'37 coming out of the barn

Here's a picture of me moving my '31 to the barn so I can begin work on my wife's '37.



Any my nephew pulling it out of the barn with his 4 wheeler:

 

In my world I would have to consider both of those finished cars! Im digging the 37 4 door, nice family car, not one you would see,somebody building,everyday. I like non- cookie cutter stuff.Again both look to be great cars! Good luck.

 

Thanks. The '31 is finished (well, it will remain as is, but I will continue to try to keep it running. It likes to run a week, then overheat. I'll "fix" it and then it will develop a new problem. Never ending).

For my wife's sake, I'm going non-traditional. That was our compromise. I like all my cars to be almost completely original (except for a hidden radio in my '57), but I want my wife driving something that's more dependable than 50 year old technology. Before I get flamed, what I mean is.... sometimes my wife takes trips to see her parents (3 hours away) or Indy (4 hours away) and #1: I don't want her having to take back roads at night because she can't drive 75 on the interstate and #2: if it breaks down, unfortunately today's mechanics have no idea how to fix older (and in my opinion, better) cars. She wanted a car from the 30s or 40s, so our compromise was that I would build her a car that looks completely original, but has an "evil" newer running gear. Yes, it will have heat and air and power steering and brakes, but from the outside it should at least look completely original. I do stray there from that theme when I demand we put newer seats in it that have built in shoulder harness seat belts, but we are eventually going to recover those seats to look as original as possible.

Anyway, I figure I'd put up a picture since right now it still has the original motor and all in it. I'm going to put ALL bolt on stuff on it so that I can one day (after our kids are grown) go back to an all original car with it. It is, after all, still a 50K mile original car and to me, that's worth preserving.

Brandon

 

Wish mine had looked like that when I got it. Keep us updated.

 

Good looking rides.

 

Good plan going with the resto-rod theme for the '37. The sedans make very comfy turn-pike cruisers when set up w/ modern powertrain and power accessories. (That car is too nice to cut up)

 

Very cool pic!

 

Thanks guys. I can't wait to dig into it later today.

Brandon

 

The right thing isnt always easy, BUT its always right.

 

Nice...

 

A friend of mine installed a 77 Nova 250 L-6, TH350, and rearend in his 38 Chevy 4door in one weekend. The car was a running/driving/licensed/inspected stocker which he had been driving as is for a year or so. He realized he really didn't want a stocker. The car ended up with air and heat but still used the original steering and beam axle front end when it was hit in the tail in midafternoon by a sleepy GMC van delivery driver.
I seem to remember he used the Nova driveshaft and a bought at the parts house 57 Chevy muffler and tailpipe hooked up to the Nova head pipe from the manifold.
In his 36 Chevy sedan he found an early 80s midsize Olds and snapped up the power window setup which almost literally fell into place in the car with very little work. He used the motors and stuff from back doors so they had little use on them
Also used the front seat which was 40/60 power in the car by removing the armrest and cutting the seat with an electric knife and reattaching the upholstery to the trimmed steel base pan.
I think the 36-39 Chevys are easy to modify, have plenty of room in them (less in the 36 tho), and have a great frame to work with. The beam axle dual spring front end is fine if rebuilt and new discs or 49-54 Chevrolet drums adapted to it.

 

Well, I was able to make some progress on the '37 today. I've started a blog if anyone is interested in following along. They don't allow comments on the blog, unfortunately. I really wish they did. When I read other people's blog's they always get really helpful feedback from people reading them

Anyway, here ya go:
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/journal.php?action=view&journalid=107882&page=1&reverse=1

Brandon

 

Cool pics. Cooler cars!

 

Thanks!
Brandon

 

You're very trusting of your kid to pull that thing out. I guess he's old enough to not do anything too stupid, but.....

 

Awesome cars.

 

Nah, he's got a pretty level head on his shoulders, plus the car is going to be restored, so the worst thing he could do is let the car roll a little to far and bump his 4 wheeler, but since one of the brakes is slightly locked up on the car it won't roll far at all by itself.

I like to let him do as much as possible. He learns a lot by getting to do stuff, so hopefully he'll grow up and be one of the few kids left that can actually do things and be competent. I was a subs***ute teacher at a high school for a year and a half and let me tell you, this new generation of kids with no real family life and have never had anyone to teach them anything and they sit at home on the computer all day are seriously a bunch of incompetent slackers. Obviously not all, but at this school, most of them are, and it's sad.

Anyway, tangent. hehe.

Brandon