27 T tudor Hot Rod build

Thanks Steve, it turned out to be a nice day and a lot of cars were in attendence. So all in all it was a fun car show.



Got back from Michigan around 2 AM this morning and around 10 headed back out on the road to a fall swapmeet. I found the air cleaner that I have been looking for. It could be in better shape but later on it will be replaced with a new one anyway.
Here is the color that I want to paint my hot rod. I found the color in a corvette mag about a year ago but haven't seen the hue in person until yesterday.
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...2/100_0397.jpg
This is the GTO air cleaner that I found today at the swap meet. As you can tell it is very close to the early corvette one. Like the taillights and the engine this air cleaner seems to help the car have a very late 50's to 60's feel.
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...2/100_0421.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...2/100_0396.jpg

Thomas

Nice looking air cleaner! Good looking color for the paint. What are the taillights from? Look like a '58 chevy.

Earl

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 68Chevelle

Thanks Pat...
Its been two years since I went but it is one of the better ones, the fried chicken helps too... I just hope there wont be a foot of snow on the ground :LOL: Seems like winter comes early in MI.
Are you taking a car to the show? If so what car are you taking, I'll keep a look out for it.

Dave S, The intitial plan was to have an x member but I couldn't find c chanel anywhere local. I have been somewhat concerned leaving the frame ladder type, though it does seem very solid. Do you think it would be safe leaving it the way it is built now or do you think it would be best to add another crossmember? If so where would be the best location for another crossmember strength wise?

---

I'd sure be for putting at least one more in!!!! I'd have one in the rear, just before the kickup with a hoop over the driveshaft. Ultimately the best configuration would be a center X section similar to what we is used on the '32 through '34 frames.....

Thanks Earl, the air cleaner does look better on the car than the caddy one. As for the taillights you're close :) They are early Corvair lights.

Hey Dave thanks for the reply. I was getting ready to shoot an email your way :LOL: I'll get a crossmember on the frame tomorrow. Thanks again I really appreciate the help.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

I'd sure be for putting at least one more in!!!! I'd have one in the rear, just before the kickup with a hoop over the driveshaft. Ultimately the best configuration would be a center X section similar to what we is used on the '32 through '34 frames.....

---

Just finished welding in the fourth crossmember. It made a huge difference :eek: Next time I build an A frame I think I'll go with repro frame rails and an x-member. Thanks again Dave, my hats off to you :D

I have a question about pan-hard bars. Are they needed or recommended with single leaf spring apllications? I figured and have heard that the spring will not allow side to side movement and radius rods prevent front to back and torsional movement on front and rear axles. I was told that I should install one in the front and rear axle of my hot rod and was wondering if they were necessary/recommended
Thanks for the help...

Thomas

Thomas, I added front and rear Panhard bars to my 26 Tudor on the TCI Model A chassis... I think they will help stiffen up the tendency to sway, especially in the back where I have radius rods and coil-overs...
I'll try to get some photos in the next week or so...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 26Tudor

Thomas, I added front and rear Panhard bars to my 26 Tudor on the TCI Model A chassis... I think they will help stiffen up the tendency to sway, especially in the back where I have radius rods and coil-overs...
I'll try to get some photos in the next week or so...

---

That would be great Dave. I'm still unsure if I will put panhard bars on, I figured with the tranverse springs I wouldn't need them.

Thanks,
Thomas

I'd go with a bar,,,there is always going to be a bit of lateral movement front and rear because of the shackles and the compliance in the bushings....

68 Chevelle, I haven't forgotten about you wanting photos of the Panhard bars on my 26 Tudor on TCI A rails..the car is at a friend's house about 20 miles away, and I just haven't had the opportunity to get up there at get some photos.
I can tell you, though, that they both (front and rear) came right out of the Speedway catalog, the front one goes from a welded bracket on the passenger side of the chassis, to a bracket that attaches to the axle/batwings for the radius rods, and the back one attaches, again, to a welded bracket on the frame, to the 3rd member iof the rear end.
I agree with Mr. Severson, Panhard bars are a good thing, no matter what, there will always be a little swing and sway....

Thank you for the information Dave, I will get my speedway catalog to check them out. As for the pictures there is no hurry. College started back up so there is less time to work on the hot rod and even less funds **)

Thanks again,
Thomas

It may seem like I have been slacking because the lack of pics on this thread recently but I have been plugging away at the T. The frame is finally painted and ready for reassembly. Besides getting the frame ready for paint I have been hand polishing aluminum pieces, getting other parts ready for paint, and buying parts. Its been a busy last couple of weeks and I made a promise that the next time the frame would be seen on here it would be painted :rolleyes:

Before
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...e72/Aframe.jpg
Primer
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...frameprime.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...rameprime2.jpg
After/Paint. The pics a bit dark
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...framepaint.jpg

Thomas

Frame looks real nice.

Looks like a rugged frame 68. Perley

Looking good! Keep us posted on further progress! I'd love to find a 4 door sedan around the late 20's to early 30's. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stovens

Frame looks real nice.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by oldrodder43

Looks like a rugged frame 68. Perley

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FMXhellraiser

Looking good! Keep us posted on further progress! I'd love to find a 4 door sedan around the late 20's to early 30's. :)

---

Thanks guys, it has been a lot of work, money, and tons of time getting the frame to this point. I have all the front suspension cleaned and painted and should get it assembled tomorrow. Next is to get busy cleaning the engine and tranny :whacked:

Here are some updated chassis pics. Since I haven't posted any progress pics lately I felt now would be a good time, I didn't want anyone to think that I gave up on the hot rod :HMMM:
I have been very busy these last few weeks working on the chassis and drivetrain components. I still need to clean the rearend and paint it and get the rims blasted and painted.
Just this weekend I put the engine and tranny in, went to the last swap meet of the year and picked up an oil filler tube and cap/breather, vintage arvin heater, and air shocks for the rear. Then today I spent all afternoon in a junk yard yanking out a corvair steering column just so I could get the steering shaft.
Engine looks very yellow in the sun light
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...rodpics003.jpg
Engine looks red orange in the shadows
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...rodpics004.jpg
I have since put on the exhaust since these last pics
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...rodpics005.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...rodpics006.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...rodpics007.jpg

Thomas

Looking excellent, Thomas !!
Did you decide on front and rear Panhard bars? I couldn't see them in the photos....

Wow 68, great looking job. Way to go. Perley :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 26Tudor

Looking excellent, Thomas !!
Did you decide on front and rear Panhard bars? I couldn't see them in the photos....

---

Thanks Dave, it has taken a lot of hard work to get the frame to this condition.
Good eye :3dSMILE: there are no panhard bars on the car at this time. I figure I will add them on down the road when I get the car drivable.

How is your Tudor coming? Hopefully your shop cat has been helping you spin some wrenches. Always looking forward to seeing more pics of your car!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by oldrodder43

Wow 68, great looking job. Way to go. Perley :)

---

Thank you! It has been a fun build so far.
If you look at the front brakes it might look somewhat familiar to you. We must shop for our hot rod parts from the same catalog :D

Thomas

Looks great, some excellent detail work!!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Looks great, some excellent detail work!!!!!

---

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

Thomas

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 68Chevelle

Good eye :3dSMILE: there are no panhard bars on the car at this time. I figure I will add them on down the road when I get the car drivable.
Thomas

---

With the traditional side steer in the front you shouldn't need a panhard bar. Mine doesn't have one and I have no problems at all. From what I've heard and read you only need them for cross steering set ups.

Same goes for the rear with a transverse spring. Is there really a need for a panhard bar?

Build looks great I really like it. Can't wait to start my 30 A pickup.

DMW,
Thats what I read too, I figured the transverse spring wouldn't allow side to side movement.
However I have been told that the shackles still allow some side to side movement. I figured I would drive without panhard bars and if I didn't like the way it drove I would add them later on. My guess is the things not going to handle good with the bias plys on it anyway :LOL:

What are your plans for your 30 A PU? I really like the looks of the A pickups.

Thanks,
Thomas

Thomas-
Since I am using the cross-steer with a Vega steering box, and coilover rear, both with radius rods (no 4 bar), I opted to use the Panhard bars. I finally got off my butt, and snapped some photos, please forgive the blurry, out-of-focus photos...

Crap. I rez=sized those damn photos to what I thought was matchbook size, and they still turned out super humongous...Crap.
Sorry.
Lemme try this one, it is the size of a postage stamp-

Okay, I am doing something WRONG.
Sorry for the waste of bandwidth, guys.

Thank you for the pics Dave.
I can make them out just fine, which will come in handy in the future.
You sure have a great looking T!

Thomas

I had a late Xmas present yesterday..I was able to take the T under it's own power to the end of the driveway (about 50 feet) and back it back in the garage...It didn't want to run, then I discovered that I had used the wrong base gasket between the carb and manifold, and had a vacuum leak the size of a silver dollar...I'm surprised it ran at all..
Now, it idles, goes into gear, has brakes and steering, too bad it's raining like hell here or I would take it for a windowless, license plate-less, paint-less, interior-less cruise....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 26Tudor

I had a late Xmas present yesterday..I was able to take the T under it's own power to the end of the driveway (about 50 feet) and back it back in the garage...It didn't want to run, then I discovered that I had used the wrong base gasket between the carb and manifold, and had a vacuum leak the size of a silver dollar...I'm surprised it ran at all..
Now, it idles, goes into gear, has brakes and steering, too bad it's raining like hell here or I would take it for a windowless, license plate-less, paint-less, interior-less cruise....

---

Happy New Year Dave, and all our best from down south.

A "50 foot" CRUISE, hey you got to start somewhere right, LOL?

Just remember "The Palmer Rule" that states that for every one "running" collector car there are fifty more sitting in someones driveway or garage "waiting for the day to do their "first "50 foot CRUISE".

My High Boy got painted this year and I'm still trying to find where I stashed all of the parts to put it back together, LOL.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by John Palmer

My High Boy got painted this year and I'm still trying to find where I stashed all of the parts to put it back together, LOL.

---

Thanks for the confession, John!!!! I thought I was the only one that misplaced parts, or worse yet put them away in a safe place where they won't get damaged!!!!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

Been lurking now and again you have made some great headway . Like this build not being slammed down to the ground . Keep up your great work .

Thank You, BlueStang67. The car has been pretty much built using cast off, second hand, scrounged parts, gotten from internet websites, like the well-known Message Board, neighbors, friends, and junk I kinda had laying around. It's my first hot rod build, at least with that funny finned gizmo in the front of the car that has hoses going to it, so it's nothing fancy, just a basic build. The body was too nice to chop, in my opinion, so that's why it stayed the way it was. The TCI chassis I got used, and it was set up for Jag or Corvette IRS in back, which got changed to something I could afford, and my neighbor had, a Maverick V-8 rear end with QA-1 coil over shocks.
Thanks again !!!

That's great to hear that you got the T to run
under it's own power! Hopefully I'll get to that
point on my T before this coming spring.
Once again great looking car!

Thomas

Here we go, some more recent pics. Not too much has been done to the car it has been too cold. I have just been
putting the engine back together, installed the fuse block (need to wire still), put on front shocks (not in pics), old
brackets cut off the rear end, installed the radiator, and put on the radiator shell.
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...tRodengine.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...72/HotRod8.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...2/HotRod12.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...72/HotRod1.jpg
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...72/HotRod2.jpg

Tom, it's looking REALLY good.
I've been farting around with mine, need to get a winshield in it, driving it is just too damn cold, I haven't even made it into 3rd gear yet, just ben tonkering, got the tail and brake lights wired, will probably do the headlights next. Once that is done, and I get a horn in it, I can most likely get a one-day moving permit, take it to the CHP, and have them finish the paperwork so I can get it registered.

Thanks Dave!
Sounds like your T is in the home stretch. I bet that thing will be a blast to drive on the highway.

Looks awesome! Do I see a Chevy emblem painted behind the Blue oval on the grill? Also I see a sweet new Challenger!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FMXhellraiser

Looks awesome! Do I see a Chevy emblem painted behind the Blue oval on the grill? Also I see a sweet new Challenger!

---

Thanks, getting anxious to drive the thing! The spot behind the blue oval is where the old emblem was and it protected the plating from weathering,
just haven't painted over that spot yet :3dSMILE:
Lol, yeah the Challenger is my moms. It's an SE with the V6. Still a lot of fun, it gets a lot of looks and people asking if it has a hemi.

How is the T coming along, Thomas?
Haven't heard from you in a while..
I had a small disaster, my original windshield frame got a little butchered by our local auto glass guy, he's trying to make it right, so we'll see how that goes.
I'm wiring all the gauges now, I guess you have to have an LCD light to make the electric speedo work, and I'll be darned if I can find it in the box, and TPI gauges is closed right now, I guess it's Martin Luther King day, or something....I have the speed sensor that goes on the trans, but the website shows some little red calibration button, that I don't think I have, either...
Oh, well, I guess that's what hot rodding is....