Hey y'all. Been lurking here for years off and on and always find myself back here looking into fabrication threads or cool builds. Some background info on me- Growing up my grandfather Bill "Billy" Wilson (dad's dad) was a hot rodder. Living fast and driving faster. He passed away about ten years ago, but the last twenty-five years of his life his daily driver was a chopped and channeled 34 Ford pickup with a 327 Chevy and a five speed in it. All the work done with his own hands before the internet age. He planned to leave it in the family, but when his health began to fail and he realized he wasn't coming home again, he asked my father to sell it to help cover expenses. I loved that car and really respected my grandfather's attention to detail and work ethic. It was heartbreaking to hear it was moving on before he did. I'm primarily an aircooled VW guy with a soft spot for classic and antique Fords, in addition to almost anything pre 1970 european. My daily driver the last seven years has been a 1973 VW Super beetle, dual carbs, mild cam, suspension work, and racing seats. It's a great car- fast, fun, reliable, economical, and predictable handling. I built the engine myself and have done all the work to it myself. Love it. I previously owned a 71 Ford Maverick, and would love to have another, but circumstances at the time called for something different so it went down the road. That car is what made me develop a soft spot for the small-block Falcon Six, specifically the 200. I would really like another of those engines in something. The last few years I've really been getting interested in the older pre- WWII grand pre cars, cyclecars, and roadster type, open wheel and fenderless cars. Been watching lots of videos, reading up on frame fabrication, and finally decided what I want to do- build a Model A frame with some specific changes. I think I want the following- Model A frame- most likely built from a Westcott print out of 2x4 steel tubing Transverse A type rear suspension Parallel front leafs, think deusenberg, chevy, dodge, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, etc. Model A front axle, hydraulic brakes all around, likely drum Open wheel, if I can manage to do so, and depending on what body i end up using preferrably coupe or roadster with removable top ford inline 4 or inline six power up front- a Falcon/Comet/Maverick 200 or 250 six would be great! Also been looking at 2.3L ranger engines with carbs as a more modern option for similar power. Only way i would go V8 is if one basically fell into my lap complete and ready to go. I know it sounds like a mix of details, but the main thing I want to do different is parallel leafs up front. I'll take whatever body I can come across and go from there. Not looking to build a V8 or a race car for the drag strip- just a smooth, cool driver that I could daily drive with my lovely girl by my side. Look forward to collecting parts and eventually starting to work on it. I'll probably start a thread for frame work and discussion soon. -Anthony
The Jalopy Journal
