How did you make your 1934 or 1936 Ford coupe more driver-friendly?

[J Witt]

My '36 Phaeton was in nice shape when purchased. Already had tube shocks, but from my experience with Model As, would add them soon. The car was fairly tight when I got it, but did some adjusting of the steering box. Also immediately added seat belts and turn signals and straightened out a couple of bent brake rods.

Have also added a small 6V to 12V converter to run a GPS, this was cheap and works well. Also 6V alternator and a small panel with OP and Temperature gauges.

Planned add-on is 6V electric wiper.

I'd say in general, that getting all the stock parts to work exactly as designed pays big dividends. I did a lot of little things, like changing all the rubber door bumpers, that have added quietness and smooth operation. Some other things, like new dust boots for the tie rod ends, are just to improve longevity and cheap to do.

Good luck with your car,

John

[johndee138]

My 36 has as follows:
new kingpin bushings and front spring cleaned and painted with Lubriplate, wrapped in underground pipe wrap to keep dirt out.
Walker rad,electric fan, 12v electric with an alternator
37 steering box, early 4bbl Rochester carb(courtesy of Charlie NY)
Electric fuel pump.
T170RTS 4speed tranny , Columbia 2 speed rear with 3.78 R&P
Lincoln brakes up front, 39 out back
tube shocks in front and another set for the rear not in yet
LED and Halogen lighting where appropriate for turn signaling and realistic/safe night use.
French block being built up for the future. Also want some radials when my Ford script WW tires finally give out

[Kube]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

Minor tweaks can cost major dollars. The cost of modifying your present car may surprise you to the point that you might want to consider selling your coupe and buying one that has more of the features you want. Might save you money and time. Of course, if you do the work yourself, you save lots of dough. Shop rates now-a-days are pretty high.

...

[KiWinUS]

6volt Optima battery

[tubman]

I've told this story before. About 20 years ago, I built the car I had been dreaming about since I was in high school in the fifties : a '36 3-window with a full race '50 Merc, a '39 box and hydraulic brakes. As soon as it was done, I started to realize it's shortcomings. The guy who built the engine did a real good job, because it had enough power to break any drivetrain component at will whenever I poured the coal to it. I considered upgrading the drivetrain components, but decided that wasn't where I wanted to be. The main problem with the car is that it was too cramped inside. I'm 6' 1"" and 235, and I just couldn't get comfortable in the car; I had the seat pushed back all the way until it started to tear the rear body upholstery out. One of the worst things was the beautiful banjo wheel : it looked great, but after driving a few miles, my hands would start to cramp up because of the thin rim. I had bought this car to replace my '51 club coupe, but it was just not up to the chore.

I sold the '36 3-window and kept the '51 and have been very happy with my decision. If you are smaller than me, or perhaps a little more limber, then you may be fine with these cars, but they were made when people were a lot smaller than they are now. I have a friend with a '36 Dodge pickup that I can't even think about fitting in . Sometimes you have to just decide to "move up".

[Talkwrench]

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Originally Posted by Ron Pilger

I'm not talking about doing a Chevy engine swap, tilt steering or power windows....I'm thinking of things like a slightly later steering column, improved flathead, rear end gearing, transmission surgery, better braking, one less leaf spring in the front, better door lock closure system. 'Minor tweaks which would definitely knock a Coupe out of a judging competition but preserve the interior and exterior look of the car, allow for longer, somewhat faster drives and allow one to be safer while on the road. I'm interested in your decisions, final choices and how complex the modification turned out to be. Stories of regret also welcome. Thanks in advance. I look forward to reading about how you improved your car.

Sounding like a "hotrod" to me ; )

[Charlie Stephens]

Check out the '37 and up steering for the '36 in the archives. No personal experience but everything I have read sounds good. Check out the F-100 truck steering for the '34 in the archives. Again, no personal experience but everything I have read sounds good. Contact Richard Lacy at [email protected] (mail), earlyv8garage.net (web site), (626) 338-2282 about adapters he makes to use the original pedals and hydraulic master cylinders.

Charlie Stephens

[TomT/Williamsburg]

My avatar is by no means stock and I built it to my tastes so the improvements were for long distance driving and at speed:

- F100 front steering and brakes
- dug out 1+ gallons of sand out of my engine block before final assembly - runs cool at any speed no matter how long I sit in traffic
- Pertronix conversion in my crab distributor - Bubba's unit
- new sealed bearing water pumps from Speedway - been on 8+ years
- I have the alternator inside my generator unit
- I run a progressive 2-2bbl setup off a "Y" adapter on a stock intake - setup sold by Charles Price
- 3:54 rear gears w/open drive banjo to accommodate the S10 5-speed.

Now, would I take a really nice stock flattie vehicle to make all these changes to? Hell no! But, for one that was all ready modified or that I was building it from scratch I would do most or all of these changes again a heart beat!
It's your car to make into whatever keeps that big grin on your face when driving it.

For 36 Ford steering and brakes a friend of mine who restored Fords who had since passed would always change to 39 steering and brakes - he called it a pretty simple swap but always retained the stock parts in case the next owner wanted it completely stock ....

[jimTN]

I forgot to mention shocks, rebuilt or functional original shocks are a absolute must! You might also consider hiding a small vac tank to boost the wiper motor.

[Ron Pilger]

Tremendously valuable perspectives, extraordinarily well-presented opinions and timely response. Your guys are the absolute best! Ron

[FrankWest]

Consider any areas where your have operational problems and restore those areas to original. With many antique cars it is too easy to just repair them to get them moving, while many parts are out of tolerance. So the cars behave loosey goosey an handle more like small wobbly boats rather than cars.
Also I am a strong believer that these cars should have the proper tires that were originally used when the cars were new. Too many people have modern tires that are much too wide are make these cars hard to steer, without power steering.

It must have nice to drive a new 1933 off the showroom when every system and component was tight and new.....

[CHuDWah]

Originally Posted by Ron Pilger

Don't even have seat bolts

So...how do you keep the seat from sliding around? (Sorry, couldn't resist )

I don't have anything to add to the suggestions already posted, except my opinion. I'd have to grit my teeth and bite my tongue if you wanted to chop it, channel it, and install a blown BBC. But it's your car - do what you want. Yeah, the modifications you're considering may be "hot roddy" but they could be reversed fairly easily. I would encourage you to retain all the original parts in case you, or someone else, ever wants to do so.

[Keystone 34 3w]

Ron, a properly built stock '34 runs amazingly well. Two years ago I drove my Cabriolet from Winnipeg to Spirit Lake Iowa Okoboji Museum and back trouble free. The 3.54s allowed me to take the freeway on occasion but I travelled secondary (scenic) routes mostly. Some fellow club members with 60's cars suffered mechanical issues and that's the only time I was "wrenching" !