Can I Ask Ford ?'s Here

Unknown

OK I will....LOL..I have a 1936 Ford 4 door hump back sedan that is stock and NO rust. I use to drive this car about 12 years ago but the flat head kept over heating. Well I desided to take the car apart and fix it up. Like I said 12 years ago and its still sitting. I hade the flat head and trans gone thru but now I want a modern drive train frame and all. I do want to keep the body & interior as close to original as possable except it has to be low. Knowing some of you have experiance in this what chassis hot rod company would you suggest dealing with ? I would like to get a full rolling chassis that I can bolt all the Ford body to like the original with a New drive train. I am in Southern California. Thanks, Ron

[Deleted User]

I know TCI has jigs for 35-40 Fords which they can make a rolling chassis from. I'm sure its expensive though. Ani nternet search may bring up some other vendors.

Jay

MikeWA

I think Art Morrison Industries (in beautiful Fife, Washington) does frames for about all the older Fords- They advertise in all the rod magazines. Your best bet is probably to get an issue of Rod and Custom or Street Rodder, you'll find many vendors there. Hold onto your pocketbook- all that stuff is spendy. Especially to the normally thrifty Hudson crowd.

Unknown

Ron, my neighbor builds hot rodded cars. He does one every winter. What he does tho is buys a running mid 80's gm and either uses the front clip or often the entire frame. That way he gets all the modern drive train and small block, tranny ,steering wheel, brakes and all that. I don't know how he does it but he usually finds a good running donor car for about $100.00. He builds them mechanically very nice and and gets them to primer. Then he loses interest and sells them and starts another. I like his work as he does a good safe job and you know his cars will run nice. He built a pickup, chopped and lowered, out of a 48 monarch sedan and put it in black primer and it is the talk of the city here and this city is a hot bed for street rods and muscle cars. I personally am starting to lean towards rat rods as I cannot justify sinking the kind of money in to cars like you see put in to trailer queens. I also have a big question mark as to why people over engineer thier cars as if they were going to enter in the indy 500 . Most cars don't need to have the most expensive steering and brakes and suspension that money can buy. Just a safe car. any ways I am ranting. good luck Ron and build something that you will be happy with. ...Jim

MikeWA

I almost mentioned this in my post above, but with Jimalberta's comments on "over engineering", I think I will. I guess I can't see any real reason for a custom frame in a '36 Ford that is to be hot-rodded. Given that Model T frames were totally inadequate for modern power; Model A frames needed to be boxed, or replaced with a '32 Ford frame, which was an easy swap; but I believe the '36 frame is adequate for about any reasonable engine swap, unless you're going with a monster mill that will put the car sideways whenever you poke it. I've always kind of enjoyed the "feel" of the older cars, which would be lost with a frame upgrade/ power disc brakes/ etc. While I would kind of like power steering on my '48, as a concession to bursitis, I wouldn't even consider any other suspension/ steering/ brake modifications- it stops just fine with the drums (and it goes just fine with the Twin H 308- but thats another topic for another day). If you want a hotrod, build a hotrod; if you want a Lincoln Town Car, buy one, it'll cost you far less than building a rod. Just my humble opinion.

Unknown

Ron, I would go with TCI. And they're somewhat local too... Ontario, Cal.



Dany Spring



Hudsons get pleasure with KGAP rubbers

Unknown

Ron, I had a TCI front clip with air bags in a 35 Dodge, it rode and drove great

TCI is a first rate outfit, you can probably go cheaper, but not better.



Just my experience.

Barry