Garage Projects – Joe’s 1936 Ford Tudor
Scroll down for latest project updates and a Road Test video!
This Garage Project started out as an eBay find by our friend, Joe. It was essentially a basket case. A collection of loosely assembled parts gave it the appearance in photos of only needing minor work to complete. But as with many cars purchased from a distance and without seeing the item in-person beforehand, this ’36 Tudor had several unpleasant ‘surprises’ and was in need of serious TLC to transform it into a respectable street rod. Joe’s goal is also to make it a dependable daily driver that can do cross-country trips with no worries.
Phase – I, Win eBay bid, transport home, and dismantle
After Joe got the car home, a closer inspection showed evidence that previously done work was not of a consistent quality. Whoever installed the Mustang II front cross member was probably not the same person who welded in the motor mounts, although he may have installed the roof filler panel. Fortunately, this car is now in good hands. Joe is a serious street rod enthusiast with numerous builds completed over the past 50 years including T-Buckets, ’33 through ’40 Fords, and much more. In fact, one of his first cars was a ’36 Ford Coupe.
Joe had hoped this car could remain “all-steel”, but it looks like the front fenders will need to be replaced. Previously, someone tried joining the separate fender sections and smoothing the areas where the headlight buckets are supposed to be mounted, apparently intending to use something other than the stock headlights. Since Joe was looking for that stock appearance, these ‘hacked’ fenders are basically useless and fiberglass replicas may have to be mounted instead.
Phase – II, Body and chassis restoration
Nothing beats using a rotisserie when doing detailed chassis and body work. A couple patch panels were required to repair some typical rust damaged areas.
Phase – III, Reassembly
It’s coming together! The bottom of the body (floor pans and rocker areas) and all interior non-exposed surfaces were covered with Por-15 rust inhibiting paint. The last image of the installed dash gives a hint of the final body color.
Road test time!
Once Joe got this ’36 Ford Tudor assembled to the point where it could be driven, he decided it was time to put a few miles on it. This would give him a chance to see if the chassis or driveline needed any adjustments before moving on to the paint and interior. Not only were very few adjustments needed, it’s such a good driving street rod that Joe has put several thousand miles on it going to shows and cruises all over the tri-state area. Check out the road trip video below.
Phase – IV, Interior, Upholstery Makes a Difference!
East coast winters typically put a damper on hot rod driving, so it was the perfect time to send the ’36 to the upholstery shop for a few weeks. But before dropping it off at Richard’s Trimworks in Hewitt, New Jersey, Joe spent many hours covering interior body and floor surfaces with Boom-Mat, and painting the door jams.
When the stitching was finally done, the transformation was stunning. Done in a burgundy leatherette with traditional tuck-and-roll seat inserts and door panels, it has a very classy, high-end appearance.
All that’s left now is exterior paint. Check back for the final chapter.
