Do you remember your first? Your first puppy, first kiss, first hot rod? I remember the Tardel family first ‘new car’. Now, as a rule, all of the Tardel family cars were used and old. The family car was - believe it or not - a 1956 Chevy 4 Door Station Wagon. No seat belts and no air conditioning, but hey, the radio worked. This car was my mom’s get around town mobile. She carted us to soccer games, BMX races and drive-in movies.

(more…)

Well it looks like Ryan was having fun in the coupe, as shown on his YouTube video. Glad to see he’s driving the car. Cudos to Marcie for the excellent camera work.

Since he posted, I’ve been inundated with questions about the car, specifically the motor and even more specifically, the cam shaft. If Ryan’s trying to keep it a secret, it really isn’t. The cat is out of the coupe. I used a 3/8 potvin. They give the motor that ‘can’t put your finger on it’ hot rod sound. Not the best performing cam shaft from a racing perspective, but still a good choice for sound and streetability. Go get ‘em Ryan!

A reader asked the following:

Q: I was wondering what steering box you used on the Tardel/Cochran coupe?A: The box on the Tardel/Cochran coupe is a 1956 Ford pick-up. Commonly referred to as an F-100. It is widely used and still easy to find at swap meets and on EBay. The original flange was cut off and replaced with one that I custom made to locate it in the stock Model A position. Picture of flange provided below.

Last week I received a question by email. It’s a good one that I hear every so often. 

Question: Regarding the 1928 roadster pick-up you built, how did you reshape your lower bed rails to follow the shape of the 32 frame kick? Basically, what did you do to make things fit?  

(more…)

Many people run into the problem of how to properly measure the length of the drive shaft to fit into the torque tube. The following segment outlines some easy steps to get you through this critical task. It is important that the measurement is accurate and everything fits properly. If you don’t have the tools to modify the drive shaft yourself, you can find a local shop to help you. These tips apply to 1932 to 1948 Fords. Please note that the ‘35/’36 Ford drive shafts are their own animal. I’ll try to post a segment on this in the future.

(more…)