37 Ford Fit
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37 Ford Fit
Posted: March 25 2008 06:39 PM
 
Mark Roby (aka robymarks) [ View ] [ mroby@coatesfieldservice.com ] [ Car Ads ] [ Blogs ]
Houston, Texas
(281) 728-1824
 
Anybody here actually ever done a 37? Several questions. I have always heard fit from back to front. A few things don't line up great like the running board into front fender. Also, aftermarket gas tank seems too high for the trunk floor. Do you have to drill the after market frame for the front inner fenders to bolt on? And last, is there only body pads at the body bolts vs. the webbing belt on some cars? Thanks for any insight. Any good books to show this stuff?
 
 
Comments
 
Posted by zinski3  -  03/25/2008 08:22 PM
You will have to bear with me on this because it was a long time ago I did mine. Seems like it was the last millenium:-). Never had an aftermarket frame on mine. The fit to the fenders at the front was not bad on mine. Are you running smoothie or rubber on the boards? Had an aftermarket poly tank and had no problems against the trunk floor. It was a close fit and maybe the guy that had the car before me had done some modifying before I bought the car. There should be shop manuals out there that show almost everything. I have an original for the wife's 40 Buick and it comes in handy. Sorry I could not be more helpful. I'm sure some of the pro's on the site will have the answers. They have probably done a lot of these years cars in their shops. Good luck.
zinski3 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Edwards, Missouri Charter Member since December 2000
 
Posted by kadjjd  -  03/25/2008 08:49 PM
Go to the Early Ford V8 site and post your questions there...lots of knowledgeable peolpe who are willing to help. Good luck!
Buy a Buick, they got plenty power. [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] La Luz, New Mexico
 
Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  03/25/2008 09:02 PM
doors first as you need to shim the body to align them. boards to fenders is a pia period. leave everything loose until you get the boards/fenders hung then draw them together with the bolts. if using glass it's a crap shoot to start with. let me know if i can help.
dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003
 
Posted by vendettaautofab  -  03/25/2008 10:14 PM
Crazyhorse has the idea... but not mentioned is the front end sheetmetal of 37, and how that is really a bear (for lack of a better word). We had ALOT of time in the front end (grille, hood, sides, fenders and cowl). All original and from same car except for Downs fenders, but everyone I know that I have talked too, agrees, just ALOT of time fitting front sheetmetal. Hood never fits grill or hood sides properly, and so on. Its is all worth it in the end, as good lines on a car are KEY. I will say this, if you can pull the "chin" of the grille in towards the firewall, that will change alot, try it and see, it flexes everything and remedies alot.


This struggle stated above brought a few new products to our product line, or will be, I should say.... things we discovered that were needed to help make these things fit and work.


Feel free to email or call if I can help I will!!!


thanks,

Mike K.

Vendetta Auto Fab

mike@vendettaautofab.com

269-266-2304
vendettaautofab [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Baroda, Michigan
 
Posted by robymarks  -  03/25/2008 10:14 PM
Thanks guys. Shine...PIA? When you say shim, are you talking those body pads?
robymarks [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Houston, Texas Charter Member since October 2005
 
Posted by fordorfrank  -  03/25/2008 10:52 PM
I started with a complete unmolested car and used the original frame . There are a dozen or more rubber pads of various shapes that are used at the body bolt locations. I bought a set of these from Drake and he included a diagram showing where each is used. I don't know how may of these can be used on an aftermarket frame. There are several parts that lots of builders don't know about if they are assembling a car from pieces. First: There are braces that tie the inner fender panels to the radiator mounting base plates. These mount at a 45-degree angle and add considerable strength to the front sheet metal. If you don't have these, try to find a car that has them to see what they look like and make a set. I don't know if they are available in the aftermarket. Try Drake. Second: there's a horizontal bar that ties the front fenders together in front of the radiator. This provides rigidity to the front sheet metal similar to the way a headlight bar does on a Model-A or deuce. If you don't have one, make one. You'll need it. If you have steel front fenders the hole for this bar has a drilled reinforcing plate spot welded over the hole so you'll see where the bar goes. If you are running an A/C condenser or a front mounted pusher fan, you'll need to make a bar that will get around these things. Hope this helps. And keep asking questions.
fordorfrank [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Melbourne, Florida
 
Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  03/26/2008 07:04 AM
i use 1/4 rubber for body pads. you have to shim the body to align the doors. you can use rubber or metal shim depending on how much you need.
dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003
 
Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  03/26/2008 08:44 AM
if using an aftermarket grill good luck on a fit. get ready to grind and drill new holes, bend and twist, cuss and throw tools.
dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003
 
Posted by Franke33  -  03/26/2008 09:52 AM
It is such a refief to hear Shine describe mounting a grill & fenders. I thought that I was doing something wrong.....a lot of tim , pleanty of cussing and throwing of tools. I guess I can work like one of the pros!
Franke33 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Auburn, New Hampshire
 
Posted by jimmothershead  -  03/26/2008 11:22 AM
First X the frame. Make certain it is true. If racked, go to plan B.
A '37 Ford is a hot ticket.....keep on bangin'
Jim [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Huntingtown, Maryland
 
Posted by Tweety37  -  03/26/2008 01:25 PM
When you get the Ford figured out, then go and try aligning the front sheet metal on a '37 Chevy. I spent 3 days doing all of the things Shine described just to get it "driver" close. A guy who has built several told me that the '37 Chevy is one of the hardest to align.
Tweety37 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Bismarck, North Dakota
 
Posted by robymarks  -  03/29/2008 08:32 PM
Shine..how does shimming under the body affect the doors? The body is sitting on the chassis now (no pads) and the door lines are great. The front sheet metal seems to be the bear. (No offense Ol' Bear). I still seem to think that a hole has to be drilled to attach the inner fenders. Also seems that unless you use a radiator like the stock style, you lose some of the mounting points for the grill. Most I have seen have no cross bar and the lower grill support/horn mount is gone. I do have the original grill. The inner fender braces lose there mount point on an aftermarket frame as well. There were lower radiator pans they went to originally I think. Thanks for the advice. Anybody thinks of anything else, let me know. Also, it occurs to me that some postings have disappeared. Hmmmmmmmmm
robymarks [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Houston, Texas Charter Member since October 2005
 
Posted by robymarks  -  03/29/2008 08:37 PM
And now the posting from Fordor is back
robymarks [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Houston, Texas Charter Member since October 2005
 
Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  03/29/2008 09:07 PM
there are 3 points of adjustment on early cars with solid hinges. they are the cowl / a pillar / b pillar. shimming the cowl and a pillar rocks the door up and down. sometimes the door comes up to align with the qrt but hits the roof, then you shim the b pillar for clearance. 37 front sheet metal hangs on the radiator and inner fender well brace.
dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003
 
Posted by zinski3  -  03/29/2008 10:15 PM
if I remember right, there were 2 tabs on the frame that the inner fenders sat in and a screw into the frame that held it in place. they attached at the top to the fender holes. May be mistaken but that seems to be what I remember from when we ran them down the line at the Ford Plant. :-)
zinski3 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Edwards, Missouri Charter Member since December 2000
 
Posted by fordorfrank  -  03/29/2008 11:31 PM
It's me again. I have all original sheetmetal and an original frame. It's easiest for me to assemble the front sheet metal separately and then put the assembly onto the car. I believe this ia also what the restorers do. Bolt the inner fender panels to the fenders and bolt the fenders to the grille. And bolt the lower grille pan in place (the small panel with two big holes for the horns). You'll probably need to have the headlight buckets out so you can reach thru the headlight holes to get to some of the grille bolts. When you put the assembled sheet metal onto the car the inner fender panels bolt to the side of the frame in at least two places - probably three. Mine are modified for IFS. The top of the grille has tabs that bolt to radiator tabs. The back edge of the fenders bolts to the running board with three bolts each. If you are gonna run a front pusher fan make sure it's wired and works because you won't be able to get at it with the front sheet metal on. Hope this helps.
fordorfrank [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Melbourne, Florida
 
Posted by sellersrodshop  -  03/30/2008 02:14 AM
i guess i'll dare to be different & say i don't think they are too bad, but after doing a couple 40 deluxe front ends, what can be worse?? i can say if you are using aftermarket smoothie running boards, they dont fit very well along the fender on the vertical edge. i ended up extending the tips of the boards for a better transition. can't reply as to doors & body, as i welded the doors to the body to fit rockers, floors & body channels & then added hidden adjustable door hinges that my father manufactures for adjustability without shimming the body. i also fitted all the floors & body channels with paint sticks on the frame for spacing so all i'll need in final assembly is webbing. i did all this on the original frame, but after transferring over to the new chassis, it was a perfect fit. look over my 37 delivery thread for pics that might help or let me know if you have any other questions i can help with.
sellersrodshop [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] old hickory, Tennessee
 
Posted by robymarks  -  03/30/2008 06:16 PM
Sellers..thanks for the info. I had just posted a question to you about those running boards on your builders thread. Thought you extended them. I will need the same on mine. Thanks for all the help guys.
robymarks [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Houston, Texas Charter Member since October 2005
 
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