Projects 60's Era Street/Strip Model A Coupe

Damn, that's just pure porn, chrome dash is just naughty!!

 

That chrome dash will look killer day or night, I bet it would look great at sunset, you make me want to go chrome something lol

 

Thanks all! I appreciate it.

There are a few more pieces of the interior to be chromed. Then the exterior stuff like the running boards, hairpins, and maybe ladder bars and a few little odds-and-ends. Mostly though, I want to do stuff that's easy to upkeep.

But even as I write that, I know it's just as easy to throw a few more items into the pile each round... hahaha.

@catdad49 I have a mini split but if it's too cold, it can't keep up. So, I bought a 50 amp commercial salamander heater. It's awesome, quiet, and it will take the shop from high 20s to 75 easily.

I had a kerosene unit that nearly took me out, years ago, when I was redoing the shop. I almost fell off a ladder hanging the ceiling and I was making all sorts of mistakes. The next it felt like a hangover. At some point I realized I hadn't opened the window and it was CO. After that, I ordered the mini-split.

 

So, who is doing your chrome work?

 

Northwest Chrome in New Plymouth, Idaho.

 

You're really moving along excellent with your build Brent - following closely and enjoying every step on your Model A!

 

OMG he chromed the dash. Coolest car on the HAMB. Those seats are absolutely perfect too. Early Mustang right??

 

Thanks for the compliment, truly.

I knew I'd run a 35/36 dash from the outset. Chrome was the plan, early on. When I saw Joyo's 36 cabriolet at the Roundup, it sealed it for me.



The seats are Mustang. I'm going to redo them with black 1966 covers.

 

Update...

I have been working my way through this rumble lid conversion. Howell's sheetmetal and Henry Ford aren't getting along.

I've been on this pretty much every day... I haven't cursed (out loud), yet, but I've been frustrated, deflated and tempted to hang a for sale sign on it.

A couple fitment problems have popped up - when I have time to post more details, I'll see what you all think.

 

We've ALL been there Brent. Just grit your teeth, motherfuck something of an unrelated nature, and dive back in. It'll all come together at once.

 

Ummmm...if you do get that frustrated and hang the for sale sign....can you call me first?

 

Model A Rumble To Decklid Conversion Part 1: Hinges

A little about me, I go into pretty much everything in life with the mindset that it's all going to work out. A little more about me... I think that's because I just refuse to quit and always have.

Okay, let's mess with an NOS 28/29 Model A rumble decklid.

There's a YouTuber (maybe he's a HAMBer, too?) where I got the idea to make these templates.






With the decklid set in, I knew there'd be some work. The lip of the rumble lid hit the latch/catch and it sat in there kinda funky.



1/4" seemed about right.



I figured getting gap and correct height set on the hinge side would answer some questions.



I put a couple drops of cutting oil on the bench top, it was grimy/dusty from work. I mixed it up and it allowed me to screw in the pin and transfer a mark to where I wanted the hole.

With the marked punched and holes drilled, I set it in and filed each hole and smidge to get the lid where I wanted it and then drilled the center hinge hole.





Noticing that it still didn't sit right, and the lid was too low in the bottom left corner (and hitting/overlapping the tail panel), I adjusted the hinge to give me a little better fitment.

Once it was close, I marked and drilled the second hole in the decklid. This one would have had a rivet from the factory and they'd use a prybar to adjust the decklid since it's an oblong hole. I definitely used that to my advantage.







I used the 1/4" dimple die to recess the hardware.

At this point I had the decklid in and out a few times and I could see that one of the main issues:





With the panels interfering like this, I didn't want to move forward with installing the handle. I wasn't able, anyway, with them hitting each other.

At this point I'm pulling all sorts of measurements - assuming it's the back end of the car since this body live a few rough lives before me. While it wasn't perfect, it was close enough for Model A standards...

As I'm staring at the panel, thinking. I was looking at the beadline at the bottom and for whatever reason, I wondered if the original was sharper... then it hit me, I should check to see if the panel is the same side-to-side.

It wasn't. This panel was about 3/16" longer on the left side. I changed what I could to drop it. The bottom bend I hammer a little flatter and adjust the mounting holes and got a little wiggle room.




On the left side, it barely hit and the right there's a 1/4" gap. At this point, I figured it's a problem for another day.

 

Also, this was from Pluck's Model A page, which is no longer around. Awesome resource to have if you're converting a rumble to trunk.

As well, I included a .pdf for those wanting to go the other way (trunk to rumble).

 

Model A Rumble To Decklid Conversion Part 2: Installing '37 Ford Trunk Handle



This latch was in the rumble lid. I removed it and put it in oil soon after I got the lid home. After a year of neglect, it's been sufficiently lubricated. I'd swirl it every so often. Hahaha.

I started with precision in mind. I measured, made a template, and checked and rechecked myself. I even accounted for the metal thickness.





... and I still ended up a little off! Haha. That's what files are for.



In the end, it all worked out. I'm going to go back and fix the holes in with a little weld. It's ticky-tacky stuff but there are a few things that have to be cleaned up and addressed later anyway.



With the latch in and done and the rubber bumpers installed so the decklid was sitting as it should, it latches well and sits firmly.



However, it's apparent that there is still an issue at that same corner.

 

Even though this coupe is meant to be a street/strip "thrasher" (with a little show-car bling), I think once you buy some metalworking tools, you owe it to yourself to take it as far as you can. Now, I know it'll never be like @NealinCA 's Old Chrome Coupe and while it's not supposed to be, cars/builders like that inspire me.

With that said, let's continue on.



The fact that there's something going on with this side of the car had me questioning myself. I measured and checked and the known issues point toward the trunk lid, too. When I say "I measured and checked", I mean it. I double checked the hinge holes being the same distance, I checked the hinge pin distance. I measured, heights, widths, check for square and so on. Nothing.

My assumption was that a mint condition NOS rumble lid couldn't be the issue. The problem, I figured, was this old A coupe that'd been cut-up and channeled, raced, left in a field, shot at, rusted, carted across the country in a truck bed a time or two, blasted, chopped, used as a shelf in a warehouse, and finally "saved".

Then I measured and measured again and once more to be sure. I wouldn't have guessed it - the left side of the lid is nearly 3/16ths longer, too.



I marked where it would be a fairly even gap.



After drilling the spot weld in the corner, I peeled back a little past where I needed to cut to.



I flattened out the bend as best as possible.



A line was scribed and used some snips to take a little sliver of steel off the inside piece. I marked a line on the skin and trimmed that. I cut in a new hole for the spot weld, too.



Matt Seret sent me a pic of the crescent wrench he uses to start bending the lip. I found an old wrench and took it over the bench grinder and sharpened it like his.



It worked well.



Much better! The gap isn't perfect but there is a little wiggle room with the tail panel.



Next "domino" to deal with is the gap on the left. The quarter/drip rail needs to be pulled in. That's next.

But, also on my mind is this - below.



More soon.

 

Looking good man! Aaron is in fact a member. His entire build thread of his A - a total gold mine of information - is all video updates/posts. Good stuff.

in regards to your trunk lid every single time I’ve had a similar issue where I’m trying to finesse it into alignment and proper space and I’m pulling my non existent hair out I end up talking to someone with a nice one and the conversation goes like this, with out fail.

“man that panels fits awesome! I can’t get mine to line up for shit I’ve been thinking the only thing I havnt done is to just cut it to fit and weld it up and be done with it” “that’s exactly what I did. It’s exactly what everyone has done to get it to fit like that. Factory these must have been terrible”

it’s just an old hot rod man. Cut it up weld it up do what ya gotta do.

 

@Tim you're right on. Awesome fitment to me is to have an issue here or there like those coupes that have lived with their original lids.

At this point, it's that corner of the car that needs some love.

I picked up a clamp like this and tomorrow I'm going to work on pulling the panel in and closing the gap.

 

MO-CLAMP! It’ll move or else!

 

Pulling the rear quarter into shape: It will move or else!

It's nearly 3am. The adrenaline from the thrash of the last 7 hours is fading but I'm here, writing, because I wanted to share the progress with someone!

The shop looks like a bomb went off... haha. I'm sitting under the heater looking at the back of the coupe and I'm pretty pumped.

This $20 clamp worked impeccably.



My first plan was to strap my trailer winch (which I think is smoked) to the winch bumper on the OT offroad truck in the shop. It was a great piece of redneck science, for sure. Unfortunately it didn't work... it was just version 1.0. Hahaha.



When that didn't work, I went to Home Depot and got some of that 70% off purple painted lumber. I grabbed two 2x12s and two 2x4 ten- footers. I walked out of there for $22.

I took the lumber and fabricated a mount that I could bolt the winch to and it sat against the subrail. I still used the strap on the bumper to keep the setup for tearing itself apart.



The current distance of the opening and the goal were marked on the tape. One access hole to put the measuring tape through was drilled to allow a couple reference points.



I used a mixture of moving the clamp around and working the edge, some heat to help, and I did some hammer & dolly work around the quarter into hopes that would release a bit.

It was springing right back until I started with lightly heating the panel and kept tension until it cooled.

Here are the results:




The gap is straighter and even the arch in the lower corner matches up a little better.



Look at the gap at tail panel, much better. The lower panel needs a little tlc but the gaps look the best they ever have.



And that's it for the night.

 

Waaay better!

 

W t g

 

Good job, looks 100% better.

 

Spent a few more minutes working on the rain gutter.

Here is what it looked like before (old pic):



And today:



I made a tool to help make an even bend that matches.

 

At one point there was sheetmetal screwed to the roof. We filled in the holes but the dents and waves weren't dealt with until tonight.

The passenger side was the rougher side, I still have to do the driver's side.

Here is the front, above the door. Before:



After:

I worked the weld seam for the 32 style header insert. There are a few more low spots I want to work on but it's 95% improved. My goal is very little filler... not for any other reason than it's a challenge.



Back passenger side, before:



After:



The waves around the welds are much flatters and the welds were filed a bit when the it was smooth.