My black 40 Ford Standard coupe was built before my time began here on the HAMB, I was one of the few who had hooked up a 5-speed to a flathead in my area, 8" w/3:50 gearset and parallel leafs, DB up front, dropped axle, reversed eye front spring, and so on. A bit of a street rod but great car that I enjoyed very much. But, I wanted to build a 32 in a more traditional style that I could go long distance with. I was more of a street rodder back then but right about the early 2000's I was introduced to the HAMB and, as you all know, that got my juices flowing. Anyway, I started searching around for a roller to start with. After several dead ends I came upon an add in Street Scene magazine for a 32 "roadster" that was not exactly a true roadster. For that reason the price was a lot less than I had been experiencing so that tickled my interest. Talked to the owner who was out of or near New Ulm, MN and I sent him a deposit saying that I would find someone fairly local to him to take a look at it for me. So, I went to the Fellow Pages and came up with a guy about 100 miles away that was willing to make the trip. When he found out where it was he had, low and behold, bought a couple 32 from this same guy. It was a welding shop and the man that ran it collected all types of 32 bodies in any condition. His son actually ran the place now and every year or so he would put one together as a roller to sell. I told this gentleman that I did not want a show queen as this was going to be a driver, no street rod stuff - just traditional or traditionally styed. His report was that this indeed would make a perfect driver, not a show car, it had no shortage of body work done to it, and it had all the right stuff. With that in mind I made the deal. This Nov-Dec - I had a car trailer and a truck to go get it with but when? Here is what I started with: It was all 32 suspension, dropped axle, some juice brakes installed, stock 3-speed, dead flattie with a 2-deuce carb intake, steering (which ended up going to Corkie Coker for his roadster), all steel save for the f-glass lift off top and trunk lid, dropped axle, nice headlights and headlight bar, hood top and sides, aftermarket grille shell but original grill insert. The lift off top was attached by a couple of latches, I had windshield glass - with the top off it's kind of weird looking and the top rear window was waaay too big. I mean it was all there really just waiting for me. I could not wait to get it home. To be continued .....
That there Deuce is lucky having been kept ( intact as it were ) And coming into your hands. I know you will do right. Watching for updates. ENJOY
Boys - as this car came together I can honestly tell you that I did not know if I was doing right or wrong. Things just kind of evolved, you know? One thing just followed another …..
I have wanted to do this type of thread for awhile - the car has just been so f=goo to me that it deserved it. So, now to get the car home. I had a truck and trailer but needed to get through the holidays and find a stretch fo goo weather to make the ride up and back. The opportunity came in about the first week in February and my brother-in-law was going to ride shotgun. WE took off at around 9 pm at night and drove straight thru to the guys shop, getting there around 2pm and the weather was still looking good. He had a huge shop where I was able to back in the truck and trailer to load it up and strap it down. We tape in heavy cardboard to close up the window openings and got the top strapped down as good as possible. When we opened the door to leave, it was snowing. We took off, made it to the interstate going east, then it started snowing harder and harder, the wind picked up quite a bit, got past one exit and at some point I noticed the top was no longer on the car and the truck was making noises. We got off the next exit and I telephone the guy that we had lost the top. He asked where about did we lose it and said he would call back. At that point we were off the highway, we were at a gas station of which there was an abandoned one next door with a good sized overhang. We bought a tarp, covered the seat and interior up as best we could and checked into the hotel across the street. Fortunately we had some clothes and stuff from home "just in case".. The hotel had a restaurant and while eating dinner, the guy calls up and says he found the top! He knew where we were staying and said he would meet us there in the morning with the top. Sure enough he came, we treated him to breakfast, and he informed us that it had been a major storm the previous night and roads were a mess going east. He said go south to St Louis and then hop on 64 into Virginia. Man he was not kidding - for miles there were abandoned cars all of the large center medium, tractor trailers in the woods and it just was a mess. One lane was open and we cruised to St Lou and hung a left onto 64. We were pretty lucky I would say. We rolled right along and stopped for gas in West Virginia at one point and the rea of the car wasat a severe angle. Turns out the u-bolts holding the rear down were never bolted down and the body was half off the frame! we set things right and I corrected my straps to go to the frame, not the axles - a lesson I almost learned the hard way. After the wild trip, the car sat in my garage for awhile while I came up with a build plan. This was just about the time I signed up and came up with a on the HAMB, around Dec of '03 and did alot of searching and reading up on 32 builds and came up with a plan: Flattie/5-speed combo keep the dropped axle and unsplit wishbone get rid of the rear end and column use a 35-36 rear w/juice brakes and 3:54 gearset strengthen the frame for an open drive get rid of the plaid seat repair the top (a piece had broken off whe it got lost but I found it in the car when I got home) reduce the rear window size upholster the top to look like a drop top F100 front brakes and steering Basically around a 1953 build with mostly simple tools, period parts but a 5-speed for long distance running. Just a couple more pics of the top latches - they did not make the cut - and the door posts which I was not happy with More tomorrow .....
Noticed your 32 before & unique as is, often thought since the 5w roof sections are now available & totally dependent on $ funds available it would be tempting to try engineering a lift off 5w top, realizing it would involve doors or at best door tops & quarter window sections I firmly believe it could be done. A second option would involve trimming the forward "A' door pillar stub that was left behind to permit a slight slanting of the pillars at the cowl base, Tom Secora here in Omaha has an old timey 32 real deal Cabriolet with that particular modification that totally sets the car apart. Not trying to reengineer your ride just some observations. Were it not for the fact my Sport coupe being a completed driver quality car & a rare body type some of the forementioned might be considered by me as well.
Thanks do much for your idea. The present top is a liftoff but it’s so heavy I cannot remove it on my own. I really like the shape, design, and look of the top. I had a rusty crusty 32 5-window body this idea would have been great for though ……
They make a top pulley contraption to remove the hardtops from Vettes and T-Birds. perhaps you could use of those?
Tom thanks for sharing the history of your “Sports-riolet” as I call it . We have enjoyed your roadtrips thru out the years. So it’s great to hear a little history on the car. Your car is still one of my favorites of the hamb .
Thank you - I have more to contribute here but have been occupied with other things. It has just been a great hot rod …
I can relate !! But unlike you I think my stock rear window opening was too small. Had a huge blind spot so I increased the size of the window
If the top isnt crazy heavy I’d try one of these. I’ve got a couple mountain bikes hanging from mine with zero sign of any strain. Should be able to pick one up in person easily enough. I like that they have a brake built in so hoisting it up you don’t have to keep constant pressure on it the whole time some of the heavier duty ones are rated at 75 lbs per set. I’d assume your have to sets - 4 hooks- for a roof so you’d be good to go
Time for a bit of an update on my avatar's build. So you know what I had in mind for the build - rear, trans, steering column and box were removed and I started gathering some parts. I wanted a banjo rear and a 35-36 is what I settled on as I liked the rear radius rod setup that to me, reduces the "roll" of the axle during excelleration and braking with an open drive shaft. I picked up a 36 rear but without a center section. So - what do I go to but HamtownAl. We had seen each other from time to time and he said he had all kinds of parts including a banjo center. Al lived only across the James river from me in Smithfield so I took a ride. He had one from a 42-47 truck and it was an open center section. Initiallly he wanted $100 for it thinking it was a 4:11 gear ratio. But when I checked the numbers it was a coveted 3:54 setup. I told him what I discovered and we "renegotiated" the deal with some additional C notes and we retained a great friendship up until his passing which was the best part of the deal. The FE had a dropped axle and square back spindles to which I added F-100 brake and since I had a lot of 40 Ford stuff around I added the top commercial signal lights to the headlight buckets .... .... some front shocks, and reversed eye front spring with teflon lining. Using the flattie that came with the carI mocked up the motor and trans. The "K" member was a train wreck with very little of the center trans mount area remaining. The top look of the trans was nearly cut through and just a skeletat peice of that lower loop remained. ... I mocked up a 39 pedal setup, and used the back poryion of the 35-40 Ford frame center "X" to go back from the K member sweeping back into the 32 frame before the frame kickup: You can also see the heavy duty bolt in top strap across the top of the K member and the beginnings of the forward mount point of the rear radius rods, tranny mount, and top support to the 40 ford inner frame rails in the tranny mount area. Here are just some other randomm pics for you to mull over ... More to come ....
At this point I continued on the 35-40 X frame rails, welding supports in, making sure it was level from side to side, and getting it ready the rear radius rods and tranny mount ... From here I worked on the rear spring assembly to get the right ride height. I was using a 35-40 rear spring and here was my first rookie mistake. I was using a 35-36 axle and that spring is shorter than the 37-40. I had a hell of a time getting the leaf combo I wanted to the ride heigth and the rear shackles were at a severe angle. Undaunted, I kept going, finally getting the right combo and grinding off about 1/4" or more of the back side of the spring pack to reside in the rear 32 crossmember correctly. That spring was in there until just recently but that's a story for another time. At that time R&C had come out with a lower rear shock mount using the cut off pieces of a shortened rear radius rods. I liked the idea nad went for it ... So far. so good - since I now had a rolling chassis, engine and trans mocked up, and a general idea where I was heading, I pulled the body off. Witht the body standing on the cowl I cleaned the underside, welded up soe of the minor rust spots and holes, and rustoleum rusty metal primer and painted the underside. I thne work on the open chassis, completeting thje tranny and read radius rod mounts: Here you can see the finished frame supports top, back side for the radius rods, upper strenthening plate and the top strap over the tranny in front of the shifter that is removeable (just in case). I then treated the frame the same as the underside of the body and painted things up including the rear. Brake lines are in, rear park brake cable from a 46-48 Ford, MC, 39 pedals, park brake handle mount. I need to search for some more picks but before the frame was all painted up, I had everything welded together but someone better at welding than I (that's not hard to find). But at this point, I was moving towards reuniting the body to the frame .....
Couple things I forgot to mention in my last post, when everything got welded up I made some minor changes/additions - I extended the front door post to just pass under the top. It looked more “finished” that way - I instructed the welder to glue in a 2” piece of aluminum angle to form something of a header top support. The vertical portion would bolt to the top windshield crosspiece by some tapped holes - I also glued in a piece of hardwood that would reside in front of the ws top piece forming a “pocket” so the top would stay home at all tines up front. I eventually put in a rubber seal so no water would “push” through in bad weather. It’s worked out pretty well over the years …. Since by budget was busted with all my money being spent on welding, the motor, seat, and top upholstery, I needed to paint the car. My welder used some spray bomb thatcactually looked kinds nice. Now, I know many will not agree with this but I finished up whatever body work was needed and I bought Krylon grey primer and top coated it Krylon Oxford blue. I know I can never go back to automotive paint without stripping the car but I was building a drive everywhere, park anywhere, no wax or polish hot rod. It has held up for over 15 years and it still looks good. I also still have extra paint to paint the steel trunk lid I have to replace the fiberglass one. I will see if I have any pics but I do not think so ….. My seat is a Dodge Caravan 3rd seat I took 2.5-3” out of the center, sleeved the tubing of the seat and welded it back up. I cut down the original seat form and added some dense cell 1/2” fosm like a yoga mat to the hd brown vinyl upolstery plsted to the original seat pleat pattern. With Mustang bucket seat slides and the seat one notch before fully all the way back, I have had sone big guys in this car like 6’2” 250 lb kinda guys. Yes, it takes a bit of folding oneself (not me - I’m 5’2” only), it rides “hot rod”comfortable. I also like it because it folds down and I can reach the deep area of the trunk. At 5’2” I can't reach anything! Seat pics: You can just see where it was welded together It looked better in my old living room than my car! Lol! The outside hinge cover had to go - it wouldn't fit I have yet to find any pics of the top header redo ....
I've seen this rod in person and it is very nice and very practical. Another HAMBer had a Krylon painted rod in the past, hence his handle @krylon32 .
Gary and I met in Bonneville in 2013 while traveling with the Rolling Bones. We've kept in touch over the years, bought some of his products of which I never had a problem. Good all around guy in my book .....
Another pic that shows the mating of frame, motor. trans, park brake ..... The floor kickups. the floor in front adn under the seat were all done in 3/4" plywood, primed and painted top and bottom in black with felting where wood met wood or metal. The metal strap across and over the tranny has threaded bolts welded on for its removal. Exhaust goes under the front crossmember which nade things fairly easy, the pipes are under the framre rails and we don't need no stinking mufflers! I like my cars to have some kind of interior - I like it and the wife likes it so that cinches the deal. I did it all myself and got a little creative with the package tray as it came form the PO. I made some covers and Hot Rod Leather made up a bunch of straps for me as per my specs and it has worked out great .... This last pic shows the package tray finished with its compartments, the cutouts I made for items in the 1/4 panel, the door post extension, and how it looks better with the top than without. THe cut down and away sloping up to the back is what I do not like seeing - future plans call for an idea I have to "hide" that. Those two floor strips are for installation of the battery box .... Still looking for top pics ....
The Jalopy Journal
