With the help of several large...
With the help of several large friends, the body was reinstalled on the Fat Man Fabrications chassis. It's a pretty heavy body even though it's an open car. Notice the cowl-to-trunk braces we bolted inside of the car to keep the body rigid when it was taken off the frame. Without them, most open bodies have a tendency to fold in the middle.
When the body was being cherried...
When the body was being cherried out, we made sure the fender-to-body gaps were tight so no fender welting would have to be used. The extra effort paid off. Notice how perfectly the tire is positioned in the wheelwell. When the car is finished, the extra weight of the upholstery and top, combined with the springs settling a little, should drop the rearend at least another inch.
We bolted on the front fenders,...
We bolted on the front fenders, which fit perfectly. With all of the fenders in place, the car was starting to look pretty good. You can tell from the reflections in the body that the car is pretty straight. The Halibrand wheels look great and give it a '60s look.
We removed the spare tire...
We removed the spare tire holder and spent plenty of time getting this rear panel straight--should we say perfectly curved?--whatever. Notice the frenched '39 taillights with blue dots. The rear bumper is an aluminum alloy unit made by Briz. It's hanging on a shortened bracket manufactured by Autosport International. The exhaust tips are part of the Borla system that we showed you previously.
Call us different, but we...
Call us different, but we really like the '36 Ford bug-eye headlights, so we outfitted them with a halogen light kit from C.W. Moss. The lenses are from Bob Drake Reproductions.
We selected a Glide Engineering...
We selected a Glide Engineering seat for its excellent quality--most of the upholsterers we've talked to enjoy working with the product. This seat rests on a movable track, so we mounted the unit with plenty of room for it to slide forward or backward. The stock shifter handle is close to the seat, but should be no problem with a straighter handle--Competition Plus-style. Notice that the steering wheel and column are going to be in the perfect position for the driver.
We mounted the Lokar pedals...
We mounted the Lokar pedals to the Engineered Components arms with a bracket we made, and mounted the throttle pedal in close proximity. The pedals are spaced very well for driving comfort. Lokar also supplied the braided dipstick for the engine.
We equipped the car with a...
We equipped the car with a Grant banjo-style steering wheel to add to the '60s nostalgic image. The dash is equipped with a Haneline engine-turned panel, housing five Ford Motorsport gauges. The gauges are silver, with white faces and '30s-style lettering. Perfect for a street rod.
We feel that every car should...
We feel that every car should have a battery cut-off switch for emergencies. This is a Hotronics cut-off with remote switch. Flip the little toggle switch and it cuts off the battery main line. Flip it again and contact is made. The best part is--the toggle is so small it's easy to hide and will also act as an anti-theft device.
We installed a Hotronics power...
We installed a Hotronics power trunk opener to open the rumble seat automatically. This is the control unit for the power ram.
We shaved the door handles--so...
We shaved the door handles--so we had to have a way to open the doors when the windows are closed and the doors are locked. The Hotronics impulse relay and remote is going to be hooked up to roll the windows down so we can access the door handle and lock mechanism. Press the button on the key fob and the window will roll down automatically when you want to get in the car.
Cooling a street rod is always...
Cooling a street rod is always a big problem, so we ordered a very efficient U.S. Radiator unit and a 17-inch turbo fan from Scotts Manufacturing. The fan comes complete with all of the hardware and electronics needed to hook it up. This is the company's new slim-line version of the turbo fan--it's about 3/4-inch thinner than the normal turbo fans.
The fan is a "puller" unit...
The fan is a "puller" unit that we mounted at the top of the radiator. The radiator is a high-quality and very efficient U.S. Radiator. This fan should be able to cool the car without a problem. However, there is room up front for two small fans if they are needed. Notice how the slim-line fan provides adequate clearance for the alternator and air compressor.
The only problem with fuel-injection...
The only problem with fuel-injection engines is that the harnesses have large plugs. This translates into large holes in the firewall. We wanted the harness to run straight from under the dash to the unit, so the hole was centrally located.
The Ford computer was mounted...
The Ford computer was mounted on the steering column brace that runs to the firewall. This unit should be mounted in a dry area and should never be mounted plug up. The rectangular part above, that's connected to the cowl, is the transmission box for the Specialty Power Windows.
Ford uses a rather unusual...
Ford uses a rather unusual fitting for fuel lines, so we modified the fuel inlet by welding on an aircraft fitting. That way, we could plumb the car with braided steel aircraft line. The fuel injection requires a fill line and a return line.
The finished engine looks...
The finished engine looks and runs great. We equipped the car with purple Taylor spark plug wires to match the color of the engine block. We polished a set of early Mustang aluminum valve covers for a clean appearance. The intake manifold was also polished, but the injection plenum-and-runners are powdercoated silver. The compressor is from Southern Rods & Parts. The air cleaner is from Street & Performance.
At this point we made our...
At this point we made our initial test run and were pleased with the way the car rode and handled. The engine runs great, the trans shifts smoothly, and the body is pretty tight. The next step is a front-end alignment, and a trip to the radio and upholstery shop.
In a past installment, we showed you how we detailed the Fat Man Fabrications chassis and prepared it for the installation of the '36 Cabriolet body. We're currently in the home stretch, but the finish line is still ahead in the distance. We started getting the '36 back together by bolting the body back on the frame, which meant some realignment before it would fit as well as it did at the primer stage. We kept track of the areas that had to be shimmed when the car was on the frame in primer, so we put the shims back in the same locations when the body was reinstalled. It was a pretty close fit. However, a little fine adjustment was needed to get it perfect. After the body was aligned and resting squarely on the frame, we installed the fenders and running boards. In a few days, we had a car that looked pretty complete, but there was still a long way to go.
Once the body and fenders were together, we started working on some of the slowest, and most tedious aspects of car building--hooking up the air conditioning, installing a variety of electronic parts, wiring, finishing the dash and gauges, installing the seat, installing the pedal system, hooking up the electrical system for the power windows and trunk, bleeding the brakes, adding fluid to the engine, trans, and rearend, and many other things that lead up to the upholstery and final detailing. After a couple of months of part-time work on weekends and evenings, we were really getting close to firing up the engine--but the rainy California winter had definitely slowed us down. Finally, we were ready to fire it up for the first time. We timed the Ford engine, which uses a 351 Windsor-style firing order, hooked up the fuel-pump wire (which we'd left disconnected until there was gas in the tank) put in 5 gallons of gas, and turned the key. After two revolutions the car fired right up and came to an idle. Initially, the lifters were dry and the engine was clattering, but in a matter of seconds the engine quieted down and sounded great. We did run into a few small glitches--the oil-pressure gauge and volt meter weren't working, and we had a small water leak under pressure--but they were just a few bugs that would have to be worked out. We would have been more astonished if everything was perfect.
In this story we'll show you the car going back together and some of the parts we used to make it a nice driver.