I find that 'strange'......considering back in the 30'-40's almost EVERYBODY had a cigarette hanging out of their head ! Funny I never really noticed the absence........ 6sally6
they do have "smokers windows" https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ever-heard-of-smokers-windows.803332/
The fan looks like a '60's Chrysler piece. I liked them in the stock cars, they moved a lot of air. It may also be something from a Caddy. I may still have a couple around the shop.
Thx. Super Mod !!!..........never knew that. I do remember riding in the back seat in a car when I was a kid....The arm rests top lifted up and you could see the road passing under. The owner told me you throw your trash out that way ! (Not sure if he was on the level or not) 6sally6
I removed the front end today and ditched the original spring for a Pete and Jakes reverse eye one and then started on splitting the wishbone. I cut off the ball basically giving me as much length as possible because I wasn’t smart enough to take some measurements beforehand. I read the (Chassis Engineering) instructions hoping they’d indicate where the wishbone should be cut but instead they state: STEP 1-Before cutting or removing original wishbone take accurate measurements to use as reference points…blah blah blah. Oh well no worries, I’ll be able to get it close and there is quite a bit of adjustment in the threaded end that will bolt to the plate under the trans.
I’m still working on the wishbone, sneaking out to the garage when the wife isn’t looking. After cutting the ball off I tack welded the threaded inserts into the ends and bolted it to the plate. I then knocked the old spring shackles out of the front of the bones but since it left the casing behind I had to drill them out with a 3/4” bit. Since I’m using a reverse eye front spring which is narrower than the original I needed the wider shackle so I’m waiting on those from Pete and Jakes. Next I have to heat and bend the front of the wishbones so that they are perpendicular to the front axle and parallel to the spring.
Are you using a kit or did you source those springs and fab up the rest? I might could give it a go at fabricating the mounts, but i don't have any idea where to start with spring length or rate.
I finally got the front reverse eye spring installed along with bending the front of the wishbones. Getting it all together was a bit of a bear as I had to disassemble the super slide spring first, install the reverse eye leaf spring onto the pre-bent wishbones and the add the additional leafs. It’s hard to tell without front fenders on but the car is definitely sitting lower which I like. My buddy also dropped off a Carter 4bbl that he had no use for. I spent a couple of days cleaning it and rebuilding it. It’s a 625 cfm which should work fine for my motor. It’s a “Competition Series” whatever that means, I’m not really sure.
Well I was struggling for quite a while with a torque converter that wouldn’t fit properly in the back of the crank. It was almost 2 weeks of head scratching and lots of conversation on my “help” post but I finally got it sorted out and today I was able get motor and trans married and installed. I put an angle gauge on the crank pulley and it’s approximately a 5.8 degree downward angle so I’m thinking the rear should be set at a 5.8 degree upward angle? I should probably refresh my memory on setting up the correct pinion angle. I also want to install the slip yolk and measure for a driveshaft. I did pick up an original ‘55 Chevy driveshaft at Fall Carlisle last year that I’m pretty certain will have to be cut.
That is how I was taught. The pinion angle and the output shaft angle should be parallel or as close as practical. Remember to consider suspension flex, spring settling, and vehicle loading in setting it up. The rear of the car won't get lighter and raise up usually.
I generally wait to do the driveshaft till the project is near done. I like to have all the Curb Weight installed so the springs are loaded for final ride height. Don't forget to fill the gas tank or at least figure the total weight of it and add proper amount in the trunk to get there. After all that I add in 1" of spring settling on new springs adding more weight in the trunk to get there. Now I stick the slip yoke in the trans and just bottom it out and leave it. Next, I measure center to center of U-Joint holes and subtract 1". Now I have the number to build the shaft to. In this photo it looks like you have a lot of Air Gap between the top of the tire and fender opening. If you're going to try to get a better ground profile, be sure to do that before doing the drive shaft.
Thanks for all that valuable Info. Yes I’m not really satisfied with my rear wheel and tire selection and I have to make a decision on the front wheels also. From looking at other ‘39-‘40 Fords the L-78 x 15’s in the rear seem to be the best fit. I have a set of 15x7 steelies with 4 1/2” Backspacing and an old L-78 that I’m gonna mount and check for fitment. When it comes to the front I’ll have to get the front fenders on first before trying to find a good wheel and tire size.
I have a question. Looking at the front end/spring photos, the shackles are parallel with the floor. I don't think I've ever seen them that way, they have always been at an angle. Will these function the same way like this or could it be an issue?
Yeah, you have a good eye. I bought a Pete and Jakes reverse eye spring from a fellow HAMBER that told me it came off a 1940 Ford. I’m not disputing what he said but when I went for the install after splitting the wishbones there was no way in hell to use the original size shackles so I called Pete and Jakes and after I gave them all the measurements, they recommended the longer shackles that you see in the photos. I’m not real happy with the way It looks because I’m not sure it’s gonna function properly. Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome.
This tire is 29" tall and 8" wide when mounted and inflated. I don't know how that compares to an L-78 bit in my book it's fits and looks just right.
As for the spring/shackle set up, you'll be fine as long as the spring rate is good with GVW. In fact, it will stop shackle swing in the corners, kinda like a poor mans front panhard rod.
That is a Radial Tire. I mounted 4 different tires total to find the look I wanted. This one is a 235/75R15.
When done it will ware Hal's on all 4 corners. The rear Axle is a 9" Ford and to get where I want to be it needs a little mor off the ends to get me completely inside the fenders. That's why there is no wheel on the Tire in that photo. I had the housing completely removed to get the mounted wheel/tire unit in the fender opening.
Want to see more of this, do you have a build thread? These are L78's, Axle had to be narrowed and mini tubbed the inner fenders for clearance
No build thread. I never learned to type so I just have to Hunt-n-Peck to put anything up. In last October I got my second new shoulder installed. My 40 project was set aside being I couldn't physically function enough to build my Headers. I've been bumbling along on light duty on my F-100 project until I can get back to working overhead. I did not need to rework the inside of the wheelhouse on my Coupe. If I remember the numbers right I had 3/4" between the Tire and the inside of the fender lip and a full 1" at ride height on the inside shoulder and the inflated tire could move up 2" before making contact. I can live with that.
I found some cheap G-78 15” wheels and tires on CL and mounted them on the rear. They fit with no problem using the stock 15”x 5” wide Chevy rims. I have the room to go a little taller and wider if I stick to these rims, just not sure exactly how high and wide. All the different tire sizes combined with rim widths and backspacing can get confusing. To keep my sanity I started painting and assembling my grill.
That's a good size tire... Lookin' good! (If any one's interested in using bigger tires on the rear, the fenders shown below are available... They're old Wescotts I'm told and are in excellent condition)
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