Projects What to do????1940 Ford coupe

i am a little confused on my 1940 Ford coupe.I love customs,i find myself building a Hot Rod coupe. After seeing the photos of Santa Maria it strengthened my love for customs.
what to do????

 

What to do? What you want. Our opinions don't mean squat.

 

If you're unsure , modify it as little as you can stand . You'll never regret a modification you didn't make to the already beautiful '40 coupe .

 

trade it for a custom, there are an awful lot of guys who would love to make a hotrod out of it , and you might be able to trade for a nice kustom in progress -and make someone elses dream possible at the same time.
waldo

 

Follow your heart...you'll never regret it. Trade your '40 off for a later car to customize. A decent '40 project car should finance most anything in the way of a "late model" to build as a custom.

Just my $.02

 

My driver is a '40 standard coupe. A lot of the mods were done only because it was rusty in those areas .i.e top chop ,rear frame kicked up and narrowed . I don't regret any of it ( the top is only chopped 1 3/4 " ), but I probably would kept it a lot more original if the driprails and rear floor had been better!

 

If you really want a custom I would try to get another car for that and leave the 40 as a hot rod.The lines on the 40 coupes are about perfect from the start.If you can't get the cash needed to buy another car to make a custom im sure you would have no problem selling the 40 to get a different ride or even trade for a custom.

 

sell it....

to me...

 

DAMN Sawzall...That was my answer...LOL

Murph

 

You forgot one sell it to me

 

40 Fords should be hot rods

 

Whatever you finally decide to do DON'T................I repeat DON'T chop the top. If you do count it as one more '40 Ford lost. There have probably only been a half dozen (an optimistic number IMO) that have had thier appearance improved by chopping. Probably a couple of hundred,at least, that have been ruined. This is one that was RIGHT the way it came off the****embly line.
To ruffle everyone's feathers be sure to put a SBC under the hood.

Frank

 

No,No,No,i have a 302-aod in it.And NO i am NOT CHOPPING the top.By custom i ment mild just a lower in the**** and little custom touches.
But i am so confused which way to go with the 40.

 

40's are hot rods period

Aint much better than a fine tuned 40 Ford Coupe with a hood off

 

+1. I have to Second Frank on that. The 40 coupe is one and maybe the one car that always looks better when it isn't chopped.

As a custom the car just doesn't need a lot done to it. Shave a bit of chrome, lower it all the way around, tear drop skirts and nice caps on the front wheels. And then spend the money you saved on body mods on a knock out interior. But then as a rod all it needs is to leave the skirts off an raise the back a bit with big and littles.

And if you ruin it my wife will probably march down there and put a woopin on ya as a 40 coupe is her favorite model of older car.
At the street rod Nationals in Tulsa in 1973 every time I couldn't find her all I had to do was go look for one certain red 40 coupe and she would be somewhere close to it.

 

squigy your always wanting to trade something i swear you must have been a horse trader in a previous life!

 

Just build the thing man. If you are worried what everyone else cares about what you do to your car, just buy a beamer, and sell it.

That model car looks sweet in several styles. Just build it the way you want, or pass it off to someone who will. (strange)

 

You need to be aware that in several of the more conservative states it is considered a felony to do anymore than "nose & deck" a 40. If you disregard this warning and chose to drive a customized 40 in these states you could risk arrest and confiscation of the car. Proceed at your own risk.

 

If you really must, skirts and wheel/tire change will get you some of the way there - without having to change the car, but like others have said:

'40 Ford Coupe = Hot Rod.

 

No me......

I'll show ya how it WANTS to be built......he he

A tail-DRAGGIN', skirt-WEARIN', sunken-PLATE, black '40 Ford would RULE.....but know one these days want to "ruin" a '40 Ford to build a TRUE '40's custom.....

 

I might be a little biased, but hot rod is the only way to go.

 

Wait a minute...they came with hoods?

 

I think you paint it shiny black with black interior and you'd have a really mean looking hot rod. Looks like it doesn't need much now, as it is. Leave those wheels and tires you've got, as well... triple black is the move!

 

I agree that '40's are supposed to be hot rods, dumped in the front, with bigs & littles.

 

Don't do anything but put the front in the weeds. The '40 is Henry's masterpiece and doesn't need any help. Don't remove the chrome, don't motorboat the**** end, and NEVER put skirts on it. n other words, don't mess with perfection. This is what a '40 should look like....

 

Ok it's a 39 but you get the look, ex U.S car now in N.Z.

 

maybe this would help?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=352501

 

If it was me I would build a '40 ford into a hot rod, but it ain't me so I guess this post is pointless.

^^That does it for me!

If a custom is what you want, I think you should trade it for something better to build a custom out of.

 

If you want to make a custom do it. I think it would be******in either way.

 

Like Metal Man says, keep the look as original as possible with whatever mods you have to make. 40's are so beautiful as is. Dumped in the front, as much stock trim left intact as possible, steel wheels with caps and rings. You can't go wrong.