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1938 Ford rat rod build


Barry

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I was originally offered this project a couple of months ago but I took one look at it and said no. But I got outvoted 2-1 so here it is. 

It’s a 1938 Ford

351 Cleveland Engine, possibly from a Mustang. I’ll get numbers at a later date and do some research 

3 Speed FMX automatic transmission 

Corvette Stingray rear end

Drum brakes all round

Bear in mind, it is a rat rod build and will be true rat rather than rat look or rat style so don’t expect loads of shiny new parts. 

As it stands, the truck has no wiring, no fuel tank, no brake system, no propshaft, no interior, no floors, no pedals, basically no anything, so the first thing to be done is get some fuel and a spark to it and see if it runs. The engine turns freely and seems to have compression so looks like a good start. 

After that, make a proper wiring loom, lights, lengthen the chassis and make a longer bed, fit some fat rear tyres and see what happens next. Nothing is in stone and it’s set to be an adventure. 

Enough said, here she is in all her ratty glory. Watch this thread for updates. 

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There is no budget. Costs will be kept to a minimum. 

Heres another couple of pics. 

Proposed petrol tank. An old beer keg. It’s small but it looks cool and it’s not the sort of car you want to drive too far in anyway. 

Picked up a new coil too as the original was missing. 

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Once upon a time (long ago), I took on a similar project, and also on the "costs-kept-to-a-minimum" basis. I don't know what happened though, maybe I just did it wrong, but in the end, the project cost more to complete than a proper restoration project on a '59 Studebaker I did two years previously. Just thought I'd put that thought out there... 

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It is very easy to get carried away especially on little details and the little things all add up. 

The first start turned out to be a failure. Running the bare minimum wiring. Coil to battery, jump lead to the block and the other one to the starter motor. No point making a wiring loom yet until I assess the engine condition. The starter motor had nothing to give so I thought I’d remove it and look inside to see what the problem was. It was filthy inside so I cleaned everything up and put it back together to see what would happen but I noted the armature windings weren’t in great shape. You can see all the crap in the bucket that came out of the inside. Refitted the starter and it turned very slowly, nowhere near enough power or torque to start the engine. So next thing is to look for a replacement. 

She also decided to draw first blood today. Sweat and tears to follow soon. 

 

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And the luck o' the Irish to you, sir. May it replace some of the sweat and tears that will, as you rightly predict, follow the blood very soon.   

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On 13/02/2018 at 4:50 PM, Barry said:

After a bit of research, I’ve found out the engine is a D2EA-CA and it was produced on February 14th 1973. So it’s 45 years old tomorrow. Happy birthday Mr Cleveland. 

@Barry its a great car. I have my doubts with a Mustang engine and also other power parts used. Fuel tank is beer KEG. Will it be safe in uae summer as even as few km. Unless you use RED HORSE rather than petrol. Seriously. 

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The old Mustang engines are reliable. Pushrod design. Really easy to work on too. You don’t need any specific knowledge. Just take it apart and put it back together again as long as you have an imperial sized socket set.

I’m not so worried about the petrol tank in the heat. It will be properly vented. May also switch to an electric fuel pump with safety switch in the future. We’ll see how it runs first. If the engine has a problem or two, I’ll repair it. If it needs a total rebuild, LS engines out of an old lumina or similar car can be picked up cheap here. 

Also to add, the engine will run on petrol. Red Horse is too valuable to waste in this hot climate. 

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15 minutes ago, Barry said:

Red Horse is too valuable to waste in this hot climate. 

 

Totally agree, on words of wisdom.

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Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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