Well, the 1926 Model T Coupe is home in my shop. I hope I havent bitten of more than I can chew. I have never messed with a model T before. This is my second hot rod. The first was a fibergl*** 27 roadster nothing like this real steel car. The car is complete except for the engine, the hood and the radiator shell. The body is in pretty good shape. The only rust through on the body is on the left rear corner. The fenders are good except where they meet the running boards. The floorboards are pretty bad. The sub rails seem to be pretty good. I plan to leave this full fendered, probably a mild chop. I guess I will be building a new frame. I built the gl*** 27 T roadster in 6 months. I think this one will take a lot longer. My son (the sprint car racer) thinks I should put all silver crown car running gear under it. Live axle quickchange with birdcages in the rear and front axle with 6 pin hubs and big disc brakes. That would really be wild but would present a lot of engineering problems. Anyway I am a long way from having to decide yet. I am going to do all the bodywork first. I am just really excited and wanted to share. Thanks for listening.
Oh!!! That's a good start!! You're going to have fun with that one! Damn...doors, gl***, and a decklid??!! That's rare for these anymore. That old girl was well preserved some place. Keep us posted!!
Nice car but resist the dark side of street rodding,,your hanging out on a traditional hot rod site,,forget the independent suspendion and build a old school hot rod. HRP
I am going to build a new frame. The fenders will stay on. I want it to look pretty much stock. Not sure about the chop. Never done one before. I will probably leave the chop to the last. Don't know how much to chop it, but it will probably be a mild chop if I do. My son looks disgusted when I say I might leave it tall. The wife likes the tall look. She said it was cuter than dammit. They definitely look more sinister chopped. I have been a sbc guy for almost 50 years, so probably a belly****on engine. Although I have been thinking V6 for some MPG's. I need an opinion. What about blasting the body and fenders. What do you guys suggest? Sand, gl***, soda? How much should it cost to blast it? Any body know of a good blaster in north central Indiana? Should the body panels come clear apart or should I blast the body as a whole? That is my next step, so I need to get that figured out. Thanks for looking.
If you have a good compressor think about picking up a small sandblaster at tractor supply,Lowes or Granger and do it yourself,,just wear a good mask to keep the silica out of your lungs. I sandblasted the wagon,,it's just time consuming but a lot less expensive doing it yourself. HRP
Great looking little coupe. I've bought 2, but didnt get doors or deck lids. Those cost me more than the bodys. I agree with your wife-leave it unchopped. They are after all---TALL T's
Yeah, it's a pretty nice body. The only place it is rusted through is the left rear corner of the body and the panel below the deck lid is bad. There is one dime sized spot on the right door. There are no dents anywhere except a little on the fenders. I felt pretty lucky to find a body this good. The door latches all work and the windows roll up and down. Do the patch panels you can buy fit good. I have heard some horror stories? Where is the best place to buy them? I only need a couple pieces.
Great project! When I built a 26 T I got the rear panel from Snyders if I remember right, fit great. Before you decide to chop study the shape of the side windows, notice the flange tapers inward, not straight up and down, more you chop the harder to line up. I'd leave it unchopped personally. But its your car.
I kinda like the idea of a Champ car rear, with trailing arms and a watts link. Coilovers might be a lot easier than torsion bars, and it would probably be a lot easier to use a dropped axle in the front. That's a pretty solid looking T, especially if it's an Indiana native. Good luck on your build.
Wow nice body! no not yours the T. Sand blasting can warp the panels,media blast is the best.Don't take the main body apart.Wait till ya try to remove the deck lid,real fun,LOL. The doors and deck lid are gold,real $ to replace. I personally would not chop it.But hay everyone has there own idea what looks good.I like them both ways.I agree with the other guys here.Don't go independent suspension.I think it Looks too modern for a 26 T. Hot rod style beam axle up front and a good old 8 or 9 inch rear.Keep it simple and the $ down,trust me you will have more fun with it this way.
nice looking car to start with....I am sure it will be nice, I would love to do something like this and NOT chop it....in order to do something different...big block Chevy and 4 speed would get some attention......straight front axle freak would be nice too
jaw22w, I guess no one knows what a Silver Crown Champ Dirt car is anymore. Here is Rodger Ward in an older one from the early '50's. Think of a 100" wheelbase sprint car (or is that 96" for USAC?). Not today's IndyCar.
If I was doing one again. I would leave the body total stock. The running gear would be drop axle with a quick change in the rear. Remember that the rear axle really shows under this car. You should be able to get all the body parts from what is left of T dealers. It sounds like a real solid car. Have fun with your project. I did.
You are in really good shape if your subrails are good. Trust me. I'm with the Tall T crowd on this one. If you want to give it a little at***ude, maybe give it a biger, later sun visor and add a touch of rake to your stance. That way you might be able to show off your QC rear a bit and stick a couple straight exhaust pipes out the back nice & neat.
That panel you need below the decklid is available from MAC's, Snyders etc. I think they're all made by Howells. Poor shipping and some panels are no where near what you want - however, I did use that particular piece from Howells and it fit pretty good. Please don't consider an independent front tnd. Chopped or stock, fenders or not is all up to you of course but nothing looks worse than an independent suspension on an early car. I'd fuggitaboud the V6 if I was you too. That big tall windshield and a huge sunvisor sticking out will be like pushing a brick down the road and I'll bet you couldn't get it up to 65mph without doing enough mods to the motor to make the mileage go away anyhow. My friend had a v6 in a stock height Model A and it was slow mo.
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