Projects Model A Late 50s Traditional/Survivor

Well, finally decided to dig this out and do something with it again. This little A started my addiction to cars. My uncle started it in the late 50s when he was in high school. He later got busy with college and medical school and never got back to it. It was stored in a barn on my grandparents farm. As I was growing up, anytime we visited my grandparents, I would pull off the tarp and dream. I ended up with it about fifteen years ago when my cousin lost storage and it was kicked outside and stored by a bluff in Tennessee.

My uncle originally set it up with a Chevy 265 with a tri power and a '40 or so Ford ****** with torque tube setup. For sake of reliability, I'm going to use a 9 inch with a 4 link. I'm also thinking about using a 425 Nailhead with dual quads and a Turbo 400. When I first got the car, I had the bright idea of cutting off the windshield posts and setting it up with a roadster windshield. Since then, I've seen a few pictures of traditional rods with a short windshield and cut down windshield posts. Am debating about returning it to that style.

Not sure how to refer to it. It's not really a survivor because it was never finished. It's not really traditional because it was built, but not finished, back in the day. I do know it deserves to be finished finally.

 

Pretty cool to get a car from your past.

That looks like a dropped axle? Somewhat unusual with the spring-ahead front end.

Can't tell if that is the actual total channel or if the body is not mounted

 

Great start to a real hot rod

 

You mentioned putting roadster windshield posts on a non-roadster body.... here is a car that was on ebay a long time ago. I saved the pics as I really liked the entire build. It's a 1940s style. I prefer mid-late 50s style myself , but this one looks great too.

It looks like roadster posts but maybe a closed car windshield frame, not sure

 

Cool, great to see what your doing.
I built my own at the end of the 1950s, also spring forword of axle,I used a 1948 frontend on my rod.

There seems to be a lot of nutting things done now in the name of "How it was"but was not.!
Just as a tips,try not too do the now trendy **** going on. Rust an holes need fixing,patina was ****y paint that need redoing to nice shiny,Primer was not though of as cool or a finel finish,only something before the cool shiny was added. Drivible low was cool,but lower then about 3in. looked just stupid as hell. By the late 50s, 6 to 8in. wide rear tires were the cool thing,seeing less on a OHV v8 powered rod is wrong time frame for motor. Big old over size headlights we put in the trash can,never used that ugly ****,7in. sealbeams were cool,not the big junk.
Looking forword to your build.
This is info on my rod that maybe helpfull ;http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...ng-on-my-hotrod-28a-from-1959-rebuild.793393/

 

Great accurate post from someone that was there, Dana..


Not too many people care to hear about what REALLY was normal back then. Instead the builds today represent nothing of the past IMO. I guess they don't believe the old pictures from back then.



Thanks, for enlightening the "m***es".

.

 

Another spring-ahead old rod....Here is a chopped/channeled 30 chevy roadster pickup built in 1959/60 in Boston area.

It also has a dropped axle, and it was chromed and drilled, too. Also, it has handmade chromed hairpins which is unusual for a spring ahead.

Small headlights still on it as well as the original old front tires. I never got the rear wheels or tires, so I don't know what size those were.


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Yes, stick with the spring in front thing, that is what I run in my '30 tudor.

 

Well it has survived in that condition since the '50s and it is traditionally built as in so far there are no late model parts on it.

If I had the original windshield stations I may be tempted to use them cut down.Cut down originals is probably what a high school student with limited funds might do. If not and I had a line on roadster stations or a Duvall/Hallock type of a setup I may be tempted to go in that direction. Original cut down would be my first choice, I have seen them done that way and like the look.

I lie a spring on front setup, it has its drawbacks, it does move the front axle centerline back a little bit which shortens the wheel base. This can be a problem on a fender car but not a real problem on a fender less car other then changing the way that it handles a little bit. With a heavy engine moving the axle center back can cause them to bull dog a little bit. Shouldn't be much of a problem in the A as most of the weight is still behind the axle centerline.

Anyway neat old car should make a neat old project.

 

Thanks for the replies and pictures. The spring in front of axle finally makes sense.

The body is loosely mounted to the frame. Although the car sits quite low, there should be 6 - 8 inches of clearance at final ride height. The body is channeled 9 - 10 inches. Due to the fact I'm 6'3" and not a lightweight, I had the frame lowered through the body of the car while retaining the original channeled frame height front and rear. I thought it would be more enjoyable to sit in the car while driving as opposed to on the car as the frame pretty much ran through the middle of the p***enger compartment.

The axle is a lowered axle. . Haven't investigated the brakes yet. Any easy way to determine if they are self energizing and adjusting?

The build is going to be a restoration/completion with certain concessions to comfort and safety as opposed to a new build. I really appreciate the advice from those who were there and have done it before.

 

". Haven't investigated the brakes yet. Any easy way to determine if they are self energizing and adjusting?"

From what shows of the front backing plates, I don't see the lower adjustable brake shoe anchors. Those would be on the earliest Ford Hyd brakes starting in 39. So, they appear to be later type used up to 48.

Either way, they are not self energizing, and not self adjusting. Lots of these are still used today, and a lightweight car like that, can be made to stop OK.

 

Well I am seeing a mild dropped axle and kinked radius rods. You almost never see bent radius rods any more that is definitely an Older trick that most have abandoned although I am not sure why. it is an easy way to gain turning radius when splitting the bones.

Looks like someone had identified your brakes for you I was going to say that the easiest way would be to open them up. You still have to do that so opening them up would not have been an issue for me.

Looks like someone planned on running the exhaust out through the cowl. Neat trick.

What has it got for front wheels? yea I know steelies but I would like to see them or otherwise know just for my own curiosity.

 

not to overwhelm you at this early time in the build but the shackles look like they are too much straight up and down. you want them to be more 45* angle, the way I did this was to heat and bend the part of the wishbone forward of the axle to the outside and let cool. Then bend the shakle mount area back straight.

And yes the spring in front thing does shorten the wheel base 3 1/2" (i think) but I streached the frame 5 1/2"

 

I actually think that the axle in front has it in spades. Stretching the frame or moving the cross member is a must but I have seen a lot of cars where it was just bolted together with the cross member in the same place too. Some of them just don't look right and others seem to pull it off real well with nothing more then just bolting the axle in. I can't put my finger on it why that is but some seem to look OK while others don't.

Me I would probably just stretch the frame a little bit and be happy with the result.

 

yes, stretching the frame worked out great for me, I did not want to cut the firewall to get the Y block in and I was boxing the frame anyway.

 

LOL that's where you and I differ a little bit, I would cut the firewall and stretch the frame. LOL

 

OK I scrolled and missed this how many times?

So I really got to know what is happening with the old Chebby? Is that a Ford motor in the frame? sacrilege. LOL I wonder what the Ford in a Ford guys would say about it.

 

ummm... not really a Ford motor... The car was built with an early 303 Olds Rocket, I was given 2 old color 35MM slides taken in 1960 showing the motor..

the original motor was long gone, for decades... It now has 1957 Olds 371 old race motor with pop-ups, big solid cam, stick. I most likely will put a 303 back in. I have one.



As far as spring ahead changing wheelbase.... there have been several old builds on hamb lately that had the front spring mount moved ahead. Mine is also. I also think the Model A in post ONE also has a relocated spring mount. Car does not look like axle is closer to cowl

 

I haven't been around here much lately, but reading that reminds me how much I miss reading your posts.

 

LOL I completey missed that it was a rocket ( and should not have) I looked and my brain said look its a 312. Duh Oh.

So if you must have one I have a 394 race motor and B&M dual range if you want it. I still have to screw it back together. So seeing as how I have been so generous you could just no ****** I'll just give you the chevy instead. LOL

Nice old ride, I see it cruising in my brain as we speak.

@Ulu, Ther is always email friend or I could give you my number if you really need a bean fix while you are away.

Thanks you made me feel good.

 

LOL thanks Porkn****** . . . I just need to quit working so late and get in here more often. Lotta stuff going on at the ranch & almost none of it is hot-rod related.

 

Nice project! I always enjoy reading about projects with a history, there has to be quite a collection of unfinished cars from the 1950's-60's. My '30 Roadster was one of them when I found it in 1962. If you plan to add 30-31 Roadster posts to your project all the parts are available from Brookville. Look forward to more updates and photos. Bob

 

Porkn******, here's an angle that shows one of the front rims. Unfortunately the other side is a later model rim, so I'll have to locate a match for the older style.
The rear rims were the same style, but widened by taking two of them and cutting and welding them together. I hadn't planned on using them initially because they don't have the refined/stock look of the widened rims currently being made by certain rim manufacturers. However, after seeing the various pictures and threads on the old builds, I'll pull them out and use them.

Thanks for the responses and pictures. They are really helpful.

 

I made a perch off of the cross member that puts the axle in the stock location so I can keep the stock wheelbase

 

I was actually thinking about this fix early this morning. A suicide type spring perch with the axle behind, you could even raise the mount that way to give yourself some more drop with an undropped axle. Slick setup there my friend (@rcavaliers ) both the spring perch and the motor mount.

 

This is why I keep looking on hamb builds.... Wow, look at all the stuff in that one picture; Filled Taffy axle, spring ahead, Olds Rocket with bling, Olds rear.. shezam

 

I hate to derail a thread, but it looks like this one had pretty much played out before rcavaliers resurrected it today, so let me ask, why spring in front? Is it to lower the ride height? Any other reasons?

 

In my area, it was a way to lower a front end on a 32-34 channeled rod build, without dropping the axle or buying one. The cars around here used a donor 39 Ford at the local wrecking yard, to get the later motor, trans, front and rear end, wheels, and pedals. You ended up with dirt cheap lowering, hydraulics, and better trans. It was a challenge to mount the radiator with spring ahead, but things were not so fussy back then...They made it work

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With me personally it case a case of using what I had. The wishbones were actually heated and bent to be run upside down and they had evidence of old chrome, i like to think that they were on an old hot rod at some point.

 

Exactly. We sometimes try to refine our rods too much. You use what is available and fits the budget, you also have to se your brain a little bit to make it all work.