past befor i compunded an existing problem, i just bet the crossmember is whacked to hell and gone and has a plate holding it together with a combination of 3/8ths and 5/16ths bolts of various lengths for transmission removal - that kind of thing.
Need some pics or it don't exist! is another motto around here.
Merry Christmas and Have a Safe Holiday! oj

 

You have come to the right place for ideas and pictures of what others have done. My preference if for a dropped axle and split bones for the front, 9 inch ford rear somewhere around 56-1/2 inches to 58 inches wide will work depending on wheel choice. As others have said, Chassis Engineering has everything you need and great guys to answer questions. Good luck and have fun with your car.

 

NVR,

Listen to these guys about 40's....esp. the Coupes. They know what they are talking about. It has taken me some time to get on track with my Coupe....but I'm movin forward and continue to collect many parts and ideas. I will learn from your thread as well......and should be starting my own build up shortly. Stay focused...unlike me... on your Coupe. I kept getting sidetracked with the 39 Flatty I had....great car and a turnkey driver, but now its gone and I can get going on the coupe. Congrats on finding a great car....40's are icons out there, so do us proud!

Murph

 

Gentlemen
Wow this is a kick ass board!!
I have been a member of boards for Mazda RX7, Subaru, Corvette, BMW and E30 Spec Racing for the last 8 years. I felt I was older than most of its members.
The vibe here makes me feel like I am with my peer group.
Same number of helpers and haters.
I have made a real mistake by not qualifying the build and my intended use.
Having been retired for the last 6 years I am in my second childhood and have always loved motor sports. I currently have an E30 Spec Racer but no racing license yet. This build is a low budget driver. I bought the car when I saw it on Craig's List for $1500. It is a mess. It was driven in the winter and the salt ate her up.It has no engine, transmission, floor pan, steering, interior. etc.. With a limited skill set and budget, I intend to do what I can to make it a nice looking driver. I went to Hershey and got a Bob Drake one piece floor pan and both rear quarter panels.I have all the fenders, hood, grill, dashboard. trunk lid and doors, which are all in decent shape compared to the pan.
Pictures are attached. Note the hacked cross member.
Thanks for all the positive advise. My learning curve will be huge, so keep it coming.
Paul

 

That "hacked" crossmember is very minimal, and was done to clear the fuel pump on a SBC. If you use a Chassis Engineering motor mount kit you'd probably have to make the same notch for clearance.

With a chassis as complete as you have, I'd go with a dropped axle, motor mount kit, X member/wishbone split kit, and parallel rear leafs from Chassis Engineering. Very simple and mostly bolts in. Great stuff for a first-time hot rodder. You'll have plenty of fun time to spend putting the new floor and quarter panels in.