Projects building a low budget bellybutton 40 ford coupe

You did ask for my opinion, didn't you!?!
I think it's perfect as it sets. I wouldn't change a thing....

 

Thats really cool with the re-positioned chevron tail lights! draws the eye downward. at first glance you think somethings different here

 

I would say that's about a perfect stance, along with the fender "lip-fit". You will appreciate having a little extra clearance, both for lock-to-lock turning and speed bumps. (Having to stock extra chin pans is a pita) Also diggin' the t-lights relocate and the recessed license plate! (Family looks happy with it too...)

 

Spare tire, jack, tank of gas will lower the rear. Don't do too much until final weight is on the car


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That looks great.. Now come on with the other one. I want to hear more about that one.

 

THAT'S the spirit!!!!! Looks great!

 

looks good from my neighborhood. actually, would like to see it roll thru my neighborhood with me behind the wheel. looks great as it sits

 

That thing is looking good and the homebuilt aspect is really inspiring.

 

Love it Travis......

 

Hey thanks for everyone's comments and interest!

I'm working on the wiring right now,
trying to weed out some of the unused wires.
I must have had a big roll of black wire as they all look the same!
Hoping to start it up this weekend.

I really wanted to run brake lines today as I was in the mood,
but studied about proportioning/combination and residual valves instead.
Funny how simple the stock juice brakes were without all that stuff.

Anyway thanks again for the comments it's a motivator!

TP

 

Love this car man.

 

Travis, Keep on working on your '40. It is sure sitting just about perfect. Keep on working !

Dave

 

Travis,
Keep us in the loop on your brakes! Some of us old geezers need some schoolin'.

 

What a great stance. If it was a tudor it would be a bit lower when the kids were in the back. When you got somewhere and they were pushing on the set backs to get out and you'd wish it was a four door. No matter what there is no perfect hot rod, but for a "practical" driver you are closing in on it. The old paint is even a plus.

 

When the 2 boys were little they'd crawl in the back and sit on the opera seats no problem.
Now the oldest is as tall as me and he still thinks he's a 5 year old when he goes back there.
Once this car is running I'll know how practical it is for us to have it!
I had my eye on a sweet 39 fordor before this teardown but don't tell anyone.

I've got little pile on the way out here so looks like next week.
Definitely took some schoolin' to figure out!

The faster this one gets out of the garage the faster the rusty one gets some attention!

***********************************************

Okay so here's the current progress.
Last friday I really thought there was a chance to hear it start,
even just for a second.
So I made a short list and tried to cross things off.
However,
say you're hiking and you see the peak off in the distance.
Doesn't seem too bad,
til you get to the closer peak and see there's a ton of hidden valleys to climb!

One hack trick is using RTV for exhaust gaskets.
I've used it on our new and old vehicles with good success.
The most important thing to do is let it cure for a day before start,
otherwise it will blow out!

The wiring had gotten a little sloppy somehow over the past couple years,
and this pile was pulled out.
There were some doubled up wires and weird roadside fixes going on.
A couple were gauge wires which will need to be redone.

My form of keyless ignition had been a series of toggle switches.
They were on the bottom lip of the dash,
and after a year or so they'd start twisting around.
It had been so long since I drove it,
that I forgot what the switches switched.
That aluminum bracket will clear up a few brain cells!

So this is the cleaned up wiring loom.
Well now there's some fuses in it.
Later on I'll zip tie the wires a bit better.

Saturday roared by but at least there was some progress.

TP

 

Looks great. I like how tucked up underneath the dash all the wiring is but how readily accessible the fuses are.

 

A retired electrician helped redo all the wiring when we first got it running.
He made it as confusing looking as possible,
but it's actually logical.
That splitter box on top basically feeds the lights.
The RPU fuses are a PITA to get to,
so it was important to make this box easier to see.
You might notice the custom mount there too.

*************************************


Okay so here's TV part 1 -
Sunday started slow as usual,
and the list was growing longer.

There was a bit of a hassle going with the stock 2-barrel MC 2100 carburetor.
This carb isn't set up for the AOD TV cable.
I've known about this and had some ideas floating around,
and it was time to pick one out.
A clean dry carburetor seemed easier to work on,
so it was a priority to figure this out.

Okay first off I mentioned earlier going with the stock Ford TV cable.
I really like the design and it was already here.
A friend has the Lokar kit and basically I don't like it,
although it works.

So first off I found out that the bronze bushing is inbetween most washer sizes.
No problem a little filing and one was custom fit.

Ricky's big tip was having the throttle distance equal to the TV distance,
basically at a 1:1 ratio.

This made it easier as the measurement wasn't important,
just that they were equal.
Thankfully I've got some precision instruments!

Some quick filing and ...

The new washer fit to the proper placement...

Now the carburetor was set up for a TV cable!

By now it was getting late and I thought maybe there was a chance to start it.
The carb was installed and the fuel line tightened and...

No gas...
The fuel pump was one of the reasons I started this swap,
and if I had just replaced it earlier this may have stayed a flathead car.

So now a Carter pump is on order,
and it will be a little longer to get it started.
So much for the weekend thrash!

TP

 

Every night an hour or two was spent on the 40,
so now a bunch of easy stuff could be checked off - fan wiring, tranny fill,
stuff like that.

Today was early off day and the mission was to finish the TV cable.

so here's TV PART II


This is the business end of the Ford TV cable.
There's a bunch of little zip tie like teeth that lock the box in place,
using a push in clip thing.

Here you can see the amount of adjustment it offers.
In the background you can see the template starting to grow.

The bracket was whittled out using some of my finest scrap.

Crude but effective!
There was a couple test fits in between those pictures!

The bracket was placed in the middle of the adjustment area.
The box was easily adjusted to match the now permanent distance.

This same TV cable was adjusted the same way when the Lincoln was put back together,
without the line pressure gauge that is suggested.
We drove it for a couple years and it shifted fine,
so I'm hoping this will work without too much fuss.
There's still time to do the gauge check just in case.

Here's where I'm at right now.
I've ordered a bunch of stuff to continue on,
so instead of rushing to hear it run,
I'll just continue to cross stuff off the list...

TP

 

really like this project

also your fab-work seems pretty cool to me - wish i had the balls to cut a frontaxle

looking forward to see the progress 'n keep fingers crossed it won't take that long until the engine starts first time

 

Travis....this is really getting down the home stretch!! Damn, buddy...she looks sweet! Perfect stance!1 Sure wish I would have known that you were looking for some 50's Ford 15" wheels....I have 4 of them just sitting here!!

Keep it up Bro!

 

Travis, Looking like the '40 is getting some great mechanical love. Will be looking forward to seeing her spiining the rear tires at the next lite !

Keep it up there Travis.

Dave

 

Great build, lots of innovation, Your use of copper reducers for making your rad hose is a much better solution than the pieces of exhaust pipe I used to connect the hoses to route my lower rad hose..

 

Great thread---gotta love the 40's.

 

Travis....c'mon man...you've got be getting close here!!! The suspense is killing me!!

 

Travis, The '40 should be running by now ? How does she drive ?

Dave

 

Dang a month goes by quick.
I may have seemed to stall out,
but there has been a little progress out here.



First off about a month ago I whittled a column bushing out of some plastic.
It took 2 tries but that's what happens when you're using the machining equivalent of a claw hammer and a tree stump.



The original shaft was used so I opted for a weld and pinned u-joint.
It seems strong.
I did the same thing for the RPU and they've lasted 10 years so far.

Then a month passed by.
Over the memorial day weekend we visited the local car/swap,
and by a stroke of luck I found the one thing that needed to give me the spark to get on with this.



The only SBF points distributor in the whole lot - $20!
I've had some frustration with this project,
as I experimented with that electronic ignition trick.
It may be easy but I was a bit lost as to how to troubleshoot the wiring.
With points it's so easy to do static timing,
there's no mystery.

There is a beauty adjusting the timing with only a wired light bulb.
I'll retry the HEI/duraspark later on,
but for now I've got to dumb it down!

There was a handful of little issues to address,
rewiring, tightening things up etc. before a test start.
The leaky carburetor was swapped out with another 2-barrel,
but it seems to be a pressure regulator situation.
For the test start I could only fill the carb bowl up.
After realizing the distributor was off 180 degrees,
the engine started the second try!
Super smooth too for the 10 seconds til the float gas dried up,
good enough with no coolant!
Always a good feeling to hear the first run.

Seemed like the alternator was charging too,
although this pic shows it low but the engine was just dying out.

Anyway this was last night,
and it was a great way to plan out the weekend.
Now I doubt I'll go to the antique nationals,
I'd rather work on this!

TP

 

Looks good man!! Getting closer and closer......

 

This is AWESOME!!!

 

i'd like to learn more about the light bulb timing trick. that looks like a great set up to put in your road toolbox...impress your friends with your McGuyver timimg light...

 

Both are looking good.