Need donor car for pickup cab mod

Unknown

Hey guys, I am looking for a 1940's parts/donor car for my pickup cab conversion. I have a 46 hudson pickup, but at 6'3" interior space in the cab is tight. I have seen a couple of these conversions where longer doors and front cab section from a 2 door car were installed on the pickup chassis,and the bed shortened accordingly. This would fit my needs perfectly. I really only need the passenger compartment and doors from a 40's vintage 2 door car. Maybe someone knows of one that is available. I'm in S. Florida, so the closer the better, but beggars cant be choosers. Open to any advice good or bad on this conversion.

faustmb

I'm right with you on that one, and I'm only 6'. I would love to do that with my 47, but it will be along time before I have the time or money to consider it



I'm sure you've seen it, but Bent_Metal's conversion is on here and looks great. That's the way to do it in my opinion.



Keep us posted.

[Deleted User]

I have a 46 Coupe I don't need. It is in rough shape (solid but rusty) but should be usable for your needs. PM me with your email address and I will send photos.

bent metal

If I can chime in...

I wouldn't use coupe doors. I'd use two door sedan doors, preferably with no skirt/flare on the bottom. The coupe door starts to tip down as it goes toward the back and the sedan door doesn't do that. Which matches the truck roof line better. I guess you could work around it, but ideally I think the sedan door is a better start. Plus if you use a door with the hidden running boards (the flare at the bottom of the door) your going to have to make some of the bottom of the door that you otherwise wouldn't have to make. ....Ask me how I know.:D It's been a while since I did this, so it's a bit fuzzy. But it's all on the forum here, somewhere. If you want to see what it would take to change the bottom of the door.

Although, if you put a coupe door on and changed the roof line to match it? That might look pretty cool? I don't think I've ever seen it done that way.:)

hmm? That would make the back of the cab a little lower too. Interesting.

Unknown

Thanks to all for the responses. Am I wrong in thinking that the flared part of the bottom of the door could be removed and that the original door skin is underneath. Someone explained it to me that way. I remeber seeing a pickup with this cab conversion done and the flared doors on it. We used to have an orange blossom chapter HET meet at my parents place here in FL and a guy from Sebastian, FL used to bring down a beautiful red modified pickup to the show. I cant remember his name though. I will look for some pictures of the top rear section of the door to see how it was, rounde or square as bent metal suggested. Thanks again to all who chime in. Always better to learn from someone with experience.

bent metal

The door skin is under there. Just like you said, the skirt is added to a regular door. But the front and back edges (if I remember right) are trimmed on the inner structure where the skirt is. This is so the door can swing open and not hit the skirt on the cowl. Not a big deal, but it adds to the work you have to do to change it back to a regular door. Certainly not enough of a problem to not use that kind of door. But if you had the choice in front of you, pick the skirtless door, and be aware that if you use a coupe door as apposed to a two door sedan door that the roof line won't match the truck roof line. The sedan door will though.



So what if you did use the coupe door? Maybe you could use the roof off the coupe? Not all of it, just the part over the door from about six inches back of the windshield to where the back of the cab would connect. You would have to chop an inch or two out of the back of the cab to make it line up. But that would give the truck a swooping look that nobody has ever done before. I don't think so anyway. Maybe you could make a drawing or two and see what it would look like? I think it might sorta' look like a Ute when it's done.