Thread: My First hot rod

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Well after a few months of trying to track this baby down.
I finally got my first hot rod 1940 ford pickemup.






My plans are smallblock powered Disc brakes .Unfortunatly I had posted this in another hot rod forum.I could not believe how many nasy pms I got for not being "traditional" I hope there are friendlier waters here

Originally Posted by IDLZRUF

Well after a few months of trying to track this baby down.
I finally got my first hot rod 1940 ford pickemup. My plans are smallblock powered Disc brakes .Unfortunatly I had posted this in another hot rod forum.I could not believe how many nasy pms I got for not being "traditional" I hope there are friendlier waters here

Looks like the makings of a great truck!! You will find the waters here to be open to just about anything you want to do, in my experience, and with lots of people who have been through any rough spots before willing to offer free advice and opinions.

Gee, let me see if I can guess where you might have gotten that response. Some things never change, do they?

Well, we like 40 Ford pickups built with and without fenders on this forum. I personally love bobber trucks. We only have one rule, build em safe. Looks like a good start there, keep us posted on how it's going and put up lots of pictures.

Don

Originally Posted by IDLZRUF

Well after a few months of trying to track this baby down.

My plans are smallblock powered Disc brakes .Unfortunatly I had posted this in another hot rod forum.I could not believe how many nasy pms I got for not being "traditional" I hope there are friendlier waters here

I'd like to build something like that next..looks like a fun project good luck with it.
I had the same thing happen to me I now at showes i say i built it for me wanta race?

Heck of a great project!!! I always thought it to be a real shame when people get so hung up on others opinions about what is "correct" for their build that they forget to put their own self-expression into the build!!!! Hot Rods have never been about what others consider correct, but always about how the owner wants to build it!!!!

Well I was hoping my first rod would of been my grampas truck a mid 20s dodge screenside truck. I finally gave up and found this beauty. back then he would work on his and his buddies not really hot rodding but keeping them on the road.More of a gearhead than a hot rodder.

I guess i ruffled a few feathers when I said Id finish my camaro first.Blasphemy I know.
First thing Id like to do is upgrade the brakes. Not quite sure on the rest.

Originally Posted by IDLZRUF

First thing Id like to do is upgrade the brakes. Not quite sure on the rest.

Prioritizing is a good thing, often dictated in part by our budgets in both time and money. Looking at the pics of the frame I'd suggest you evaluate all the modifications done to the suspension. The way they split the front wishbone is not the best for bind free operation (maybe you could sell them to those "traditional" guys who seem to know everything). If you keep the front transverse spring you should visualize how all the components move as the front suspension pivots on the spring center point. Too many people think of suspension movement as straight up and down, reality is different.

Likewise those ladder bars on the rear. Unless you plan on mostly strip running they're not of much use with parallel leaf springs. Also make sure those leaf springs are properly mounted to the frame. Brakes are important, but if the thing doesn't handle worth a poop you won't be using them much.

Bob,

Even if he runs mostly on the street I would think he may want to "get on it" every now and then and the ladder bars would help with spring wrap. I could be wrong. I thought I was wrong once but that but that was a mistake.

Jack.

An argument could be made for that line Jack, but the design of the ladder bar connections would play a big role in that. With a single mounting point at the front of the bar, the two rear points will swing in an arc. If they're set up at static ride height that would mean that they get effectively shorter (moreso at the top on the up, moreso on the bottom on the down) as they move through that arc wanting to pull/rotate the axle forward. The mounting to the parallel springs wants to keep the axle in a fixed point in a vertical plane so binding would ensue. Some flex in the spring, and properly pivoting shackles at the rear mount of the spring might mitigate that a bit, but (imho) probably not enough for decent ride quality.

Thanks Bob,

Jack.

Ladder bars work good on a leaf spring setup---IF you have a set of housing floaters on the springs!!!! Well, they work good drag racing, anyway.... Don't guess it would be my choice for a street setup...More I use the triangulated 4 links with coilovers, the more I like the setup!!!! Good ride, good handling, and good hook!!!

Cool start....glad you are here. You will find a lot of smart people on this forum (I am not one of them...I am here to gain knowledge). I also got flamed on the the other site, to me it is just good to be around people who like cars....all flavors, shapes, sizes. I am looking forward to seeing pixs of your build

Dan

Thanks for the advice I'm looking at a 4 link set up going in the rear.I really want to keep the front end Ive always liked the look. From what Ive seen split wishbone is what everyone does who puts a V-8. I would love to run this at the strip.Nothing to wild.Its still a week from being here in my shop.

I know many run the split wishbone deal, but geometrically it's just not right, a four bar front and rear is really the way to go if you have to keep the old straight axle on the front....

As Uncle Bob said on the front end, the split wishbone design is the "traditional" way to go, but if you plot it out or look at a cad-cam drawing of a split wishbone it does not allow for proper wheel movement....and many, many will tell you that they've had one for xx years and it's perfect...but, it's not right in the geometry. Years ago in my circle burner days we thought the old super mods (a mid west name for them) worked great with the transverse spring and split wishbones---till the first time you hot lapped a 3 or 4 bar front car and could feel what correct front end travel was actually like!!!!!

I was looking at Zigs 4 link setups for front and back.Any recommendations on manufactures?