This is my 50 ford coupe I bought in june of this year. I'm kind of living a dream right now this has been my dream car since being a kid and watching thunder road and my dads first car was a 51 hardtop in the 70s so I've got a good wealth of knowledge to help me along the way. Plan is to get the motor back going and getting a weekenddriver while I collect parts. Caught a pic of it with the 50 model 8n tractor that's been in the family and has worked wonders clearing brush and workin around the house Started disassembly while the block is at the machine shop Picked up a nos trunklid at the maggie valley swapmeet also picked up a nice driver quality grille while there gonna save me a lot of work The passenger door basically fell of when I opened It. The pins were sheared off so I done the hinge rebuild posted by the rodster I found on here and worked perfectly
Also wandering if anyone here can id theese rims I havent removed the tires yet to measure.there 15s I've read the wheel kid's post on ford wheel id and doesent match any on there what's throwing me off is the extra ring around the hubcap ring
Got some more disassembly done this week. Got thepassenger door lined up and finished shaping and welding in the lower front door patch still waiting on the rockers to show up. I'm experiencing the horror stories ive heard on here about the factory undercoating removal. I cleaned up the trunk and dropped the tank tonight its not as bad as I thought after removing the tar and factory trunk mat. .
A Rodder with a car next to my own heart. I have had many cars through the years and came full circle back to a 1951 Biz Coupe. There is so much out there (aftermarket) to support these little sweethearts. My best advice is to NOT go overboard tearing this all apart (front clips,etc.) with visions of these $45,000 "street rods" in your mind. Try and get it running and on the road, and fix what you can afford along the way. It will take time. Best of luck, I'll be following this thread.
Shubox ford coupes are one of my favorites, for sure. I scored a bone-stock '49 from a junk yard in the early 90s. Pulled the flathead 6 and built a 355 chevy for it/350 turbo and a maverick 8 inch. What a sweetheart to drive. I flipped the spindle uprights and cut the coils, used 3 inch blocks in the back.
I'm going to agree with Chromeazone in that less is more. It's way to easy to get them totally apart before you know it and way more challanging to get them back together. This photo of the young man proudly standing next to his High School ride was what it's all about. Sadly soon after this photo it was taken apart to get the dreaded Pro Street treatment with a 460. Large Dreams with No talent. 15 years after the Big dust ball I bought the pieces. Thank God they didn't brake out the Gas Ax. It took a trailer and 2 more trips with a Truck to bring home what "was" a Grate car. Getting it to look like it does now was not easy nor necessary had it just been left alone. It took me and my Brother 6 years of spare time to rebuild it. Best of luck on your project and I hope your just as happy with it as I am with mine. The Wizzard
Thanks for the advice this is as far as disassembly is gonna go my next step is to start stripping the car to bare metal and get it in primer I've already got the door done found 7 different layers and colors of paint on it. The interior cleaned up pretty good I'm gonna leave it alone for now just replace the headliner and restore the steering wheel and dash. Plan for now is to get everything shutting latching and in primer while I'm waiting to get the block back from the shop and savin money for the rings and bearings
This may be of interest to many of you. Actually, Rocky's post got me thinking. I went through investigating the "cutting coils" exercise and found something on some thread here, that a guy wound up using 1990-95 Ford Aerostar front coils. He even included the MOOG number. I thought what the heck, and gave it a shot. They dropped my front about 2" with no effect to steering or ride. They're great! I think they cost me about $80 for the pair at OREILLY's. Also, I thought I was being cool and went with 3" blocks in the back. Car looked great sitting in the driveway, but first problem I encountered was I couldn't get the damn wheels (15") out of the fender well until I took off lower shock mount. Then, after putting around town, I was bottoming out entering or leaving driveways and I was flattening my pipes. Car now has 1" blocks and still looks good. Anyway, 3" may not work for everyone. One day I thought I'd quit drinking. Instead, I quit thinking!
I've been thinkin about using the aerostar coils after reading all the post here I've read. This car has already had the 70s treatment has extended shackles in the rear on top of coil overs and air shocks with the inner fender lips rolled so I'm really interested to what it looked like in the 70s I've kept close with the guy I bought it from he had owned it since late 60s and was last registered in 1978 by the tag that was on it. I really like hearing the stories of old hot rodding from him and he gave me a good deal on it cause he was more interested in seeing it go to a good home and being restored than he was the money side of it. Not much progress this week I got the door bottom patches ironed out and in primer I'm pretty happy with how it turned out my gun started acting funny on the last coat of primer and splattering from being low on air. With my work schedule I work 5pm to 5am so I fill the compressor up b4 work to have some air to work with when I get off I'm sure the neighbors wouldn't appreciate me running it at 5amlol. Ill get to pick the block up from the machine shop today and Ireceived my rocker panels yesterday. Progress will be slow for the next few weeks been rebuilding an evinrude outboard for a guy I work with. Here's all the progress pics I've got for now. And here's my inspiration goin for a hotrod look opposed to a kustom would really like some more info on this car
Here was my 50 Coupe when I got it. It was set up more as a Hot Rod style. It had a nice rake and hood pins. It has the aerostar front springs and fatman drop spindels. Thaught you might want some more pics to look at. Your car is coming along great. Keep it up. Now
I agree, the hotrod stance suits this body style well and I prefer it over the kustom look too. Good luck, I'll be watching this one.
Love both styles. Customs and hot rod stance. Shoe's are a open book. That's what i like about them. Everyone is different.
That's what I like about them I prefer the hotrod look but also like the kustom look too and I think its nice to be able to drop the shackles and throw some skirts on and have a totally different looking car without much work. I really like yours kccos the stance is spot on I'm really diggin that hood too wish I could find someone around east tn that did louver work
You're off to a great start. I just posted this thread into the Shoebox Group listing of build threads... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?do=discuss&discussionid=29641&pp=20 Lots of good info there if you need it, and check out Johnny1290's Shoebox Builder's Guide for LOTS of info... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=296506
Thanks big a does anyone have any experience with the axis direct to metal primer that's what I used on the door I was just wandering how it will hold up I just bought a quart kit so the door will have some protection I'm takin the car down to metal all over I'm on a tight budget but I also dnt want to skimp my local paint store recommended transtar its supposed to be a higher build and he said better quality for over bare metal.
Wondered where you got bubble cruiser skirts ! Very traditional. I used to sketch cars all the time while in High School, always cruiser style and bubble if I could show them. Also, I tried for slight needle style on the leading edge. I grew up in Western NY, and most draggers/sleds, had cruiser skirts. I got to Cali, (in Navy) and was disappointed "No Skirts". I guess it was a back East thing. And cars were dumped in the FRONT (rake?). What was with that? Back in my town REAR was lowered.
Been working alot of overtime this past week and still waiting on parts to finish rebuilding a guys ouboard I been workin on. Kinda sucks having the extra money and no time to spend working on it. But it all pays off when I get the new parts in the mail. Also give me time to organize and get a gameplan for what's next. Plan is to get the body in primer b4 I start assembling the engine. I have made a few bits of progress mostly getting new parts and gathering up a few things. I got the block back from machine shop last Friday bored .040 replaced 2 valve seats and a valve job my new pistons came in also Rocker patches arrived And I gathered up some 60s steel wheels my dad had laying around 225/75 rear in the pic and 205/75 front that I haven't mounted yet.Not the firestone 6.70/15s I want eventually but will do nicely for now Also found this model I built when I was younger its cool seeing my dream become a reality
I was studying your block and was a little confused by the unusual relieving pockets around valves. Been years since I had any work done on a Flattie, but it doesn't look like a traditional relief. If you go with new Edelbrock heads, is that the configuration they recommend or is this your own design? Use to be a head gasket was placed on block and piston/valve cutout was scribed on the block to define relief area. Then milled out maybe .060/.090 or more deep. What's up?
225s are going to be a really tight squeeze in the back. I have 215s on just as rollers right now, and it's a challenge getting them on.
Have been so much in Lust with this Body Style ! Almost had 1 in late '60s, I was only About 14 Yr Old. Car was only $75--$75 ! I only had $15 Jees-Us !! Keep up the good work, We will B watching. P.S. Thunder Road is 1 of The Best movies EVER made !
Good taste,,this would look great in my garage! HRP here's my inspiration goin for a hotrod look opposed to a kustom would really like some more info on this car
Yea I think the 225s are goin to be pushing it but the inner fender lips have been rolled I'm gonna test fit them soon. And as for the block this is my first flathead rebuild so I'm not sure but I do know it is a remanufactured engine there is a plate on the front with the company's logo. I've finally got everything caught up around the house and finished the outboard I was rebuilding so ill be making some more progress on it soon.
Here's a closser pic of the tag that's on the engine wandering if there was anyone who might recognize it maybe some info on the company. I ran into the same thing on the 235 I rebuilt for my 48 chevy pickup it had a metal tag from rogers remanufacturing that listed the oversize of the cylinders and undersize of the rods and mains stamped I think its kinda cool.
as much as I want to say this is a hack job and in noway am I rebuilding it to this standard u go to admit it held up well he had it redone and painted in the early 70s and I would have never known till I. Tore intoit but this is the quarter panel seems everytime i touch it with a grinder disc I spend a $100 bucks in patch panelslol
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