door corner repair

The clutch and brake pedal assy is being modified at the machine shop. In the meantime I am working on the lower door skin repair. The image on the left shows how the lower front of the passenger door has disappeared. I made new door bottoms with the help of Tim. And, as indicated, cut a patch to cover the remaining hole. After welding the patch in place, I'll fill, smooth and primer and be ready for paint. Pedal assy will be ready tomorrow and, barring any further clearance problems, should be ready to tack in place.......

Engine Mounts

Will and I mounted the radiator and then set the body in it's final position so we could locate and fabricate the engine mounts. The blue tape in the image on the left defines the lower edge of the hood center section and the top edge of the door opening. After much head scratching and confirming the position of the engine we made the mounts as shown in the other image. Now the outlets on the water pumps line up with the lower outlets on the radiator. The next phase will involve the positioning of the brake and clutch pedals, followed by "K" members and transmission mount.

Radiator Shell

Yesterday I lowered the front suspension 1 inch and raised the rear 1 inch. I'm getting closer to the "attitude" I'm looking to achieve. This morning I repositioned the engine/trans and put the radiator shell in position. Now I can set the body in place and begin to make all of the brackets. This is my friend Charley. He has been of no help whatsoever on this project. Well, maybe some moral support. Oh ya, that's my dog Copper.......

engine mounts, etc.

After adapting the 5spd transmission to the Ford flathead V/8, I'm ready to begin the fabrication of the body, engine, transmission and shock absorber brackets. Once all the major components are in place, I'll work on the chassis "attitude". That is, making sure the hotrod has the proper stance......stay tuned!!!

Ready for engine mounts

The frame has been sandblasted, Z'd, boxed, more then 70 holes welded and smoothed. Now it's time to mock up engine, shock absorber, transmission and body mounts. I intend to concentrate on finishing the body work before continuing the work on the frame. Stay tuned for further updates. Hopefully to occur in a more timely manner. (left click on pictures for larger view)

1942 Ford Flathead

The engine is FINALLY in my shop......

Z'd Frame

It's time for the fun to begin..The frame has been sandblasted and let the welding start..Last night Tim and I boxed the frame rails and he had the job of doing all the welding. He also filled about 3 dozen holes. Now I will start grinding and maybe the frame will be real smooth. Time will tell........

2 X 2 Edelbrock Intake Manifold

This is the intake system that I have selected for the hot rod. It's Edelbrock's 2 X 2 Slingshot manifold with Holley 94 carburetors. I will be painting the oil pan and timing cover in the next few days and hope to start the mockup of the running gear in the near future. I'll soon have an update of the frame. It's currently being sand blasted in preparation for boxing. THEN the fun begins!!!

Pickup Bed

Time to start thinking about a bed for this project. I'm leaning toward a stake bed style. What do you think?

Door Panels

Finally, the door skins have arrived! The new panel is in place, but needs welding. I just couldn't wait to show how good they look. NO rust! NO grunge!! SMOOOOOOTH!! This is the passenger door and will be welded in place. The lack of a hinge leaves a smooth panel and a nice clean look.

UPS says my patch panels will be here today.....we'll see!!!

radiator mockup

So far...so good!! My measurements are correct. I can drill the holes in the cross member, bolt down the radiator and tighten the braces that connect to the firewall. IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A HOTROD!!!!!

Z'd frame and new rear cross member

This is a good view of the latest frame modifications. Hopefully, it illustrates what was accomplished in the last few days......

front spring notch

I removed 3 leaves from the front spring so the front will set lower. I then needed to notch the bottom of the frame to allow for suspension travel. Thanks for your help, Tim B.

"Z's" and cross member

After a much head scratching and sleepless nights, The frame has been "Z'd" and the new rear cross member has been installed....Thanks, Tim.

This image indicates what needs to be done to make the spring fit. I need to make a straight cross member without the hump. This will also maintain proper clearance between the bottom of the frame rails and the axle housing. This is starting to make the back of my head hurt!!. Talked to the sheetmetal guy in Texas again today and he assures me I will receive the door skins this week. Am I skeptical? UH HUH!!!

frame modification

After I install the new rear crossmember, the frame will need to be "Z'ed". This will maintain the ride height in the rear and lower the front about 3 inches. Then, hopefully, the proper stance will be maintained without the rear too high.

cab in place

The cab has been set in place. This gives me at least an idea of the relationship of the various parts. Will and I removed 3 leaves from the front and rear springs and this will allow the car to set a little lower when the weight of the running gear is added. I need to replace the rear cross member with one that has less rise in order to maintain proper axle clearance. This was not planned and I will need to find a way to make this happen. Always something new!! Something else to keep me awake!!! (You can see from the picture the door skins have not arrived - maybe this week!!)

Cab Corners

While I am waiting for patch panels, engine and rear axle repair, I'm going to work on the cab corners. I cut a patch and will finish the edge with 3/8" tubing. I believe this looks better than leaving the rear edge of the door opening exposed. Hope it turns out as good as I picture it in my head!!!

front crossmember install

Out with the old, in with the new. Tim Buyse shortened the crossmember, then tack welded in place. Next comes the rear differential. Then I'll concentrate on It's attitude or maybe altitude!!

New Front Crossmember

The new front cross member lowers the front of the frame 1 1/2" in. But, It is too wide by 3/8". What to do? Force it or cut 3/16" from each side? I'm going to find a way to cut to length. Update coming......

1942 ford flathead rebuild

Engine rebuild is coming right along. Not as quickly as I would like, but at a reasonable pace and with the utmost attention to detail. I'm fortunate to have someone that has a long history of experience with these engines and is doing the job right the first time.

hotrod front suspension

The front suspension is assembled and now I can mock up the frame with the rear suspension and differential. The engine should be finished in the next 7 - 10 days, After I adapt the transmission to the engine I will assemble the running gear. In the meantime, I'll continue to work on the body. Hope to have all the patch panels in by the end of August.

patch panels

Bryce cut out the rust spots and fit the patch panels to the lower front of the cab. Next comes the adhesive and filler. Thanks for the help, Bryce!!!

rear axle and suspension

The bearing carriers at the axle ends have been replaced and I can now reassemble the differential and rear suspension. While I am waiting for the suspension parts to arrive, I will install the patch panels on the bottom of the cab that FINALLY got here. I intend to use an adhesive in place of welding. This is going to be a new experience and I'll keep you posted on how things go.

windshield frame

I've finished the opening for the windshield and now sizing the frame to fit the opening. Tim Buyse chopped the frame and I need to do the final trim. Then will take to a glass shop for the safety glass. So far - so good!!

windshield posts

I've finished roughing in the windshield posts. This is after the first fill and things are looking pretty good. Next I will shorten the windshield frame . Hopefully, the opening will be square and the reveal around the edge will be consistent. I'll keep you posted on how things work out.

Rusty tin

One of the many rust spots that have been or need to be fixed....

I'm finalizing the top edge of the windshield and trying to determine the seat height. I want to sit low enough to just look over the top of the windshield. The picture on the right indicates that I am setting about 4 inches too high, so I removed 2 of the 2X4's that were under the mocked-up bench. This, to my eye, looks better. I still have enough room to extend my legs.

Engine update

Further investigation reveals that what I thought was a 100hp 1948 - 239cu engine is in fact a 80hp 1942 - 221cu motor. Which turns out to be good news in that the scored cylinder will not need to be sleeved and all the cylinders can be bored to the 239cu configuration. I will be using what was once termed a "3/4 Race"cam and a two carburetor intake which should bring this engine close to the stock 100 horsepower rating. WOW!! what will I do with all that horsepower?

frame cleanup

After cutting the water tank mounts from the frame, my nephew, Bryce, smooths the welds in preparation for powder coating....

My son, Will, welding the 3/8" tubing to top edge at the rear of the cab.....

body prep (the pickup-not mine)

I've decided I want a roadster instead of a enclosed body. So, after much consideration, have decided to remove the top. I'm still waiting for the patch panels to arrive so I can repair the lower edge. The panels have been on order for three weeks and should arrive any time. Hope springs eternal!! In the meantime , I have been trying to straighten many of the dings and rust spots that have accumulated thru the years. I will post pictures at a later date.....

body repair

I'm starting to repair the lower edge of the body. After sitting in the dirt in the chicken house for over 50 years, the bottom of the body has almost disppeared due to being in the dirt. I've ordered all the patch panels from Howell's Sheet Metal and will start cutting and welding upon their receipt. Will post pictures as I make progress.....

Model A frame

I found the frame in a grove of trees on a friend's farm. As you can see in the picture, it had been sitting here for quite sometime. One of the trees had grown through the left rear suspension. After cutting 3 trees and the spring u-bolts, it finally could be loaded in my trailer for the trip home...

My wife thinks this image is sooooo funny!! You know how it goes.....

cart for pickup body

I needed to be able to move the body in and out of my shop to keep some of the mess outside. So, I built this dolly out of 2x4's and 4x4's. Now the body can be moved around with little effort.

The seed for this project was planted about 3 years ago while visiting my wife's cousin in Delhi, Cal. Marvin and I were looking thru an old building and sitting in the corner was a 32 Ford pickup cab. At the time I was restoring a 1960 VW Beetle and was nearly finished and starting to consider what my next project might be. Marvin said he would give me the body, but I would have to figure out how to get it back to Kansas. Upon the completion of the VW project and enjoying it for a while, I started thinking about the old pickup way out there in California. About this time we received an invitation to Marvin and Shirley's 50th wedding anniversary. and the old, long dormant mind started thinking about a traditional hotrod project. Well, it's too late to make this long story short, so I borrowed my son's pickup, headed west to attend the party and came home with the body. I have now bought or begged a 1931 Ford Model A frame, 1948 flathead Ford engine, T5 5spd Transmission and 4-16x5 Ford spoke wheels. Speedway Motors will start getting a good share of my allowance at least in the near future!!

Hotrod Project

This is where I'm going to chronicle my 32 Ford Pickup traditional hotrod project. More to come!! So far.......