1929 Model A Tudor

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Joined
Apr 27, 2012
Messages
4,765
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Location
Nashville, Tennessee
My Car
1973 Q code Mach 1
If you saw my lifter bushing threads, you might know I am building a Model A Tudor

Not sure if anyone would like to follow a build thread on the chassis.  I have a frame built and am getting ready to start fitting a 1990 Corvette front and rear suspension this fall.

The intention is to run a 351 with a Torino Toploader and to use the corvette steering column and wheels. (If I can rewire the column...)

I stripped the corvette suspension out last night and will be getting started soon.

Roofline is chopped, roof panel has been created out of a van roof so it is not open anymore. I have hood parts, but doubt I will be able to use them.

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Engine in photo is for mock up.

Let me know if you would find this build worth watching.   PS I'm fairly sure the C4 suspension would also fit our cars and the cars relative weight is in the same ballpark... just food for thought

 
Thank you.  Modification is much easier than restoration.  No need for perfection or using hard to find parts.  Look forward to sharing more pics, sorry you cannot see this one, cause the work on the body so far is nothing short of amazing.

 
Having done quite a few scratch built frame cars both with and without a frame jig, I would suggest bolting the complete suspension as shown until you have a complete roller. Only after you have measured, mounted, shimmed, twisted , massaged, tweaked and aligned,  should you do final welding. It's alot easier to un-bolt than un-weld.

This is an almost 100 year old frame of questionable dimensional accuracy when built.

We had a '28 Tudor that my Grandfather bought new in the family for a long time. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

 
I have a new jig built frame of rectangular tubing tapered to mimic the frame horns in the front. I've done a retrofit of a c4 into a 56 ford, so measuring 100 times before the welding is de rigueur

I haven't installed a c4 rear suspension, but it looks pretty straight forward.

My progress will be slow as I keep it at a buddys shop that is a hour round trip, so I rarely work on it more than 2 days a week

 
Some progress, but no pictures yet.  Cleaned the shop enough to move the body off the frame and stand it on it's nose.  Pulled the vette suspension last weekend, have looked it over, taken measurements and have a plan.  Next step is to strip the front suspension down to the cradle and start making it fit the frame.  Also tore the heads off of 2 351 engines-one looks good, the other looks like the block might clean up to .030 over.  I've got my engine built, but one stripped block will be for mock up, and one will go to the machinist to be checked out and prepared as a back up.

I'll try and take a picture or two on my next trip over to the shop

 
Keep in mind if you weld brackets to the frame it creates huge stress risers. There is a reason they bolt and rivet tractor trailer chassis together. If they welded would never last even 100,000 miles. 
If you do weld you need to cut the ends of the brackets on curves or arch so it is not weld a straight line. After many years of helping design equipment for John Deere I learned a lot. Look at the spring shackles on Ford PU riveted not welded. The rear would fall out if welded. Ok for something with a short life like a race car but not durable or long lived. Also when you come to the end of the weld do not stop at the end of the bracket do a J going away from the bracket helps with stress. You can do hot rivets yourself and never have a worry.

 
The Model A frame is quite flimsy in stock form—are you boxing it or buying a street rod frame so you have a solid platform?  Here’s mine—dig those aftermarket wheels!  Dude, those are 19’s!  LOL

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So progress was slow as I left my job at the end of last year and opened my own office.  Started back to it recently.  Front cradle is mounted,  I have a friend narrowing the batwing, so I can hang it inside the frame rails.

Radiator just arrived yesterday and firewall is in the trunk of my car to go to the shop.  Engine build is done except for hanging accessories and the intake manifold, still debating on whether or not to run dual quads.

As to the frame, it is a new frame with a lot of bracing added in the center and once everything is mocked up next time I will determine what additional bracing I can add.

One part I both dread and look forward to at the same time is rebuilding the wood frame inside the car.  I have about 1/3 of the parts, but complete wood kits are way too expensive.

 
Sorry I am not posting on this build yet.  Just got back from the shop a little while ago.

Engine is built, engine mounts are tack welded in place, transmission needs to be rebuilt, I'll tackle that soon, front suspension is hung, but need to make shock mounts, rear suspension has been mocked up, I just removed it today to finish weld some brackets.  Have the transmission crossmember fabricated, just need to sleeve a couple of holes in the frame for mounting.  Drive shaft will be about 20 inches long lol, thankfully with IRS that won't be a problem.

Took body down off its nose and put it on dollies to allow me to start on rebuilding some wood and brought home a trunk load of inner body braces, dash panel etc, that need cleaning up.  I have a good friend and I work out of his shop.  He has helped with the chassis set up and does all the welding cause he can and I can't.  Unfortunately he is in the hospital with an infection and is likely to lose a toe Monday- so I'm changing the build order a bit and going over to the body for a while.  Its about 90% done exterior though there are some surface rust spots I need to work on and one small crease in the cowl, but the interior is bare and the underside of the roof panel that was welded in (off a van) is a little rusty in the back, so lucks me, I get to sand and sand and sand a little more before I start the real sanding.

So. . . should I make the rear windows electric, sliding or fixed?

 
slowly making progress, sorry for the lack of photos, but I hope to have enough progress done to start posting some soon.  Looks like I'm going to relocate the engine forward 3 or 4 inches.  lift has been tied up for the last few months  :classic_wacko:  so it is making it harder for me to lift the body up onto the body cart.  If I had some help I could do it by hand, but I'm too weak to lift the body 3 feet by myself.  Maybe I'll have some wheaties this weekend and try it 

 
I suppose a couple of pictures are in order

https://photos.app.goo.gl/smqvBjBBLp32ZdrK6

Still have a little work to do before I can set the body on it for a test fit, but The chassis is about 90+% done.  Still need to make a couple of sway bar mounts and some custom end links for them and the dogbone brackets are still not designed, just have it tacked together with some heavy steel plate until I get the chassis on the ground, the drivetrain in, and the body on.  

Cut down the windshield frame to match the chopped top last weekend and am certainly closing in on making it look sort of like a car

 
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