I figured I’d reach to you guys here that have way more knowledge about early fords than I do. Back story… I inherited my uncles 39 ford standard coupe this past spring and after digging around on the car it has some rust issues in frame from sitting for the past 50 yrs. I’m not the worlds best welder and fabricator so I want to replace the frame, my question is I found a clean 1940 frame would there be any problems swapping the 40 frame under my 39 standard other than the front cross member?
it has some rot in the rails where X member meets the driver side rail right by the body mount. It had dirt and gravel jammed in there for 50+ yrs.. once I pulled that out is when I found the holes in the frame.. other than that the car is in good shape..
If that is the sum total of the frame rust, you’d be money and time ahead to pay a reputable welder to repair and box or partially box the frame. Have them make both sides match. But if just want to take it apart to say you did, the frame swap isn’t going to be extremely difficult.
While I had it apart I was going to mechanically restore the ch***is, so I figured if I started with a rust free frame cleaned and painted it I’d be better off in the long run then dealing with patching the existing frame.
It’s pretty common to have rust in those spots. Also your serial number is on the frame that should match your ***le.
Remember the "VIN" serial number is on the frame. When you swap the frame you have to deal with that. ***le , insurance is tied to that number.
I would go to great lengths to save the frame that the car was born with, mostly for the reasons stated above.
Other than the VIN, both frames should be very close to the same. The mounting holes where the brake/clutch bracket sits could be slightly different and need a little clearance grinding. But nothing else I can think of.
It would be a shame to see a beautiful 39 Ford being sent to the Crusher, while your **** is sitting in a jail cell. Another thing to think about, you parked in a bad spot. Car gets Impounded. You go to get your car out. Wrong Vin on the frame. It ain’t worth it.
Wow. Poor guy will never see his kids agin, as he sits and rots just like the 39 did. Just for switching the frame. If I was to do it, I’d make sure the ***le was current with the body sitting on the original frame. Then contact the state DMV and ask what their legal method is to switch the rusted out frame for a good one. I bet there is a legal way to do it.
Sure do see a lot of shops use new aftermarket ch***is Even in Cali I see a lot of new 32 rails I’ve swapped out several due to collision damage never an issue I’d swap it out and sleep just fine
You should check with your DMV about the legal way to swap the frame. The only real difference between the 39 standard and 40 frame would be the radiator mounts and the pedal opening in the X-member. The 39 has a smaller, round hole than the 40's teardrop shaped one, so that would need to be modified. The radiator mounts can just be swapped by drilling the rivets out. I have repaired rusted frames before. Its not really difficult and is not too visible when the car is together.
Jesus, the guy asked a simple question about if a frame is the same and ends up being told he’s going to jail, some days this place amazes me.
Hahaa. That did escalate quickly, but just to be clear, I thought the vin issue was important enough to mention, just in case he hadn’t thought that through. There’s no other numbers on the body of a 39 that are tied to the ***le. Only on the frame and transmission, if it has the original trans in it.
Only reason I’d be concerned about the vin number is if I were planning on selling the car which won’t happen in my lifetime. The numbers match on the ***le, frame and transmission if the VIN becomes an issue down the road. I wouldn’t s**** the original frame anyway. Thanks for all the info on what is different between the two model years. Appreciate it!
Yes the number is visible with the body mounted forward firewall. I believe there is a second one stamped in the back.
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