Technical A question for 33 - 34 Ford guys

your opinion doesn't help answer the question, and that's fact, not opinion.

@jrblack30 I like what you did, really clean.
but still my question is, why not trim the front edge of the side panel?


your changes would be almost invisible if you did not extend that area.

 

truth of the matter is that Ford had it correct.



The biggest drawback of removing the wing area and shortening the cowl there is that is your pedal box. move the firewall back you just removed the space for your feet and pedals leading to some very uncomfortable leg positions.

 

The picture deceives you..It might be the way I took the pic.The radiator is not pushed forward at all,I have one original radiator support rod(goes from rad to firewall)..Can't see it in this photo,but I would've had to lengthen it to push the rad up.I don't have them both on because the stupid carbs are in the way(yeah,they are stupid in this setup,but the it is faster with 2 carbs)Also,the inner fender panels wouldn't fit very well if the radiator was pushed forward at the top.If you look at the pics Running shine posted,the hood lines up quite well and it is a stock Ford hood.

 

Thanks, I wanted to make it as clean as possible. I had to add the filler piece there. If you look at the firewall construction in that area you will see that the outer body skin is getting wider in that area. If I did not add the piece there would be a 1/2" gap between the firewall and the body.

 

I agree they look stupid

 

Unless you are me, then you are like reeli reeli smart, I mean just look at my spelling.

 

A good friends coupe. Yep evil SBC! He made the stock indentation a bit deeper, went with a small base distributor, built his own Hurst saddle type mount that works with the stock Ford frame mounts/biscuits and Chevy mechanical fuel pump, 4 speed with the small bell housing. Can't see it real good in the pic but the horizontal V that the floorboard tucks into is uncut/intact so the floorboard install works real nice too. And yes he can get the dizzy out without moving the motor forward. Happy New Year all!

John

 

My dad had a 34 fordor with a bone stock 8BA in it, zero modifications to anything. It was tight, but fit just fine.

 

I scribed where the engine/distributor was in the way, cut that section out and reused those pieces and by adding returns as well as adding a flange from a donor firewall.

 

oh, it "fits" with a trim of the lower firewall at the recess, and no room for a fan, and the lower hoses are on top of each other, about 2 inches apart. I picked up some aluminum hose drops, but still too tight to work.

 

looks like it is sitting too high in the frame, that is causing the motor to move forward. That fuel pump stand should be a lot closer to the firewall

 

I'm running a full hood so I wanted to cut my car up as little as possible and as said, stock setup gives a little more room for pedals and wiring.

 

Can't go lower in front. Crank pulley is on top of the crossmember.

As I stated, I had to trim the firewall already to get it this close.

 

The red one I posted has a big ol' Caddillac flathead in it.

 

I'm putting an 8ba in mine 2x2 with a fan on the generator, I will make whatever mods nessesary to not cut the firewall... It looks really wierd to me when i see firewalls cut and frames modified for a flat head and the car had one stock

On the other hand I'm putting an olds in a car also and will probably leave the firewall sides cause I like the way it looks better so I'm probably speaking to deaf ears... Sounds like your mind is made up and has been

Looks to me like that motor should be back further stock 4 cyl and v8 had different torq tube lenghth I think the 4cyl was longer

 

Easy, because MOST people think about how to build hot rods by copying what other people have done, and when most people do something a certain way more ( MOST) people copy them , than dare to do something different to what is perceived to be "correct" .

In saying that , I would be a copier in this case, leave the Henry parts where they belong, HOWEVER if you wish to modify YOUR car your way , that is your prerogative.

 

That orange coupe has a flathead caddy in it.... Much bigger than a late ford flathead.....longer-wider-better.... Ha

I think your answer has been answered, some folks like the stock ford astecics, other simply don't care about cutting everything off...

i could understand if you were making a flat out hemi race car with fender well headers and needed the space but your doing a motor swap that's been done a million times over and over.

I recessed mine using a '35 truck firewall, left the side panels just cuz I could and I think it looks better....

I think it would be like Anjolina Jolie without her giant lips.... I'm not a lip guy, so I'd remove the colligin.... Lol

 

I AGREE SAW-ZALLS ARE FOR WOOD. IF YOU WANT TO CHOP THEN CHOP ON PLASTIC!!! LEAVE HENRY'S DESIGN ALONE!!!

 

WHY ARE YOU YELLING???

 

I know that I sound like I'm being a dick most times, that isn't my intention, honest!
I totally understand the desire to use the engine as it is. It's a wonderful looking engine.
I guess we are all forgetting the original question. Is there a good reason not to trim the sides.
The good reason for me is purely an aesthetic one. Ford firewalls, with all their reveals and indents, are just cool looking, to me. I would keep as much as I could. I love what jrblack30 did with his. The same can be accomplished using a '35-'36 pick up firewall. The draw back though, is that it reduces the pedal room.
So my solution would be to just inset the firewall in the middle. In a similar way that Kirk did. Either as a separate bolted/riveted panel or welded in. If I welded it, I would put a radius on the edge to keep the stamped look. So it doesn't look fabricated.
I suppose a lot depends upon the look you envision for your car. I saved the whole firewall on my car, with just a semi-circular indent for the distributor. It was important to me to save as much of the firewall as I could, just my "thing".
Cheers,
Stewart.

 

For what its worth, there are a bunch of cars out there with stock 8ba's in a 33-34 Ford.Like Pete said,this swap has been done a zillion times..If you do a search on here or Fordbarn you'll find threads on how the swap can be accomplished several of which showed no firewall surgery required.I read threw a bunch of them when I was building my 33..I even placed a stock 8ba in my frame to mock things up but decided on using an early front dress setup. I've had half a dozen 59ab powered 33-34s and I know that swap well,so I stuck with what I know...To answer another question,I believe that the front crossmember has to be worked so the crank pulley clears when using 8ba setup.

 

Sure, not really being a dick....

Haha, I know you well enough to hear you talking when I read what you write Stewart.

I too like the way Jr black 30 did his. I'd been looking at doing it kinda like that before this post.

I do really want to keep the firewall as is. One of the reasons I got a 33 is for the legroom. When I move the firewall back, say 2 inches, it shouldn't change much inside except for the angle of the lower firewall, right? Your legroom is determined by the pedals, not the floor.

 

If you want Henry's vision, with all the charm beauty and grace he put there, then keep it that way. Especially the hood.


If you want to run with out hood sides, get that girl to stand in the same spot,,,

Because this is ugly,


It's the only straight line on one of the curviest cars.
It sticks out like a orange pumpkin in the watermelon patch.
Especially the triangle void created between the hood and cowl top, which is actually an arrow pointing to the stupid part .

 

You and I are on the same page

 

Her name is Henry ?

 

I thought it was only me who heard voices in an English accent .
But if you move the lower firewall back 2", don't the pedals have to come back 2", thus reducing legroom by 2"?
As for the straight line on a curvy car opinion, I agree, but I have seen '33s and '34s with a curved firewall, and in my opinion they don't look right. They remind me of those cow catcher bars on the front of old trains. So it's the lesser of 2 evils, and I go for a flat firewall. Again all this comes down to the particular style YOU picture for YOUR car.
Cheers,
Stewart.

 

Pedals are frame mounted, not body mounted. They will be in the same place no matter where I put the firewall

 

Thats awesome, great job!!!

 

I understand that. If you move the firewall back though, will the pedals, or your feet on them, foul on the firewall?

 

You know what it will look like if you don't cut off that god aweful triangle... Right?

.... One of those darn 33-34 fords... Who would want that???