Hot Rods Drug Home: East Coast T Modified - NH

I think a spring-behind might put the wheelbase too far out with the rear end already slung-out back. It's also probably easier to flip the front crossmember and put a suicide perch on it than deal with an overslung spring potentially slapping the rails. But this new guy here, @rudestude (hi there!) is doing that, so I'll be curious to see how it works out for him. I've seen it done on other cars too and it does make sense with a spring ahead setup. I'm planning to do, essentially this but with flat run from under the crossmember for the perch, putting the axle just in front of the frame.



I'm not far along enough to think too hard on seats but I'm with you there. I need to figure out the seats in my other car first! I have those HUMVEE seats but IDK if they will fit yet. Old Jeep seats aren't cheap unfortunately.

I'm only going to cut out what needs to be cut and replace that tube (it's rotted). I am keeping as much as I can as a rule but I may replace the outer rear rods with some ford bones since I'm putting that 265 in there. It was already a split bone or hairpin car, so that's staying as part of the build. I'm going to try like hell to re-use the brackets too!



I have put my TIG away for now so I'll be MIG welding on this one. The welds on this car looked like gas welds to my neighbor Paul, who gas welded at a high level for decades. A MIG will be the best way for me to match the welds appearance though @BOSTONCAMARO does have a stick welder that we may use if need be.

 

I know and like your modified build, so I know about the HUMVEE seats.
But with the work I've seen on your modified I find it hard to believe you can't fab this of from scratch


And regarding front axle set up, since you have no front cross member how can it be to far forward? But a tubular front cross member ain't a bad looking set up.

Remember if you cut a bracket off to redo something behind it, very few people will know, and it's way less work to cut and old bracket and not cut in the frame, and afterwards do the same again. If the OB did it in his driveway you can duplicate everything in you shop!
Aposed to cutting a bracket of a frame without hurting frame or bracket at the same time.

And if the spring behind front axle don't work out this might also be a weird and wonderful idea to try out
I like this one too

 

I do not have a tubing bender. I may do something with angle iron for seat frames like I've seen on old Rover seats. It would match the materials used on the car elsewhere. I'm not 100% satisfied with the HMMWV seats anyway; I just wanted to try and save some time with them.

 

You can build seat frames from electrical conduit and rent a bender for a day. bend up what you need and take it back. I have done that when I wasn't working someplace that I had access to what I needed to do the job.

 

All them damn excuses, :wink:



https://www.google.dk/url?sa=i&sour...DcK7DEqAcHkLRa6QxA&ust=1462472307793489&rct=j


https://www.google.dk/url?sa=i&sour...DcK7DEqAcHkLRa6QxA&ust=1462472307793489&rct=j

 

I WANT a tubing bender and I WANT a 20 ton press, but I also need to find SPACE for them!

My shop is a bit organizationally challenged despite my efforts to remedy it. I did put a rack up for my bolts this weekend at least.

 

LOL @Tim has come by several times in the last year to help organize my shop, every time he does I manage to screw it back up and try as I might I cannot every get it back the way it was. its like trying to put the Genie back in the bottle. I one time had an employer that described my best day as "organized confusion"

 

Chipped away at this car a little more this weekend. By that I mean I snapped off 3 wheel studs and one bolt on the rear spring bracketry. I'm considering more seriously the plan of punting this rear end and going with my 47 Ford rear and a set of rear bones. It's kind of a shame but It's looking like a lot less work and parts hunting. I did manage to get ONE wheel off this weekend however.

 

That's some serious iron oxide.

 

I like the 265-3 speed idea.When dealing with this kind of rust IME you will have much better luck if you heat the fastener a dull red before trying to remove it,most of them come off no problem at that point.

 

Yeah, I tried a little heat with the MAP torch, but didn't go cherry and didn't get them off. I really didn't have enough leverage when I did that though. I think there's a lot of meat missing on the studs (they look like apple cores) and they were probably beat on pretty hard when this car ran. I snapped one on one of the rear spring clamps too.

The 3 speed seems like what should go in there since there's a clutch pedal present, but I just have SO MANY AUTOMATICS right now. Seriously: 2 Aluminum, 2 Iron Powerglides, 1 TH 350... FIVE! I've also got 3 LaSalle side shifters but I know even less about adapting one to a SBC than I do to a Flathead.

 

The T-84 transmission was used in 'top shift' configuration in the MB/GPW 'Jeeps' and in 'side shift' configuration in the Studebaker M29/M29C 'Weasel' personnel carriers. The Weasel was powered by the Champion 170 CI flathead 6. I've heard of Jeeps repowered with Stude 6s for extra power...

Eli

 

Give this thing some time. The rear suspension setup is unique and would set it aside and be right. You don't have to use the same parts to put it back like it was or something like it was. I understand using what you have but part of what you have is the essence of this old rod. You have plenty to do on the other one to keep you busy for a while.

 

Very true, but we shall see. If this rear is more trouble and expense than it's worth, a banjo rear will look just fine if not better out back.

 

Hey patmanta:
I love your enthusiasm!!

 

So after thrashing on my build for 2 weeks straight, and some stuff that's going on that I may need some cash flow freed up for, I've decided to put this thing together to sell.

I'm going to transfer what's good and the body over to a good, uncut frame. I'm going to get the complete 265 to run and put the TH350 I've got behind it. I've got a bunch of front axles to choose from, it's all going to be a matter of what I can get to work, brake & steer. I'm short on spindles, so it's either going to be slotted juice plates on A or 36 spindles, F1 brakes on F1 spindles, or the disk brake setup I've got in the shed. The open drive banjo rear is going on there too. I know some of you might not like that plan, but it's going to give me a better chance of selling it on up this way.

 

Ok I read this/ skimmed it pretty fast but I don't think I saw anyone mention that a 235 from a 54 ish Chevy pickup has side mounts. That might be something that could have fit in that odd cradle and would have fit with some of the weird AG/farm/ dirt track thoughts

 

My neighbor Paul said the offset mount was probably to make room for a steering box too, btw!

 

Pat... One of those LaSalles will go up behind the Chevy stick bellhousing. If the input shaft is too long, (it is) you cut a piece of aluminum plate as an adaptor/spacer.
Front of LaSalle has a hole for the shift rail shaft to slide forward and out of the case .625" or so when in gear, so after plotting its bolt pattern, bore a hole for this shaft.
International Harvestor 10 spline clutch disc, Chev. stick flywheel, pressure plate, fork, and T.O. brg.
NAPA had a bronze pilot bushing that fit, don't have part#...
It worked for me...

Maybe of little interest here, or very informative:
One of my LaSalle floorshift boxes was selected for my street roadster: '27 Highboy, '32 frame, open drive rear. My engine was a 455 Olds, with '53 Offie finned covers, adapted; 2 Carter WCFBs. (looks 'old', Mallory distributor, early waterproof cap)
Bell is a B-O-P aluminum, with casting for either side starter! Helpful.
I have an adaptor from SBF to LaSalle, bellhousing type.
When I fitted it together, I was alarmed...my passenger side floorshift (LaSalle exclusive! Nice in a narrow T) was damn near in the center!
The indexing of the optional Ford pattern (the bell housing was used in Jeeps!)
So it has the '49-'70 small Ford trans footprint.
BUT, they 'clocked' the tranny counter clockwise to the left, for some 'practical' reason.
I had to drill and tap 3, in a 'straight up' position. The 4th had to be bung-welded on, then surfaced, then drilled and tapped. Whew!
Put that stick right where I wanted it. Er, until my friend died and willed me his Hemi. Out came the Olds...

 

Man, if I was building this car for myself, I'd be all over that, thanks! I might do that on the other 265 I was going to keep for the next finished T build. My LaSalles are Side-Shift, so I was thinking of trying to adapt a 40 Ford column shifter if I can get a hold of one.

BUT, I'm trying to get this one in decent enough shape that a guy who doesn't have a bunch of sheet metal tools or parts hunting time/savvy will snatch it up, clean it up, & fire it up. I'm in MA, so I think the 350, disk brakes, and Radial T/A's I'm not using and have too much money sittin into are going on there. If I happen to luck out and find a traditional Rodder willing to buy what I've got put together, I have parts I could swap out in the deal, but I can't really hold my breath.

So I'm going to do the broad strokes as far as body work. I can fab the patch panels with my tools and skillset now. You can do most all of it with a brake & shrinker/stretcher. I've got another Cowl in the shed that I may swap or cut up and tack in. I figger that's the kind of stuff that's less commonly done in the average-joe-rodder's garage.

 

Hey pat

Have you seen the anderegg AMBR clone build on here? Not only is it a killer car, but it runs a 1972 scout Dana 44 rear end. It looks close to your rear. If you still are looking for brake donors.

It would have been cool to see the rebuild as originally build state. But in the famous words of the stones; you can't always get what you want.

Andre rather that some parts are saved, then non.
That rear set up was bitching!

 

I am going to approximate the original setup but with the Ford rear and some bones. Keeping the quarter elliptic setup!

 

I knew there is a reason I stick around, there is always some cool shot to see!

And 1/4 elliptic springs on a roadster, is worth waiting for.

Keep at it, lad!

 

I'm going to try to get back to work on this thing this weekend, weather permitting.

I'm at least going to pull parts.

 

Hey Pat, looks like a garage sale at your house! I am going to be out and about this w/end, I can drop off your torque tubes. Let me know. RON

Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

That's not even a fraction of the crap I've got that I don't need. And I am going to be trying to sell most of it. LMK if you need anything.

 

So, I've got to get this thing ready to sell off. Circumstances dictate that to be the prudent move. Someday when the skies over my life clear, I'll pick up the frame from this thing (assuming I can keep it) and re-create something more similar (I'm keeping the rear springs for sure).

I decided that I'm going to put it together on a fresh frame and do as little cutting/welding as I can get away with so I provide as blank of a slate as I can along with a little inspiration.

I tacked some 18g into the weak spots on the subframe and set about sorting a spring solution with what I have in my pile.

I've got a 47 Merc rear out back with the spring on it still, so I concluded that putting some 1.5 x 2" box tube up into the rear crossmember should accept the Merc spring readily and deliver an acceptable stance.



I did something similar with the same tubing up front. I ground down the heads of the rivets and bolted it in. Then I took a piece of .25" flat stock and drilled it using a spring bracket as a template. I'm not 100% satisfied with it but it holds a spring. I think this may need more attention or even replacement. I wish I had some drill guides.

 

Here's some pictures of the body going on to the frame that I forgot to post previously:

 

I did some puttering around on this little project yesterday. I didn't really get dirty or anything but I made a little progress as far as staging for patch panels and freeing the door hinges.

I hit the hinges with a can of Ultra Lube when I got home from work and the sun was still beating down on the body. I left it for maybe an hour then came back and worked the passenger side free with little fuss. The driver side had the added issue of a cracked post flexing instead of the bottom hinge moving. So I clamped some angle iron in there and used a little heat:



Most of the rest of what I did was tinker around with mockup ideas and take pictures. I'm considering throwing this track nose into the pile.




One question I'd like to pose to y'all though, does anybody have any ideas for patching a bad spot like this that's not cutting up another cowl? I'm thinking about putting material underneath and using filler.