1935 fordor project finished

[Dick Sparks]

I have my 1935 fordor done and have driven it about 150 miles. Aside from a couple of rattles all has gone quite well except for the wipers blowing over the top above 55 MPH. I made a couple of retainers from some heavy stainless wire and that has worked well. It does not restrict the wipers normal travel but when turned off captures both arms in their resting position and hold them securely in place. They are vacuum and not all that great at best but I have relied on Rain-X for years with my old cars.
My original engine had a bad crack so I used a 1953 Mercury engine with a mild cam, racing pistons and valve work. It was intended for a 31 roadster rod like the one I wanted when in school in the 50's, but never quite came to be. Also a 39 transmission was used. It has been converted to 12 volts and an alternator with A/C compressor installed. The remainder of the A/C unit is underway now and will be ready for summer here in Texas. I added a third brake light and turn signal lights. The car has a lot of pep and at long last the hydro-static gas gauge seems to be working well.
The radio control head was interfaced using the cables with a newer AM/FM radio mounted under the glove box and controlled with the original control on the dash. The speaker is in the header panel behind the upholstery.

Many thanks to the guys who offered help here on the barn over the past year. It was much appreciated.

I have photos posted on Photobucket.

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/kb5i...?sort=2&page=1

[TonyM]

Looks great. Congratulations. Good luck with the car.

[flat-v8]

Wow Beautiful! Great pictures too.

[39portlander]

Very nice 35 Richard, can appreciate all the work it takes to get it there.

Hope to get my 39 up to "55" this spring, got no wipers to worry about. Scott

[JSeery]

Looks great!

[bbrust]

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Your car looks very nice Dick. I also have a 35 Fordor Humpback and experienced the same wiper issue you had on my first drive. Your solution looks good. I wonder if it's the after market wipers that cause this or did originals have the same problem? Your upholstery looks very nice. Where did you get it and did you install it yourself? The color looks different in some pictures. Is the final color black? Congratulations on a job well done.

[Dick Sparks]

Thanks for all the nice comments.

The Ford humpback is black.
The upholstery was done by a club member in east Texas. He sewed all the interior in his shop.
The wiper seem to have stiff springs but the wind load is too great. I too wonder if original wipers suffered the same fate.

I have started a first series 55 Chevy pickup rebuild. My first bowtie since a 56 hardtop back in the early 70's.

[Dave Mc]

Real nice , Well worth the effort

[gearhead1952]

Car looks great, nice job.

[john in illinois]

Dick that is a very nice car. I followed your work on the modified Model A a few years ago. You did great engineering on that car. Do you still have it?

John

[Matt in Alameda]

Dick, I would be interested in a little more info on the air conditioning set-up you are using. What unit are you using......any photos in the future on it's final installation would be greatly appreciated..plus, I would like to see the pulley hook-up as well as info on the A/C bracket..........Matt in Alameda

[Dick Sparks]

Hi John; I sold the 31 slant windshield car to a hotel in WI. that was built in the 20's and retains the old look and feel. They wanted and old car with modern running gear to drive guests on tours of the area. I run out of room to store all the cars I build and have to sell a car as another is completed. I wish I could keep them all but alas, it is not to be.

Hi Matt: I will be happy to share the A/C install with you. The mount that holds the alternator and A/C compressor is available from several sources. I used a Sanden from Old Air and will use a condenser that fits in front of the radiator, a newer dual parallel flow type and an under dash evaporator / blower from Old Air in Ft. Worth, TX.. I decided which fitting I need to make the hoses fit the application and use garden hose to find the correct lengths needed. Then when I have the a/c hoses I clock them to the fittings ( they must be correct as to angle because you can't twist them )and have them crimped. I've done lots of old cars and the process is about the same. I have an electric fan on my radiator so that should suffice. I will run the car to be sure it does not over heat, if it does the condenser may need to be relocated and a fan installed like on the Model A's. We'll see. No heating issues so far without the condenser.

[Lawson Cox]

Originally Posted by Dick Sparks

I have my 1935 fordor done and have driven it about 150 miles. Aside from a couple of rattles all has gone quite well except for the wipers blowing over the top above 55 MPH. I made a couple of retainers from some heavy stainless wire and that has worked well. It does not restrict the wipers normal travel but when turned off captures both arms in their resting position and hold them securely in place. They are vacuum and not all that great at best but I have relied on Rain-X for years with my old cars.
My original engine had a bad crack so I used a 1953 Mercury engine with a mild cam, racing pistons and valve work. It was intended for a 31 roadster rod like the one I wanted when in school in the 50's, but never quite came to be. Also a 39 transmission was used. It has been converted to 12 volts and an alternator with A/C compressor installed. The remainder of the A/C unit is underway now and will be ready for summer here in Texas. I added a third brake light and turn signal lights. The car has a lot of pep and at long last the hydro-static gas gauge seems to be working well.
The radio control head was interfaced using the cables with a newer AM/FM radio mounted under the glove box and controlled with the original control on the dash. The speaker is in the header panel behind the upholstery.

Many thanks to the guys who offered help here on the barn over the past year. It was much appreciated.

I have photos posted on Photobucket.

http://s18.photobucket.com/user/kb5i...?sort=2&page=1

Now, you know a restoration is never "finished". You will fine tune it for years.

[Bruce in southern OH]

Very nice car!!

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Great car - ya done good and just in time for Christmas - Santa's elves must have been busy!