29 Ford coupe project

[DRD57]

I got another customer project in the shop a couple weeks ago. Jared's (the guy who owns the 51 Olds) dad brought in this 29 coupe to be built for his wife. He comes in to check on the Olds progress every once in a while and always asks when he should bring the coupe in. I wasn't sure he was serious until now.

When I first met him, all he said about the Model A was "I've got a 29 coupe that I'd like a 4-speed put in. It has a really nice body". Based on that I thought it was probably a done car with an automatic and he wanted a trans swap. I went to see it and was quite surprised to see this. Now 9 months later he's ready to go.  

There was already a bunch of work done to the car by a guy working out of his garage. Poor guy dropped dead of a heart attack in Home Depot just days after the county shut him down from running a biz out of his garage.

Since the work was done the car has been stored outdoors and has a bunch of surface rust. The stock frame was boxed and TCI 4-bars added. There's a * Product fire wall. The rear wheelwells were crudely mini tubbed. The top was chopped and filled (looks like similar skills as the guy who chopped the Olds). There is a flat steel floor in the passenger compartment but not the trunk. The rear axle is from a postal Jeep. He's got a fresh 327 Chevy and 4-speed for it too.

The plan is to build a nice driver for his wife. White with some kind of ghost flames. Gray interior. He likes the rake of my coupe but doesn't want this quite as low. Bigs n littles, probalby polished ET III rears and ten spokes on the front. A/C, disk brakes etc. Not exactly the style that I would choose but hey, it's not my car and it pays the bills.







I already got it stripped down to the bare essentials. The body has been media blasted and I'm starting to work on the frame.

Since I don't have the engine and trans that will be going in the car yet, I was planning on using another SBC and tranny that I have laying around for maocking up the motor and trans mounts.

Do Muncie 4speeds have the trans mount in the same place as a TH350? I seem to remember that they do but, I've never measured them myself.

[river1]

i can't help with the tranny comparison but here is another post i did in the RRT racer thread

to whomever is designing the chassis here is an idea i got from elpolacko from the HAMB. when he builds a chassis he builds the k-member in such a  way as to facilitate multiple tranny lengths. the tubing the mount bolts to are exactly parallel so the mount can slide nack and forth to allow for the different tranny lengths.

here is a pic that i stole from his photobucket site

later jim[/quote]

[jaybee]

Dang, that's slick!  That ElPolacko is no dummy.

[wayne petty]

i have one thought when i saw that... great idea... but rotate the clamps so the parting line is horizontal...   with the trans support on the lower half.. that way you could drop it out by undoing the clamps...  to get it totally out of the way...  with parallel tubes it could still be slid back and forth for different lengths of transmission.. but not being able to get it totally out of the frame in without turning it sideways...

unless the offset shape in it allows it to spin a few degrees to fall out...

[chimp koose]

Wayne I was  wondering about that offset until you mentioned turning it to get it to drop out. That is one sweet setup!

[river1]

That ElPolacko is no dummy.

and he is very patient with my stupid questions :?  :?

later jim

[Charlie Chops 1940]

As pictured I still don't see how you would install or remove the center piece unless there is enough slop to be able to oush one end back to disengage it.

What am i missing Jim?

As Wayne says, parting line horizontal solves that problem and it's still completely adjustable.

I love the concept...very elegant solution.

Charlie

[enjenjo]

As pictured I still don't see how you would install or remove the center piece unless there is enough slop to be able to oush one end back to disengage it.

What am i missing Jim?

As Wayne says, parting line horizontal solves that problem and it's still completely adjustable.

I love the concept...very elegant solution.

Charlie

If you remove the caps on the cross tube, and rotate the crossmember counterclockwise it will come right out with no bind. the reason being that the front of left end is behind the back side of other end of the crossmember, and will move away from the front to rear  tube as soon as it is moved.

[Woody2B]

Is there a link to Elpolacko's photobucket website?  I'd like to see more pictures of the whole chasssis.  Nice work!!!

[river1]

As pictured I still don't see how you would install or remove the center piece unless there is enough slop to be able to oush one end back to disengage it.

What am i missing Jim?

As Wayne says, parting line horizontal solves that problem and it's still completely adjustable.

I love the concept...very elegant solution.

Charlie

If you remove the caps on the cross tube, and rotate the crossmember counterclockwise it will come right out with no bind. the reason being that the front of left end is behind the back side of other end of the crossmember, and will move away from the front to rear  tube as soon as it is moved.

you know i hadn't noticed the dogleg in the crossmember til now. makes it all the more slick.

later jim

[river1]

Is there a link to Elpolacko's photobucket website?  I'd like to see more pictures of the whole chasssis.  Nice work!!!

he has post the link on the HAMB so i think he won't mind

http://s206.photobucket.com/albums/bb93/ELpolacko/

lots of neat tricks in there

later jim

[river1]

now that we have hijacked don's thread can anyone answer don's original question.

Do Muncie 4speeds have the trans mount in the same place as a TH350?

later jim

[Woody2B]

Darn pirates!!!   :oops: Sorry Don, can't help ya on the mount.

[enjenjo]

Do Muncie 4speeds have the trans mount in the same place as a TH350? I seem to remember that they do but, I've never measured them myself.

Yes and no. Pre 71 has a shorter mounting length than a 350, 71 and newer are the same. Pre 71 is 20 1/2", 71 and newer is 22 1/4"

[Charlie Chops 1940]

Some CSI of hot rods I am...duh.

Either way I like it, however as designed it would not fall out with loss of a bolt, which is even better.

Charlie