Projects 40 Ford Sedan "The Varmit" IS DONE! Successfully completed a Reliability Run

Isn't this stance shit fun? Lol it's one of the most subtle "simple" things but makes arguably the biggest impact.

something that threw me for a loop was my rear parralel leafs settling faster/ more than my front spring. I think tears came from tci where the front is a reverse eye poise super slider. Those rears dropped a fair amount
In the first couple months under weight and then a little more over the following years but they more or less stabilized after the first year. The front however I'd be surprised if it settled a quarter inch since day one!

That led to a monthly measuring the rockers because I was just sure that it looked nearly nose up! It was about an inch down but that big nosed hood make it look uphill, I inderstand all the custom guys pie cutting them now!

Anyhow a new dropped axle from sid and it is nose down with no questions now though on my second drive out with it I passed over a brick sized rock in the road and had a flash of "how low is that new axle now?!?" I didn't hear it hit so I think I'll crawl underneath just for future reference.

Keep on trucking man

 

I agree, Tim. I have spent LOTS of time measuring "rubber rake", dropped axle, reversed eye springs, etc, to get my '40's where they are. To me, rake and filling fender openings appropriately are the important parts of having the "right" stance.

 

Looking forward to the next set of photos that Dan will share. He was able to get the Posies spring installed and said that it dropped him another 1 1/2" in the front over the Chassis Engineering spring.

 

Looking good, Dan! Don't let these guys pressure you into rushing it... Do it once and do it right!
Here's a little inspiration for you... My '40 Sedan.

 

It's difficult to tell from this pic, because I can't get a good shot of it in the garage, but the posies spring dropped it a good 1 1/2"... I bounced up and down on the frame and got almost another 1/4" of drop. It looks really good now, has a nice rake back to front, and seems to have enough of suspension travel. I'll get a better pic this weekend.


Here is a comparison of a Chassis engineering spring and a Posies. CE on top. The CE spring actually has one less leaf than the Posies. The biggest difference is the thickness of the leaves themselves. The CE spring has thicker, more heavy duty leaves, and more arc. <a

 

I just wanted to pop my head up and say thanks for keeping us up to speed on your '40. Good stuff! Your spring info comes at a perfect time for my son and I putting together my '46. We've got a CE front kit in place (along with their parallel rear setup) but I kept looking at my spring convinced that it wasn't performing its tricks right. Now that I can see the CE and Posies side-by-side (both on the floor and in the car) it makes the situation crystal clear. So, thanks!

 

I had to throw a fender on when I got home from work.

 

That middle picture...nailed it!!

 

Looks like it's ready to eat some weeds!

 

Ah, my first love. A lowdown '40 standard tudor.

 

I might be thinking about this too much, but here's what I have now, a 15" fan and clutch. The clutch looks like do do in my eyes, but I want functionality. I'm thinking I need to go bigger with the fan even though the blades are slightly above the core at the top, another 1" for a 17" fan won't hurt. I am also thinking about a walker plastic fan shroud.

What say ye? Do you agree with what I'm thinking, or should I ditch the whole setup and get a straight mech. fan?

I want the thing to cool. It's a bone stock 350. And I will run without a hood for a while, but I will put the hood on at some point. I'm open to louvering the hood as well.

 

I think a shroud could help the temp, and it would really hide the clutch. But maybe you want to try driving it a bit first to see if you even need the shroud.

Don't get too worked up about the ugly clutch. Cause look what it's attached to (SBC).

 

@alchemy should I go bigger with the fan? I just looks dinky.
And,I tried to dress up this motor a bit so you gotta give me some credit for putting some lipstick on that pig!

 

Dan - so excited to see your progress. Now I gotta get my butt in gear!!

 

I'm the type of guy that hates to build things twice. I'd just try it as-is and see how it works. If it over-heats, then try a bigger fan or the shroud. How are you gonna know until you try it?

 

Bet you will be fine without shroud until you add a/c.

 

If he decides to go to A/C, I'll have to trade him my Walker for the radiator that I traded him to get the radiator that I put in the stake truck. It's got the A/C condenser on it that will more than likely never be used.

 

Haha @bchrismer If I go AC, I'll step up for the necessary components.

 

I agree with driving it for awhile as is . If it overheats then build a shroud for it and or get a bigger fan.

 

I thought not having a/c was part of the experience of the whole old car deal...

 

Not for me. Now when I was 20 it was fine, 50 years later it is not.

 

114 deg in salina with out heat index and the four miles to the hotel feels like 40. AC is fine in an old car we don't all live in Seattle haha.

I would say your current diameter is fine and is throw a shroud on it and call it good.

I think that a 15 inch fan with a shroud is going to cool better than a 17 inch with out one personally. A shroud will hide the clutch, will help cool it regardless of fan size etc and will be way easier to put on now than down the road.

~ I say this as I prepare to instal a shroud on my car after I thought I could get away without one in my very black car.

 

Dan, About your above latest pictures: Your fordy is sitting on the perfect stance, and the 39 deluxe headlight rims look great!

 

I hear you guys. After being stuck in traffic last weekend in Denton, TX in 90 degree weather, I can see the benefits of a/c just haven't ever had it in an old car.

 

I can go without AC just fine, but if I want my family to go with me, (which is the whole reason I bought a sedan) AC might be in my future.

 

Yeah it's it kinda makes the whole thing pointless if your alone haha. To be honest if I'm moving down the road 55mph+ and I have the vents and windows just so I won't sweat a drip. It's just that first stop light that turns the heat on

 

I recently added a mechanical fuel pump, lowered the radiator slightly, took the fan shrowed off and the 17" fan, installed a 15" mechanical fan and all the traffic in Austin in never really creaped much past 180-185. Also took the 2" spacer off the fan, looks better and cools the same go figure. I still gonna drop the radiator a tad more but ran out of time to modify the generator adjuster arm

 

I raised the radiator 2" and can easily fit a 17" fan ( could also use an 18" ). the standard hood clears fine ( Deluxe would not). I may have to add a baffle to the bottom of the grille to ensure the air doesn't go under the radiator. Pix enclosed.

 

Thanks for the pics Joel. My only concern is that when you turn you fan so that a blade is vertical, how close to the top of the tank does it get?

 

The fan in the pic is actually 17 1/2" across and in the verticle position the tip is 1 5/8 " above the core and 2 3/8" below the top of the tank.
I did some math and the swept area of the core by the fan minus the area where the fan extends above the core is 208.19 sq.in. in my case. The same calculation with a 15" fan and the radiator in stock location yields 162.52 sq.in. of swept area. If you had full core coverage of the 15" fan, you would only have 176.71sq.in.. All this is why I raised the radiator and used a larger dia fan. I just haven't tested it yet.