Projects 37 Tudor family hauler/push car

Hi there,

I been lurking the hamb long enough it's time to try my hand at at build thread. ! I've reacquired this 37 Tudor. An old picture and a new picture first from day one in the shop with proper sized tires and a bunch of weight in the trunk to level it out for mock up purposes! I'm going for an early 50s mild custom something someone might have driven to work, school or the lakes to tow a race car . Previously a drop axle and reverse eye spring front and rear have been installed. First up is to give it a more sleek look with a chop!
Davis

 

16" caps and early chop layout (I stripped the paint where I knew I needed first tons more stripping later... Lots to wrap my head around here lol

 

Now this catches us up to a month ago now the first look wth the roof down on the posts (3/4" more in the rear ) All in now no going back !

 

Show us more. P.S. Chopping the top is way beyond mild custom IMHO.

 

Haha "Mildish" I guess it depends where you lived and who you buddy's were in 1950 if it was mild or not

 

I actually just bought one of those same caddy caps lol

 

Not as pretty though

 

The next step for me not having built a custom style car was to cut a mock fender skirt out of door skin and prop a hubcap up and stand back to decide where the heck to go from here!
With some head scratching looking and research I decided that the ara I was looking for the posts should remain stock angle. The front of the roof needs to be added to. This is where Tetris starts to come in handy... I stole the drip rail from the chopped sections straighting them out on the shrinker/stretcher the rear/sail panels will be a whole different story.....

 

Very nice and complete not easy to find in any condition!

 

Fun part will be finding another three lol

 

Honestly I always preferred non angled b pillars myself

 

Old rear window size for reference and the frame tacked to the lower belt line after dollying it down to match the new angle. The rear window was cut around 2" each direction.The rear side window opening is shrinking and the c piller is growing, one because the fact the front and back window is the exact same size is ugly and it makes life easier. Win win. Now the drip rails that's a different story all together...

 

Great profile!

 

Next up I cut down the sides of the back section of the roof then slid it back until the angle of the back window lined up much better. This also helped getting rid of the forward rake hump in the back of the roof line. After the roof shenanigans I will be attacking the chassis to get the rear down a bit more I also have a 59a block at the machine shop that we will be putting together as well as a 39 trans
Thanks for following along !

 

A bit more slow progress wedge to add back to keep the roof the proper shape if I did it again I would maybe have done it differently but what the heck I'm here now it should all work out. Next is the drip rail transition.. Everyone says I hope your keeping the drip rails or rips on people about them but man I can totally see why the old timers just cut them off and leaded the seem... Lol
Thanks for following along

 

I love this.

 

On my 1949 ford I shaved the drip rails but then added back on a piece of brake line in the same location using filler to aid the transition of the brake line to the body. Resulted in a smooth radiused drop rail rather than the L channel. Does it channel water, no. Does it get driven in the rain, no.

 

Back in the day it took 2 tops to chop one correct. A chopped top on any past the early 30’s is larger than the original…

 

I like it, if your in the rain things have already gone wrong that day lol

 

I signed the car up to Deuce days in Victoria next summer even if the chop is only touched up it's fine with me. Other than some mechanical things to the car I'm going to build a primitive old style trailer for the rail to pull it over there as well. A picture of the rail in question
Thanks for following along.

 

Not much but a step in the right direction, one side broken , shrunk ,stretched and twisted to match the ford belt line. Real non door skin skirts on the way !

 

Nice work so far, they used to make skirts out of VW bug roof pieces.

 

An angled pillar may be a better visual flow, IMO. But adds a lot more work.

 

Today I fit the wedge pieces back to where the new sail panels will start and fit the second side of the drip rail transitions. I also got all the broken screws out of the swap meet windshield frame and laid it on for visual purposes, I think the car will have a much better visual flow once the rear is lowered I bit more (to hide the wedge of the body)

Thanks for following along.
Davis

 

Sure is looking good! Can't wait to see it finished.

 

Got a skirt held in place for a look (with a level at a prop lol) the leaver in the backside will need to be extended but not the worst.

 

Please dont do skirts, they do nothing but muddy that body line.

 

Looking forward to seeing this thing pushing your rail with old fashion wooden front bumper. Great look with that old rail

 

Looks awesome, can't wait to see where this goes.