I recently inherited my grampas 48 ford coupe. He bought it in 1978 and finished in ‘84, my goal with this is to return it to the way it was when it was first finished. To do that I need to install a 327 with tri power on it(currently a 350) and find some wire wheels. My dad has a 327 for me but still hunting around for wheels. It will need other things like exhaust, fixing the power windows etc but hoping to keep it on the road more than I work on it. This is it as delivered to me. As far as I’m aware he originally had a 4 spoke Oldsmobile sport steering wheel in it but I’m not sure that’s what I’ll use.
Here are some pictures of the process I’m not sure if the album is in order but I did my best to put it chronological order. last picture is my dad and grampa
I'd honestly leave the 350 and just dress it up like the old 327. When built the 350 outdoes the 327 everywhere all things equal. And looks the same lol
UNTIL you told it...............nobody knew it wasn't a 327 !^^^^^^^^^^^^ Hope ya got a big-old snotty idling cam in it too !! Where's those wire wheels !!? 6sally6
Really cool story and bitchin' rod! I agree with @The Chevy Pope, a 350 will develop more usable torque at lower RPM, making it a better street cruiser. Tru Spokes come up for sale now and then. Most people are not fans due to the older style and the huge investment in cleaning time. You should be able to find a set for a reasonable price, BUT make sure of condition! Most have suffered rust and pitting over the years and they may need truing on top. Hold out for a great set so you can honor your dad's build. From the pictures, I'd guess a 15x7, do you know if this is right, and what bolt pattern? The rears look deeper, either reverse offset or wider, or both. Many companies made those back in the 70s. If you are trying to find the exact wheels, this might help. https://vintagewheelcatalogs.com/ Some examples from here in the SW. This seller is also offering a single Weld Star and a single Cragar in other ads https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/wto/d/goodyear-vintage-pair-wire-spoke-15/7822845995.html These look like the wrong type (cover is over lug nuts) and pretty expensive. https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/wto/d/phoenix-old-school-wire-wheels/7823823131.html This seller has a few listings and is high priced. https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/wto/d/goshen-chevy-impala-rims-lug-lowrider/7821941124.html A set of 14s and 15s, looks like they need a lot of cleaning. https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/wto/d/staggered-appliance-wire-wheels-on-475/7822685189.html I'll also mention that the ones in the pictures really look like aftermarket. If you have chevy 5x4.75 pattern, that is the same as Jaguar. You might get lucky and find a set that someone pulled off a Jag and don't realize they are not stock and will work on the GM pattern.
I already have a free 327 waiting for me. the 350 needs some work, if it was in solid health I wouldn’t bother taking it out. I believe it had true spokes( I’ll have to confirm with my dad), it currently has 5x5 bolt pattern so I’ve been looking at Cadillac wheels.
Still out there - didn't bother checking prices! https://www.truespoke.com/cadillac-wire-wheels Best I could find today, 10 wide is probably a bit too wide, it looks like wider than the vintage picture. Description isn't confidence inspiring. https://www.ebay.com/itm/145742935218
Thanks for that. The tens look too wide, I’m going to look for a 6-7” wide wheel maybe 8” in the rear. Can’t decide if I want to have all four wheels and tires match or go staggered. Though I do want to return it to my grampas original look I do want to use some of my own ideas to make it mine.
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