I have a folding top and live just up the slab from you, wouldn't build one without it around here. I have defrost louvers on mine, and there was just no room for hoses (Also have wipers under the dash). I ended up making the tubes out of resin to fit around everything. A lot of work for something I haven't used but maybe once in the 6 years I have been driving it. I look forward to seeing it complete one of these days.
Yes the Template Roadster is a very good example, to try to mimic. Matt @x77matt , did a great job on it. Coldstream Rod Shop is a good channel, too.
@1971BB427 yeah it was at the ABFM; I enjoy it. My favorite part is doing the slalom on the track. Short of one track day in a different MGA, it's the only time I get to get on track. Well, riding around in the land cruisers on the motocross track is fun too. Thanks for the good words!
@Bandit Billy We're on the same page regarding the defrost. I was thinking maybe some straw-like tubes up to the top (in a line near where they come out), louvres like the MGA on top, and running them back to gather in a round shape to mount the hose to. Epoxy in between the holes. I also bought a fiberglass top from Tim with a T that I might get on there someday. I also have one for the MGA but I've never got it working. My side yard has two fiberglass car tops in it ha. Thanks for the comments!
@tim troutman Thanks! Hadn't thought about the tires aging out but that's a great point. I've gotten kinda use to the snow tire look though, maybe this needs to become my ice racer ha
Neat build, Im over by eugene. I hoard and sell traditional bits if you ever need something old and unique. If youre ever in the area feel free to holler and stop by!
@oliver westlund Thank you, much appreciated. My goal is to get it running stock and then add cool parts after. I do have Frieberger's "Don't get it right, just get it running" shirt
Also, keep an eye open for 32 stuff. I snagged an original shell and insert for 600 local on marketplace last year. It does happen! Takes a lot of checking and being quick!
@isaiah1000 Nice build , I have seen afew start off & built this way since 1983 ,piece by piece .There was a build thread here about 10ish years ago , the 32 called Frankenstein & another where a body was pulled from a river side & out of bank. I sure many other's
Not for sure the Frankenstein 32 was the build title of the thread but it has a unique story from what I can remember the car was start to be built in Williamsburg Virginia the 32 started from a cut up of a 4-door or 2 door sedan with multiple parts, to make a 32 5 w , the build thread was about 2-3 years in , the builder found a Like a perfect 32 5w body hanging in a barn in Va , for like 30-40 years , Maybe a guy that went to Vietnam ? Body was purchased, The Frankenstein 32 now a 5 w body , Not finished was sold to another HAMBer out of maybe country I think Sweden, it not it was over sea's , The body was put into a Sea Container was on its way to Dock / Port , For some reason Not to Va beach area which has like 5 ports & only 130 miles away from Williamsburg and there's a few smaller ports within 30 miles of Williamsburg , It was shipped to west coast Claif , witch 3,500 ish away , Any ways back to story , Some where between Va to port , Crate or Sea container was lost, The buyer started a thread asking what to do , Keep eye's out for , car was unique and unmistake able , I believe 5-6 months Later From my understanding insurance company paid for lost , So buyer purchase a United Pacific body with insurance money,, Then one day The buyer came home from work around 8 months to a Year 1/2 later after lost , There was a Big Crate in his drive , Come to find out it was the Frankenstein 32 body , from there I do not know where the story went or goes ,
Just a post to keep this kind of up-to-date in case I end up with questions. I spent more time than you’d probably believe trying to get the cowl back into shape. It’s still not perfect but I think it’s close enough that a little bondo can deal with it. I don’t know if this will be useful for someone, but, with the bead roller wheels I have, I couldn’t get the 32 bead shape. Before buying something else, or making new bead roller wheels, I tried hammering a bead over a piece of round bar. It worked better than I expected. I had to relax it a little with the hammer after I took it off the bar, but I’m happy with the patches (I neeeded to patch my cowl because it was from a closed car and where the window pillars went up had to be fixed). I found a heater with a slight art-deco look. A Chevette heater core was small enough to fit in it. There’s a problem that the Chevette was designed to be mounted sideways but I put the hoses at the bottom and my hope is that the hot water will rise on the side it’s coming in on and fall on the other side. We shall see. I had a friend plastic print a piece that would fit in the top window for a hose to defrost. I installed MGA vent chrome and Vintage Air ducts. The same friend printed some wedges to get the ducts out of the cowl at the angle needed to clear the dash. They’re mounted and I think the system might work (hinging on the above mentioned core layout). I installed a stereo and speaker in an old Motorola box. I wanted to use a 37 Ford control head, but that took a little thinking. I’m going to leave the volume up on the amp, and then run the speaker output to an inline volume control (controlled by the 37 head) is what I eventually came up with. I’ll use the other knob to turn on the heater fan probably. Laying out the dash was fun, getting to use a little creativity after a month of hammering a cowl. I tried to retain some ‘32 look. I did fix the column drop, something I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do. I never found a “how-to” but I figured it out. Maybe I should have made a how-to but too late now, I didn’t take pictures as I fumbled along. Next up, I still need to get my rockers welded in, weld the B pillar supports and bolt in the side seat riser supports. I need to fix the headlights (I bought some reflector kit) and mount them. The hood also needs some help, the bottoms are both split at the middle and one side is a little bent upwards towards the rear/bottom.
I’m a little too late finding this build thread, but, I really like the Devall style windshield, too.. I’ve seen some real slick homemade 16 or so, gauge sheet stainless ones that sandwich the glass between the 2 layer thick posts and held together with some bolts. The windshield can be built to fit the cowl, instead of fitting the cowl to the windshield. Maybe good info for your next build, as you are way past the windshield/cowl problem solving stage.
Good morning (writing this on a nice Saturday morning)! Any chance anyone in the Portland area has a pair of 7.50x16 that are cracked and laying in their yard and want to get rid of them? I'd like to see, with my bolt pattern adapters and old Ford wheel's offset, where exactly the rear tire is going to end up, but I'm not ready to buy new tires yet (I think my project has another year to go, at least). These tires will not be for driving; I'll just throw a tube in them and they'll be for garage holding up the car purposes only until I get new tires. So they could be the ones you're taking to the dump "some day" ha. If I can't find these, it looks like a 245/75R16 could tell me some things (although they're a bit wide) and I see a lot of those on Craigslist. Let me know if someone knows a better modern size for mocking up. The studded wheels/tires I have on there now are the same diameter as 5.25x16, so the big rears are really the ones I'm curious about, although a pair of smaller fronts would allow me to mock up the front Ford wheels too... although I might be able to transfer these studded tires over if they're not too wide since the wheels are 16. Hope anyone that reads this has a great Saturday in front of them.
So I found a cheap pair of 235/85r16 tires locally and got them on my car with the wheel lug-pattern adapter and Ford wheels I'm thinking of using. On a hard corner (or bump) these tires would rub, but I think I'm good for when I buy some Coker Firestone 7.5s because they appear narrower at the top, and are narrower than these tires per the specs. Anyone have a pair of Coker Firestone 7.5x16s that would be willing to measure how wide they are at the top so I could feel re-assured before I buy a pair someday? Would be appreciated! This is me compressing the suspension and where they hit -
I'm not sure it's too close, that's why I was hoping for a measurement; maybe I could just reach out to Coker. This tire is supposed to be roughly 1" wider, per the specs (and slightly taller), and they're only hitting about a half inch into the tread; also, this tire has a much more aggressive sidewall pattern. That's why I'm hoping someone could measure across the top of their firestone 7.5x16. I'm thinking/hoping I could be just right.
Isaiah, I have been following your build from day one and think you are doing a great job. I do have one piece of advice and please do not think that I'm criticizing your work. Purchase a tubing bender. If you tighten up and bend nice 45 and 90 degree bends on your brake and fuel lines it will really look a lot nicer. I have a few, but the ones I would recommend are Imperial-Eastman #367FH that will do 1/8"-3/16" and 1/4" lines and a Gould-Imperial that will do 1/4"-5/16" and 3/8" lines.
The Jalopy Journal
