1934 Ford 5-Window Early 60's Altered UPDATED 1/11/21

[Dennis]

This project started exactly 3 years ago for our TRaK Autorama Contest and was originally going to be a close replica of the incredible '34 Coupe built jointly by Gas Monkey Garage and Brian Bass and featured on the Discovery show Fast & Loud. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and it's mine that it's one of the most bad ass '34 Coupes I've ever seen. Below is that car and my original mock up.





Like the couple of other replica projects I've attempted in the past this one went no different in that it's very hard for me to not put my own creative spin on the project. So, early into the project it was decided to add the fenders but build it basically the same otherwise. Then, once it had the fenders it was a few small changes away from being a legal mid 60's Gas Class car so I decided to do that. The project then sat for 2 years as others stole my attention. About a month ago I decided to open up the box and have a look. Next thing you know I'm mocking up different wheels and tires, etc., and I got to thinking that the one detail that wouldn't fly in Gas Class is the heavy engine set back (which was needed to fit the blower drive on top of the regular belt drive.) What to do? Looks like the final plan for this project will be a '63-'64 Altered! Most of the original WIP thread in the Autorama section is irrelevant now so I decided it would be best to start fresh.  

The base kit is AMT's 1934 5-Window with a Drag City Casting chopped top resin body.

All of the chassis work so far was done 2 years ago. I removed the entire floor, center and rear cross members. The new center "X" section is from Revell's 1940 Ford's with a Monogram '29 Pickup rear cross member. The front cross member was deepened to get the front end down and I added some scratch built front engine mounts. Ultimately the stock gas tank will be removed but I left it for strength while I was doing the cross members.









The rear axle is the Halibrand quick change from AMT's '25 T double kits with an AMT '29 Roadster spring, Revell '40 Ford kit ladder bars and Revell '29 Roadster brake plates.





The front axle and suspension will be from Revell's '29 Roadster.



The engine is the blown Chrysler Hemi with LaSalle 3-speed trans from Revell's Miss Deal Studabaker Funny Car. Because this was originally going to be a street car and then a Gasser I had fit a water pump but now that it's an Altered and doesn't require a cooling system I'll be deleting that.





Chassis up on all 4. The wheels are from AMT's '49 Ford with their parts pack printed M&H slicks and parts pack front runners.





Moving on to body modifications performed 2 years ago. I cut out the trunk lid, built in a jam and then modified a Revell '32 5-Window louvered deck lid to fit. From the '32 5-Window louvered hood sides I cut out and grafted in more louvers to the tail pan and hood top for some extra heat extraction. I also cut a hole in the hood top the same shape as the Hilborn bug catcher scoop.





And here are some mock ups of where the project is as of right now. 



















I feel like this is a project that deserves to get worked on more and I'm hoping that by sharing it and getting some feedback it will help get and keep me motivated. Let me know what you all think!

[randfink]

Jan 3, 2021 15:48:23 GMT -5 Dennis said:

Man, this is going to be killer! This pic right here does it for me.

[superflekmoonbird]

Beautiful so far....one of my favorite subjects and you are doing great on the details.

...subscribed.

[krassandbernie]

I love it and would never 'tell' you how to build it. But, since you are trying to build it around 'the rules' from back in the day.....anyone building such a car at the time would not likely be running those heavy factory steel wheels; and would have likely opted for a set of the popular magnesium (lightweight) Halibrands such as these small window Halibrands that I cast.....especially if they had the money to build the rest of the car as you have done already. If it were more of a low buck build or in the '55-'60 time frame it might sway back to the steel wheels a bit more...just my two cents; which doesn't buy you much of anything these days! LOL! I think it would look killer with a set of 12 spoke spindle mounts up front and big or small window Halibrands out back!

[dakotajohn]

And I still Like it !!

[Duane]

lookin good Dennis ! build on !

[chepp]

Nice work. I like your chassis mods. What a coincidence that there are two posted pix of the 554 car, one with steelies and one with Halibrands. I agree with Ed's comment about the wheels.

[Deleted]

I love it a lot so far, very nice work on the frame mods! Ed's right though; for the era you're going after steelies wouldn't be used anymore, unless it was a real low buck deal.

[spex84]

Glad to see this one back again! I'll enjoy it any way you build it, but I sure do like those examples that wear mags and spindle-mounts!

[Mr. Metallic]

Yes! It's back!

Following as always

[Dennis]

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

I'll have to admit my ignorance as when it comes to the vintage drag stuff I'm still learning and partly faking my way through it so it didn't occur to me that the steel wheels would be completely out of fashion! In that case, I will have to put together a set of lite-weight mags.

I'm keeping the heavy fenders, though! They're too far engineered into the build.

[krassandbernie]

I dig the fenders; and you could still be representing the end of an 'era' when the Ford bodied coupes were falling out (or behind) in favor of the ever growing and more popular Fiats and glass bodied 'T's in the altered classes........by '64-'65. So a guy would have pulled out all of the stops and tricks like switching to lighter parts (wheels for example) in a vain attempt to remain competitive.

[Deleted]

Jan 5, 2021 0:58:07 GMT -5 krassandbernie said:

I dig the fenders; and you could still be representing the end of an 'era' when the Ford bodied coupes were falling out (or behind) in favor of the ever growing and more popular Fiats and glass bodied 'T's in the altered classes........by '64-'65. So a guy would have pulled out all of the stops and tricks like switching to lighter parts (wheels for example) in a vain attempt to remain competitive.

Also, if you're dating it circa 62-63, (maybe into early 64), the steelies on the rear with lightweight mags on the front would work too, as a lot of low buck racers did that to lighten the front end, especially if that was all they could afford to do.

[Bernard Kron]

I like the stance and the scoop cut in the hood. The latter is plastic surgery the way it should be done - crisp and precise!

I always thought that the Mooneyham and Sharp coupe (the 554 car) was somewhat of a miraculous machine. Your photos clearly show its evolution from an almost streetable full-fendered hot rod to the class-winning Jr. Eliminator monster it became. Studying it over the years shows that there were two areas that kept it competitive, even dominant, from the early 60's era of genuinely "altered" street machines with steel bodies and and modified stock frames to the madness of the late 60's and early seventies fiberglass bodied special purpose custom-built examples of dragstrip violence.

The first was, of course, a constant program of weight elimination, primarily in the bodywork but also in the interior and frame, despite the fact that, as far as I know, the car never acquired a 'glass main body or tubular frame. The second was the motor. Al Sharp sponsored the car and his shop was renowned for its powerful competition hop-ups, especially when it came to running alcohol and/or nitromethane fuels. The car started life as a flathead powered dry lakes car running lower gears for occasional drag strip passes. In the late 50's in gained a 331 Hemi stretched to 359, and eventually a blower. Gene Mooneyham started out working for Sharp and it was Mooneyham who wrenched the car. Eventually Sharp hired  driver Larry Faust, who had been the body man on the car when it first lost its fenders after a bad dragstrip wreck. Al Sharp was a major player in Southern California dragstrip culture in the 50's when the strips first opened up and Faust had a reputation as a top-notch pilot.

Both Mooneyham and Sharp were engine men of the first order and the car never lacked for state of the art power. Gene Mooneyham would go on to become famous as the go-to blower-prep guy for the big national Top Fuel runners. That skill translated into the fact that the 554 ran a steady diet of 60-80% Nitro, and occasionally more if required. Faust's driving skills meant that the car ran reasonably straight despite the fact that Mooneyham would run especially low gearing. In anddition to his skills with the motor, Mooneyham was a student of SoCal dragstrips and known for his ability to dial in the car to the conditions they encountered. The combination proved unbeatable, with Sharp willing to sponsor updates and changes as competition demanded it, and Mooneyham and Faust able to deliver the goods. Even after the car was sold in late 1963, subsequent owners enjoyed various degrees of success, sometimes with Faust driving and Mooneyham hired to wrench. Despite losing the consistency that made it famous, there were times when it remained highly competitive well into the early 70's; this even though it really never lost its "early altered" roots. A tribute to the soundness of work that the team had done.

Throughout its storied life the 554 was known for its immaculate preparation and its ability to deliver on its visual promise. Fendered or not, I'm sure you'll capture that in your model.

[krassandbernie]

I swear I've seen this coupe lay down a hard number on video before unlike this pass; but can't find it...........never mind, I found it.........it IS this video. The other video that looks identical was the weak (warm up) pass. This mamma sounds good in this video! I've watched this frig'n video half a dozen times in the past 10 minutes already! LOL!