I'm no Steve Kirk but...

[akku]

I got to wondering why we see so few "done" A40 Somersets...

So I got my pencil out and



I think this looks right (shonky colouring in not withstanding)

I've welded up the rear doors, deleted the bumpers and hole-sawed the valance, given it enough stance to carry off the spindle mounts and slot mags without putting it in the clouds. rears are cheater slicks and they'll need mini tubs. Power? Daimler 4.5 Hemi with a 4 speed.

[stealthstylz]

There was that purple one about a few years ago, need a lot of work to get low iirc plus the arch openings are far too small as standard.

Matt

[akku]

That purple one was the one with the Ford V6? Modern alloys? I recall one that way, I had vaguely thought it was turquoise. Maybe there were two.

I knew of a guy building a sled one, never got finished though AFAIK and there was a black n flames one round when I was a kid

I think they are a great shape. Much overlooked.

[will]

Not dug up any customs with a search though...

UK bomb anyone?

[Imperial]

This one?

it lives local to me and i've seen it a few times out and about,i spoke to the guy that built it a while back and the amount of work he had to put into it was huge.

[composimmonite]

Dec 30, 2010 9:59:29 GMT will said:

Not dug up any customs with a search though...

UK bomb anyone?

My dad had one of these when I was young - brush painted royal blue.

Paul H

[Seth]

Dec 29, 2010 22:23:39 GMT akku said:

I got to wondering why we see so few "done" A40 Somersets...

First reason would be because they're not an old Ford so the vast majority of rodders would ignore them as base material.

The shape is pretty bulbous in a bit of a jelly mould way. Poprortions can look a bit odd unless the mods are done "sensitively" I think. There certainly is potential I'm sure but you'd probably want to start with a good condition stocker these days 'cos the work involved in restoring the body on one (with all those compound curves) would be pretty major.

I think that van conversion photo is a Devon not a Somerset? Agree - Definite bomb potential there "Old commercial vehicle scene tax" would make the canvas pretty expensive though.

[composimmonite]

Whilst not too bad looking in side profile I've always thought they were too narrow when viewed from front or rear.
www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints-depot/cars/austin/austin-a40-somerset-1952.gif
I'd still have one in standard condition though

Paul H

[akku]

a good slam would sort the narrowness out. They don't look so bad in real life as the illustration.

Everyone has forgotten SOC's "Mayday" project already?

That purple one was the one I was thinking of

[will]

Dec 30, 2010 17:01:36 GMT akku said:

Everyone has forgotten SOC's "Mayday" project already?

No nay never.
A yahoo search didn't find anymore zomerzets though found this nice A40 by accident

www.sideways-technologies.co.uk/forum/Blah.pl?m-1200790653/

[hardtop]

mate had a A40 Sports, which was an ally bodied convertible, bit lower to the ground then a normal A40 as well

[akku]

A Jensen one? They are awesome cool.

[mattblack]

[akku]

There are some distinct similarities between the blue and the purple cars... I think I'd have the blue one out of two. On slot mags.

[mattblack]

Have some mid-eighties chrome 5-spoke action instead. YAY!

[akku]

ace, he pretty much built what I drew. WANT!

[stealthstylz]

Haha wondered if somebody would post John Kellet's car. Wish I could find a pic of his '32 Coupe, that was the hardest looking hot rod i've ever seen.

Matt

[silverastro]

sorry but i want to put you straight on this car..
a
1=the guy you spoke to did not build this car they bought it from me in dec 2007 when i bought my chevy van in the states also i bought it in 1988 as a non runner standard car
2= it was BUILT by COLIN WOODS AND MYSELF AT CW MOTORS IN DROYLSDON i paid them to help me build it 
     (still have all the build pics and the original chassis plate )
3= this car was featured in STREET MACHINE in 1995 and again in 2000 where it went on to win countless trophys inc best british hot rod 2 years running
4= originally fitted with a chrysler 318 motor then a 383 motor and drag raced for a number of years picture in street machine (car was black then)
5=in 1995 it was fitted with a rove rv8 3.5 and sprayed bright orange in 1998 after the show season it went straight into the boby shop where it was until the 2000 show season when it came out as the picture shows
     when it won a special award at the doncaster show and was still winning trophys untill late 2004 when i put it away until i decided what to do with it
6=still have the old v5 if proof needed
  if you want to know anything about this car please ask me 
   it just p****s me off when they say they built it
as all they have done is fit an alloy rad and have the wheels polished ...

steve

Dec 30, 2010 10:20:18 GMT Imperial said:

This one?

it lives local to me and i've seen it a few times out and about,i spoke to the guy that built it a while back and the amount of work he had to put into it was huge.

[rmad]

Nice car, well done on the build.

I have to say though, the post you've quoted is rather old and the guy who posted it didn't really say who he spoke to. I wonder if the person he spoke to might have actually been you....or indeed I wonder whether the chap he spoke to said actually said he built it or whether it was just an assumption. Perhaps it was just the poster simplifying it for the sake of the thread, not realising that someone would dig it up as wholly factual years later.

I've owned cars built by other people in the past and whilst I've never lied about it, I've had conversations with people at shows about how something was done or what parts are fitted...knowledge that could lead people to conclude I built it.


Your old one, I believe?

...and some others, just for the hell of it:


Very Street Machine. Works a lot better than you'd think.

[silverastro]

its just that i have heard it so many times so i wanted to let people know who built it 
them back lights are from a 1999/2000 model ford fiesta cut and modified to fit the body shape
no offence meant to the op..
that yellow one is nice
at the moment i have a chevy astro van 4.3v6 96 model year which was repainted by the same guy who painted the somerset
he removed the slide and tilt sunroof and made a section of roof to fill the gap.
it was painted in silver with red/yellow/gold/blue pearls and won best american van at tatton park in 2010 and is currently up for sale as i don't have the time to enjoy it anymore.
that pic you put was taken in 2000 when i had the 4 car garage built.
would put pics of van up but cant see how to?
steve