Projects My first hot rod build: 31 Ford coupe

Spent MLK Day on the fuel tank. I'm whooped but I'm having a ball! Now to sandblast the irregular areas to clean off welding soot, then to get some primer and paint on the saddle and straps. I'm having trouble with weld penetration, but I just kept grinding it off and trying again. I used like a whole spool of wire and just swept 99% of it up! Here's a photo re-cap of the tank mount fabrication.

 

looking great! looking forward to following this build!

 

Try slowing your wire feed speed down .

 

nice work on the tank mounts

 

Looks great!

 

Looks good, I'm building a similar coupe and was also thinking of doing a simlar rollbar to tie the shoulder harnesses to.

 

Wiring progress. See videos below. Struggling with where to put battery. Plan has been to put it in the trunk inside a sealed and vented box. But that leaves no room in trunk since the fuel tank is supposed to go there. Plus, putting it in the trunk would obstruct view of my cute tank straps. Would like to put under floor with side terminals so that it can go just under the floor, and I don't want to invest in the tiny battery game....

 

For a tight 90*... try the stamped steel 90*s that are used in stair / hand rails.... you will have to weld up the seam...
i use them for tight spaces in the exhaust system...

 

To help your welding skills look at weldingtipsandtricks.com .
Terry aka dirt t

 

As suggested, I'm starting to consider putting a jog in the fuel filler rather than moving it. Practicing my welding a bunch trying to weld upside down and vertical. Bought .125 for roll bar feet; should be picking up bent bar in next day or two.

Thinking more about putting a mini-battery under the floor. Hoping to hear any arguments against it....? With near-overnight shipping from Summit, etc, I'm finding fewer reasons to avoid it. Can you jump off a car, or can you get a jump, etc, with a Braille battery. I'm bad about leaving a door open etc and coming home to a dead battery (therefore no doorjam switches for any of my cars).

Another couple coats of paint and the tank mount will be ready to weld in.

Will pull starter to get tested next trip to shop. Looking for pointers on how to prep engine for starting after sitting for 15 years. My buddies say I need to get oil pressure in to it by spinning the distributor. I say pour oil all over the valve train and fill tank case at the same time and let 'er spin with the starter a couple timers with the coil unhooked? It will be a couple months before she has fuel and spark....

 

On starting any motor that's been sitting years, MARVEL MYSTERY OIL!! I swear by it. You can buy it at any N.A.P.A. store. Several squirts into each Cyl before first turn to wet the rings and cyl's. On motors sitting several years I generally first turn them by Hand 4 or 5 full revolutions so if there is by any chance a stuck valve you don't bend it under Starter torque. By hand you can always back up but a starter will try to push past till you've damaged something.
As for Batt's I love the ODYSSEY line of AGM units. I use them in everything of my own. My 51 is S.B.C. powered and has one mounted in the trunk. That Batt is 9 years old and never been hooked to a charger. It is a PC925 and measures 5" tall 6-1/2" wide and 6-3/4" deep. They come set up for Ring Terminals on connecting cables but have a bolt on standard post you can add, no issues either way for me. Many many advantages in them. I have enough proven faith in them I actually mounted the one in my 53 F-100 under the floor and it fit inside the frame rail. The only way to access it is to crawl under and I know I won't be doing that for many years to come. This one has the bolt on posts witch I removed and went with ring terminals.



Hope this helps you make a decision, I am not connected in any way with the Co but have nothing but good to say about them.
The Wizzard

 

A wash bottle (scientific stuff, medical, tattoo supplies, see the bay) will have you filling your master cylinders without difficulty, or mess.
Chrie

 

Thanks guys. On the Oddysey battery: does that require a special charger? Can you get a jump or give a jump? My preference would be underneath if space is available. Wish I wanted fumes in my face so I could do lakester style headers and baffles. But I'm hoping my wife will take a couple trips in the car so that means mufflers and pipes out the back.

The roll bar hoop is ready for pick up. Will go grab it on Tuesday and try to put it in on Sat. Got the fuel tank mount all painted up today and practiced some welding.

Credit to the local fabricators: Dwight Frye built out the cowl, is doing all my electrical and has put my floors in and done tons of various other fab work and planning discussions. Dwight is webmaster for the N. Alabama Cobra Club. David Key (Lexington, AL) bent up the non-regulation roll bar and does all my roll cage work and fab work on the race car. Shout out to Whit Lyles (Red Wrench Customs, Tuscumbia, AL) who will likely do my front suspension and steering work. I'm torn between whether to ask Whit or David to do my eventual 9" conversion. Either would do a great job. It may be a matter of who has an open bat in their shop when I have all the parts together. Eddie Wilson (Greenhill, AL) gave me some ignition advice and Terry Thornton (Greenhill, AL) will likely be my SBC advisor when it comes to getting this thing started. A big thanks to Steve Setterlund (Alexandria, MN) for selling me his labor of love.

I'm planning to make the Honest Charlie event in Chatanooga April 1 to learn, learn, learn, but the car likely won't be ready.

 

When you talk to the Odyssey people they will tell you you need to buy there bench charging system. And then they will go into there speech as to why. I ask them this and it's something for you to think about also. So I'm going to install this Batt into a car built with a charging system for a wet Batt. Why don't I need to change that charging system so it's compatable with your AGM batt. Then they go into another long winded speech why you don't. Then ask about a batt tender and they will tell you that any 1.5 amp tender is fine. To me, none of that adds up. I don't own one of the Odyssey $180.oo chargers. On my cars that set extended periods of time I use a tender on them. I have never had one go dead to the point of needing a full charge while just sitting. If I did I would use my standard slow charger. About 4 years ago I left my lights on at an event not paying attention. My starter turned slow so I got a pal to jump me from his standard wet batt. By the time I got home all was fine and I have given many a jump start with the Odyssey batt. Now maybe I'm doing something wrong here but if so I haven't had any bad results from it as of today. My diesel John Deere sits 4 months at a time and then is used for a week then sits again. When I know I'm going to use the tractor I hook the tender on it the day before and all is well. That Batt. is 9 years old and still doing fine. Also with no wet acid you get no acid corrosion on the cables or tray. In my 51 it's in the trunk and the trunk has finished upholstery and carpet. No fumes, no problems, no worries.
The Wizzard

 

Picked up the roll bar and mocked it up with string and tape. Will try to get it at least tacked up on Sat. Rear stays may need to be be re-made to clear tank. Fuel filler HAS to be moved to clear the rear stay. Making a firewall is gonna be tricky.

 

Looking good so far! I'll be following along for updates.

 

I like Go-Fast-Hot-Rods !

 

love where you are putting all the fuses and relays. I might have to copy that with my coupe since we all know how limited these are on under dash space.

 

I have second thoughts about the placement of the fuse panel. At a minimum I would move it to the passenger side to keep all the wiring out from under foot. I will probably wind up putting a second smaller fuse block under the dash just to allow shorter wires to switches and accessories-currently I have to run a long wire from the fuse panel in the back up to the front of the car for anything at all.

 

We built this cross piece to mount the fuse panel behind the dash. Like this location as it allows easy wiring out the firewall for motor stuff and easy wiring to the dash. Rear car wires will run down the passenger kick panel and back
under the carpet.

 

Decided to relocate seat tray back 4" so I can extend my legs a bit more. Package tray delete. Odyssey PC925 arrived today. Dwight is building my tranny cover. Not bad for his first effort! I gotta look into some more "traditional" pedal pads. Thinking about a full set of Moon aluminum pads vs the old round rubber ones. Problem is finding a gas pedal to compliment the round rubber pads. Don't want this car to look like a Honda with eBay pedals!

 

Not sure what you have for Gas pedal now but I like the Old floor mounted rubber pedal. It works well with the Round rubber pads like the F-100 style. Carpenter has different new O.E. style. You can easily mount a pre 48 hard lincage unit to anything. Also the Billet (did I actually say that?) firewall cable system will take the OE Ford unit and cover the Alum. pad and look just fine.
The Wizzard

 

How do you guys water proof this cowl area? I see large gaps between all these bolt-together body panels for rain to come thru. I'm not planning to go out in a storm, but rain happens....

 

Look at Dennis Carpenter part # B7A-9735 There are others similar but different.
THE Wizzard

 

It's nice to wash your car without the Carpets getting soaked. Paint supply house and seam sealer. Comes both in a calking tube and in a can for Brush application.
The Wizzard

 

Tunnel is coming along and seat tray is bolted to floor 4" back from original. Trans tunnel will be bolted in place so that it can be replaced if dictated by any future transmission swaps (i.e. TKO 600 or T56). Seems like a shame to paint Dwight's beautiful work-looks so good raw.

 

Looks great man! Really liking this build.

 

Tunnel is about finished.

 

Very nice build. Identical tank to the one in my A-bomb. Great fit.