Reference for a '32 Ford 5 Window.

I saw an inner panel from a 32 5w door on ebay recently. I think it was in decent shape. It had a $100 "buy it now" and free shipping.

So, they're not that expensive...IF you can find one


My 5w is channeled and the doors have beens shortened, so it probably wouldn't do you much good to see pictures of it...

But, I have a lot of pictures that I've saved for reference over the last several years. (took some myself, but most are just saved off the internet)

I'll look through them and see if I can find some that might help you...

and as far as squaring up the body...

get a good frame, firewall, and rear fenders, and use them as a "jig" for the body

 

Nice Job Chris! It looks good!

 

i have a friend who says, "hey it's just metal and it can be fixed if you screw it up"
not sure if i agree. but it is an original 32 5w.

 

Awesome those really help a lot Oldrodkid!!!

Question: Does the frame have to be a Original '32?? What about my Ionia Built '32 Ford frame that I got last fall???? If I got a firewall would that work for squaring it up?

 

Wasn’t thinking…. I forgot you had that frame.

Does it have any of the “original” holes drilled for firewall/fenders, etc?

If it doesn’t I would try to find someone that will let you make a template off of there frame, so that you can drill the holes in yours...

or get measurements to drill them in the right spot, if you don't know anyone with an original frame that lives near you...

 

Firewall is mostly just a slip fit into body, but a few bolts through the lip will make it a solider jig piece. The funny free-standing bolt serves as a puller to adjust angle of cowl for door fit...
Rear fenders bolt to frame at front and rear of fender, bolt to wheel arch, so they are a pretty positive locater for the rear area.

 

I am 20 miles due south of Stafford Speedway.

mine was a chopped Cal coupe but then maybe got rolled and they cut off the roof. They left the curved top windshield opening which looks horrible on a coupster, so I handmade a cabriolet header and posts. Windshield frame I made from a 28 Dodge truck reshaped & chopped. 40 ford dash. ..and just now I am fabbing the door tops using metal from a 31 Dodge 4dr REAR doors...and some of this metal is going on "upside down" It will have working door glass as well as a real folding cabriolet top.

Ok, HINGES... what's repop mean?...J/K , I don't use catalog parts. I did see cheapie cast hotrod hinges at $80. Those are 1.5" but 32 was 2". I am using the 31 Dodge hinges at 1-3/4". My hinge pockets were all welded shut, so I started by cutting them back open to 1-3/4" instead. The hinges are forged, so weldable if lengthening is needed, and bendable if needed in the final fit.

I'll take some pics of this frankenstein...door project, and post here later..

The similarity of some early latches and strikers is an eye-opener. Yes, the 31 Dodge latch from rear doors has a slightly different bolt pattern, but the basic body of it is a twin to Ford....and by using the inner door skin from the Dodge, I can use the rest of the door stuff like the inner door handle works, as well as the regulators (which need to be converted to a dual arm type lift, because it's a open top door). Also, being REAR doors for donor parts, the latches, hinges and other guts are rarely worn out.

32 coupe handle is in the middle of the belt moulding, and by using the Dodge latch, the handle now will come out BELOW the belt, just like an original 32 cabriolet. Not that I care, because I am not trying to build an exact clone.

The Dodge 4dr sedan stuff was cheap, I'll sell the rest of the Dodge shell as a pickup that I am chpping right now, and actually make money on the entire door fiasco.

 

Look on Fastlane hot rods web site at Poteet's 32 5w. Alot of info in those pics. I'm in somewhat of the same spot as you, my 32 5w was the one 57fueler posted going to Latimore a few months back. I have spoken with Jack Strunk and he is a wealth of information on how to do this as far as the subrails go. He obviously has a handle on the whole thing also. He advised me to use the Brookville subrails and trim them to fit. McPheerson auto in Kansas (www.mcphersonauto.com) makes subrails specifically for 5w coupes; however, they come in pieces versus complete. The first set of pics sent to you seem to really show how this all fits together. I'm glad you asked the question. As far as the rear quarters go the photos at fastlane show that install and they do look awsome. Rick at Brookville can tell you about the rear supports. They make one of the two but noone makes the other. All of their patch panels come up about 6 inches but Walden speed shop makes excellent looking door skins of several different sizes. Good luck and I will post some photos when I figure out how to. Guess I'll have to get the 12 year old on that job.

 

Here is the link for what 364855 was referring to. George Poteet's 5 Window thread is really useful.

Click here: GEORGE POTEET 5 Window

 

Article on putting roadster 1/4s on a 5 window by the Rollin Bones was in I think Street Rodder a few months back. PM me with your email address and I will send you some pictures of some doors I have with some good jams and inner panels. Maybe you might be interested.

 

That car doesnt look to hard to fix.

I put roadster quarters on my 5w. I was like you though. I didnt have many references and I didnt know anyone that had a 32 in my area.

Here is 3 shots of me tacking it up.

I had to do some splicing of the quarter. I did buy my trunk lid to help see where the quarters needed to be.

And there it is now.

 

nice work uptown...

Your car is just plain right....

 

Nice!!! You even painted you car black which speaks volumes for your work.

The way I see it, if I get a really cherry Firewall, and decklid and order up another quarter from Brookville the car won't look nearly as bad as it does now. I just need some fresh metal on there to keep me from getting discouraged. I need to trim the fat and add some muscle in lack of better words.

 

This is a great thread. It could be applied to most coupes pre or post this vintage. The photos really say a lot. I think you'll do well with this coupe J.J., you're taking some smart first steps. I'm excited to see what becomes of this car.

 

Are you going to buy new brookville pieces for the trunk corner floor? The piece that connects to the inner fender at the corner?

 

This is what I started with. It can be done

 

Thanks man, I appreciate the boost!! I am going to do research for quite a while before diving in. I have other stuff I need to take care of so it's very practical for me to only be gathering info at this time.

If it has anything to do with the rear, I'll probably be buying it.

Nice! That looks like a pretty daunting task. I have been going over before and afters lately to see what else has been brought back from the dead.

 

Guys I am in the similar spot with my 5W. I was thinking of starting a '32 Back from the dead' group where we could have a sheetmetal exchange deal, kinda like the pay it forward idea, but just 32 sheetmetal, you can only take a piece if you offer one up as payment, it would be good if it worked, I really woldnt want it to be a buck maker for anyone, just bring back 32's from the dead. you never know what odd peice someone may have and you need. Maybe even have people posting up that they have found a deck here or there and post it up for the group. I dont know how you could police it, maybe have a thread and you add a pic of your body and then you get sent an invite or something...........anyway,LMK what you think!
Sorry if i am hijacking this thread, if you think it is i will start its own one.

 

problem is we don't have ANY decent sheetmetal to begin with..never mind trading ...

 

I was so close to buying the brookville subrails but I just didnt want to spend 800 bucks for it ... So I made them. But since yours dont have much of any subrail left you might have to buy them.
Also I saw a guy selling a whole 32 tudor floor plan for 350? i think just a week or so ago in the classifieds and I thought I wish I had that when I was building my car!

 

Although the brookville stuff is a little expensive, the subrails are actually quite good qualitity. I got a pair of the subrail extensions and was fairly impressed by them. For your coupe buying brookville subrails would be well worth it and a descent place to start.

 

But I would still have to modify them right? From what was stated on the first page of this thread it appears that the 5 Window is the red headed step child as far as after market sheet metal supply goes.

I wouldn't mind throwing the $900 towards the subrails as long as I did not have to cut them within an inch of their life. I would want somewhat of a good fit to begin with.

 

I'll keep my eyes peeled for tin for you... I'm hoping that's what you're talking about? Hahaha.

 

if you do get subrails from them make sure they are unasembled so you can make em fit your frame, one of my side subrails was assembled and one was unassembled and i had to heat the shit out of the assembled one to fit the contour of my 32 frame, the other one was was spot welded together so i just fit the two together to the contour of my frame and plug welded away.

on that note, my roadster "kit" came with them, my 5 window didnt, that car i made my own, i made a template of the top of the frame and a template of the side of the fame with a little extra on the bottom so i trim ot to fit after, then i gut them out of 3/16 steel (im a overkill guy) then i bolted the top rail down to the frame in all the original spots, then i welded the side peice to the top peice as it was clamped to the frame, so basically i made a piece of angle iron that fit an followed the contours of the frame prefectly, that peice only extended to the center of the axle, from there out is another story, i basically made a peice on the press brake, bending it every 1/2 inch or so, so it was one piece from the centeline of the axle back, and curved up over the gas tank like a stock one does, i post a couple of pics of the subrails i built, the best things is that it only cost about $100 woth of metal, and then i can stake the claim that i did it myselfT

hopefully some of these pics help

jeff

 

Correct, I am referring to metal. Thanks guys!!!

 

I had to do the bottom 6 inches of my 5 window and got almost all of my patch panels and sub rails ,in pieces, from Dick Spadaro. It's been awhile since i did mine but if i can find pictures i will post some.
Good luck it can be done

 

Had a chance to really go over what Dick Spadaro has through the site. Looks pretty extensive and well priced. I'll definitely be calling him up when I get some coin squared away.

Anybody else have reference images for the rest of us????

 

I was going to just buy the Brookville quarters and Mcpherson subrails and all the patch panels. On my Vicky, I just put the patch panels in and bolted the subrails to the frame and the whole car pretty much just aligned itself. It wasn't all that hard...

Hang that thing from the ceiling and put in your patches and lower it onto your frame with subrails attached to it and tack it together. I would probably wait and tackle the rear quarters once it was bolted to the frame....you should be able to get it all tacked together in a couple of weekends.

Street Rodder just had several articles on the rolling bones guys using roadster lower cowl sections to patch up a 5 window cowl. Check it out.

 

Thanks Aaron, I have read the SRM articles but I would like to reread them now that I am looking at it. Hanging form the ceiling is definitely in the plans.

I am getting that Brookville quarter tonight so I'm sure I'll lean it up against the existing one for a while to easy my worried heart.