Hot Rods Channeling!

Hey! Does anyone know of any resources/reference materials that might help my kid and me channel our A Tudor? I think we could probably blunder our way through it "okay", but am thinking a nicer job and less heartache are likely with just a little help! Didn't see anything on the tech forum.New to the board, but greetings from Montana! Probably should have avoided joining this damned thing....suffering from sleep deprivation ever since.

 

When I did my '34 I made sure to brace the inside of the car well before cutting anything. I did a ton of planning before pulling the cut off wheel out of the tool box.

I basically cut the sub frame away from the outer skin, dropped the body, rewelded the subfloor where it made sense, and made filler strips for the door jamb area and some in the rear floor area and welded them in. I make it sound easy and it really is if you work through it before starting.

Lots of good info here and you can always search the internet for " how to channel". Lots of time those searches bump you right back into a HAMB thread.

 

Dont channel it so far you and the kid can no longer get inside and cruise. It may look cool, but if you cant take it anywhere, why bother?

 

I did my 30 Ford roadster a few years ago. There are some photos of it around here somewhere. I did not cut and re use any of the stock sub rails. I just folded up some new pieces, welded them to the stock rails and then trimmed out what was in the way. I also pinched the back of the frame to clear the wheel wells. I think I went 5" total and built all new floors. It still bolts to the stock body mount holes.
The Wizzard

 

I like the look of them when they are channelled only to the bottom of the frame rails and no further.

 

Me too. Lay the bare frame on some 2X4s on the floor and drop the body down over the frame so that all sets on the 2X4s. Adjust to suit the look you like.

 

Yea......that's pretty much the plan. The frame's built from 2x4 iron, so are just going for a 4" channel to cover it. Good idea from ya there Bart on the "frame on the 2x4's thing". Shamefully, and I do mean shamefully, I'm not sure I'd have thought of that! Pitiful! Thanks man......

 

There are 2 schools of thought, one is to cut the floor out and weld peices from the floor to the bottom of the body, the other, fully traditional, but frowned on these days way, is to cut the body off and weld it to the bottom of '32 rails.....

 

2X4's and the garage floor. Now there is the sure way to end up with built in problems. I think the guy I bought my Roadster from went to the same School. He started with an outstanding car and channeled it. When he stopped it was Channeled all right but you couldn't latch the doors. Somehow the deck lid got twisted, and the body sat like a rocking horse on the frame. According to him nothing that a few shims won't fix. He had just lost interest in the project and was going to go buy a Camaro. And believe this or not he had welded some braces in the door openings. That's called built in dammage. I was trying to find some of my posted photos here from my repair but things have changed and can't get to old posts (I'm a Gray Beard). I do have a photo file on my home computer if you have any interest. My doors and deck lid now work like they are supposed to.
The Wizzard