A 1935 Ford coupe that needs a make-over...

WARNING: you may want to close your eyes on some of these pictures.

So I finally took some pictures of our coupe. A few have been asking for pictures for awhile and I finally played around with it for a little while the other day. Got some pictures in the mean time.

A little about the car...

We bought the car in 1991 about 1/4 restored. The running gear and frame was all rebuilt and painted except for the flathead, the body (not including doors, fenders, hood, etc) was primered, jams and inside were painted the correct green...

So what else could we do, but start cutting things! This is a father son project and the work was layed out pretty even between the two of us.

The specs:
- 350/350 (motor given a little extra love)
- M#%*ang II front suspension w/stock springs and spindles
- disk front, drum rear
- 9" Ford rear
- Ididnotdoitright steering column
- fugly seats
- fugly gages
- fugly bi**et crap on the engine

So to sum it up... she's stuck in the mid-90's street rod era. The problem seems simple, remove all ugly dumb stuff, change the wheels, maybe throw some paint on it. Easy! Right? (loud buzzer ringing in background) WRONG!!! <<<XXX>>> My Father and I are in this one 50/50 and we both like different things. REALLY different things. I like traditional looks, but he's been there and done that so he's more into the st#**t r*d stuff. We have a hard time finding a happy median and the poor thing is now suffering...

So take a look at the pics...










I know, I know... no need to point out the obvious insults here. I'm not even going to SHOW you what's inside!!! No need to make people throw up on their keyboards.

I have to be honest, the car is a BLAST to drive even though it looks like... well... you know. I've tried the stock bumpers, running a hood, etc... I honestly think I kind of like how it looks with the bumpers and hood on it (no pics, sorry).

Just curious what you guys think. It's going to be awhile before anything happens with this car, but just for fun I would like to hear some input from you guys.

Sorry it took so long to get this thing up here...

Cheers!
Scooter

 

At the risk of being ridiculed, I would be way proud to drive that car. Looks like it'll run the number not just attitude. There is something for everyone.

 

cool car. cant wait to see what it transforms into. keep us posted.

 

How's this for an original HAMB quote...it's a POS, send it to Sacramento immediately so I can dispose of it

I think it's bad-ass....you already know what things to fix, so maybe you can talk someone on here into Photoshopping some of those changes to help convince your pops.

Bryan

 

Ok I will take off your hand. But can you take care of the shipping.

 

If it ain't broke don't fix it..

 

I like it too....Maybe the wheels could change, but it looks like a driver to me...

 

scooter thats a very cool solid looking '35 you have there and tbh i dont think the car needs an awful lot of work doing to it - having one myself im kinda of biased towards these '35s. I dont run a hood or bumpers either and i think they look great like that.


must admit im not keen on bits of your engine because they are the non descript billet type rocker covers and the like, not very keen on the wheels either but only because i always think they are suited to more of a race(ish), prostreet kind of car.

for my car ive got two sets of wheels so I can chop and change - why dont you and your pops buy a set each? if you are going to paint the car then im sure you can paint the car a colour that would suit different wheels.

have a lookie at my car on my web site if you want and i it gives you any ideas thats cool.

 

i say just get the heater working and drive it!

...a lot!

 

I think you are being to critical of your dad...sure the car is cross themed a little but looks good to me overall & anybody would be proud to drive it!..just remember not every dad can be bothered doing a father/son project... GREAT JOB!

 

dont look to bad to me ,id loose the wheels and all the billet crap,

 

fix that taillight, and have fun, take your dad to all traditional themed shows you can and he will change his mind

 

besides it has fenders so m2 doesnt show even

if i had that car right now i think i would only change the wheels to halibrands or american racing, and new valve covers and aircleaner and have fun with it, it has a nice attitude towards it that car...

 

So Scooter says to me , I'll meet you in the parking lot... you won't miss me . Boy was he right. That car really looks and sounds cool on the road. Nice talking to you Scooter.

 

I agree. Stay focused on what is important. Working with you Dad on the car or who wins on what valve covers are on it. There will be another car down the road that you can do just as you like.

By the way, nice looking car the way it is. I have seen worse rims. Just do not paint it teal.

Neal

 

HEY LOU! Good to meet up with you and the rest of the crew the other night! Come by anytime!

 

Put a hood on it, put some better wheels/tires on it, and just drive it.

 

Honestly, I would put some steeleies on it and give it a nicy shiny paint job and drive it. No pastel colors though.

 

Put the bumpers and trim back on, throw on a set of steelies with wide whites and drive it like it's stolen.

 

It looks to me that everything that is billety can be unbolted in a weekend and replaced with more traditional hardware. It can be retrofitted one piece at a time as time and wallet permits. The car sure sits nice.

 

So here's what I've been thinking. What really needs to happen is some money needs to be spent in the right places to "upgrade" some of this stuff. The problem isn't my criticality of my father (well maybe it is), but he doesn't eat, sleep, study and breathe hot rods on a daily basis (and nightly basis) like some of us around here, so he's not aware that there are some really nice looking accesories out there that could make this car look great without changing a whole lot. I'm mostly referencing the engine compartment. He really likes polished and shiny so I'm thinking that some nice, deep, finned aluminum valve covers and filter cover might look pretty good on there. The wire looms just suck and are actually more of a pain in the ass than anything. Would like to something more traditional for the wires (show me stuff guys) and for that matter... what the hell do I do about that distributor cap? I'm not big on non-functional covers. I guess maybe it will get left the way it is and maybe just pick up some black wires.

The wheels are kind of funny. They're not too aweful and I agree they're more of a "pro streeter" look. I'm not really sure why, but they've sort of grown on me. I think Radir's or something would look better, but I think if I got the ass end down a bit more than it might compliment them. They will get switched someday, but I think they'll be the last thing to get swapped out.

I'm thinking maybe the bumpers need to go back on. I used to like it better without the bumpers on, but now I'm starting to miss them a bit. The rear bumper was always a little akward looking on the 35's and 36's because they stuck out so far. The spare tire sort of distracted the eye on that detail, but without it the bumper sticks out quite a bit. Maybe cutting down the brackets a bit and brining it up closer to the rear would be in order. Maybe one of you can offer some pictures of what you've done for that. I don't want to disrupt the lines too much. In fact, maybe just running the front bumper would be cool.

The interior IMO is the hardest to deal with. That's one thing my father and I agree on... sorta'. We both know the seats need to go ('84 Camaro seats! YIKES!). The seat stands need to be cut down about 2-inches also. Feels like your head is in the ceiling. One more major issue is the billet dash insert complete with D*g*tal gages. The gages aren't working very well, so maybe puting some "normal" gages in would be in order.

This car could very easily be a daily driver. It runs great, but could be dialed in a little better. She's got a mysterious oil leak on the right side too. Oil collects on the top of the fuel pump. Just can't seems to find it! Bugs the hell out of me!

So here's what I could use... show me a few things:
- cast finned valve covers and 4bbl air cleaners
- wire seperators
- accesorie mounts
- bumper stuff
- steering wheels for Ididntdoit columns
- cool low back bucket seats

I'll post a side shot if someone would like to photochop it too.

Thanks for the input guys!

 

That thing is bitchen. Yea, I'd change the wheels and lose the billet if I owned it.

I say let your dad have his way with it. The memories and the smile on his face will be worth it later on..

Love the car.

 

Here's a side pic...



It's hard to get the car lower because the grill drags. I had dropped spindles on it and I could even put my fist under it. I don't want to modify the bottom either because the shape really compliments the lines of the fenders. Maybe someone could just drop the butt a little and see how it fits.

Anyone good with colors? We were thinking a dark metallic cherry might be cool. A shade of red has been planned for the car, but bright red is pretty much out of the question. Throw some color on there if you like.

 

I agree fully! I really the value the time I have with my father and I know the days won't last forever, so keeping a smile on his face is a MUST! It's not fare to take over and do JUST what I want. I would rather have something positive come out of it. Not something that represents conflict when it's all done...

My father has done a lot for me and I want to clean this thing up for him to show my appreciation for all he's done, but I don't want to put things on there that won't look right to him.

 

We just didn't drive around long enough! That sucker gets pretty hot after awhile!

 

Funny story about that taillight. I indeed owe him a taillight, ring and lense...

One night I had the coupe out and about and I had a chick friend over that I was dating in college. She was in from out of town and didn't have a car so she borrowed her Dad's beloved Pontiac Bonneville (BIG guy from Brooklyn complete with Sapranos mobster accent and attitude). The car doesn't have reverse lights obviously and it was dark. I didn't realize she had moved the car up a bit almost completely into my reverse path. I was backing it out of the drive and WHAM! My pants were full, my taillight was broken and the fender was smooshed! Her Dad's car looked fine... until we got down and looked closer only to find out the front fender had CRACKED! I'm seeing images running through my head of a big New Yorker and manually removing teeth from my mouth with pliers. My chick must have been thinking the same thing because she absolutely insisted that we NOT tell him and play dumb about the whole thing. I wasn't going to dissagree and he didn't even notice until about 4-months later... we chuckled about that for a long time. I didn't chuckle when I was hammering out that fender straight again! I really did feel bad I hit that Bonneville though. Stuck with me for quite awhile...

Okay, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

I'm thinking something like these might be cool for valve covers:

Sort of a blend of new and old. An aircleaner cover to match would look good. If I use something like this, what do I do about the PCV and breather?? Would I use a screw on style and mill a slot in the side of the covers?

 

If my dad took the time to build a cool car like that when I was young, I could care less which wheels and valve covers he liked. Looks great!

 

Egay item #290039844634 has those covers with the PCV and oil fill alredy cut.

 

Cool! Yeah!

That ought to do it!