Technical McGee’s roadster frame

The McGee highboy has a very kick-up rear frame, why was it needed ?
He used a std rear cross and maybe std 32 spring ( or what was used )
No QC so no real need of install a model T or A cross.
Wheels was Lincoln 16”and my guess 7.00 or 7.50 tires and its not that low, as is maybe 3-4” up to fender line.

-Why was he needed to kick-up frame so much ?
My guess if a A-Ford cross is mount at upper part in frame and use 6 or 8 leafes it should be in that height with that kind of tall tires, or ?

( how tall is a 16” Firestone 7.50 ? )

 

There was extensive coverage of the McGee highboy when it was featured in HRM. Rex Barnett did a cutaway drawing of it in that month's centerfold...

I have a pair of Firestone 7.50 X 16s on the rear of my T tub, tires measure exactly 30" diameter.
Cheers in Sverige

 

Some of the original pics of the car the back was quite low with the top of the tire just under the wheelwell bead.

 

I did a lot of the restoration work on the MaGee car.
The car sat lower in the back when Bob MaGee owned it.
There was a decision made during the restoration, to have the rear sit a little higher.
I was not part of that decision process.
I'd like to see it the way Bob had it, lower in the back.

 

I never really understood that. Why own a historic car. Meticulously restore it. But make big visual changes like that? Makes no sense

 

Still my favorite Roadster of all time....Icon.

 

Is the hero's car in this video the Magee roadster in an earlier incarnation? Ive watched this grainy video a thousand times pausing it to see if I can work out if the tail has a one piece trunk. The licence plate and taillight possition is very similar in that the tail lights are pretty close to the licence plate .I cant see any hinges on the doors either ... There are obvious differences, no hood , lake style headers , and although it looks light coloured in the video its hard to tell the colour on a black and white vide

Both cars look pretty cool ..

Apparently the clip is from a movie Hot Rods from Hell but I cant find it

 

Yes that's the McGee roadster, then owned by Dick Scritchfield, in the 1958 movie "Hot Rod Gang"
The dark colored roadster is the Pete Henderson car, then owned by Ralph Guldahl.

Mick

 

Some odd footage was used editing the movie, at 2:00 minutes in the Guldahl car becomes a channeled roadster and the yellow Scritchfield Deuce is switched for a Model A Roadster pickup

 

Stuff happens