Thread: tin-man has some questions, it begins.....

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I'm not an authority on building 30's cars,,at all,,but,tinman,look at whats out there,as others have said,and after seeing some of Dons pix of what he's built,I know what I would do if I was in your shoes..Talk to the guy about building one for you..If you are going to pay for what you want,,get it built the way you want it from the start..I have friends in Aussie(NZers) who had a 32 roadster built in Kansas( I think),and drove it back to Ca. a year or two back..Its actually kept at a friends place,so they can do rodruns when they go to US..I would think that Don knows what he's about..Look at what he's built already..Some nice lookin rods there..

Yeah,I think that yellow 3w is ugly,too..

Originally Posted by lamin8r

I'm not an authority on building 30's cars,,at all,,but,tinman,look at whats out there,as others have said,and after seeing some of Dons pix of what he's built,I know what I would do if I was in your shoes..Talk to the guy about building one for you..If you are going to pay for what you want,,get it built the way you want it from the start..I have friends in Aussie(NZers) who had a 32 roadster built in Kansas( I think),and drove it back to Ca. a year or two back..Its actually kept at a friends place,so they can do rodruns when they go to US..I would think that Don knows what he's about..Look at what he's built already..Some nice lookin rods there..

Yeah,I think that yellow 3w is ugly,too..

Robin, Thanx for the kudo's
A few more to wet Tinmans lips

Don, I love the last one! If I win the lottery I'd have one of those.

David

Originally Posted by DA34GUY

Robin, Thanx for the kudo's
A few more to wet Tinmans lips

No probs,Don..I've seen enough of your builds on here to realise that if ya havent got it nailed by now,,,well,,ummm,,havent said the wrong thing have I??Ya know what I mean.. They all look kool,,and,yes like the last one,too..Billy Connolly's favorite color....

Originally Posted by DA34GUY

Tinman
The pic you are showing is a mid-boy
Meaninf the body is channeled 1/2 way over the frame
below is a "True Hiboy Coupe" and Roadster

Don, I am sorry to say this but I am not seeing the distinction other than the hood appears to be longer on the Yellow Ford and its back wheels are about six inches to the rear. Absolutely the engine has not been aligned correctly and its certainly lacking the radius rods and hairpins as you state and arguably the wheels are not what I would select, but those are issues that needs to be peeled back as I get more involved. What I was endeavoring to do here is to show where my choices are heading. To me the fluid lines of the 32 Ford are both compelling and stunning and and here's the slow burn, I can see myself driving one of these classic hot rods. So can you help me understand the distinction since I have never seen any 32 Fords for sale listed as Mid Boys but then I am new and have not dug deep enough. BTW can you also throw in an explanation regarding the coils over questions I asked? I would be grateful for this. Thanks, tin-man

Check out the height of the frame under the cab. Notice a difference?

I had to go back and find your question about front suspension. Quote "Decidedly I like the idea of having a visual engine, thus the question and 2), about coil over shocks. I have seen various pictures of both, the coils over look better in my opinion and I am wondering from a performance point of view what are the benefits of with, or without, this application?"

Coil Over shocks are used with Independant Front Suspension (IFS), some folks find IFS hideous on a fenderless ride. Others prefer the tune-ability and don't mind the look. Some others think of the old straight axle and buggy spring suspension as outdated and rough riding. These are the things you need to decide for yourself!

If you prefer a "traditional" (there, I used the "T" word!) old school look - go straight axle. If you like the IFS with coil overs, there you go! It's your car so your decision.

Here's a straight axle set up with coil overs,
not traditional looking , but rides nice.
I do prefer I-beam with hairpins and transverse spring though.
Any front end suspension "can be tuned " to handle and ride great.
Ya gotta remember, ya ain't drivin a new Cadillac.

Originally Posted by 34_40

I had to go back and find your question about front suspension. Quote "Decidedly I like the idea of having a visual engine, thus the question and 2), about coil over shocks. I have seen various pictures of both, the coils over look better in my opinion and I am wondering from a performance point of view what are the benefits of with, or without, this application?"

Coil Over shocks are used with Independant Front Suspension (IFS), some folks find IFS hideous on a fenderless ride. Others prefer the tune-ability and don't mind the look. Some others think of the old straight axle and buggy spring suspension as outdated and rough riding. These are the things you need to decide for yourself!

If you prefer a "traditional" (there, I used the "T" word!) old school look - go straight axle. If you like the IFS with coil overs, there you go! It's your car so your decision.

John - this is what an IFS(independent front suspension) with coil overs looks like on my '31 :


It's too 'busy', IMHO, for a fenderless car. This is what it looks like with fenders:



All those parts are hidden away, but do contribute to a great ride.

Here's someone's '32 with the traditional front suspension:



For the rear end - either, but my preference there is coil overs regardless:



All those rusty bolts on the rear hat and calipers - been changed to ARP stainless :-}

Originally Posted by Mike P

Visually and performance wise it’s hard to beat a big block in a Hot Rod. The down side is; possible fitment issues, the added weight on the front end, additional cooling system requirements (especially if AC is added) and fuel mileage. Either a big block or small block when properly fitted and accessorized can be visually appealing and made to work well in a Hot Rod.

As you’re buying rather than building you are going to be limited to what is out there for sale. I would concentrate more on the overall quality of the work and component selection than locking myself into a particular engine size. The mean elevation in Phoenix is about 1100 feet, depending on where you drive to from there you can end up at almost sea level to over 10,000 feet and still stay within the state. Depending on the time of the year it’s easy to start driving in the morning at almost freezing temperature and by afternoon be somewhere that’s in the mid 90s. Then you have the stop and go traffic in Phoenix, (which you will most assuredly get stuck in sometime in the summer) and the long stretches of 75 MPH Interstate.

In my mind it will boil down to how much weight you give to those things you consider important; performance, visual appeal, reliability, handling, mileage etc. Either a big block or small block can be tailored to fit your requirements but one or the other may be better suited to a certain task. For instance does the visual appeal of a 406 Tri-Power FE outweigh the mileage of a fuel injected 302 to you?

Another example, a GOOD fuel injection setup can probably more easy compensate for the extremes you will find here, but properly tuned carburator(s) can also handle the job.... just not quite as precisely (I can’t believe I just admitted that LOL). As above, it boils down to what is more appealing to the owner. The real key is having someone who knows what he’s doing setting the system up and maintaining it. Properly set up either can be a joy to drive .....not properly done it’s not going to be much fun or useable. Of course the same applies to every other system on the car.

In the picture of the car you posted, it really doesn’t matter to me if that is a big or small block. At a glance I have a real problem with the angle the engine is sitting at regardless of what displacement is. Visually it’s not appealing but more importantly why is it at that angle (what did they have to clear) and what do the driveline and U Joint angles look like? What other corners did they cut for expediency?

.

Mike, interesting comments and timely, what is evolving here looks like a carbureted BBF in 32 Ford 3 Window Coup, open engine, with a manual transmission that provides performance, visual appeal, reliability, and ease of handling. Something I can drive hard and fast, make real nasty sounds with, can survive long runs in Arizona and in general will provide the right amount of passion that I am looking for in a ride. Can I find something like that, probably, can get one built, certainly, but this is what's needs to be sorted. tin-man

Originally Posted by rspears

John,
When you started here you mentioned buying a finished car, and now you've mentioned building which I assume means having one built to your specs. Mike's got a good eye, as that engine in the yellow coupe is angled back way too much to look and function right. I'm a big fan of "Ford-in-Ford", but shoe-horning a BBF into a deuce coupe is going to be interesting, and any vintage Ford engine (pre-modular) is going to be longer than the Chevy's - Bob gave a very good history lesson back up in post #15 in this very thread. That's why if you choose to buy a finished car you'll likely see about 3-to-1 Chevy powered, and about 1 in 10 stick shift. For me, if I build another one it'll likely have a newer mod-motor for power - I'm a glutton for punishment, and those mods look nasty in an open hood street rod (IMO).

Earlier in this thread it was pointed out that the '33/34 is 6" longer than the Deuce, and that almost all of that room is in the cabin & trunk. You have not mentioned your stature, but for me at 6'3" that extra length is priceless (plus I just love the profile of the '33/34)! We've been through this a lot lately, and while I love to build a guy can get a whole lot of car for a whole lot less money by shopping the market today. Don (DA34GUY) mentioned recently buying a really sweet little deuce roadster for about 65% of the cost of parts on a pallet - very sad for the guy who paid to have it built, but very nice for Don!

I think you're doing the right thing, honing in on what you like, but I would really recommend that you give it just a bit of time, get back on this side of the ocean and spend this summer going to cruise-in's and events like Good Guys & NSRA Nat's where you'll see tons of cars, but more important as you talk to guys and they see that you're serious they may entertain you putting your backside in their driver's seat to see what fits best. It's too bad you won't be back by March 9/10 for the Good Guys Scotsdale event. We're going to be out there visiting friends, and I intend to spend Saturday there roaming around seeing what I can learn, and enjoying all the different ways things are done. If you're serious about spending the bucks to have one built you might talk to Don - he built both of those Deuces above, and can have you living your dream (instead of suffering buyer's remorse) in a month or two, unless you have really crazy ideas about what you want....

Roger you are correct, I did say I wanted and preferred, to buy, but, and I add this, it would need to be fully sorted and I believe that would be the best way to go from a financial point of view. That said, I will leave the build option open if I cannot find what I want and I absolutely agree with the notion I need visit many of the various car events and get added experience by talking directly with the owners. 29 days to go and its on. Cheers, John, AKA, tin-man

Don, my compliments, you build fine machines can you send me a PM and as an example let me know all about the blue one above, its an awesome piece of work. Oh, and just outa curiosity wherein the heck is Location: Out in the country (Duncan), I'm in China, what country are you in?

Cheers, John AKA, tin-man
Zhuhai, P.R.C.

Just got a email from a friend about this site seem they sell steel panels doors and such for 32s.. You guys probably already know about them but I didn't as I don't build this type car..United Pacific Industries looks like some chevy stuff too

Charlie, those are the folks who are in the process of bringing an all steel repop of the '32 5 window body to market. So far they've been selling individual panels as they get them dialed in on their way to the complete package.

Originally Posted by DA34GUY

Here's a straight axle set up with coil overs,
not traditional looking , but rides nice.
I do prefer I-beam with hairpins and transverse spring though.
Any front end suspension "can be tuned " to handle and ride great.
Ya gotta remember, ya ain't drivin a new Cadillac.

Don, thanks for these pictures they helped settle some questions I had but dang ,they have created more, sorry. Here goes, as I do a close up on the bracket holding the coil over assembly, is that weld securing the ninety degree cylinder at the top , sufficient to withstand a bottoming out event as in going over a pot hole? Are the tubular components of the bracket solid or hollow, I conclude they are solid otherwise the weld sections would be compromised due to minimal weld area. Same question applies to the bottom of the coil over assembly, the two brackets cantilevered forward over the axel seem to be a likely candidate for weld fatigue over time and thus a potential hazard. If possible do you have a close up of the tradition assembly without the coil over.? Also, as I look at the close up of the frame I conclude the hairpins are to secure the axel from moving forward while stabilizing the vertical travel am I right? BTW is there a technical treatise on the overall 32 build available anywhere that I can get my hand on?

Don, I appreciate the PM, I will be sending you several questions off grid. My that's some awesome work you do, my compliments. I am not sure I would call it an appetite stimulant its more like cruel and decisively visually stunning, punishment. Excuse the play on words.

Cheers, John, AKA, tin-man

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