channeled cars...........

How did you guys with channeled cars mount your body to the frame? I'm in need of some ideas besides my own here, any help would be great

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On one of my old Model A's I built a 1"x2" rect tubing subfloor structure over the frame. Then I cut up a 3/4" thick rubber sheet into 2" squares and used that as a body mount. I used 6 mounts in all. Capped it all off with bead rolled sheet metal and it looked pretty good. I'll see if I can find pics of the floor build.

 

This method worked excellent for me. I had a steel shop with a heavy plate brake (hydraulic bender for plate) bend a sheet of 1/8" steel plate like the attached model. The ammount of vertical height in the sides of the bent plate is the depth of your "channel". I set the plate on top of the frame, clamped it in place, then drilled holes though the "floor" plate and the top of the frame rail about 12" apart full length of the plate and the frame on both sides. I then removed the "floor " plate and tapped all the holes in the frame 5/16" N.C., and opened up the holes in the floor plate to 11/32". Then I set the plate back onto the frame, bolted it down, and set the body (which had no floor) onto the flanges, and marked around the perimeter of the body with chalk.---Lifted the body off, cut away everything outside the chalklines with my torch, set the body back in place, fired up the mig, and welded it all the way around to the floor plate. This sounds too simple to be real, but it made an excellent channeled coupe. I used some 2" wide x 1/8" thick frame webbing between the "floor" and the frame on final assembly.

 

On my "A" Pick-up (4" channel), I took the brackets on the side of the frame (TCI) that bolt the cowl to the frame and 'flipped 'em. I then used the hood latch brackets and welded them to the inside of the frame for rear cab mounts with some 1" tubing spanning from side to side. I used some 16ga (I think ) metal bent in a Z shape welded in for the channel between the floor and subrails.

Josh

 

My sedan had a crude but tried and true way.covered with carpet,who cares?
It had 2"wide 1/4" thick L channel brackets welded (braised!!) to the lower door pillars,and the vertical side channels,wood out of course.rubber pads bolted to the frame,and your done.measure 6 times weld once.this is no scientific way,but this how most did it on the east coast in the 50,s and 60's.mostly cause the floors and lower panels were rotted off.Now that I de-channelled mine,channel style is back.All that work for not!
Not really,got more floor room now,and a rear seat.
Good luck.

 

tryin not to steal a thread but what is an average channel depth to get a decent look?

 

I removed the floor of the car set it over the new frame I was using (later model frame) and built support braces from rocker to rocker. Then bent up all the sheetmetal to build the new floor. I bolted the body to the frame through the new supports. Overlapped the seams. More pics avaialble if desired This is a 6" channel.

 

I asked the same question some time ago. This thread may be of use:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88684&highlight=dirtyTace

 

In a nutshell, I channeled this 34 ford then simply ran bolts through the floorpan into the frame. The body and frame are seperated by a 3/8 thick strip of rubber running the length of the body.

This was how this car was built in the 60's and is how it will stay now. The bench seat of the car is also bolted to the frame more inboard of the actual rails. There is a tube structure that it's bolted through.