My '40

[Windsor]

My car is a 1940 Chrysler Windsor. I purchased it while on R&R from Afghanistan in 2011. It was a running and driving car when I got it and I drove it quite a bit when I got out of active duty and was going to school. The original inline 6 (flathead) was hooked to a 3 on the tree with a Warner overdrive unit.
The original motor decided it had enough and started to knock and spun a bearing. So I decided that it was time to work on it. I found out that it was going to cost more to machine and rebuild the motor than it would to do a swap. So, it was time to go BB.
Motor is a 383 B, hooked to a 727 that was built with a stage 2 kit, trans is a 8.75" with a 741 chunk and 2.76 gears. I used a bolt in trans x-member, front and mid plates. Due to space constraints, I am running a remote mount electric water pump with water blocks from Mancini Racing. I chopped down the oil pump cover and it is at the machine shop being set up for screw in fittings that will run to my remote oil filter.
For exhaust, I built a set of lake style headers that I chopped short and welded on 3.5" turn downs to get the pipe parallel with the frame. I welded a pair of auger style mufflers into the pipes, once the engine is back together I will be building side pipes that will run under the original running boards. Pipes will dump infront of the back tires.
The interior has had a little work done to it. From what I was able to run down, the seats are Cadillac. The fronts are 8 way power buckets and the rear (which fits like it was made for it) is the matching set with "bucket style" bench instead of a flat bench. A LOKAR floor mount shifter sits perfectly and also looks like it was meant to be. I chopped off the original shifter lever and rotated the steering column for a better look.
I rewired the car front to back using an EZ Wire black wire kit. The gauges are Dolphin gauges with Tach, MPH, and an electronic Quad gauge. I chopped the lenses off and fitted them to a piece of plexi-glass, then painted around them to give a better look. I used a GM style fuel level sender to make the fuel gauge work. The original 6v wipers and dealer installed 6v heater are being used with step downs and new wiring. A 6 circuit weather-proof plug was used 18" from the firewall (to be able to hide up in the inner fender) for the headlights, front makers, and thermostatic fan switch. A 12 circuit weather-proof plug was used 4" from the firewall for engine wiring to include sensors, coil/dist wiring (electronic), single wire alt, and electric water pump. An electric fuel pump is located about halfway back on the frame at an angle to allow fuel to gravity feed from the fuel tank. Battery was relocated to the trunk and will have a keyed cutoff switch on the ground side mounted on the false wall that will be built.
My current "shop" is my car trailer parked infront of my house. Not the ideal place, but it works and it keeps me from having to put the car on stands to work under it, not to mention it is nice to not have to bend over as much to work on the motor. Worked out great when I installed new fuel lines and new brake lines.

[Windsor]

Engine with heads removed for work to be done. Keep the cylinders and machined surfaces oiled and covered to prevent rain from getting through my car cover and onto them.

[Windsor]

A few interior shots.

[Windsor]

Continued

[twodko]

Hooyah!

[Windsor]

Though there will never be someone sitting in the back behind my seat. Figure that is where I will build a sub box under the seat.

[Windsor]

Built a bolt in rack and pinion cradle that uses some of the original belly pan holes. The picture of the cradle/rack & pinion was taken before final fitment was done and rack was leveled. Looks crooked as **** in the pic but is straight and level now in the car.
Had to relocate the tabs for the brake lines to the bottom of the frame to keep them away from my headers. Also ran the brake line for the R.F wheel between the lower control arms and frame. Used a hand winch to pull the suspension down to full compression and built/routed the line to clear all moving parts. Used line clamps to secure it to the frame.
Steering arms were drilled and sleeved to accommodate the Omni tie rod ends. The loose nut on the RF is a royal pain in the  ***. I have to pull the brake drum off to tighten it down. The bolt is one of the brake adjustment cams so it turns unless I put a wrench on it as I tighten down the nut.

[Mopar Nut]

Nice!

[Windsor]

I will update the brakes later on when I change to disks. Until then, I cleaned up and did as much repair work as I could to the original master (couldn't get a rebuild kit the proper size). Re-directed the line to clear the mid-plate. Utilized the original distribution block forward of the mid-plate, that way I could also use the brake light switch that is on it since it was still wired up in that general location from when I had the stock motor in and driving it around.
Figured I would throw in an oddball picture. My last sand storm in Afghanistan. Managed to catch a couple bolts.

[JB400]

Nice project

[Dino]

Very nice!    

I can't believe how well that back seat fits. 

[b5blue]

Sweet!  Thank you for your service in Affy!  Keep this going with more pics I'm digging it! 

[cudaken]

Windsor, while I am not a street rod person I do like what I am seeing. Sure nice you did not take the belly button route like most street rodders.

What branch did you serve in? I was Army, XVIII Air Born. Yea, I know only to things fall from the shy! I am the second kind. 

Cuda Ken

[charger1972]

Nice, and really nice keeping it Mopar motivated.

[Windsor]

Putting a Chevy engine in it was never an option. Wouldn't cross breed a classic car and can't stand it when people do just because its easy and they can buy parts to do it. I would much rather design and fabricate.
I was with the 18th AB when I was in Iraq and 10th Mountain in Afghanistan. 
Finished up the brake system today. Got a vent bolt from a siezed truck rear end at one if the junkyards here. Had to bend the brand new brake likes that I got from classic industries. (2nd thing they sent that didn't fit, first was the parking brake strut which was too short for my 10" brakes).  Thankfully it was just bent to the wrong angle and was a fairly simple fix. Also got the through panel batter cable terminals installed in the trunk floor and got the cables hooked up, just need to mount the cut off switch tomorrow.
My heads should be done next week, and my new radiator should be in on Wednesday. Went with a new aluminum radiator, had it built to fit in the original support, but they wanted 300 more to put on a pair of AN-12 instead of a 1.5" hose. So, I will just have someone local weld on the fittings and cap off where the hose fitting is. Still hoping to sell my Thompson so I can do more work, maybe get new glass since my side window broke when it fell as I was installing the power windows.

[FlatbackFanatic]

nice ride. I'm glad your keeping it all Mopar also. Keep posting pics as you go, we love pics.

[Windsor]

Comfort Master Model 53. Used a step down to have the 6v fan with the new 12v system. You can see the ignition control unit mounted on the dash support. I will probably relocate it to the firewall since it keeps me from opening my cowl vent all the way. Mounted it there to help keep the engine bay less cluttered and the cowl vent would keep airflow across it. I will probably work on it tomorrow, hopefully I can find some blind bolts to keep the firewall clean.

[Windsor]

Battery relocated to the trunk. Need to get a cradle for it, probably go with the same one I have in my Tacoma.
I went ahead and installed the cut off switch today. I'll just drill a hole to slide over it when I make the false wall.

[Silver R/T]

Cool cruiser

[69rtse4spd]

Nice, have you given any thought about color.

[Windsor]

Paint is many years down the road. But final color will either be black on black, or a really dark black cherry and tan. When I rebuild the motor, I will strip the orange paint off and paint it black. Want to make it look as clean as I can, and plan to black out everything in the engine bay that I can. Id really like to get some steel wheels and get rid of the American Racing wheels that are on there. Eventually I will have 15x8 rears, 15x7 fronts with wide whitewalls all the way around.

[Windsor]

On a standstill waiting for parts, so decided I do some body work. Sanded out an area about a square foot on the R.R fender. The filler that was put on there in the pas had cracked and fallen off. Minimum damage underneath, I hint they just did it to push the body line out a bit to match the other side. Metal underneath was easily brought to a shine with no rot and only a couple low spots.
Started to sand the L.R fender, then the sander decided to give up the ghost.  Thankfully there is a lifetime warranty on the Dewalt tools. Going to take it to Home Depot tomorrow to get rebuilt. Of course, right as it died, it started raining. So, I taped the entire back end of the car with garbage bags. Hopefully it will be clear tomorrow and I can put some new filler on and get it sealed. I'll take some pictures of it tomorrow.

[b5blue]

Sounds like you have a solid body then!  Doing A/C? Artillery style steelies would be cool on that car. 

[Windsor]

Yeah, body is really good. I checked the fenders from the inner side. There is no rot, and the metal is smooth, so no damage that I can't handle with a hammer and dolly. Eventually I will strip the entire body to bare and lead in any spots that need work. The only spot of rot on the whole car is about the size of a quarter on the firewall that someone put a cover patch over.  Ill cut it out and put in a filler panel.
I am going to do AC one day. My plan is to get am electric compressor and build the system in the trunk behind the false wall with the vents blowing out from under the back seats. Only engine driven accessory will be the alternator. But, for now, the cowl vent and windows will work. 

[Windsor]

Here are a couple pics of the some of the body work I am doing. This picture shows (poorly) the main "damage". A section of filler had fallen out, and what I can best describe as a spot where a 2x4 hit.