Hi, I have a question concerning the rear section of my model A frame. First I wanted to reproduce the "TCI" repro frame type with a model A 28-32 front crossmember and adj.coilovers in the rear but I'd like to have just a bit lower than all the repro frames out there without "Ze'ing" it. A friend of mine suggest me to make a 2 inch kickup in the rear. I made brackets to join the rear crossmember but I'm wondering if the front is gonna be higher than the rear if i'm doing it this way. Am I gonna have to lower the front more than a Xmember/reverse eye/4"drop axle setup? Your advice please. front crossmember: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/1932-Ford-Front-Crossmember,6747.html
One of the first things 32 guys did to lower the front of the 32 chassis was to transplant a Model A crossmember. The picture looks like the front crossmember is even flatter than a Model A piece. You might end up with a car with a flatter stance vs. hotrod raked by having the Z in the rear. And also the Z in the rear will also create the need for more rear body mods in the subrails, etc vs. having a flattop frame. Pick your poison. Tack it up and mock it up if you need to see to answer some more of your own questions. Make yourself happy and then deal with the flack if ..................... you know the story. Your car and money. Learn and build wisely.
so i see you've been busy, if you need to get the front lower you could always use a welders series front crossmember (or make one), it's completly flat... if not an axle with more drop could also help. but your best bet, as patrick said, is to tack it and mock it up, then you'll see where you're at.
bump! yeah Greg I saw this flat crossmember, might be a good idea or I'll just stick to my first plan and make it like it was supose to be and forget about the 2 extra inch kickup. thanks!
I don't think you will have a problem, it will still sit down in front. I have an older Chassis Engineering frame that has a 3" kick-up in the rear and a reversed eye, 4" drop axle in the front. It has a stock style Model A front crossmember. It looks like the one in your picture. It sits with a front down rake. It will also depend on the wheels and tires you choose. Your main problem may be, as stated before, is with the sub-rails. The Chassis Engineering frame is narrowed in the rear, so the frame fits between the sub-rails. Red
I think the rear Z you have and the '32 front crossmember will give a good stance with the right tire sizes. But I don't know what kind of stance you're after. This was my stock Model A frame with a '32 Front Crossmember and stock rear crossmember. I used a 3-1/2" dropped Model A axle and a standard eye Model A front spring. It had 7.50-16 rear tires and 5.50-16 Front Tires. In these photos the rear of the frame was just sitting about 4" over the 9" rear axle. I planned to Z the rear, but never got to it before I sold the project. Even after Z-ing the rear only 2-3" it would have sat at this stance you see in the photos after the suspension was complete and the body was on. I could have brought the front down lower with the reverse eye spring but felt it already had the rake I was looking for.
The only way to know for sure is mock-up. Every build starts at the ground with the wheels and tires. Until you have those, you don't know where the axle tube is. Until you have an axle tube location, you don't know where the frame should be. Much of this math can be done on paper (I used a 10' chalk board), but there is no substitute for finding one like you want and taking lots of pics and measurements.
You guys are saying "32 front crossmember", I'm assuming you're referring to an aftermarket piece. By the pics, it sure looks like it. In terms of OG ford parts, a Model A front crossmember will LOWER the car more than a '32 front crossmember. Just so no one gets confused here...
Any time you do things like this it is a real trial and error deal. Look at my Avatar! 6 In bell in front A front cross member. 6 In Zeeee in back with an A cross member with the spring over the rear Axel. Lots and Lots of geometry changes. Lots and Lots of trial and error. But it looks cool now!!
exactly! all im seeing in the pictures are model a crossmembers up front. A 32 front crossmember will make the car sit higher, in the front. as far as setting up stance and rear suspension, what i have learned is get all the correct components you want to use, tires, axle, spring, ect.. and start at the front. build all your front suspension, mount the motor, put the body on, so you see how low the front sits under the full wieght of the car. Than build your rear kick up and rear suspension. that is how i learned to do it, and it has allways worked well for me.
Thanks for all the post, I really appreciate your help, yeah my best guess is to mock up everything, tack it and see after. 32 crossmember, That's how they call it on Speeway (maybe not the best reference though!) I should have say an aftermarket model A crossmember. my bad ! sorry! http://www.speedwaymotors.com/1932-Ford-Front-Crossmember,6747.html
You're absolutely right, its an aftermarket model A crossmember, speedway calls it a 1932 crossmember sorry for the confusion http://www.speedwaymotors.com/1932-Ford-Front-Crossmember,6747.html
Not to be too sticky here, but Model A crossmembers have a 1" drop compared to '32 crossmembers... that's why guys put the Model A one on a '32 frame. You can get a bit more drop out of it if you bring the radiator support pads up flush with the top of the frame rail, but you also have to pay attention to your rad shell-to-cowl rake too... A flat crossmember will lower it even more, but then you start getting into a custom radiator, spring clearance notches, etc. Try explaining THAT to someone who's never heard of a car... "I just spent about seven hundred dollars and a few weeks working on my car". "Oh, what did you do?" "Lowered it an inch." "Why?" "........looks better."
I really don't know anything about coil-overs. But can't you get a shit load of frame height adjustment out of them? Most lower mounts (rear axle) have 3 different mounting holes that must cover 3-4 inches...plus the shocks are adjustable too right? So if I'm correct, couldn't you just Z it however you want and then just play with your shocks to dial it in when its all mocked up? That's assuming your using an all adjustable 4 link too. Guys using old shit like me, transverse leaf spring and 36 rear bones, have to really worry about every piece of the puzzle before it even goes together. You coilover cats got it made! lol. It makes it like legos for big kids. haha. JUST BUILD IT!
Here are pictures of my Model A frame with Daggel's X member. It's Z'd 3" in the rear and the used the stock Model A cross member, reverse eye springs both front and rear and 4" dropped axle.
The way you have it there (stock front crossmember, kicked 3" (?) in the rear) will sit great. Remember coilovers have a designed ride height (yours are probably 13") but you do have three options on the lower axle bracket mounting hole. That looks very similar to hundreds (& hundreds ?) of Horton Model A chassis we built over the last 30 years or so
Yes the 3 holes bracket is exactly what I have. Ok to make it clear about the '32 crossmember, as many said, what I have and shown on picture is an aftermarket stock model A crossmember, some shops name it '32 crossmember which is NOT! thanks for posting!!!
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