Need help with 32 Ford Roadster... Please.

J

jagalyn

Member
I am a newbie and need help. I am building a 32 roadster and have been collecting "components" to start building. I have an original 32 rolling chassis, original radiator grill, original radiator, an 8BA Flathead, an original 20 louver hood, an original 32 firewall and a vintque original style gas tank... the only major body component missing is the roadster body. I'm planning on acquiring a Brookville steel body... hopefully sooner than later.

So my question is this.
How do I go about assembling the components I have so far and can I do that without the body. I have read where the body, firewall, hood and grill all have to be aligned to have all the seams line up... so do I need the body before I can start building or can I start without it? Can I mount the firewall and work forward? Do I mount the radiator and work backward?

Are there any photos available to show how to mount the radiator, the firewall, the shims, bolts and nuts used? I've found this chart that shows the "misalignment" but don't know where to start... any help would be greatly appreciated.

There is no substitute for experience and when it comes to starting I do not want to reinvent the wheel or start blind... if there is anyone with experience they are will to share I would be grateful.
Thank you.
 

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Hi Jagalyn, first off you should include your city and state in your profile so people know where you are located. You may have a '32 expert near you and not know it. If your frame has all the stock crossmembers in it sounds like you could mount your stock firewall and radiator/grille shell and start to work setting up the drive train, engine/trans/rear, and your front axle assembly. Lots can be done without the body.

Lee
 
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Lee,
Thank you for the recommendation about my city and state... good advise.

I have an original frame but not the original cross members... I bought this as.
So what to do???
 

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You can build a running and driving deuce chassis without ever have the body since the firewall is separate from the body. Besides, that's the way they did at the factory back in 1932. It's hard to tell from your photos if your frame still has all of the stock body and firewall holes in it. The best thing to do is buy a stock deuce frame blueprint, they're fairly common, and easy to find, there might even be one for sale on here if you check the swap meet section. Great resource to have because the list all of the stock holes and give the measurements for you to check and see if all of the holes drilled in your frame are the correct ones.

Next step would be to mount the firewall in it's stock location, mount the radiator in it's stock location, and set the location of motor. Since you're using an 8BA flathead you'll have to make your own motor mount tabs off the frame. Mac's Auto Parts sells the "hockey puck" style front motor mounts kits that you'll want to use to mount everything. That should get you off to a good start, there's plenty of very knowledge people on the Ford Barn, so don't hesitate to ask questions. It might sound overwhelming but it really not, just remember these are the kind of things guys have been doing to deuces since back in the forties.
 
Looks like your off to a good start with the chassis you have if you are building a hotrod. Your frame appears to be boxed with a Chassis Engineering X, Split front bones, dropped axle with early brakes and some form of early Ford steering. Either an 8 or 9 inch rear with 36 rear bones. If you are sure you are going to use the radiator that is the place to start for engine clearance. There are several engines that will squeeze between the stock firewall and radiator, Flathead or SBC are the easiest with a wide choice of trannys. I would also go to the Jalopy Journal with your questions as there will be a wide variety of opinions there. You will probably be overwhelmed with the opinions on there.
 
Thanks to all who have responded. Your advise and expertise is greatly appreciated. If there is anything else I should consider please let me know...
Thank you.
Jeff
 
Very good advice from everyone. One word of caution. The weight of the rear axle determines the ride quality. 8&9" Fords are too heavy especially when using keaf springs. Spicer 35 from a Jeep Chokee com. and is very light comes with a 3.55 posi. also had a triangle rear suspension. Use #175 coils in rear.
Front #300 lb, Pose spring. Remember this is a street machine and many 50K plus Roadsters ride like a truck.
 
Ol; Ron: You are one of my heros but I would respectfully have to disagree with you about the rear end. I have built many hundreds of chassis with every combination immaginable almost all with 9 inch rears and 11 inch brakes and some QCs. I do lots of buggy springs with ladder bars and some 4 bars. And coilovers with triangulated 4 bars. I usually start out with 220lb coils on a good adjustable shock on a roadster and have had good results. For the buggy rear I use a spring pak from Posie with my own main leaf. I have not had complaints about a rough ride. Buggy rear springs are still very popular with my customers. A lot of the ride is dictated by the geometry of the suspension. I've seen some real nightmares at swapmeets and rod runs. Also the buggy spring can be fine tuned by removing or adding leaves. Just my opinion!
 
Firewall has a sort of adjustment, unique to '32, via its forward bolt through a little leg or bracket. This can set cowl angle which sets gaps and alignment of hood and doors...everything affects everything else, so lots of back and forth, but cowl/firewall is probably the only reasonable starting point. Remember the rear fenders bolt solidly to both body and frame, so they must be checked as the jigsaw puzzle goes together.
Here is a link to Marco's Model A roadster alignment site...Model A of course lacks the separate firewall and its tensioning bolt, and Model A trunk area is pretty much on its own, but this is still a sensible and useful article:

http://www.abarnyard.com/workshop/door-2.htm
 
Thank all you guys for the information... this is very helpful.

Is there a "Shim" and "Bolt" kit that is available for the 32? I see advertised Radiator Mounting kits on Ebay... I also see 32 Fuel Tank Mounting kits on ebay... is there only 3 bolts that hold the gas tank or do I need two of these kits?

Sorry to have so many questions... I do appreciate your comments.

Thank you.
Jeff
 
The radiator mounting kit consists of a bolt/spring.washer/nut and rubber pad. The gas tank kits vary but many of them are the same as the radiator kit with one more bolt.
 
So here is what is available on ebay... The radiator mounts seem pretty straight forward with one bolt on each side of the radiator...

but the gas tank has me confused... is there only 3 bolts that hold this in place? 1 bolt in the front and 2 in the rear?

Also... is there any kit like this for mounting the firewall?

Thanks again for your help to my questions.
Jeff
 

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Gas tank has a single bolt on one side and two on the other. Some tank kits use only 1 bolt with a spring and some use 3 springs. Just depends on the vendor. On my fully boxed frames I just use bolts with no springs on the tank, never had a problem. Firewalls bolt down to the frame thru body webbing to stop the metal to metal contact. 2 bolts on each side hold the firewall with the center bolt used to hold and adjust the cowl.
 
In addition to all the good advice given so far I would suggest a couple more things to avoid frustration later. As mentioned you've got a Chassis Engineering Inc. center member. If the installation paperwork didn't come with the chassis you may want to contact them for a copy to make sure the X member was located properly. That in conjunction with the original configuration data sheet should help you varify what you're working with. You should also check the frame for square and twist, there's been a lot of welding done and if it wasn't done in a rigid jig it could have "issues". There are lots of reasons folks will sell a rolling chassis, you just need to make sure it wasn't because it needs a ton of work to make it functional/correct. If it came from a reputable shop with a good reputation and a long list of satisfied customers it's less of a concern, but still worth doing for peace of mind.
 
Lots to learn... thank you for all this information. I am grateful for those willing to help me from making a mistake.

Thanks,
Jeff
 
http://69.61.21.195/forum/member.php?u=1914Krylon32
Glad to hear from someone who's been there done that. Building cars and riding in cars thay others have built. I find most owner/drivers won't adnit to the dissatisfaction in there ride and handling. Sprung to un=spring weight is the culprit. and that's why te industry has done everything to improve it from the Posey springs, mono springs, coil springs, aid rides , independent suspension, etc. Hope I didn't miss anything. Building a light weight car, especially one with a short wheel base, AIn't easy and under the best of conditions , depends on a compromise. You just can't make a silk purse from a sou's ear. But you can make it look very pretty.
 
If your front cross member still has the holes for the stock motor mounts you can get reproduction 32 motor mounts and bolt them to the front of the 8BA. All the flatheads still have the tapped holes that the 32 used for motor mounts. You will need to deal with the extra lenth of the 8BA thought, as the front crank pulley tries to be in the same place as the back of the stock front cross member.
 
And use the firewall bracket bolts before worrying about shimming, as you need to find right relationship between cowl and doors and hood first. Everything follows from there.
 
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