Any First time hot rodders???? Questions???

When I got my car, I just had 'old car' on the brain. I just wanted to get an old car and wrench on it and drive it around. I accomplished that goal, but now I'm addicted to keeping my eyes open to buy something in addition (really want a 50's pickup)...

Anyway, I've got my 223, 6 in my ford, and i'm curious as to what kind of things kids would have done in the late 50's to give this car some oomph. I've heard people say that the ohv 223 was able to be pretty much as 'quick' as the Y Blocks, and quicker than the flatheads of the time...

Is it worth dinking around with multi carb intakes, and if you were to put on a header, what happens to the necessity of a heat riser to the intake?

I think my car is pretty fun as it is because it's all original (6v, all OEM parts) but why do 4 doors get such a bad rap? I've always hated the 2 door cars I've owned since they are more of a pain to get in and out of.

 

4 doors were heavier so slower when racing. Converts, too. but the the custom guys and guys that had hi-maintenance chicks had converts because they gave up the speed for other things.

 

Great idea Skip.........

 

Im wet behind the ears. I've been playing with my dads 56 for a few years, but all the hard work is done. as for questions??? What is sectioned?

 

Harder work. Taking a horizontal band out of the car to make it thinner top to bottom. Maybe two to four inches, it's radical surgery done by the high end custom shops like WInfield, etc. I think it would have come out, for example, on your 56, below the headlights and above the bumper. Without a chop, it would have looked funny, so the sectioned car needed a chop at the same time.

I was never a big custom guy, hotrods, Bonneville and going fast always made more sense to me than. It really was 2 worlds.

 

Cool thanks.

 

This is one fine post Skip. Helluva good idea. We get kinda jaded sometimes with these kind of question and forget that there are guy's out there that don't know a lot of this stuff.

Thanks for posting this.

BB

 

28 Model A Tudor, no fenders. I just wanted to see if there is a tried and true way it is done. thanks

 

I've Z'ed a couple cars and have never found a "perfect" way to do it. But here's how I suggest to start... I sit the body on the frame and then block the car up with 2/4's or stacked wood blocks to determine what I want the ride height to be. When I'm happy with how it looks (usually 3 1/2" off the dirt for the frame...Ohio Low you know!!!) I then level the frame and shim things until it's all true... I really should build a frame table like Clark....

Then I gather the axles I plan to use and bolt up my wheels and tires. It's important to use the exact size wheel/tire combo you plan to use or all this figuring goes out the window! After that, I usually lop off the front crossmember and frame horns (being sure to tack weld in a temporary brace a few inches back before cutting). Then I roll the front end into place... usually with only the main leaf of the spring pack and begin to determine the amount of "kick" or "Z" needed. Somewhere around 4" is usually enough on a '32 ford frame when using a 4" dropped axle. Without a motor in the frame and just the main leaf, it's near what ride height will be...... but there is trial and error!!!!.... My first attempt at doing this I used like a 6" kick and when we sat the motor in. As we lowered the chain hoist, the frame rails touched the pavement...OOPPPS! An important thing to remember is to only tack weld everything together, so you can make changes as you go as needed....

Out back it's the same thing... but I can offer this if you are using coil-overs (not traditional...but, I don't care) you can call the manufacturer and tell 'em what you're building and find out what shock/spring rate they suggest and find out what the shocks are eye to eye at ride height. And without buying a thing be able to set up your rear without the coil-overs... instead, substituting a peice of 1" square tubing with holes drilled at the eye to eye measurement. As I recall, the Pro Shocks I've used are something like 12 1/4" at ride height. Stitch

 

I guess I am relatively a new rodder.

My first real hot-rod; 1930 Model A tudor sedan.

Currently has a magnum dropped tube axle with split bones in it.

I've been told time and again that it is not the ideal set up and can lead to disasterous axle failure. (welds cracking, tube splitting)

I was really hoping to swap in hairpins, should I just suck it up and go to a 4 bar? I really hate the way a 4 bar looks.

I've been running the car on the street since August and so far everything seems okay (except it rides like a buckboard)

Does anybody sell a dropped I-beam axle that won't cost me a months wages?

Like everybody else, I am on a budget.

 

This was a cool post. I think it did a lot to get some of us newbies to ask the questions that need to be asked. Thanks

 

I've got a quick question...

I'm building a '30 Model A and i was wondering if it is worth having a stock "straight" Model A axel dropped or should I shell out the money for a new one.

Adam

 

You can use a lot of the information that skipstich just posted about z-ing when putting together your car.

You will need to add some things to your parts pile though. At the very least you will need front and rear wheels and tires (the exact ones that you plan on using is preferable), front and rear springs and a transmission.

Do a mock-up of the body and chassis to determine your desired ride height. Then place the wheels and tires where you want them. Take some good notes or better yet, if you can, mark the floor with your axle centerlines.

You will need to make some decisions as to where you want o mount the springs on your axles. For the front, if you mount the spring behind the axle, it is usually easier to get the car really low, but more fabrication is involved than running the spring in the over the axle position. For the rear, I would suggest a model A spring because you are using a model A frame. Even if you cut the rear crossmember from the frame, you can still use it in whatever position happens to work for you.

You would be wise to just tack everything together while you are building your chassis. Then you can do a more complete mock-up with the motor and body in place. If your ride height isn't what you want, it will be easier to change some mounts that are tacked as opposed to being fully welded. When you do your mock-up, only install the main leaf, not the whole spring pack. Be sure to add spacers on top of the main leaf to compensate for the height of the missing springs. By doing this, the car will settle down to its approximate ride height. When the car is completely done with the entire spring pack in place, you can add or subtract leaves to adjust the ride quality and height. You could also make the spring mount adjustable to help you fine tune everything.

Also see 60's Styles post on the rear spring mount that he built.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=32157&pp=25&page=2

After you have your chassis set up, then you can mount your motor. After that you can worry about your driveline.

Take a look at the thread by 60's Style. It shows some good shots of a suicide front end setup that you could use.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36278&highlight=curbspeed

Pick up Mike Bishops book "How to Build A Traditional Ford Hot Rod". It has lots of great photos and descriptions that will help you out.

When My Dad and I put together his 34 truck we got to a point where I finally told him "I don't care how everyone else has done theirs. Let's do it the way that works for us." And that was a milestone in that build. Instead of looking for answers in books and magazines, we just looked at a situation and made decisions based on what we had as far as parts and what would work for us. That truck turned out reall well in the end, but a lot of it was trial and error.

 

I guess I am still "technically" a virgin, but more like a dirty skank that has done everything but the big deed! I have questions almost every week as I get deeper into my build. That's what's so great about the HAMB - it's always here when you need help. Plus, I dig the art, photos, and general attitude!

 

Okay, I have an easy one.

What are the differences between '28-29 Model As and '30-31s? I see the rounder grille shell, hood, and cowl on the earlier cars, but that's all I "see." Anyone else have a way to identify the differences when there isn't a front end on the car?

Thanks.
Danny

 

I want to drop a v8 flathead into my 28 roadster...do I need to move the firewall back or does it fit into the A frame rails? I also have a 48 ford rear end with the spring that runs out back. Do I move the spring over the rear end or do I move the cross member back? I have Tardel's book...but there seems to be somethings I still don't understand. Most important...can someone teach me how to weld? I need to find someone who can show me on the weekends.

 

that curving sill coming up from in front of the front of the door to meet the forward curving bead dropping down from the cowl is how I tell a 29. Hope i described it ok.

 

drunkntit

I feel your pain.. cept I was the idiot that cut off this perfectly good roof.. here we are "in progress" in my old "garage" which was a TENT..


clark is right.. cap off the top of the windshield.


and build a top like this..


wire frame it and use STITZ fabric (vintage aircraft fabric) to cover it..

see more photos at my fotki site www.fotki.com/sawzallshop

 

Here's a basic one I've always been scared to ask.

How do you know if your car's been leaded?
There have been a bunch of posts on how to remove lead, but nobody's said how to identify it.

I know my car has been repaired and some (lots) of it is bondo, but I don't want to go nuts sanding it off if there's still lead in the seams. I want to at least know what I'm looking for so I can choose a healthier paint/bondo removal method if I find lead.

 

Great Post! Lots of info that I have always wondered about. I always thought a hot rod dictionary or glossary of terms would be really handy!

RE: 48 Chevy Fleetline 4 door that has been frankenstien -ed by the previous owner. The further I get into this car, the more I find that is changed out.

Is there a way to tell what axles and tranny are on my car? What might it indicate that the it is 3 on the floor rather than the column?

Where do I find the plaque that lists info on what color scheme my car orig. was? Are there any other tidbits I can glean on what the car orig. had? I've looked up the VIN # to see that it is a California car.

Thanks and Viva la Hamb!

Kat

 

On old lead bodywork unless the guy was really good, the paint will be peeling off and you see the lead underneath. If you can just see the ripply bodywork under the existing paint i guess you could gouge it with a screwdriver blade or a scratch awl. If it's shiny, it's lead, if it's white or pink or whatever it's bone. All the old original detroit seams were leaded.

 

Woohoo! One I can answer!
This site has a bunch of info on decoding your VIN.
http://chevy.tocmp.com/models/index.htm

 

Thanks for the pix sawzall! I have some direction now. Thanks again.

 

they were column shift from maybe 39 on but i don't really understand the way your question reads. It may be some maroon put in a floor shift conversion or maybe a older trans. if it's a sideshift with funky gearchange looking like it was made aftermarket it's prolly the former; if top shift, all sturdy like a truck maybe the latter.

there might still be a number plate on the firewall with info, chevytalk dot com or dot org might help decipher it.

 

Thanks Capt! That site is exactly what I was looking for! Someone posted a while back how to decode the Vin#, but not all the other detail stuff.

LaSalle- What I mean to say is that the joker who had my car a while back took the shifter off the column and put it through the floor. It is "top shift, all sturdy like a truck" I suspect they did it when they swapped the motor (216 to 235). So, since the shifter is not it the orig. place, the motor is swapped, I wonder if I am running the orig tranny and axles or if they too have been swapped. So- long winded... is there a way to tell this easily or is it all about matching to pictures? And do I really care?

After getting into some minor fixes and rewiring stuff, I've come to doubt the origins of most of this car and to question the parentage of the previous owner.

Kat

 

Great post..

yeah, I am a 1st time Hot rodder. Hell I didnt get into this hobby until I was 26 I am 32 now. Up until I began with these cars I didnt even know how to change my own oil. Now I am getting there but have ALOT to learn. I have acquired a 25 Dodge Modified body, 29 Model A rails, 59a flatty (soon),or a '57 283 ,41 ford p/u chasis, which gave me my front end, wishbones front & rear, banjo rear, juice brakes, wheels, Whippet Grill shell,so I am getting there, not too far off (still need a trany).. all this to be done by Bonneville with any luck. Fortunately I met some real good friends who know what they are doing (you know who you are guys) and will help to teach me when I am ready to build. But this post is a good one for sure..

 

Hi thanks for asking. I am as green as they come. I have spent 20 yrs in the Corvette hobby and want something different and hopefully more affordable. I am reading what I can and following the HAMB as much as possible to learn. I don't know what I want to build or bye, but it has to be traditional. Iam thinking of buying and then modifying to my taste as a cheaper way to go. Drive and learn then build something. Any suggestions for a first timer???

 

Lots of patients And if you dont have that give it to me cause I love rusted up metal.LOL Perfect start strip it down brace it up cut chop the roof six inches and chanel six over a boxed frame would be my idea of a good start.Is this the car you are starting with for real?

Later Shoe

 

hahhahahahaahahahaaa im a born again virgin

 

Mak a spacer the thickness of the spring pack (usually an inch), remove all the leaves except the main leaf. Put your spacer on top, bolt spring back into chassis. That'll be bout ride height with the body/engine/trans, etc. back on the chassis.