Thread: My From-Scratch project

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Hi. My names Sam and I'm new here. I've been looking around the internet for a week or 2 and have decided to try to build a car from scratch. no kits, no donor frames or restored bodies. Build my own frame and do all the sheet metal work and everything on the body. I picked up a '68 Ford 360FE engine from the junk yard, and a trans from a '62 Galaxie. Then I've started building the basic frame from 2x3x3/16 tube.(couldnt get 2x3x1/8). I have the motor mounts done, but havent figured out my final motor position yet, so theyre just stuck in there for now. made sure nothing would go lower than my frame (scrub line). I talked to a guy from the local donut shop today and he said he has a solid front axle (dropped I-beam?) with springs, tires, and all, and a rear end with tires and all from a '51 ford truck that I can have for FREE!! I just have to go get them tomorrow afternoon. I haven't decided what it will look like yet, but the frame is 32" wide, and 12'6" long. the rise in the back is about 18". I should have between 96" and 108" from the fire wall to the back of the frame to figure out a body. I'm working on turning that 360fe into a 390 also. This is my first project, so I dont know how it will turn out yet. I'm learning alot as I go. any suggestions are welcomed.

I have to find an image hosting place so I can stick in some pictures of it.

Wow, great score from the guy at the donut place. Definately keep us updted.

www.photobucket.com is a free image hoster and very easy to work with in my opinion.

here's what I have done so far......tried to make the pics small so I hope they dont turn up too big

sam

guess the pictures didnt show.... heres links...
http://s948.photobucket.com/albums/a...current=5a.jpg
http://s948.photobucket.com/albums/a...current=4a.jpg
http://s948.photobucket.com/albums/a...current=3a.jpg
http://s948.photobucket.com/albums/a...current=2a.jpg
http://s948.photobucket.com/albums/a...current=1a.jpg

sam

I think I would figure out what the car is going to be before you go too much further.

Might be best to have a plan before you start building... 32" is plenty wide for a frame, most I build are from 22" to 26"... Much easier to fit the wheelbase of the frame to the body then vice versa... Building from scratch is kewl, but as a first time project it can become quite overwhelming and frustrating, eventually wind up laying in the corner....

Decide on a theme, make a list of parts you'll need, then start building. Works for me anyways....

I have a few different ideas for the body, and I think I can get them all to work with the way I'm doing it so far. I've been going alot by how another guy did his, according to his internet journal of his build. I wasn't sure if I would get twin I-beams from a f150 for the front, or if I would have ifs, or a solid dropped axle, so I have to wait to permanently mount the engine until I have the front suspension in there. It all depends on what I can get cheap or free mostly. and I know that I'll have to work around a lot of things. I haven't really ever been good at making plans and sticking to them. I dont plan on making the body based on any specific year/make of car. It wont have many curves. I have a couple quick drawings of ideas that I made, but haven't decided on a specific one yet. mostly, I have ideas, and find what parts I can get, and work from there. I'll keep posting pictures on this thread as I go.

Sam

this is a couple "screwing around" sketches that I did a while ago. They all should work okay with this frame. back when I did these, a v-10 was available to me, but I decided against it. I'm not sure which one I like more. I even thought for a while about putting wood sides on one of these. these are just basic ideas though.

I went and got the front end and rear end from that '51 ford truck today. There was the front dropped axle with the hubs and steering linkage, and the rear end with the hubs. nothing was froze up and everything turned good. The guy even had the original steering gear box with steering wheel, and he let me have them for the same price....free! there's rust on everything, but I plan to tear everything apart tomorrow, and sand blast everything this weekend to see what I can clean up and use or what I have to replace. My frame is 32" wide, and the pads on the drop axle are 32" apart(to the outside bolts), so I think they'll work good. the rear end pads are about 42 inches apart, so I think I can get some coil springs to fit on there right .....we'll see

Sam

got the front end king pins out finally, and started cleaning it up. couldnt sand blast them like I wanted to, so I have been using a grinding wheel and a sand paper wheel on an angle grinder. Now I see why people send them out to be done....but I guess I can get it this way okay. I plan to use just a fine grit paper pad on a disk sander to shine them after I get them cleaned. does anyone know how it's usually done? I dont think I'll be getting them chromed. I forgot to take a picture of before I started on them, but I guess it's obvious what they started like. I'll take another one when I get done. (might be a while though)

Sam

Made a decision about what I want it to look like. I will need to extend the front of the frame a little to go over the front axle, so it will stay low, (that will give me my front spring perches too....I'll use coil springs.) ... and then extend it so it will go just past the front of the front tires. will be able to move my engine forward quite a bit too. Should make the frame about 15 feet long I think... and give me about 10 feet for the body which should be plenty long enough. Don't know if I can manage making the front fenders like in the picture, but I think I can manage the rear ones, and a tire mount for the side and running boards, and the body really doesn't have much of any curves. definitely has to have the huge headlights, spare tires, and a bunch of other things. may just make regular fenders for the front, with running boards all the way to them. any comments? Think I'm nuts yet?? Think of it as a sort-of chopped up Duesenburg J-type.....but from scratch. It does count as a hotrod if it's shiney, and loud?!?!

BWA HA HA HA!!!!

Sam
(still working on the front axle......comming along good)

try a wire wheel on that angle grinder to clean up the parts. it will clean them up pretty good without removing metal.

THanks 35fordcoupe for your suggestion. I'll try that.

anyone can help me tell if this a 31 spline rear end or will I have to take it apart to find out for sure?? I know it was from a 71 ford pickup. It doesnt have an ID tag on it. I know it's a standard case, not "N(nodular)", or "WAR". the bolts for the break plate are 3/4", and it's 61 1/4" from wheel mounting plate faces. Also, when I turn one axle, the opposite turns the other way...this means it's "posi" or "limited slip", right? I also cant find a ford part number but I got a manufacture date of 8J11 at DIF which puts it manufatcured in the same plant, the same week/year as my 360FE engine!!
I couldnt use the other rear end from the 51 ford PU so I called around and a guy at a salvage yard here said he had a bunch of 9" rears and I could have any one I wanted for $60. This is the one I grabbed. Everywhere else wanted $125 for 28 spline or $250 for 31 spline....or more.
I can use it either way, 28 or 31, but I just wondered if I got a good deal, or a REALLY good deal.

Sam

I believe that the 3/4" nuts on the break plate bolts mean large bearing housing...but not sure if that means 31 spline.

S

just found out if they spin opposite, it means regular, non-posi. also I was told that there wasnt any 9" posi rears, that if they spin the same way, it's because they were more than likely modified and welded togeather. but there was limited slip....just not true posi. was also told that if I really wanted to know about the spline, I would need to pull it apart to be 100% sure.