Hello and questions about '32 Ford coupe kits

Hi Everyone, new member here,

My airplane is sold and I am considering building a (fiberglass) '32 Ford, 3 window coupe. It will be full fendered and powered by a built 302 engine and a modified C4 trans. I also want a traditional dropped front axle.

As you can imagine, I want to get the best buy for my money, so I need to know which body and frame combo is the best. I don't mind paying for the package, I just want it to be right the first time.

I have read that hand layup is better than chopper gun for 'glass because of strength and durability. I realize that I will get a lot of opinions and I'm hoping that there are enough of you that have built them to lead me in the right direction.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Aviator41P

Welcome.


Don

Actually, I consider a combination of hand laid composites and chop gun to be the best. Core matte and kevlar reinforced glass is probably the strongest. As far as the bodies, Wescott's are the best I've seen, as far as the suspension and frame, I like my own!!!!

how ya doin',
My body is from Downs..

http://www.downsmfg.com/

I'm completely satisfied with the workmanship and construction.

mark

Luckily, Gibbon is out of business. :LOL:

Seriously, Wescott is the granddaddy of fiberglass makers. You'll pay for it, but they're top notch.

http://www.wescottsauto.com/site2003...dies_indx.html

Redneck also has good stuff.

http://www.redneckstreetrods.com/

One of the key things to check on in a 'glass body is the Heat Distortion Index of the resin they use. Some manufacturers use general purpose resins which will get soft again in the hot sun, or the glass pattern will print through the paint. Both Wescott and Redneck use very good resins.

I would never, never, ever buy a body that was made exclusively with a chopper gun. That comes from first-hand experience.

Either of these guys can sell you a good chassis to go with the body - although it's hardly a kit in sense we normally think of a kit. There are a lot of decisions to make and a lot (I mean a LOT) of parts to make or collect.

Pete and Jakes makes really good running gear, and they have just about anything you want. So does SoCal, and The Roadster Shop.

Welcome to the hobby that will provide you great satisfaction, a lot of mental and physical exercise . . . and, occasionally, a trip to the rubber room.

......Wayne @ Redneck Street Rods is building me a '32 3 Window right now. He's a great guy to work with & I've heard nothing but good things about his bodies. In fact, they can do EVERYTHING right there on the premises. Bodies, frames, paint, interior. And if you prefer a Pete & Jakes frame it is located only a couple of miles from Redneck so using their frame doesn't involve any shipping charges. It's a good idea to build the body on the actual frame that you are using.... The August '06 issue of Street Rod Builder Magazine has an article in it on a car that Wayne did from start to finish.....913-367-8346 &/or 913-367-0184 {one number is the Redneck street rod shop, the other is his body shop. Same building, either number gets him}. Mine should be ready soon, I'm shipping him the motor next week ;) .... good luck with your decission, it's a big one! ;) Bill

Thanks for the info. I had never heard of Wescott or Downs before.

The locals have mostly Outlaw, Street Beast, Gibbons, or Kilbourne bodies. All but the Gibbons seem sound. (The Outlaw has 11,000 miles on it and still looks good)

I should explain that I am returning to the hobby. In the early '60s I had a '31 Cabriolet and a '34, 5 window. Both were original cars and were purchased for less than $100.00 each. The Cab. was converted to a roadster with a flathead and we put a 312 Merc. engine in the stock bodied '34. My father was big influence and actually did most of the difficult work.

We all remember what was going on in the mid 60s and Uncle Sam kept me from Hot Rodding for several more years. I flew Helicopters in the Army and kept flying when I retired. At age 60, it's more difficult to get through the flight physicals, so I decided to get back to my first love, Hot Rods.

Hence,
Aviator

Put Street Beasts in the "you-don't-want-to-go-there" category. They are not '32 Ford replicas. They're only semi-lookalikes. Virtually nothing made for a '32 will fit them. Also, the quality of glass they use is questionable. I'm guessing the 95% of the rodding community gives Street Beasts the Siskel & Ebert "THUMBS DOWN."

I would suggest you take your time, if you're not already planning that way, and continue to study the options. As just an example for emphasis, not intending to dis you here as you admit you've been away for quite awhile, your not being at least familiar with the name Wescott when it comes to glass bodies is telling. Dee has been making glass bodies since the late '60's, a true pioneer and still at it. His bodies have earned a very strong reputation, and nobody doing it today has been at it longer. (a little inside baseball thing, he's very close to releasing a very cool '32 5 window body) That being said, there are other folk out there that are quality body builders. You mentioned Outlaw. They do some very good glass quality, and structurally they seem to hold up well. Depending on how picky you are about shape will determine if they stay on your list. They chose to eliminate the reveal around the windshield (looks similar to a '33/4 now), and the upper portion of their doors is a bit "squared off" looking. Again, it's a terrific product, and if those "customizations" fit your taste they'd be a good choice. Those are some of the things I mean by your wanting to spend more time, in order to figure out what exactly you want.

You didn't mention budget either. Any way you cut it, unless you stumble across the highly unlikely uninformed person with a barn full of neat ol' stuff, you're going to have a significant amount of change in one of these. A fellow was on the board a few days ago telling us about his winning a glass '32 3 window roller assembly. It was still missing a few obvious items such as a radiator, and of course probably didn't have all the bazillion little things that make a car complete. The folks who raffled it off claimed there were $40k (cdn) in parts. That's very believable. The Wescott '32 3 window body alone goes for around $19k, not counting packaging and shipping. The Outlaw isn't very far behind that. Looking around you may see an occasional glass body that looks like the good ones selling for say $8k. But again, referring to another recent post from a guy building a Willys, the difference can be eaten up in fixing the cheapie body.....in a hurry, especially if you want to end up with a top quality piece. That fellow mentioned something like $24k in professional work to get the body ready for paint if I remember correctly. Just to toss another comparison into the mix. Brookville Roadsters is releasing this summer their steel repop of the '32 3 window. If you haven't heard of them either, they are the steel equivalent of Wescott, been in business a good number of years, and are respected for their quality. They build their body to be a near duplicate of the factory piece so it's got a stock height roof, and all the gennie features like exterior hinges, and such. For rodding you'd probably want to put in more bracing for cowl strength, a place to hang the steering column, and so on. Those are priced at $24k. Not too much more than Wescott's glass body, so if steel is a preference there's an option.

Just to give some more emphasis to what you've already figured out to some degree. Below is a picture from the L.A. Roadsters swap meet this past Father's day. Look closely at the sign for his asking price.........and yes, that's for just what you see in the pic, not including the trailer. Yep, it sold.............don't know if it went at asking, but I'd bet it wasn't far off.

Welcome to the site. You chose wisely coming here as there are many very experienced car builders here. I too would advise you to take some time in here and with research outside on your own before choosing your path. That said, knowing what I know now, for glass I would buy Wescotts and for steel I would buy from Brookville. I would also trust Outlaw for a good glass body.

I have a coremat vinylester resin body that is thick, light, and strong and inexpensive; and that has/will take me many many more hours to finish out etc. I have gaps in the doors and trunk lid that (as Bob once said) you could run a herd of cats through :CRY: :LOL:

I am extremely pleased with my Cornhusker Rod and Custom frame and Heidts suspension componentry though the afore mentioned frames I hear are good as well.

Regards, Kitz

I was just notified today of a Kilbourne Body/Chassis that is unfinished for sale in MA. the current owner has no time (or presumably money as his 3rd child is on the way) left to finish the package. Painted, wired, lighted. Needs interior, radiator, AC compressor, carburetor, and to have exhaust from the headers back finished. I'm sure there are other things he has not thought of yet. $22K takes all. We are going on a road trip to see it tomorrow. If I don't buy it the guy who told me about it will.

Yea or Nay?

One of my customers has a steel Rod Bods cabriolet roadster coming in a couple weeks. When I get a first hand opinion, I'll post it.

Just for learning purposes since it's a roadster and a fur piece from ya; 290012612771 on ebay.

I think this is a great buy for the right person near where it is so he wouldn't get eaten up by transport costs. If you were to buy this body from Broookville with the options it has it would be about $12k without crating and shipping. The chassis would be another $6k or so (missing a few pieces normally in a "stage III setup). The hood, grille shell, rad, steering col, and wheels/tires are probably another close to $4k (original grille shells and grilles go for tall money). Never mind that the parts are all essentially new, once they've been "touched" by an end user they drop 25-50%.

As for your Kilbourne example, the only person I'm aware of here who has their body (roadster) is dangerous toy, he'd be the best source for first hand opinion/experience.