Shasta wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 11:10 am
Wow! You did a great job on the Chevy.
I would not have had the confidence to stitch up an interior. That requires a great deal of sewing and fitting skill. The diamond tuck looks perfect for that car. And I like the more traditional higher stance. Most rods now days are slammed to the ground and have a chopped top.
I do have a couple questions; did you leave off the hood side panels for better engine cooling? Did you go with a Ford 9" rear, and how is the rear end mounted, leaf springs or 4 link?
Shasta
I had a '40 Chev in 1968, and it had similar diamond pattern black naugahyde interior. This was sort of a tribute to that car, although that car never got finished, or painted. It also got the drivetrain from my buddy's dad's '59 Imperial dropped in it when he rolled the Imperial! 413, Torqueflite, and Mopar rear axle.
The front end you see in the early picture when it came home was an Old Chicago one piece fiberglass unit. Two brothers who once owned this car worked there, and they built the glass frontend. But it was badly warped, and ill fitting. I test fitted it to the body, and it was off by inches, not fractions of inches. After two weeks of frustration, and attempting to rework it, I gave up and tossed it out into my backyard. I found the pair of steel fenders, and fitted them and the grille. Then got the crazy idea I might be able to save the hood off the glass frontend. I began cutting and reworking it, and grinding on the inside to allow it to be reshaped, and glassed. I finally cut both sides off, and then it began to fit. Original hoods hinged in the middle, and each side and top was a half of the hood. So sides weren't removeable. Mine is just out of convenience and cheap, since I had it. Actually was able to sell the two fenders to a guy building a rat rod too! I can pull 4 pins and run without the hood, or run with it. I like with it better personally.
Rear axle is the newer 8.8" Ford axle. A much stronger unit than the 9" in stock form. 9" Fords can be built to be extremely strong, but they can be a money pit to get there. The 8.8" has huge axles, .10" smaller ring gear, and come stock with 31 spline axles, instead of the wimpy 28 spline the 9" has stock. And considering I get them in 3.56, 3.73, 4.10 posi at the wrecking yard for $110, it's a pretty easy choice.
It's sitting on leaf springs in the rear, but also with 4 ft. long ladder bars to stop wheel hop. So a little of both.
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/dCbDVIGl.jpg)
Front suspension is a 1958 Chevy half ton truck axle I narrowed 5" to fit under the '39 fenders. Then converted the brakes to 70's Chev Nova/Camaro disc brake system, with a late 70's Corvette dual master.
I'm not a fan of the ground hugging lowered suspensions done to most old cars these days. I started driving in '66 and the big thing then was Gas Class drag cars, and they all sat up much higher then. This one sits lower than stock in the back, but a little higher than stock up front. Took a lot of mocking and testing to finally get this stance I wanted.
Most of what I build is a balancing game between what's best, and affordable. I don't cunt my time, but I have about $6,000 tied up in this car, including the initial purchase price. So it's easy to do that math and feel better.