Just brought home a 1933 dodge 4 door sedan. Wanting to do a mild rat rod and going to pull the body off and work on the frame. Like to use the original frame but wanting to put a diffrent rear end in it so like to get info on the best setup, putting a 318 so looking for info and installing a v8 and lastly, debating on using the front suspension that was on the 33 or going to a model a leaf spring frond end. Any or all help would be great.
this is not a rat rod site, we speak traditional hot rods here. i would not pull the body off till you fit all the modifications you need to make. you will need to mock up the engine placement, pedals, radiator, rear, steering, etc WITH the body in place. i prefer the parallel springs to the ford style.
Chad The mid size Ford mid 60s 8" rear end ( Falcon Mustang ) will bolt in to your stock springs with longer U bolts. And be careful not to use the term ratrod on this site or you will get a verbel spanking. Good luck
You can use a Mopar 8.75" rear, apparently it pops right in when you get the one with the 43" spring pad width, which is the later A-bodies, like 70's Dusters. You may need new spring or have the old ones rearched. You need to learn about silent block leafspring hangars. Its nice to keep it all Mopar. If you have all the original suspension, keep it all together and clean it up, rebuild. Its is plenty good for 318. Im working on same exact project as you. I've got a 33' Plymouth. The cars much nicer when you keep the fenders on. If you are hell bent on making it a fenderless hotrod, you can run split wishbone ford style front. there is a dodge build on here with the guy doing the same thing. do a search. I don't care either way about ratrod, hotrod, cl***ic car. Please just don't remove the body, chop it and kill the car before you have a nice running project. That is how most stories end for these odd cars and builders on the Hamb. Im working out all my suspension and locating all my ch***is components, steering, column and pedals before even touching the body and removing it from the ch***is. Most all this info is if you have 80-100% complete car with a ch***is and all the parts.
Check out my thread here on HAMB on my 33 Dodge Coupe build. Shows the installation of a 318, an 8" Ford rear and a front end swap.
just to keep this post going, I have found an 8-3/4 rear end out of a Cherokee that I plan to swap in place of the stock rear end of my 33 dodge dp 6. not sure what the stock gearing is, in the stock rear end, but I believe them to be above 4:10 and I think dropping down to a 3:55 or 3:73 range would be ideal for better highway speeds.
The Jalopy Journal
