Projects 32 5W Build - The $4K Swapmeet Body / The Old Chrome Coupe

Wow!

 

You pretty much nailed that one. Yes, there was a lot of thinking and over thinking involved. I had the general layout planned all along, playing off of the vintage photos posted above, but the number of louvers and spacing took a few times to get what we ended up with.

I had planned on 12 louvers in each row, but then saw this pic of Ed "Axle" Stewart's roadster. I really liked the longer row on top. The louvers are likely 4" and different spacing, but this was ultimately the inspiration for the what I ended up laying out.

16 upper row, 13 lower row...



15 upper row, 12 lower row...



While still starting and stopping the two rows in alignment with the existing louvers in the hood tops.

 

Sometimes over thinking things, results in an over the top Hot Rod. Keep it up!

 

You nailed it!

 

Looks great, adds nice detail interest.

 

This car looks outrageous in bare metal. I can't wait to see it painted. It's going to be knockout and one for the ages. Incredible car and meticulous execution. Bravo!

 

Since last Friday night was the last time this car was going to be together in bare metal, I took way too many pics. Here are a few more. The Milner shot was me living out childhood dreams I guess...haha.
The last pic from up high is still my favorite.

 

Very well done, as usual. This is your crowning achievement!

 

Cover worthy shot right here

 

This car is a big contender for the inaugural AMBC award - you guessed it - America's Most Beautiful Coupe Award.

truely sensational

 

Detail, detail, detail, very well done. The chrome rear frame covers and the planned chrome front fillers will be a continuation theme missed by many, but brilliant.

 

Can't think of a better word than "killer"... amazing work!

 

Neal, I've always thought that the angled hood top louver placement is perfect and the continued louver size on the sides looks like it was done in the '50s. Your vision and the great craftsmen who contributed to your Deuce transformed a rough survivor into a work of art. I agree with all the positive statements from the other HAMB members. Looking forward to the completion. Ron

 

Every time I look at this thread i'm just amazed at the level of skill and thought going in to this car.
Gonna be one of the best, or actually it already is one of the best.

 

over the top nice thanks for posting

 

That last photo is the cover shot, but I think that front quarter shot with the sunset in the background is the best of the bunch. Excited to see it in paint... hard to imagine this car becoming even better!

 

It's stuff like this that make a car "next level"

 

Yep Neal, like I said before, it’s gonna be”oh that 5 winder”. First class all the way sir.

 

The bedazzled solenoid.

I didn't like the look of the Ford style starter solenoid, so was trying to figure out how to make it look better.



I happened to find that 1-3/4" exhaust tube would just slip over, with some cutting and notching. I had some stainless tube leftover from the exhaust on the car, then I figured out an 1-7/8" freeze plug would slip over that, so I picked up a couple of those in stainless.



Did some trimming and polishing



And now the solenoid will have a little more bling

 

Wow! You never cease to impress!

Dave

 

Super cool!
How do you fix it?

 

A very clever solution to a most usually accepted "eyesore" to the masses! It reminds me of something that might have come from a J. C. Whitney catalog, but a much higher quality. For most guys it's a struggle just to get a car put together and running, but you sir come come along and seem to do it with that added style! Neal, you are the "king" of frost plug reuse ingenuity! It looks like a future product from the "Neal Jennings Garage"! 60 Special

 

Very clever, I’m curious if there is risk of arcing between pole through the cover?

 

Genius! How ‘bout some acorn nuts next?

 

I would think less chance than one of these full metal housing solenoids.

That's on the list for today!

 

I’m gonna be honest my mind completely blurred that the poles are completely outside of the cover and not inside lol what a brain fart

 

Great looking mod to the solenoid. There's got to be a market for some copies of that. Mart.

 

I'd be in for one.

 

Your coupe is Just amazing, hat off !

On hood sides.

My 5W coupe is all based out of LA speedparts and the late 40's pre dragracing ( street race ) style and I'm a fan of the McGee roadster, and when I was at LA last year on LARS I did try vistit a 3W coupe that Kennedy brothers made to Dick Wade In Culver City but I was never able to meet him, but I was in LA first hand to collect a Okie Adams axle, and he is one that can those axles.
His hood sides was racy with louvers but before that I was into the 25 louvers but I wanted a more racy and LA style as I like short the nose on the horns.
But at LARS I found allot of good stuff as a old time ported Merc 41 block and a complete hood from a old LA hotrod, seller was from Colorado and had it on his 5W but he wanted a 25 louvers. I asked Kennedys on the hood and they said this is old style LA. I did like it direct I saw it and I has bought a NOS set of the eraly 32 hood hatches to it.
It took forever get the parts from Ca to me in Sweden.
One thing I noted now as I just got back the hood from accid dipp today, it had not the lower profile made ( as on a std hood )
I direct checked what McGee had and he used no profile ( my coupe is no fenders and a moderate 3" chop ) but it might look better with a profile but I guess I go straight as it came.
Here is a very fast mock-up to see how it look, and the Okie axle and the Aburn dash I will use.
I has a full restored Wing series in a Hollywood panel, Bell Auto 15.5" wheel, baby stroked 4" crank, 21A rods, L&S heads, Multi X4 intake and LZ carbs and this is Burbank made parts, Potvin 425 cam. Kong Jackson distributor, dual DSM coils, truck pan, 39 LZ transmission, 37 rearend, moved in 37 style rear bones, splitted 32 bones in front. 40 style 3.5” steel front wheels and Halibrand 6" at rear.

A note, my hood ( top and sides ) is extended some but it its now 32” long and I wonder why they did that ?

Neil. How would you go on the hood sides lower side, make a profile or use it as McGee did straight.

 

Ok, I went to the local hardware store, but all they had in polished SS acorns were the pointy ones.


I'm not a fan of that style, but I own a lathe and a polisher, so I fixed them.



All better now



Im going to talk to a local shop that just bought a tube cutting laser, maybe they can knock out a batch of these. We'll see.