Ford 1931 Hot rod

Here we have a period correct 1931 Ford Tudor Sedan. Body was an original 39,000 mile virgin. Still has original Ford black paint. Chopped 4 inches and channeled 4 inches. Aftermarket square tube custom chassis. 1955 Dodge 270 Super Red Ram Hemi totally rebuilt. 350 Turbo also rebuilt. 39 Ford Banjo style rear end. Original style Ford juice brakes. Quarter elliptical suicide front end with 49 Buick knee action shocks. New Corvair steering box. 19 inch original wire wheels with new Coker rubber. Custom mufflered exhaust sounds sweet. Original Holley 94s rebuilt by Charlie Price. Custom air cleaners. 1950s custom steering wheel with 1923 Rose inlayed suicide knob. Shifter is 37 Ford 1-ton on custom quarter stick. Trico air con as seen in pictures. The car was built 5 years ago with all parts and pieces period correct for a 50s vintage hot rod......excluding parts that were used for safety reasons or for drivability. Not a race car, but it is quick. Too much power for the wire wheels.

All Steel 1931 High Boy Ford Roadster , Chassis is T.C.I Custom Frame with 4" Drop Axle ,Chrome 4 Bar Steering Arms , Vega Steering Box , 37 Ford Spindles with Finned Buick Drums , Rear 4 Link Chrome with Coil Over Shocks, Ford 9" Rear End , American Mag Wheels , Buick Nailhead (1965) 425 cu in Plus .30 Over with Pocket Ported Heads , Polished Offy Intake with 3x2 Rochester Carbs Polished Finned Air Cleaners , Polished Buick Value Covers , Custom Jet Hot Coated Headers with Cut offs , Body is a Brookville All Steel 31 Ford Body , Flat Floors and 1932 Steel Grille Shell with Griffin Aluminum Radiator with 18" Electric Fan , 31 Deluxe Windshield and Frame , 36 Head Lights with Halogen sealed Beams , 1950 Pontaic Taillights , 32 Dash with SW "Wing " Gauges , IDIDIT Tilt Steering Column with Flame Billet Wheel , Rebuilt GM TH400 3 Spd Auto Trans , Interior Red Leather Look Upholstery

The Alexander Brothers, Larry and Mike, are amongst the most well-known builders and customisers from the golden era of hot rodding. At Mecum Auctions’ November 21 – 23 Anaheim auction, the Alexander Bros. “Grasshopper” 1931 Ford Model A pickup, one of their best-known creations, will cross the blocks.



Founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1957, the Alexander Brothers soon established a reputation for quality workmanship and impressive individuality. Amongst their better-known creations are the 1932 Ford “Silver Sapphire” coupe which became famous as The Beach Boys' “Little Deuce Coupe”; the “Alexa”, built to Harry Bradley's design for the 1964 Ford Motor Company’s Custom Car Caravan, and the “Victorian”, a 1955 Ford Crown Victoria named in Car Craft Magazine's Top 10 in 1960.



Soon after setting up their car customising business, the brothers were looking for a ‘shop truck’ to promote their business. The pickup they eventually found a year later was this Model A, purchased for the sum of US$100.



As you’d expect, the Model A didn’t stay “stock” for long, the brothers treating their proposed workhorse to a 2 ½ inch roof chop, ’29 Model A guards, roof panel fill, ’42 model Dodge headlights, new tray bed and grille, to name a few.



A dropped front axle and modified rear crossmember gave the pickup its desired stance, while the powerplant for the rolling advertisement was a reasonably mild ’51 Ford 239ci flathead V8, hooked up to a 3-speed manual transmission.



Finishing touch was the striking ‘Glade Green’ metallic paint, which led to the Grasshopper nickname, and scored the Alexander Brothers the ‘Best Paint’ award at the 1958 Detroit Autorama.



How much actual work the Grasshopper did is debatable, but the pickup was a show circuit regular, until the Alexander brothers closed their business in 1969. Prior to this, the Grasshopper had been sold to an Ohio-based enthusiast who continued to show it, with the next owner hanging onto it for thirty years before selling it back to Mike Alexander in 2001, who then commissioned a restoration of it, inspired by the 50th Anniversary of the original Detroit Autorama in 2002.

As part of the restoration, Alexander replaced the original frame with a reproduction 1929 chassis and had Motor City Flatheads prepare a 1948-vintage V8, fitted with Offenhauser finned high-compression heads, an Edmunds high-rise intake manifold with dual Stromberg 97 carburettors and modern electronic ignition. The original 1939 Ford manual transmission was replaced with a Ford C4 automatic.



Metalcrafters, Inc. in California restored the bodywork and resprayed the Grasshopper’s new Sikkens Emerald Green enamel paint. The green and white vinyl upholstery was replaced, the original handmade instrument bezel (with Chrysler gauges) was retained, as well as the banjo steering wheel, with a further touch of originality provided by Paul Hatton, the Grasshopper’s original tailgate letterer and pinstriper, who reprised his work for the restoration.



At the back, the Bell dropped rear axle was rechromed, with the pickup bed lined in polished oak timber and capped by a white hard tonneau cover.
Following completion, the Grasshopper was shown at the 50th Anniversary Detroit Autorama in 2002, then sold at auction in 2009 for US$143,000. Now consigned with Mecum for its Anaheim auction, the Alexander Brothers pickup will join a few other hot rods, including a chopped and dropped 1940 Cadillac, radically chopped 1953 Mercury and Grand National Roadster Show trophy-winning “phantom” 1949 Cadillac 2-door wagon.

Mecum’s Anaheim auction is scheduled to take place November 21-23, with the Grasshopper to be auctioned on the 23rd. For more information, visit Mecum.com.

BEAUTIFUL... BEAUTIFUL... BEAUTIFUL!!!
........ 1931 FORD TRUCK ........




BODY:


1931 Henry Ford Cab
Chopped Top, 3 inches!!
Body Channeled 3" Over Custom Frame
Custom Bobbed Bed
Drilled Visor
New Front Windshield and Side Door Glass
Shaved Door Handles, Electronic Popper Buttons in Interior
Also Has Remote Key Fob and Manuel Levers unders Doors
So you always have a Way In!




SUSPENSION / CHASSIS:
Custom Frame built out of 2x3
Z'ed in Rear
Mid 40's Straight Axle w/ Split Wisbones
Juice Brakes that Work Great! Stop NICE!
New Firestone Bias Ply Big and Littles
Front 5.60x15 and Rear 8.90x15
5 on 5 1/2 Bolt Pattern Steelies w/ Spider Caps
Excellent Ride and Handling!






THE ENGINE / DRIVETRAIN:


Clean Rebuilt Early 60's 283 Smallblock
Working and SET UP Correctly 3 Deuce Carb Setup
Newer Lifters, Chrome moly Push Rods and Mild Cam
Great Sound...
Sounds like a Hot Rot through the exhaust...
...but un-Cap the Headers for True Enthusiast Tone!
350TH Automatic Transmission
Lokar Shifter w/ 8-Ball Push in Shifter Knob
Dand 30 or 35 Rear End. Good Gearing
Takes of Hard, Fine for 70-80 MPH!
(approx: 2.23 gears)


15 Gallon Fuel Cell and Odyssey Battery
Both Hidden by Bed Cover (framed from Vintage Store Sign!)
Also storage area underneath that is also
...removable to access Battery


INTERIOR:

VERY COMFORTABLE


Real and Rare Bomber Seats
Metal Flake Steering Wheel
Perfect Amount of Padding on Seats
Sits Very Nice and Comfortable!


Working Turn Signals
Working Headlights


Shaved Door Handles, Electronic Popper Buttons in Interior
Also Has Remote Key Fob and Manuel Levers unders Doors
So you always have a Way In!

The beginning of my 1931 Ford coupe and obsession with hot rods began around 1991. I was a punk rock kid looking for something new. I was working with my father in the family tool and die business and going to night school taking welding classes. I started going to Rat Fink Reunion shows at Mooneyes with my friends Don Misraji and Rick Stine. We met Taco Bill, who was really into mini bikes and had the greatest collection around. One Saturday Don and I went to look at a mini bike at Taco Bill's, and while Bill and Don were talking mini bikes, I caught a glimpse of his 1931 Ford sedan. He had it all ripped apart and I could see where he was going with it. He was mocking up the frame, and since I was a welder and machinist I starting thinking that I could build one of these.

Jump ahead to 2004, I'd managed to save $3,500 for my hot rod fund, so I started my quest to find a Model A body. Why the Model A? Because I always liked the visors on Model As and I couldn't afford a '32-36. Around this time I started hanging around Nick O'Teen's shop where he built and painted hot rods, customs, and bikes. I had looked at some really bad bodies for $1,000, but I wanted to find something a little better that I could chop cleanly.

I was up early one morning and started checking out the Recycler online, and there was an ad for a 1931 coupe with a Flathead. I had a feeling about this one, so I called my dad and told him I was running late and wouldn't be at work till around 10:30. I drove to Claremont and when I got there the seller led me around the side of his house, and there's the coupe sitting on a badly stick-welded Model A frame with a 21-stud '37 Flathead barely bolted down. The body had good doors that shut OK. All the glass and wood was still there, but the floors were gone and the wheelwells were rusted out. It had a dropped axle and '40 juice brakes.


I was standing there thinking, it's a great canvas, but the motor looks like it's never going to run again. Is this the one? I told the guy I'd think about it and would be back. I went and sat in my car and thought, I gotta get that coupe! So I went back and made my offer. He agreed and even offered to tow it home to my house for free, because he had a trailer.

Once it was in my garage I started looking at it and thinking, where the hell do I start? I bought Vern Tardel's book, How to Build a Hot Rod, which turned out to be the bible for me. When I started, the whole rat rod, rusted, slammed, crappy welded cars were the trend. I didn't want to build one of those. I wanted to build a hot rod. So I read and started on the chassis. The frame was a mess, so I bought a plasma cutter and started cutting and welding.

I moved the front crossmember back 4inches so I could drop the radiator in front of the crossmember, allowing me to channel the body 8 inches but leave the new grille shell stock. I decided not to use the 21-stud Flathead it came with and found a '50 Ford F-1 truck with an 8BA Flathead in it for $500. I just wanted the motor, shock mounts, and steering box, so I pulled the parts I needed and sold the rest of the truck on eBay for $500.


When I pulled the engine apart, it had a Mercury crank and rods. Jackpot! I dropped the block off at H&H Flathead for machining. Once I got the engine pieces back I started to assemble it with my friend Rick Stine. I wanted to put some speed equipment on it, so I bought the Eddie Meyer repro intake from Speedway and was going to run the stock heads till I got some extra cash. Then this punk rock friend of mine tells me he has some original '49-53 Eddie Meyer heads and he knew I had a big punk rock record collection. So we traded those heads for some of my old records. I had Max Herman Sr. at H&H deck and redome the heads to get the compression ratio I wanted and then had the engine bench-tested by Mike Herman for my peace of mind.

After the engine was finished, I picked up an early Ford pickup open-drive three-speed and a '58 Ford 9-inch so I could start building the chassis K-member and ladder bars. I mocked up the motor in the frame and made some motor mounts with a subtle design on them. The chassis was now a solid foundation rolling on all four tires, so I started channeling the body and building the mounts (two in the front, two in the middle, and two in the back).

I cut out the firewall and replaced it with .080 flat stainless steel sheet that I had polished like a mirror. Once it was installed and I could see two motors, I didn't like the way it looked, so Nick O'Teen and I decided to engine-turn the firewall. Man! It took two days of engine turning!


The floor was next. I welded -inch square tubing on the floor for a skeleton that I could plug-weld 16-gauge sheetmetal floors to. I then welded temporary support bars inside the body so it wouldn't lose its shape while Nick and I were chopping it. We chopped the coupe with the doors on and then took it to Nick's shop for bodywork and paint.

When I started to build my coupe, I thought I was going to paint it a suede color for the first few months till I got some money together to finish it. But once Nick had it for a couple of days he came over and told me that he couldn't let me do that and that it had to be finished glossy. I decided to listen to my wise friend and looked through the House of Kolors book and found the Maltise Maroon color. It took Nick around 10 months to finish the bodywork and paint. He had some prior jobs he had to finish and I had told him to take his time.

I got the car back and Nick helped me assemble the coupe in my garage where I built it. I built the headers myself because I wanted to have a turnout on the end to avoid the black exhaust on the side of the door. I had a custom radiator built by Radiator Ralph in Lakewood. Nick did the wiring, and once we got the starter solenoid figured out it started right up and sounded great. My coupe was finally alive!
1931 Ford Model A Coupe Window Visor

We finished the brakes and plumbing just in time to drive it 55 miles to Ventura for the Primer Nationals. Everyone loved the coupe and it was a really good feeling knowing people liked what I built. Halfway through the day Bobby Walden came up and told me I had to move my car. When I (politely?) asked him why, he told me, "You have to move your coupe to the Winner's Circle...You won Best Hot Rod!" I was like, "What!!!??!!" I was in shock.

While I was in Ventura I met Dave Martinez from Indiana. He told me he was an upholstery guy and that he wanted to upholster my coupe because it reminded him of his old coupe he'd sold to start his business. I said yes, so Dave drove down from Indiana with his sewing machine in his truck and stayed at my house for a week while he finished the interior.

This coupe has really become a family member to me and my friends because it was something I wanted to finish...and did. I've made some great new friends along the way and am looking forward to showing it and driving it.


Rod & Custom Feature Car
Rudi Hillebrand
North Hollywood, California
1931 Ford Model A Coupe

Chassis
Rudi retained the original, but poorly modified, frame that came with the coupe when he bought it and cut it apart repeatedly, repaired the rust, filled the holes, and straightened and boxed it. The finished frame ended up Z'd 4 inches on both ends and stretched 4 inches. The front crossmember was moved 4 inches back and a new K-member was built from 3x3 tubing. A vintage 4-inch dropped axle with '40 juice brakes hangs on a Posies spring with split '39 Zephyr wishbones. An F-1 pickup 'box handles the steering. Out back a '58 Ford pickup 9-inch is suspended with homemade 43-inch ladder bars and a Model A spring.

Drivetrain
The engine choice is critical if you're building a hoodless traditional hot rod, so Rudi went with a '49 Flathead bored and stroked to 268ci by H&H Flatheads. Once the machine work was done, Rudi and his buddy Rick Stine filled the block with a Mercury 4-inch crank with stock Merc rods, Egge pistons, and an H&H cam. Extra power and dress-up come from the Eddie Meyer aluminum heads and high-rise 2x2 intake. The 1- to 3-inch cone tapered lakes pipes were homemade. The transmission is an open-drive Ford pickup threespeed with a reworked stock shifter.

Wheels & Tires
A set of '40 Ford pickup 16-inch steelies were cleaned up and sprayed black and then wrapped in 6.00 and 7.00 Firestone wide whites.

Body & Paint
The body was unchopped and a bit rough when Rudi got his hands on it. It was missing the floor, so the decision to channel it 8 inches must have been a little easier. Rudi and his friend Nick O'Teen worked the body back to almost stock with the exception of the 4-inch chop and filled cowl. Once the body was ready, Nick sprayed the House of Kolor Maltise Maroon. The stock door and trunk handles, Guide headlights, repro '39 teardrops and engine-turned firewall provide the perfect complement to the flawless paint.

Interior
The stock dash was replaced with a Howell's Sheetmetal '32-style dash filled with Stewart Warner Wings gauges. The Ford F-1 column is held in place with a custom aluminum drop and topped with a Limeworks Speed Shop '39 Banjo wheel. Dave Martinez covered the custom bench seat and door panels in chocolate brown leather and the headliner in black worn leather. The channeled floor was sprayed in gray and black Duplicolor spatter paint, and engine-turned toeboards flank the exposed three-speed trans.

1931 Ford Model A  American Graffiti clone, 5 window coupe,  5 speed with 4 wheel disc brakes

Body:  Steel, top chopped 4 inches, Nice interior, bucket seats with Shelby seat belts, 1949 Packard steering wheel with 1940 Ford horn button. MP3/ IPOD ready with 100watt unit and the speakers located behind seats. Car uses front cowl fuel tank with electric fuel shutoff valve.  Has interior electric heat. 32 Radiator shell, aluminum radiator, Very nice carpeted rear trunk. All new glass. Windows roll up and down nice with "flip out" front windshield. Electric wiper. Carpet, Mats and Headliner are all very nice.

Engine: 4 bold main GM crate engine. 3 original Rochester carburetors with progressive linkage (all 3 carbs have been rebuild and came off of a 1958 348 Chev.) Front and rear carbs have no idle circuits and only come into play when accelerator is floored, otherwise you are running on just the center carb. Transistorized ignition. Aluminum intake. Chrome oil pan. Chrome alternator.

Frame: Original 31 frame that has been boxed.  Front has a dropped axle. 4 wheel disc brakes. Coil over rear suspension. T5 5 speed.  8.8 ford narrowed rear end with 3:23 gears. Hydraulic clutch.



Electrical: Every component  on this car is fused thru the fuse box and the box receives power from a 50 amp breaker, insuring a safe electrical system. All wiring goes thru frame, front to back.

1931 FORD ROADSTER W/ RUMBLE SEAT



THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL HOT ROD THAT WAS BUILT BY A RETIRED AIR CRAFT MECHANIC. THIS CAR WAS HIS BABY THAT HE DROVE UP UNTIL HIS HEALTH MADE HIM PART WITH HER. HE DEVOTED ALOT OF TIME AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL MAKING THIS LITTLE BEAUTY STAND TALL AND SEPERATE IT FROM ALL OF THE OTHER HOT RODS THAT WAS BUILT WITH AFTERMARKET PARTS. HE TOOK HIS ALL STEELE HENRY FORD BODY AND SIT IT ON TOP OF A 1932 FORD FRAME THAT WAS BOXED FOR STRENGTH. THEN HE ADDED A 1948 FLATHEAD FORD 59AB MOTOR THAT WAS BORED AND BALANCED. THEN HE ADDED A LIGHTENED FLYWHEEL AND STROMBERG 97 CARBERATORS, OFFENHAUSER HEADS AND INTAKE MANIFOLD , AND A MALLORY IGNITION. HE BACKED THAT MOTOR UP WITH A CHEVY 5 SPEED TRANSMISSION AND A 9″ FORD POSITRACTION REAR END W/ 4:11 GEARS. HE THEN CUSTOMIZED A 12 GALLON FUEL TANK SO THAT HE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT AND HE OVERHAULED THE 1950′S INSTRUMENTS TO SET THE DASH OFF. THEN HE MADE ALL THE FINAL TOUCHES THAT ONLY A REAL OLD SCHOOLER FROM BACK IN THE DAY COULD PULL OFF TO MAKE THIS JUST AN OUTSTANDING HOT ROD!!!

Body is real nice Henry Ford Steel. Chopped, channeled, louvered deck, filled cowl, shortened grill shell. Very nice professional black paint, vinyl top & tasteful pinstriping, not a rat or home garage job. Boxed and Z'd powdercoated frame. Chassis Engineering front axle w/ 36 ford 'bones drilled and sleeved. 3.70 ratio posi 9" Ford rearend w/ reversed springs and Pete & Jake's Ladder bar setup. Drum brakes front and rear. Traditional looking big and little steel wheels and ford caps with repop vintage bias ply tires. Wilwood pedal set, Vega steering box, Muncie 4-spd transmission mated to a 1955 - 331 Chrysler Hemi motor. Motor rebuilt by professional machine shop with new parts and is like new. triple rochester carb setup runs/starts fantastic. Open headers or blankoffs and mufflered exhaust is your choice. '32 ford dash with custom insert. 1940 ford steering wheel. functioning Stewart Warner gauges, all lights work.