I start this thread of my 28 model A tudor project, if somebody find it interesting. All start loooong ago, in year 2001. I do not know why, but my number one hot rod that I have always wanted is 28-29 A tudor, not a coupe or roadster, but tudor. There was a rough looking but exactly pretty good one for sale, so I just had to have it. It was kind of driveable, but not good enough for the traffic. During first winter I tear it to pieces, fixed cracks and older repairs on frame, get brakes on working order, fixed leaking gas tank and so. Also had new main leaves for the springs made with reversed eyes. I did not get it registered for street use during summer 2002, only drive it to some hot rod meetings. During next winter I chopped top 3 inches and registered it for summer 2003. Drive a little around town and even to Sweden to Ekens Gassers swap meet in November when it was freezing cold. Well I was young, restless and crazy. Nowadays I’m not quite young, restless… getting slow but surely still crazy! (That is me standing on passenger side front tire, drinking beer and having fun at Sweden.) During winter 2003/2004 i just made new intake and headers to make it look more like a hot rod. Summer 2004 I was at mid summer rockabilly party, revving up the engine with open headers to make some flames out of pipe, when water pump just blew up and fan flew through the radiator. So it was time to start make a real hot rod out of it. I had already bought a Dodge 270 Red Ram Hemi, T-10 four speed out of mid sixties Mustang and an early Cadillac rear end. So I teared the tudor into pieces again, made a jig for the frame, boxed it and kicked the rear. Then life threw other things in the way. So fast forward 20 years. Now I’m back in business and try to make some progress. First thing is to get the frame finished. Main thing is find right position of engine and try to get everything fit around it. I’ll use VW bus steering box, which was told to be almost bolt on to model A frame. Not quite, I would say. I made a 3D printed jig, which was positioned to the original bolt holes, so I could get hole for the output shaft inline both inner and outer wall of the boxed frame rail. I measure angle of the steering colum and tried get input shaft of the box at same inclination. After drilling bolt holes for the VW box, the frame rail was almost cut through, so I guess I have to made some reinforcement for it later. By the way, do anyone know where to get U-joints for VW steering box input shaft? When steering box located, it is time to get motor located. I have already moved firewall about 2 inches backwards, just drilled original spot welds away and added 2 inch sheet metal strip and redo the spot welds. I had a 4 row radiator bought from tractor parts store, which would be otherwise been good fit with -34 truck grill, but it turned out to be just little too tall. But I could check the engine fitting lengthwise with that radiator anyway, try to find lower radiator later. By the way, I removed cowl from body, cause it is much easier to lift on and off the frame during test fitting the engine/trans combo. Vertically I placed engine so that oil pan is set about an inch lower than original model A, there is still room for steering box, column shaft and headers. At least I hope so (do not have column shaft yet, so can’t be sure) I have frame on jig set horizontally both length and side ways, but I set engine leaning 1 degree down at rear. That compensate tire difference 5.60-15 front and L78-15 rear and let the tail of transmission be about 11/16” lower, which help clearance with floor. It is all for now, I’ll keep you updated for progress. Hopefully it will not be another 20 years until next update
Check with Borgeson Steering for their u-joint options. They have a list of available diameters and splines.
Projects have a way of getting pushed to the back burner (phrase about being set aside). Glad you are back on it. That hemi looks great in the car! I am in awe of those like you who can keep rodding alive in distant lands.
Great to see that this car is progressing again! I remember seeing the car several times in early 2000's.
Some progress done. Now when the position of engine and transmission have been set, it is time to check if everything can be fitted around it. I started with pedal assembly. I bought a set from fellow HAMBer called MR K. some years ago. Real nice set, high quality, I recommend it. But some modifications need to be done, to fit it to model A. I marked the placement of original model A pedal axle and tack welded the new set at same position. The set was designed for wider car, so I need to shorten pedals about 2 inches and make clutch pedal to brake pedal and counterwise. I also cut clutch pedal so, that bending is now opposite way. After that done everything seems to fit OK. Of course I leave everything just tack welded, cause there might come up some need for modifications later on. Original set up Pedals modified, tight fit, but works.
The pedals fitted, time to make the X-member. My friend made some C-profile with oval holes more than 20 years ago for this project. So it was just about time to use them! I first made crossmember under the tail of trans and rear part of X. The rear wings needed to be made tapper to match the frame rails, so I pie cut the profile. Then rear part the X-member was tack welded in place For the front wings of the X i made them as long as possible to leave room for master cylinders on driver’s side. There should be enough room for battery and remote oil filter on passenger’s side, hopefully… I guess next it is time for trans tail mounting. Stay tuned
Not much happened here, but some updates anyway. Made trans tail mount from a scrap sheet metal part found at trash at my work place. This is recycling at it’s best! Used two biscuit style motor mounts, little overkill for trans mount, but I just happened to have them on the shelf. Frame side bracket Trans side bracket Final assembly The trans mount done, it is time make motor mount. That is more complicated and also visible part, so I won’t make that from scrap metal with angle grinder and drill. I made 3D model of it and 3D print to check the fit before I order the steel parts for it. By the way, I will make couple extra mounts, if some one else would want one too.
Thanks guys for those encouraging comments. Here some updates for this project. I was not completey happy with engine front mount fixed only 4 timing cover bolts. Even I’m planning to enlarge them from 5/16” to 3/8”. So I designed other bracket, which bolts to water pump as original front mount does. Maybe I’m too worried, but this extra mount should not hurt anyway. 3D-print Final bracket When got the engine mount ready for ordering, I start working on front suspension. I splitted model A front wishbone, still just tack welded, if I need to shorten them more. Also fitted spindels to the front axle, reamed bushings and so. Then I found out the front post of my frame jig was just in same place as the front axle should be. Made new post 2 inches forward, just to find out that next post is in place where wishbone bracket should be. Oh well, you can not win everytime I also found out that I’m not brave enough to jack axle to the ride height with complete spring. I have to disassemble the spring and use only main leaf to get axle to the right height, so I can fix caster angle and steering geometry with VW steering gear. On other end I found out that the Cadillac rear end is not symmetric, just the way “modern” rear ends are. So it looks pretty stupid, with Ford rear buggy spring. Well “easy” fix would be to have shorter (driver side) drive shaft also to the passenger side and shorten the banjo. I was little worried about how to find 50’s Cadillac drive shaft over here. But nice surprise, I placed wanted add to Facebook and in a week I had made deal for 57 Cad rear just one hour drive from my place! Need to make attachment part for my slide hammer to get drive shaft out, but I’m pretty sure it will be correct for my rear end. Well time is running and it is just about time to get work on my T-A-B to get it more “finished” for this summer Hayride Jamboree. So it means this project will be on hold some time. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/t-a-b-project.1315428/page-2#post-15477503 https://www.hayridejamboree.fi/
Looks good. Don't shorten your wishbones any more. Model A bones are already pretty short to begin with.
Why not use a early Hemi front mount and bell housing mounts welded to your trans adapter . That the timing cover bolts don't take engine torque they just don't look that strong. thats what I did. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2655834532...1291&msclkid=41b48504631c1404e022e2ef97f141d0
Because that's a Chrysler Hemi mount and this is a Dodge? I don't know of any aftermarket mounts that bolt up to a low-deck 1st Gen Dodge without significant fabrication.
That funny the Chrysler hemi that's used on has the same timing chain cover as the Dodge one of the few things that's the same
dunno if they are the same spline but super beetles had double u-joint steering shafts. I used to run one in my bug, but after it worn out I had trouble finding a new one and so I just used a stock vw rag joint, welded to a short piece of 3/4 DD shaft, and used a normal U joint. .
I thought the 1st Gen 241-270 Dodge had a different timing cover, but could be mistaken... Either way, the Dodge water pump housing already has the flat mounting surface that he's using so and that's been working fine since day one.
For motor mounts, yes Dodge has original set uplike this: front mount under waterpump (where i have that red 3D print) which more or less handel only vertical loads. Rear mount both side of bellhousing which carry vertical loads and torque. I would make similar, but there is no room for it in model A. Maybe with cowl steering and hanging pedals there is room enough, but i did not want either one. Speedway sells same kind of Hurst style front mount that i designed. I guess they use original 5/16" size bolts. I bet they work just fine, but i'm also little worried about them. That is why i think i'll enlarge those 4 bolts to 3/8" and mayde use studs, so i'll have full lenght of the thread used. And i'll also add support from waterpump. So it is kind of hybrid between Hurst and orginal mount. About steering shaft joints, thanks for the tip. I'll check that super beetle if they are same shaft size as VW bus.
definitely wouldn’t hurt to upgrade them to 3/8ths, I’ve only been driving mine for 2.5 months (520ish miles) but I just used grade-8 5/16 bolts for the motor mount and 7/16 bolts on my transmission mount and it holds the torque just fine.
The reason I went with Chrysler mount I wanted to go with the chevy water pump and the bellhousing side mount puts less strain on the trans to engine bolts than the front of engine and tail housing mounts set up. PS after 54 Chrysler and Dodge timing covers were the same in most cases.
Now i finally got the motor mounts made out of steel. Fits as good as 3D print (surprise). I ordered 2 extra sets of sheet metal parts, so let me know if you want one too. Also got the Cad rear end disassembled. Oh boy, that drive shaft was touch, had to tie rear end to the drill press leg and add a beam to the slide hammer so i could hit it with sledge hammer. But finally got drive shaft out so now i have two left hand drive shaft to make the rear end symmetric and more narrow too. That is all for now, really have to get working on T-A-B to get it painted and little other updates done before next Hayride Jamboree at August.
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