Three months have gone by since I posted progress on the green 40.
Not much done other than collecting parts.
perich brothers (and sister): june bug sunday
Last time you saw it the stock banjo rear end was ripped out.
The carcass has sat on jackstands since then.
Without wheels the car was stuck in the garage.
My goal for this month is to get as far along as possible.
Making it a roller is top on the STD (shit to do) list.
This car is a big time low-budget build,
while trying to keep it somewhat traditional,
like 70's hippy-rig traditional anyway.
A donor 8 inch ford rear end from a 1968 mustang - $120
pair of nice paint rims from ebay - free shipping score! - $100
tires + mount/balance - $85
pair of 1936 ford rear wishbones with the spring hangers - $140
lowered spring from my cousin Brandon - time
and the new stuff needed - spring shackles/bushings, split kit etc - $60
Holey Chit this doesn't look like a low budget build anymore!
I'm glad I whipped out an extra pair of those mounting footballs.
A huge time-saver.
In august I did a similar rear end swap in the other 40...
perich brothers (and sister): how to split wishbones, break a jack, make a tire swing...
perich brothers (and sister): How to not shear axle keys v.3
Things could not have gone more opposite for this install.
First the original steel/rubber bushings had to be cleaned out.
Someone had hammered the hanger something fierce.
A little torch work and the old bushings slid out.
The trick is really light gas pressure,
with very little preheat.
Spray some wd-40 or kroil in there,
and it will make a very temporary barrier to not blow through the hanger tube.
Only one quick lengthwise cut is needed,
and the rest of the bushing can be hammered out.
After that the footballs had to be cut and wrapped around the axle tube.
I love that miller maxstar 150 as a stick welder.
The big difference in this swap is the stock ford wishbones,
versus the already mounted wishbones in the rusty 40.
A length of scrap simulated the rear spring - 48.25" center to center,
and a bolt with a large nut spacer connected the front.
Now the wishbones were in there stock configuration.
The whole shooting match was wheeled under the car.
Only a rough centering and placement was needed.
The main thing was to get the correct pinion angle in relation to the frame & engine.
I had to guess the angle at 2-3 degrees since the transmission isn't mounted yet.
Basically I'll need to set the engine/tranny to match the rearend.
With everything eyeballed in to hopefully the correct position,
the rear end was rotated to the correct angle,
and the footballs were tacked in place.
After a slow welding process as to not warp the axle tubes,
the rear was wire-wheeled and sprayed with good old rattlecan black.
I should have swapped the stashed third member right now.
Bias ply tires are so much easier to fit in these old hot rods.
The options are few so it's easier to choose.
Radials have many different sizes,
so I've been scouring the internet for pictures of the perfect tire size.
This burgundy 40 is my favorite so far,
maybe a little lower in the front.
These off-brand "prime well" tires were found on CL for $50 almost new!
For a long term project these will serve their purpose perfectly,
and if they are too small or large it isn't a big $ mistake.
Now the spring had to be stretched to fit the wishbone hangers.
This one was much flatter compared to the high arch sedan spring that was on the banjo.
Instead of removing leaves and adding them to the installed main leaf,
a couple clamps and some wood did the trick.
The spring made it easy to center the rearend in place.
A big relief that the tires fit in the fenders.
For anyone that needs to know,
a stock 1968 ford mustang rearend does fit into a 1940 ford,
using stock offset 15 inch rims from a '68 to 91 ford.
With the spring compressed,
the wishbone mount could be figured out.
I layed on the creeper for a long time trying to think this out.
Not enough to take a nap though.
The big issue here is the wishbones were split,
but they were not stretched outboard at all,
and I wanted them as long as possible.
This made the ball joints very tight together if placed nut-side in,
not leaving any room for a hammer if they get stuck.
The decision was made to twist them around,
so the ball joints are on the inside of the mounting tabs.
Not as pretty but way easier to remove.
A quick and easy job welding in the ball joint bungs.
I really should have swapped out the third member at this point.
A couple small gussets were made to reinforce the wishbone tube.
Hard to see but they're by the tire area under the E-brake cable.
Will this replace the stock torque tube?
Probably not but at least it will keep the stress off that slip joint.
I'll be making a torque arm for both 40's later on.
The ball joint mount was whipped out from some scrap.
The rearend was rolled under for hopefully the last time,
and the bracket centered into place.
If you look closely the nuts are on the outside like I mentioned before.
Not much more traditional then arc welding in a split wishbone mount!
I've been stick welding more and more and it's a fun way to weld,
very similar to gas welding in its simplicity,
just an electrode and some rod.
(the picture looks a bit ugly I didn't knock off the flux yet)
I'll gusset the bracket a bit more once I'm sure the angles are correct.
For the first time in 3 months the 40 rolled out of the garage.
This picture is a theme for this whole project.
A couple hours every night then finishing up in the dark.
Really this could have been done easily in 2 days.
The kids helped flip the car around,
so now I can get to this mess and also work on the front!
Overnight there was considerable spring sag.
It will get even lower with the transmission and some fuel.
Was this a low budget build?
Not including time,
this totalled out to right around $500.
The original banjo sold for $150 which helped offset the cost,
so there's about $350 into it.
And it's all Ford!
Can't complain with that.
Now to get the transmission mounted...
TP
Not much done other than collecting parts.
perich brothers (and sister): june bug sunday
Last time you saw it the stock banjo rear end was ripped out.
The carcass has sat on jackstands since then.
 |
| donor 8 inch with 15 inch rims |
Without wheels the car was stuck in the garage.
My goal for this month is to get as far along as possible.
Making it a roller is top on the STD (shit to do) list.
This car is a big time low-budget build,
while trying to keep it somewhat traditional,
like 70's hippy-rig traditional anyway.
A donor 8 inch ford rear end from a 1968 mustang - $120
pair of nice paint rims from ebay - free shipping score! - $100
tires + mount/balance - $85
pair of 1936 ford rear wishbones with the spring hangers - $140
lowered spring from my cousin Brandon - time
and the new stuff needed - spring shackles/bushings, split kit etc - $60
Holey Chit this doesn't look like a low budget build anymore!
 |
| 1936 ford wishbones with rear end mount brackets |
I'm glad I whipped out an extra pair of those mounting footballs.
A huge time-saver.
 |
| stuck spring shackle bushings |
In august I did a similar rear end swap in the other 40...
perich brothers (and sister): how to split wishbones, break a jack, make a tire swing...
perich brothers (and sister): How to not shear axle keys v.3
Things could not have gone more opposite for this install.
First the original steel/rubber bushings had to be cleaned out.
 |
| torch work |
Someone had hammered the hanger something fierce.
A little torch work and the old bushings slid out.
 |
| removing stock ford spring bushing |
The trick is really light gas pressure,
with very little preheat.
Spray some wd-40 or kroil in there,
and it will make a very temporary barrier to not blow through the hanger tube.
Only one quick lengthwise cut is needed,
and the rest of the bushing can be hammered out.
 |
| stool time |
After that the footballs had to be cut and wrapped around the axle tube.
I love that miller maxstar 150 as a stick welder.
 |
| loose placement of 8 inch rearend and 1936 ford wishbones |
The big difference in this swap is the stock ford wishbones,
versus the already mounted wishbones in the rusty 40.
A length of scrap simulated the rear spring - 48.25" center to center,
and a bolt with a large nut spacer connected the front.
Now the wishbones were in there stock configuration.
 |
| test fit #1 |
The whole shooting match was wheeled under the car.
Only a rough centering and placement was needed.
The main thing was to get the correct pinion angle in relation to the frame & engine.
I had to guess the angle at 2-3 degrees since the transmission isn't mounted yet.
Basically I'll need to set the engine/tranny to match the rearend.
 |
| checking pinion angle |
With everything eyeballed in to hopefully the correct position,
the rear end was rotated to the correct angle,
and the footballs were tacked in place.
 |
| eyeballin |
After a slow welding process as to not warp the axle tubes,
the rear was wire-wheeled and sprayed with good old rattlecan black.
I should have swapped the stashed third member right now.
 |
| patiently waiting |
Bias ply tires are so much easier to fit in these old hot rods.
The options are few so it's easier to choose.
Radials have many different sizes,
so I've been scouring the internet for pictures of the perfect tire size.
 |
| moonshiner 1940 ford coupe |
This burgundy 40 is my favorite so far,
maybe a little lower in the front.
 |
| GITI prime well tires - 225/75/15 |
These off-brand "prime well" tires were found on CL for $50 almost new!
For a long term project these will serve their purpose perfectly,
and if they are too small or large it isn't a big $ mistake.
 |
| stretching rear ford spring |
Now the spring had to be stretched to fit the wishbone hangers.
This one was much flatter compared to the high arch sedan spring that was on the banjo.
Instead of removing leaves and adding them to the installed main leaf,
a couple clamps and some wood did the trick.
 |
| test fit #2 |
The spring made it easy to center the rearend in place.
A big relief that the tires fit in the fenders.
For anyone that needs to know,
a stock 1968 ford mustang rearend does fit into a 1940 ford,
using stock offset 15 inch rims from a '68 to 91 ford.
 |
| perfect fit |
With the spring compressed,
the wishbone mount could be figured out.
 |
| uncut ford wishbones |
I layed on the creeper for a long time trying to think this out.
Not enough to take a nap though.
The big issue here is the wishbones were split,
but they were not stretched outboard at all,
and I wanted them as long as possible.
This made the ball joints very tight together if placed nut-side in,
not leaving any room for a hammer if they get stuck.
The decision was made to twist them around,
so the ball joints are on the inside of the mounting tabs.
Not as pretty but way easier to remove.
 |
| ford wishbones under the knife |
A quick and easy job welding in the ball joint bungs.
I really should have swapped out the third member at this point.
 |
| splitting wishbones |
A couple small gussets were made to reinforce the wishbone tube.
Hard to see but they're by the tire area under the E-brake cable.
Will this replace the stock torque tube?
Probably not but at least it will keep the stress off that slip joint.
I'll be making a torque arm for both 40's later on.
 |
| traditional ford rear end set up |
The ball joint mount was whipped out from some scrap.
 |
| wishbone split not kit |
The rearend was rolled under for hopefully the last time,
and the bracket centered into place.
If you look closely the nuts are on the outside like I mentioned before.
 |
| split ford rear wishbones |
Not much more traditional then arc welding in a split wishbone mount!
I've been stick welding more and more and it's a fun way to weld,
very similar to gas welding in its simplicity,
just an electrode and some rod.
(the picture looks a bit ugly I didn't knock off the flux yet)
I'll gusset the bracket a bit more once I'm sure the angles are correct.
 |
| holey roller |
For the first time in 3 months the 40 rolled out of the garage.
This picture is a theme for this whole project.
A couple hours every night then finishing up in the dark.
Really this could have been done easily in 2 days.
 |
| 1940 ford coupe |
The kids helped flip the car around,
so now I can get to this mess and also work on the front!
 |
| hoarder |
Overnight there was considerable spring sag.
It will get even lower with the transmission and some fuel.
I'm super stoked to have the rear end stuck in there,
and hugely relieved that the tires fit and are almost perfect - a bit small!
 |
| 1940 ford coupe |
Was this a low budget build?
Not including time,
this totalled out to right around $500.
The original banjo sold for $150 which helped offset the cost,
so there's about $350 into it.
And it's all Ford!
Can't complain with that.
Now to get the transmission mounted...
TP
we thank you for that interesting tidbit of information about chinese chain.
ReplyDeleteTP and family
good to know about the Chinese chain, I wouldn't trust it though. Hey love your blog, there was a set on wishbones on ebay today, went for over $400 ... I think I can fab up the pieces myself, can you tell me where you got the spring from, I have a 40 pickup and Im doing it on the cheap, 750 for the dual spring sets is out of my budget.
ReplyDeletei would like to know if you sell, or can you tell me where i can get those footballs you have to mount the rearend to the wish bones. my email is darrod@cableone.net. thank you.
ReplyDeleterodney hayes
I made them out of 3/8 steel.
DeleteIt is easy to drop the rear end by making them a little different then footballs,
if you search "Moreno coupe -1933 ford" you'll see what I did
TP