Well, I've been sitting on this car for over a year now without touching it, and decided it was time to get my *** in gear. The plan is to stay Traditional. Not flashy, but clean. At this point, not much is set in stone, but some parts have been bought. I've got a 6" drop, spring behind, tube axle, which I know isn't exactly Trad, but I needed that axle to get the drop I wanted, without Zing the frame.... which I STILL may do... who knows. The motor is bought. It's a recently built Flatty, that I'll be putting some extra carbs, and shiny stuff on it. Planning on using an S10 T5, So if anyone's got a line on a cheap one, let me know. Oh, and it'll be chopped 5". Other than that, nothing is set in stone. I suppose I'll just work on it till I think it's right. I'm hoping to have her done by next spring. We'll see. Here's a couple pix of what it looked like when I got it from fellow Hamber Kensey.
And I got a buddy to help me set the lid back on... Just 5 inches shorter. Looking like a hotrod already!
Well, the top is lower, but the car is still sitting WAY up in the air. Gotta do something about that. I really want to keep as much of the original frame as possible. Don't want to Z the frame. I suppose I'm not completely opposed to channeling the body though. I've got time to decide. In any case, I ordered a front end kit from Speedway, and took the stock parts out.
Here's the new axle, spring, and hairpins. Oh, and the Flathead waiting to be cleaned up, and dressed out.
It almost pains me to replace the Banger. It runs like a sewing machine. But that flathead sounds *****IN! Plus the extra power will come in handy. As it is, the car has a top speed of about 45mph. It might go faster, but I've never really felt like pushing it that hard.
And here we are with the new axle test fit. I've gotta figure out exactly where to locate the hairpin mounts to the frame, but it's sitting down LOW! the Batwings are 3" off the ground. I like it!
Looking good Jade. 5" is a lot of chop if you`re running a visor but the lid looks so much better now. Eric & I bought a dead stock `30 sedan in the spring and haven`t really decided the path for it. I`ll be watching. Bill
Sorry Les, the Banger is already gone. Bill, I saw pics of the sedan. Dar had 'em posted on Facebook. Nice Blank Canvas. Of course she said it was HERS, and Eric's.
Houston... We have a problem. Ever since I swapped the axle out, a couple days ago, I've had this su****ion that something was not quite right with my spindle/axle/kingpin ***embly. This is the first time that I've had kingpins apart on any of my cars, so I just put it back together the way it came apart. The more I look at it, I'm fairly certain that the spindles I've got don't work with this axle. Or the axle that I replaced for that matter. When I was putting the whole shebang back together, I thought to myself "Man, this bearing isn't doing a damn thing" But I couldn't see any other way for it to go, so i just put it back together like it was. After some investigation, I think my fears were correct, and the bearing is supposed to go between the bottom face of the axle boss, and the bottom ear on the spindle. Take a look at the picture.... The bearing is up on top, above the TOP spindle ear!!!! it's doing NOTHING. In In any case. That bearing wont fit where it's supposed to go with these spindles. WTF??? Some of you guys with more experience can look at the pics, and tell me if I'm missing something here, but I'm pretty sure I need some new spindles. Here's a better close up picture
Alright, after an excellent tip from Kensey, I checked the Les Andrews manual, and sure enough, it was together correctly to begin with. However, the original design relies on the kingpin lock bolt to hold the kingpin in position vertically so that all the weight is distributed to the TOP of the kingpin, and it all works. Unfortunately, my new tube axle just uses a set screw to keep the kingpin from falling out, and I'm pretty sure it's not designed to support the entire weight of that corner of the car. I think these are the original "A" spindles attached to the '40 Ford backing plates. So a new set of spindles will probably be in order to make this axle work. No big deal, just glad I caught it before I tried driving it! Anyone got some spindles for sale?
So the top has been cut, but not welded back in place. Gotta get this done, so I can remove the body, and get to work on the rear suspension, and the frame in general. Here's the most important tool in the whole deal. No, not the TIG. It's those Harbor Freight $8 **** weld clamps. Man, the guy who invented these was a genius!
This is the other side before pie cutting... there's at least half an inch mismatch between the top, and bottom in the curve around the C pillar.
And here it is with a bunch of tack welds.. man what a slow process. BTW, I'm using Silicon Bronze filler here, so it's actually more like Brazing. I like these rods because they have a lower melt temperature, so I'm not putting as much heat into the sheetmetal, so It doesn't distort very much at all.
I didn't know you could chop one TOO much! Actually, I'll probably be putting those pieces on the inside for some added strength, and a backstop for my filler on some of the spots that aren't cut perfectly even.
doubling the layers of metal traps moisture and causes rustout I've never heard of anyone worried about the strength of the chop
looks great, I'd plan your steering completely prior to buying any spindles. I noticed you have PA plates, anywhere close to Harrisburg?
Those pictures were taken at it's last owners house. I'm in Ohio. Most of my family lives near Pittsburgh though.
Read post 12 again. It is difficult to see a red light out of my stock 31 coupe, 5" you are going to need a periscope. That may not matter if you only drive it a couple of times a year. After you drive it, *You* may be the guy wanting to add some back in. 4" is usually considered the maximum for street driven traditional hotrods.
I'll keep that in mind.... Here's a pic of my last ABone... I used a prism. No problems. Now that I think about it, in this picture, Bill, who wrote post 12... His roadster is parked right next to me.
I have a 4" chop and a prism and its OK with Mopar minivan seat and my 5'6" frame. I'm bringing a rat rod back to respectability, that said I'd like to buy those chopped pcs to repair the non pie cut doors and pillars. It was welded as they were aligned. Please advise. Subscribed
Ahhhh, FINALLY some warm weather! I got out into the garage, and did some work. Made up a pair of hairpin brackets, and welded them on.
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