The Ruler... Salt Flats Speed Shop

Here are some shots from Salt Flats Speed Shop. The coupe is back under the knife. I've got a great feeling about the progress so far. Chris, from SFSS, is quite an impressive metal man.

As I now understand, chopping the car this way allows for less distortion by keeping the welds near the belt line.

Here's the inside, unfinished.

I was a little skeptical of using after market sheet metal parts, but this lower panel from Mac's fits pretty good.

Here's the relief cuts that'll make the pieces go where they're intended.

I've got an original 1932 tank and a lot of times original pieces don't fit perfectly in an after market frame. I've heard about guys having to grind some of the frame rail to get them to fit properly. That's not the case with the Ionia frame... the tank dropped right in and the only thing keeping it from lining up was the steel tubing coming out of the pickup, a pretty simple fix.

Once the chop is all welded, then it's on to filling the roof.

Inspiration at The Roadster Show

The L.A. Roadster Show ruled.

I could've snapped a thousand pictures but the truth was I was having too much fun to stop a moment and take pics. Here are a few of the pics I did take.

I finally got to meet the guys from Ionia Hot Rod Shop.

Here's their booth (and my frame).

An amazing 35 Roadster. They're pretty high on my wish list. This one was super-clean

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Love the Casny Coupe...

The only thing missing on Father's Day was my dad. I'd love to get him to fly out with me next year. If you'd like to see more of the show, this man took TONS of pics.

Picture it...

Right now, the car this blogs built around doesn't look like much.  The truth is, many of my friends, family, or curious internet surfers wont see anything beyond what's in the picture.  I don't blame them, there's not much to see!

When I look at this car I see much more, I see it complete.  I can imagine driving it and hearing the raspy exhaust.  I can even visualize what I'll see outside the chopped windows as I bomb down a city street or 80 West toward Bonneville.

I'm not sure that I could type an explanation for you to see it the way I do but I think there are a few pictures I could share with you that may help you clarify my vision so that as you follow along (and I hope you do) you can see the car come from a pile of sheet metal to a hot rod.

Here are some photo's I've collected over the years.  Most of them have come from the H.A.M.B over at the JalopyJournal.com. 

Here's a 32 3 window Ford coupe that a Hot Rodder named Larry (whom goes by 3wLarry) built.  While my car isn't a 32 I think he used the perfect mix of chrome and paint.  I intend to finish my car off in the same fashion.  This car is pretty legendary and it's a formula that I believe will be very appealing when my car is finished.

Next, is maybe what I'd consider one of the best examples of metalwork fitting a 32 frame (with a fuel tank).  If you'd like to see more, click here. 

Below is another coupe that really influences this project.  Owned by Mark Ford in Austin, TX.

Can you see what I'm aiming for now?