Hot Rods To Save a Coupe - I must be nuts

"I think that boy has gone and lost his mind!"

Well... It just might be true. After spending way too much of the last few years behind a welding helmet or face shield building the "Modified Murray" (as it's come to be known, I guess) I think I have lost my mind...

...Or have I??

I've always wanted a Model A Coupe. It's not necessarily a DREAM car, or anything, but ever since I was little and started seeing pictures of my Dad's Hemi coupe, my love for the Model A coupe has been no secret.


My good brother, Jack, has had a '31 Coupe he's been picking at for years and eventually got side-tracked and I sort of, in so many words, let him know that I would be interested if he ever decided to sell it.

Well, the day came where he and I were sitting down having a chat and he told me he had decided to part with it. A deal was struck and I started selling every extra thing I had to buy it.

So here it is! It's only mocked up. All held together with two clamps and four 1/4" bolts. HAHA! Amazingly, EVERYTHING lines up! There's no sub-floor, but it still all sets right in place where it's supposed to. I'm amazed! Especially after the trailer trip it had from LA down to here.







Obviously it's incredibly rough, but it's really solid despite how bad it looks. It appears that someone along time ago had done a real bad patch panel job. There's even some fiberglass in strange places on the car. The ragged edges and holes that you see are not ROT! They're cut. Some were even FLAME cut! Crazy stuff. Strange things done, but it should straighten out. Jack did a fantastic job getting it to where it's at NOW, actually. It was even bare metal at one point, but the air around here is grounds for surface rust in a short amount of time. There is very little pitting on what's there, which is good news!

I'm a ways off from starting on it (gotta' finish that Model A thing I'm working on now and then get the '53 Pontiac on the road), but it's here when I'm ready.

Initial planning and thoughts:

- have every panel media blasted so I have fresh metal to work with. It's all disassembled so that will help a lot!
- all lower patch panels need to be redone
- deck lid structure is fine, just needs to be re-skinned
- need a couple door hinges.
- chop is questionable, needs to be cut and redone once everything is squared up and will probably take another inch out of it, or so.
- passenger door needs to be re-skinned, but structurally sound.
- Going to run a '32 Frame, I think. I will build the sub-floor with the body sitting ON the frame. Will use the frame to help square the body back up as well.
- maybe a smooth cowl top? Not sure... The cowl vent was installed pretty well, actually. Just needs to be finished.
- roof will be filled
- chopped, channeled about 3/4" or so. Then possibly de-sectioned so the body lines will line up with a 32 hood and grille shell.

Since the whole car needs the lower portion redone and it may get a 32 frame, I'm considering modifying 32 Ford patch panels for part of it instead of the Model A panels. We'll see. Gotta' see what's involved.

Anyway, so there's my new heap of trouble...

Anyone know a good "shrink"?

 

Looks like a good project.

 

I'm stoked for ya Scootie Tang!!! I know you've been day dreaming about this car for a couple months now and you've got a lot to work with there. Hearing that yours doesn't have any really putting makes me want to punch because I'm jealous since you know what I am working with but I am happy for ya none the less.

Go ahead and post that pic up of your father's so we can day dream a bit will ya?

 

Sounds like a great project. Please tell me you're going to run a Hemi......!!! Good luck with the build.

 

possible ex race car? im thinking it had a flipped firewall and a slight channel judging by the firewall steering column hole? also the role bar holes on the back or fuel tank holes? who knows.... cant wait to see it get cleaned up.

 

Shooooot! DUH!!!

Not sure on the rest just yet. Have a lot of ideas running around in my head, but I really have to try and stay focused on getting the Murray thing done. So I've stuck it up on the shelf to help keep my hands off of it until I have time and energy.

 

It's just like George Jetson's car!! It folds right up!!!


Oh and BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! on the filled roof. Those never look right.

 

Just wanted to make sure Scoot! Great stuff. Now that you're going for a real engine, I've got nothing left to do but subscribe to this thread.

 

I believe it was a race car at some point. The holes in the back were there for a couple old flip cap fuel fillers. Old speed boat stuff.

The firewall shown in the pictures is not the one that was on the car when Jack bought it. The one that was in there was WEIRD! Was obviously run on a very strange chassis at some point.

 

Scoots,
That rod is gonna rock! Chopped A-Bones are pretty darn cool! you are definitely the guy to whip this project together. Can't wait to see it cruise the Broiler!

 

Here's one of the pictures I saw when I was like 5. There's a better one of the car from a front 3/4 angle, but I don't know where it's at just now.

His car was more of what we would now consider more of an East Coast style build (I guess). Not what I'm after at all, but it had a huge effect on me when I was little.

My Dad was incredibly excited to learn that I was going to pick this one up.

 

Thanks Kev!!! I suppose by the time this one is done, Bob's Broiler will be Harvey's Broiler again! HAHA!

 

Anyone have an idea what this windshield is?? Profile is of a Model A windshield, but it doesn't look like a closed car windshield to me. Could it be Model A Roadster?? Something else??

 

I love an A coupe build when the start is even worse than mine.

I'll be watching.

 

hope you didn't pay more than $36.93 for it...

 

$36.92...

 

Looks like a good candidate for a hot rod.

 

Naw, yours not nuts, not any more than the rest of us. We just all have an incurable disease. Glad you are going to finish the Murray first.

 

Yeah, this disease you speak of...

I've always said, "I'll either die with it or because of it."

There's some lead in this one, but in all reality, most of the filler work that was done was on the deck lid skin, which is getting replaced. So there's nothing really hidden that will be revealed after media blasting... except maybe unexpected holes.

 

You're nuts!! LOL Just kidding it's cool you got something you have wanted for a while and it is nice it is so easy to store. Wish I could fold up my Merc and put it on the top shelf like that until I had the time to work on it to give myself more room.

 

If you need inspiration or need to see what an A coupe on a 32 frame should look like check out the Bass coupe

But before you do, finish the present project ! Or you will be lost in the land of never finished rides.

 

Roadster windshield.

That coupe body I had that you had offered to trade the fordor for, way back when (remember?) is still here unfinished. But alot farther along than your new coupe. Want to trade the fordor for it now?

 

HAHA!! Hmmm... technically it's not a Fordor anymore.

Yeah! Bass' has some well done 32 chassis setups for sure!

 

Looks like you're a little hard on grinders. You might want to go out and buy a couple more before you even start on this one.

 

A few others that come to mind as well... I like when the A body sits just a tad over the rails and the rails are pinched, vs. sitting on top of the rail. But that's just my personal preference. Not everyone likes that...

 

Haha! Indeed! I use the hell out of 'em, but I usually buy the same ones over and over so I always have spare parts.

I usually have three electric grinders set up at one time and two pneumatic ones.

 

Mr. Ford's is one of my favorites and his was worse off then this one when he got it. So I'm not worried in the least bit that this thing is going to take shape and take shape well.....now will it take shape fast? Well that's whole other story, his current project has been going on for 35 years now it seems.

 

Anyone try modifying '32 5-window patch panels (or any other models, roadster, sedan, whatever) for use on a 30/31 Model A coupe when running a 32 frame?

 

YES! Was looking for a picture of Mark's coupe also! LOVE that coupe!

 

It just doesn't get any better than this, the Bass coupe on the salt.

And his adventures here http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=499343