04-24-2010

OK I will give you all a break from another one of my video's.

This week the firewall insert and Mr H. made a spacer for the master cylinder so it would ride flush and wouldn't draw the insert in when you tighten everything up. All these little things come up as you start to bolt her together.

Mr H. was also busy designing a divider to keep me and the fuel tank apart. Nice bonus is now I have something to mount the interior panels to.

Jeff

A Short Break

Now for something completely different. A ride in a cool Hot Rod

Chopping Continues

I knew that chopping a top was a bunch of work. Boy am I glad I enlisted the services of a man who knows his way around the roof. I was surprised at the extent of work to do the deed. It has been a great learning experience for me with a terrific teacher!

Heat-Bend-Weld

Mr H. continues to pick away at my car. Progress Progress Progress!!! She Steers!

Pass The Hatchet

Well it's finally here the day I have been dreaming about. Mr "CHopperstad" as I will refer to him for now on. "Hacked the roof off of my car" (must be an industry term)

Wells I'm Floored

Well I take it all back. The Easter Bunny,Santa,The check must be in the mail. My Fenders finally showed up. Mr H has been waiting for me as a matter of fact he has been moving along with out me. Me not being ready and starting without all of my parts finds me backing up a bit. Mr H has been in high gear installing Rockers, Floor Pan, Quarter Panel Patches, Sub-Rails, Inner Wheel Tubs. Now he is reworking the fenders I had done at A&M and adding bolting points that I didn't know I needed for the fenders. Oh well you live learn. Next time I will do things different. Oh wait there is not going to be a next time. When this one is done so am I. I will never get into a project this big again. I buy something else I want to drive it home!

Fist Full Of Steel

I now have all the patch panels I need. Mr H is picking up the floor pan for me. I am still waiting on some parts from out west but I am pushing foward without them.

Clean up Continues

Time to pull the body and take the frame off to the sandblaster. More chassis work soon.

Take one of the last looks at the old floor. Remember to build a home first you need to build a good foundation. That is the same for my car. I want my car to last for years so all the questionables are going to be addressed now.

Progress 09-26-08

More little parts and peices. Some chrome is done$$$$$$$$

Headers

All the research starts to pay off. After what seems to be an eternity of working on the designs with the boys at A&M on how the headers should look I finally have my headers done. I do not have the transmission mount in place when I took these pictures so they will set a bit different later. I just had to throw them on for a quick photo op.

Clean Machine

Middle of winter. Not much progress for now. I did finally get the garage cleaned. It seemed like a good time to shoot a quick video and answer a question I have been asked several times "Where Do Coupe's Come From?"

Blue Moon

All the small stuff. Locating and fabricating. It's not just building a hot rod first it's resotoring a 1932 Ford. Then......

Mock-Up Smock-Up

I can't wait for the day I get to tighten everything up for the last time. Building this car is like building a 1 to 1 scale model with parts from several different model kits. Nothing seems to fall together. I have had this car together and apart more than I car to mention. One thing I can say is I know this car well. There is a certain pride you have when you do the job yourself. Unfortunately due to the rarity and price of this car I will be enlisting the help of some pros to make shore I don't turn this car into a roadster.

Funky Old Patina

This video is slightly out of order. Stripping down the body and finding out what's under that coat of primer. Ahhh there are at least 5 coats of paint underneath that had never been removed. Seems my little coupe has been black, red, green, blue, white and even yellow at one time. Some of colors repeat so I have no idea just how many times this car has been painted. Well with all the body work and modifications I am doing or having done I will bring the coupe back to bare steel for a clean slate to start with.

I.I.M.Y.H.

Well I guess it's time to remove the rear frame horns..........

L.O.D.

It's fun to make video's out of my pictures to show my progress.

What is feels like building a Graffiti Coupe

Not all the time but it has it's moments

Tail Panel 101

Time to start digging into the body. I bought a new tail pannel so I guess I will put it in.

The Ohio Six Hundred

Six hundred miles door to door but now I have a donor body for my project. It was a fun trip. Now turn up the volume and push play to see some highlights of our journey.

Body Shopping

Well after hunting down more leads than I care to mention on a car or body to build my Graffiti Coupe I come to find out that there tons of people who think Milner drove a Model A. That's understandable to the untrained eye but I have ran into guys who will stand and argue that Big John's coupe was a three window????

After cashing out my retirement fund I purchased this diamond in the rough. And I do mean ROUGH!

Turns out The car was bought new and was driven by the original owner until sometime in the 1950's. Then his son took over the wheel and built it into a hot rod that he drove into the 1970's. Keeping it all in the family the coupe was then passed to his son who planned on rebuilding the car yet again. The car was disassembled and sat in a garage for years until all interest in coupe was lost. It then quickly passed through two dreamers who found it to be a bigger project than they wanted to do and I ended up buying it.

Body Work?? Already???

Thanks to the talented guys at Midwest Street Rods my grill shell if fully Milnerized. We had to dig through a bunch of paint codes to find the one that said "cross between piss yellow and puke green" (ain't it)

OMCCRPR

A little video to show some progress.

Gone Hunting

When you are building a Graffiti Coupe you always need to keep your eyes open. Since there are so many after market parts or homemade pieces on the car you will find things you need in odd places. I was working on a work trailer and I needed to replace some broken studs on a brake drum (split rim style) After talking to a buddy at an engine shop he steered me to a place in Addison called "Witt Disintegrating". He said they specialize in removing broken bolts without damaging the treads. Sounds good to me. Later that day I was at their shop and while taking a tour of his little shop I saw an original 1932 Ford grill shell hanging on the wall of the shop. It had already lived a hod rod live before. It had been chopped three inches and someone had made an insert for it but there way way more than enough left for my purposes. After a few negotiations and the promise of a ride in my car when finished I was blowing years of dust off of it and loading it into my truck.

I scored a chopped fiberglass shell on eBay that had a nice insert and the glass shell got used for mock-up until I had my steel shell worked up.

What is your Quest?

I seek the Graffiti. So now I have a frame to start with. Now it's time to start hunting parts and customizing the ones I already have to get that "Milner Look". I must say for such a little car when you start getting all your parts it shore takes up alot of room. Mock-up is now like cleaning my house.

Flathead Runs Day One The Movie

I made a new graffiti friend. Turns out Joe the gentleman I bough my chassis from is also an American Graffiti fan and has always liked the Milner Coupe. Joe was happy to hear his old frame was destined to become a "super fine machine" Joe told me it ran and drove when I picked it up. I bought it in the middle of winter. When I got it home the temperature was in the low 50's so I didn't drive it around but It was warm enough I did go borrow a six volt battery ,hook up a small gas tank and listen to it run before I sold the motor.

Keep you eyes peeled. I sold the motor to a guy in southern California. It's new home is a red and white 1931 Ford.

Ain't My First Rodeo

That's right I said it. This Ain't my first rodeo but...this time I am hanging on till the buzzer. I still want a Milner Coupe of my own. I can't buy the original coupe and I won't buy a over priced replicacoupe that still isn't correct. I guess that means I gotta do this myself. Lets see for me I want it to be as close to the original as possible. I figure 32 Fords are out there but nothing with a chassis like the Graffiti Coupe so I started there.

Me and the coupe bones getting to know each other day one.