Hello Hambers, I've been searching for a while but coming up with nothing. Just wondering if anyone has any good photos of model A's built on 35-41 rails? Or any more info on how this car was built?: http://classiccarsmarks.com/ford/35...r-rat-rod-1932-nhra-drag-racing-flathead.html
Got a buddy in Omaha Nebraska with an A on a 41 chassis that’s been cut in abkoutnevery direction possible but it looks great! I’ll see if I can find some photos. It’s just metal cut, weld, repeat until it looks right
My Dad put a 1931 roadster on a 1940 Ford frame. I do not have a good pic. The frame was shorter that stock - but I do not remember it being narrowed any. The 31 roadster was just a body shell. No hood, no top - no fenders. At the time - my Dad had 3 1940 Ford Coupes - and this 31 roadster. He sometimes put the J-2 Olds 371 engine in the 31 - with fuel and driver - the car weighted 1,800 # - mostly engine. Fast on the street - but not drag strip - traction was a problem. He paid $8 for the 1931 A model body shell in 1957. Sold it on the mid 1970's when I was young. I need to get a pic from my Mom of this car. My Dad told me of a NC Highway patrol office doing a "safety check" of the brakes in the late 1950's on the little roadster. For the time - the 1940 Ford brakes with only 1,800 pounds of weight worked well. The older NC Trooper told my Dad "son, all you are driving is a god damn motor with 4 wheels". The 4.11 rear and J-2 Olds engine had about one horse power pulling 6 pounds of weight ..... Cool times when a teen age boy with little money - but work hard could build a car with twice the power than Detroit produced.
Given that someone can come up with pictures of this within 45 minutes I'm guessing it has been done more than once. Thanks Tim! That red car looks sweet. I am guessing that the frame rails have been narrowed and pinched to match the body? It doesn't look like the body has been widened, but it does look like the bottom of it has been shaped to match the curve of the frame rails?
It's been done. There was a HAMB post where someone laid 41-48 rails alongside 32 or 33/34 rails and they were really close. If you already have the frame and can do the chassis fab, it's probably worth the effort, especially if it's channeled. If you don't already have the frame, I'd say take the $700 leap and purchase/start with a pair of Deuce rails-especially if it's a Hiboy build. If you scratch built a frame, considering the cost of metal stock, you'd probably have several hundred bucks into buying 2x3 rectangular tubing anyway...That makes the Deuce rails a few hundred bucks.
this 50's built survivor `32 ford is on a very heavily modified `46 ford frame. was featured in Cars & Clubs and Hot Rod i believe in 1958. i have seen it in person and looks OK picture stolen from Roadsir's thread
You can do what you want, but building a car from whatever you have lying around always involves a crap ton of work...and still ends up looking like a car built from whatever you had lying around. Just sayin'.
not saying i would do it , i prefer a `32 frame..... with a lot of work it would be passable and no one would gag
They were compared to a set of 33/34 rails and were very close. Not a whole lot of Model A's on 33/34 frames anyway but I think it could be done with a 33/34 body. Lots of people use the center X out of the 35-up frames between earlier rails as well as other bits of the suspension but have seen very few use the actual side rails. With enough cutting and shaping I'm sure it could be done and look good, would be interested to see more pictures of it done, just not sure if it's worth the effort.
Sure it can and has been done. Probably more times it ends up looking like crap than good. In the grand scheme of building a car, the $700 or so investment in some repro 32 rails is minor. But if and when it comes time to sell, it will make a huge difference on what the car will bring. If your budget is so tight that $700 breaks it, look around and find a Model A frame. You should be able to get one for under $200 if you try.
what does the op say about finding a model A frame for under 200 in Australia. 90 years after the first A was rolled off the assembly line finding a good usable one in the USA for under 200 umhhhh getting tuff
That phaeton is my buddy Dave's car, it would be easier to build one on an A or '32 frame. The wheel base was shortened and fenders widened to accommodate the wide frame and maintain the look of a Model A. It's a driver and rides really nice, but by no means something that will be done without a great deal of effort.
Another point to make, is good 35-40 Ford frames are worth decent money themselves and selling one could probably finance the purchase of a different frame. They have a tendancy to get rusted out just in front of the rear wheels. They must be extra hard to find in Australia. Just something to consider.
built in 1968....the FU painted on the side was by the PO son - which is why I got the phone call to come get it....
Hey Pocket Nick, I Guess what I was wondering was how you would go about mounting a model A with a straight subrail onto the curved top of the chassis. Are there any photos of the underside of your mate Dave's phaeton? And thanks Stillrunners for the photos, that car is pretty awesome in an FU kind of way, and it also shows one way to mount the body which could work OK on a fendered car.
actually .... it did have fenders...with loooong T running boards - one and a half of one.....sold it to a HAMBr...it was just old car stuff in the 60's.....
I'm sorry, but that's nasty. That is NOT what's going on with that red coupe up above in the thread, or the tub in the OP
I realise that they are done differently. The tub in the link has had the chassis shortened, and the splash aprons are following the contour of the sweep of the frame rails forward of the cowl, but i cant see how the wider 36 chassis rear has been made to fit into the phaeton tub.
Back in 1971 I used the front and rear cross members out of an old model A frame along with all the brackets and welded them together using 2x4 rectangular tubing. Cut the front cross member just behind were it met the frame and tapered the 2x4 tubing . The Model A frame is about the easiest frame there is to duplicate. I you can't do this, trying to use a 35-40 frame is way above your ability. In this pictureof another frame, I'm using 2x6 tubing to a after market 32 front cross member See the dimensions of the Model A vs 35-40 frames here. http://www.wescottsauto.com
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