Thread: New Build-1946 Ford Tudor Build

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OK, My Mr. Blue T bucket has been on the road now for three years and I am ready for a new build. Pops purchased this 1946 Ford Tudor back in November of 2009 at the Turkey rod run with intentions of building a "driver" that could be driven in many different types of weather. As most of us know getting caught in a Florida downpour is no fun in an open roadster and the fact that I have not had any room to put the normal stuff in the car with us when we go to a show or a cruise (chairs, cooler, etc.)

Thanks to a stroke of luck, pops decided in December to part with his 46 Ford. It was a real fight as my brother Dan also wanted to get his hands on her. Thanks to winning an arm wrestling match with Dan I got the privledge of buying it from dad. She was last registered in South Dakota in 1964. (See the cool old pic of the Lic. Plate)

The car is beautiful and very rust free 1946 Ford Tudor Deluxe. All of the suspension was removed already when we got it so all of that work is already done for me there. I have already decided to run a parallel leaf rear suspension set up and a Mustang 2 front IFS set up. In fact I purchased a TCI parallel leaf set up for the rear from speedway the other day. It was delivered to my door for $623.00. Seemed like a good deal. It has every bolt and bracket included and it even includes new shocks. TCI claims it lowers the rear 4 inches which seems perfect. If I need it a bit lower I can add a 1 inch block on the back. Dad also threw in a Ford 8 inch rear end out of a 65 Ranchero so I may end up going with that rear end. I have been also kicking around putting a Ford 9 inch rear end in it in case the Ranchero rear end ends up being a bit narrow. Power has also been a toss up. I currently have a SBC, 291 Desoto Hemi and a 65 390 Ford FE engine kicking around the shop but I know a small block is a way to go for me and with my goal of having a dependable driver that is how this thing will be powered. My decision for power..........

A 1989 Mustang 5.0 Engine I picked up on Craigslist for $400 the other night. Thanks to Dans truck and both his and Dads help the engine was sitting in our shop (Thanks Guys!) Believe it or not the guy was transplanting it in a BMW!!! A full rebuild is in order.

The engine was complete from head to toe which is great in case I decide to use some of the Mustang creature comforts ( Power steering, AC, Etc) And has a few parts that I can sell to get some money back (Fuel injection, 7 qrt mustang oil pan, etc). I am going to back it up with a built C4 automatic (thought about an AOD too that dad has around the shop....HMMM). Well thats about it. What I have listed above is the only givens for the car and I am open to suggestions for the rest of the car from you all. I am leaning towards 50 Ford Wheels and Hubcaps OR Radirs with Wide Whites but nothing set in stone yet. Some Pics are attached. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
Don Jr. P.S. I think I am going to name this project "46 problems"