Projects 29 A Roadster Hi-Boy build - a Limey in the US

Well, Its now nearly a year since I moved to the US so time to start a new project. Im keeping my 33 Coupe but this A will NOT be a crazed 60's Flake chrome laden 2 week to clean nightmare...

Rather a Black and Blue, use and abuse A-bone!
I picked this A project up locally in Fort Collins, nice body with a little work needed and an OK chassis.

36 Ford front end, 55 Chevy rear end.
As Collected - less the Small block


At home in the shop -
I built a wooden body table so I could get on with the chassis


Time to asses what we have -



Tack some strength bars across the body ready to remove it



With the Body removed time to set up for trimming the X-member


Tacked some flat 1x1" across the frame at set measurements


Then set up the X-member with lots of measuring



Got to use my new TIG

 

Then moved on to trimming and fitting the X-member


Trimmed and tacked in place.
Then moved onto splitting the front bones, Cut the ball joint off just before the Ford Welds


Dressed up the split bones (After making sure both matched), nice chamfer and cross drilled ready for plug welding


Then set up the weld bungs making sure all straight


Then fired up the TIG


Moved onto the rear bones, they are 41 Ford that I picked up locally for $70
bargain but they need work as a few cracks in the mounts


So cleaned then up, ground a groove all the way down the cracks then TIG'ed them up



Then moved onto the Wishbone mounts
Lots of measuring etc - then tacked in place




All for today - not bad for a few hours today

 

Hey englishrodder, how much step up is there in the rear and do you plan on stepping it up more?

 

very nice

 

Lookin Good!

 

Nice project! I like how you did the centre section.

 

Right on man. How you finding the states?

 

You are off to a good start.
Good Luck!

 

Black & blue. Is that the color plan too? Diggin it too man

 

It's stepped the depth of the chassis rails. Think I will keep it at this level.

 

Keep up the good work, very nice car.

 

looking awesome

 

looking good!

 

Nice project.. You seem to fit right in with the American ways.......

 

Not much progress this week, too much travel with work and needed to get the Bonnie 750 finished to sell to fund the new engine.



Anyway, I bought a 20 Ton press from Harbor Freight ,needed to straigten by rear 41 Ford bones as they had slight bends in all planes.



Set the bones up in the press -





Marked numerous bend areas, time to go S L O W L Y - dont want to bend too far





Easy does it -





Finished -

 

What a great start, I love 29s, I just wish I wasnt so damn tall sometimes so i own one

 

Nice start..........!

 

Wow.......how did I miss this!

 

Good stuff, you look like you are settling in just fine....

 

Small update, picked up a 283 local cheap from Craigslist as a mock up engine.
So mocked up the engine and T5, had to trim the centre X-member a little, going to make a nice shaped fillet to put some strength back in






When I collected the chassis, the rear end had a Speedway Medium arch rear spring, i didnt like this as its narrower than the Model A rear X-member and also didnt look right.

I picked up a Posies Model A rear spring for a bargain $90, as you can see the old spring hangers are both way to high and waaaay to close together by some 4".
I ordered a rear spring spreader from Macs that should be here by Tuesday.



Time to them stretch the spring, and remount the mounts next weekend.

 

Looking good!!!

 

Very impressive! Your workspace is way too tidy however..

Nice bike by the way.

 

Looking good dude.....nice shop too !!

Rat

 

Welcome to the USA, yea we like our hot rods here. Your project looks like it's coming along great,nice job.

 

Gonna be K I L L E R!!!!

 

Well its been a while, lots going on.
After blowing up my Caddy in the coupe, i had to move to sort that out... Whilst the motor was getting a full machine and rebuild I thought I would swap out the 4 speed for a Tremec TKO 5 speed to aid the longer distances here between rod runs.
This sort of slowed progress on the 29, but some update below.

Coupe resting in the corner await the Caddy back - Hopefully ready after I return from the trip to the UK Supernats.


Now to the 29...
Ive nearly finished the rear end

Made some rolling bones style top tubes for the early bones - had to MIG these :-( as my TIG went on the blink and waiting for it to get repaired...

Made the pan hard rod

Front mounts


Mocked up some lake headers, will make exhaust after returning from Old Warden


Picked up a F1 box, that I'm modifying to take the a 31 A snout on so its an easy mount in the chassis and looks stock but steers great - waiting for my new lathe to arrive so I can machine both parts


Thats if for now....
Unless I get side tracked by my other new acqusition...:whistle::whistle:

 

Get that!

 

Nice build!
You are getting quite a stable full.
Really like the new truck!

 

Great build ! Cool cars! Keep at it!