1936 Ford Project Part X: The Finished Product

It’s been a long time coming, but the ´36 For Kicks is finally finished! When we spotted this original ´36 cabriolet for sale at the Goodguys show in Pleasanton, California, a few years ago, we thought it would make a great street rod. We never considered the amount of work that would have to go into it and how long it would take to finish. The old saying about beauty being only skin deep came true with this car. After a thorough baking soda blasting at Drezek Environmental Stripping, we became fully aware of the considerable amount of work this car really needed, but isn’t that what our hobby is all about? Dedicated hot rodders start with a derelict and turn it into a dream come true. In this final story we will show you the original car when it was purchased and a summary of the steps we went through to get it finished.

Appearance is very important, and so is driveability, which is why we selected a Fat Man Fabrications chassis. The one we ordered featured a tubular A-arm and coilover-shock-equipped Mustang II-based front suspension with a sway bar and a height-adjustable dual parallel leaf spring rear suspension holding a Currie Enterprises-prepared Ford 9-inch traction-lok rearend. The chassis has a rigid rectangular tube crossmember with an adjustable rear transmission mount. We planned on running a T5 five-speed transmission, so some custom fabrication was needed for the clutch pedal and linkage. A heavy-duty Engineered Components brake system was used up front with standard fullsize-car Ford drum brakes at the rear. Since safety is always a factor, we used a power-assisted dual master cylinder, also from Engineered Components. Steering is handled by a rack-and-pinion unit hooked to an ididit column through Borgeson U-joints.

The chassis rides on big and little BFGoodrich radials mounted on Halibrand wheels. The result is an extremely solid, rattle-free ´36 Cabriolet that drives smoothly and handles like a brand-new Mustang. We were amazed by how solid the car felt: no squeaks, no rattles; just a tight, solid feel. Steering is positive and quick, and, thanks to the sway bar, the ´36 corners flat. It’s also a blast to drive with the fast revving 302 and five-speed tranny. Gear selection is positive and the trans is very quiet. It’s nothing like the noisy four-speed musclecar transmissions of the ´60s and ´70s. The Currie nterprises-prepared Ford 9-inch is also quiet and will definitely put down twin stripes of rubber on demand.

Part of the car’s stability and solid body feel is due to the work that went into the body in the form of bracing. We installed new floorboards the entire length of the car and 6-inch-wide, 3/16-inch thick braces front to rear and side to side in the car. The floor bracing was then connected with square tubing to the rear body panels. Inside of the rear quarter panels we also had square tube braces that connected to the rear wheelwells. The steel braces were added to the original wood braces that were redone and installed. We also welded all of the stock body braces that were originally riveted together to add more rigidity to the body sections. When the body was mounted to the frame, we added additional body bolts and made sure all of the body-to-chassis connections were mounted with rubber insulation. It was a lot of extra work, but worth the effort.

After the body was stripped to bare metal, it was in need of some sheetmetal work, but it could have been worse. Rust in the lower body was minimal and most of the sheetmetal was in fair condition. Wherever rust existed, we welded in new panels, including a new tail panel from Engineering & Manufacturing Services, and used a hammer and dolly or an electronic dent puller to straighten the sheetmetal. When all of the dents were hammered or pulled out, a light coat of filler was used to get all of the panels perfectly flat. We spent a few months of work in the evenings and on weekends blocking, primering, and blocking again until the body was very straight. It was a difficult car to get perfect because there were so many compound curves to deal with. With patience and determination, we finally finished the body work and painted the car Ford Mustang Ultra Violet using PPG basecoat/clearcoat.

The car is based on traditional styling with some modern refinements. Inside and out, the car could have been built in the ´60s. Along with the Halibrand wheels we normally run, we also have a set of Coker whitewall radials on chrome wheels when we want a more nostalgic ´50s look for the ´36. The interior also plays off the nostalgic theme, although much of it is very modern. The overall look is still very traditional and we wanted to keep that theme going.

The only thing that broke the traditional theme was the fuel-injected 302. The engine ran great with the fuel injection and fired up instantly on demand, but it really didn’t have the look we desired. In an editorial a few years ago, we talked about starting with a theme and sticking with it. We believe very strongly in that, so we decided to make the engine look a little more traditional. The perfect setup would be finned valve covers and multi-carburetion for a ´60s look. The 302 was originally equipped with a stronger than stock cam so all we had to do is contact Edelbrock for a dual-quad setup complete with carbs, linkage, and fuel lines. The company also makes a great set of finned valve covers, so in a matter of a few hours we had a nostalgic-looking 302 Ford engine. Surprisingly, the performance was about the same as it was with fuel injection, but the gas mileage suffered considerably.

The goal we were trying to accomplish was to have the car at Pleasanton this year, and we just made it. The interior was finished with two weeks to spare and that gave us just enough time to work out a few bugs. At Pleasanton, we parked the car in the same general spot it was when we saw it for the first time, and we were surprised that a friend of the former owner recognized the car. He said he was reading R&C and watching the progress we were making. Since the Pleasanton car show, we have been driving and enjoying the ´36 and have been making improvements along the way. It all goes to show that a street rod is never finished, it’s always in a constant state of improvement.

Check out the accompanying photos and captions to see how the project came together.