Kharp

I bought this car in April 2014. I drove it 220 miles to my house with the original Flathead drivetrain. I was only looking for a solid body and frame, but I lucked out with some help and found a solid running car.



The picture below is from a local Whataburger Cruise night. My son thought it was cool that they parked our beater between 2 new Corvettes. I drove the 37 about 600 miles during the summer before I began disassembly on Labor Day weekend 2014.

Kharp

Here is another shot from a local car show. I had fun driving the car around during the summer, but now its time to build a street rod for some real traveling. I've been very particular about not scrapping out any of the original parts. I have been able to sell the original drivetrain and miscellaneous parts to generate some cash and keep the parts functional for others to enjoy on their original cars.

76larkman

welcome to site. whats your plans with it?

Kharp

I sold the Flathead to a guy in Shreveport, Louisiana. It is supposed to be installed in a 35 Ford Coupe.

Kharp

Hello 76larkman:
My wife and I would like to do some traveling and meet some new friends. We want to do street rod events, maybe hot rod power tours, local cruise nights, etc. I plan to upgrade the chassis and drivetrain and eventually finish out the entire car. I want to document the build to maybe help someone, and maybe receive some help/tips on my first LS install.

Kharp

I've had several rides but never a street rod nor an LS motor. This is going to be a great learning experience! Here is another pic after the Flathead was pulled.

76larkman

Ls power will be an awesome way to go with. Lots of 4.8 5.3 engine deals to be had out there. I just gave $700 for 80,000 mile 5.3 with a 4L60E tranny. wiring harness and pcm as well. cable throttle. Its out of a rusty 00 chevy silverado. Turns out it had some tranny issues and has been recently rebuilt. Found papers in truck on that. Get yourself a new suspension kit on front & later model rear end you be in business to drive rat rod style for awhile.

76larkman

I would reccomend update the wiring and such to modern 12volt as well. Yogi's in Monticello, Iowa has lots of different kits for your car Im sure as they cator to street rods. Call them or look them up online. Speedway in Nebraska is another company that deals with street rod stuff.

Kharp

After the motor was pulled I couldn't wait to give it a bath!

76larkman

Looks like your having fun already. Have you got into getting parts & such collected for it yet? Where are you located?

Kharp

Absolutely on the 12 volt wiring. I already have an 8" Ford with TCI leaf spring kit, and also a TCI Mustang 2 kit for the front. I will be installing both very soon. I also have a dummy LS block for doing all the fab work. This will buy me a little bit of time for buying a motor. Thanks for your interest and help.

Kharp

I'm near Tyler, TX. I actually bought the car near Austin, TX and drove it 220 miles to my house. The original Flathead got 19 mpg!

Kharp

This photo is slightly out of order in the teardown, BUT as I disassembled the front clip I got really concerned because there aren't any shims ANYWHERE. Everything just fits, and the frame must stay exactly the same during the fab process. I will be building a frame jig later.

RacnJsn95

iTrader: (4)

That's impressive!

Welcome aboard, sounds like you've got a good plan! It will be cool to watch this one unfold!

ls1nova71

iTrader: (4)

That's a clean looking car! You will love an LS powered street rod, the only way to go if you really want to get out and drive one, at least in my opinion.

As for the 19mpg, that's about right. I don't think most people realize what kind of gas mileage early v8 Fords got. I have a brochure that states the '33's got around 20mpg. Is that a 60 or 85hp engine? Hard to tell by the pic.

Oscar Will

Good project

My LS1 powered 1935 sedan has been on the road over 30,000 miles since 2003...and without problems. It's no show car but a fun driver.

Kharp

The car had the 85 hp motor and the deluxe package also. The odometer in the car was working and showed 52,000 miles. I'm assuming that is the correct mileage for the car. The older guys tell me there is no way the car could make it 152,000 miles without falling apart .

lizeec

iTrader: (57)

Look up another build thread here by "kwhizz" he built a really nice 37, his thread has some really nice pictures and details.

Kharp

Thanks for the compliment! I've been working on the car a few months and have some pictures to post in order to "catch up" with where the build actually is. I wish I would have started documenting mine sooner, but better late than never. Honestly I just decided to go with the LS motor due to some friends that encouraged me, and obviously the build didn't belong here without an LS. Thanks Bill for the encouragement!

Kharp

I've seen the 37 Coupe that Kwhizz built. That is a great car and I so much appreciated him taking the time to document it. I really liked his 37 and spent a long time looking for mine.