Hope these are ok. Stretched 5 inches, mild chop this gm was stretched 4 No extra cab needed. But looks like 2 doors used stretched 5. Half in the door the other behind
Mark and Everyone, I apologize for that mistake! I knew better but I can't help that I get so excited that I might have something to share here. Again Everyone, I'm Sorry!
True enough however not out of the question. I like the idea of a Vent Window in a Truck. We know a 40 Deluxe Hood and Grill has been done to Trucks. I know that's a lot of work. They look Killer to me. It's about the vision and your talent. Then comes balance and good looks. You have to be careful not to create a Limo look. I'm pretty sure I could do it if I were 20 years younger. Adding a couple inches to a door isn't just adding a few inches to the door. Those Cabs are curved everywhere and that has to be maintained as the job progresses. Then, what are you going to do to the Bed and is it going to involve the Running Boards? Just what is your skill level and how bad do you want a few more inches? I can only answer for myself.
If you decide to start cutting, be sure to brace inside the cab to prevent movement before you cut. A friend of mine showed me some seats in his 57 Chevy truck. I believe they/it was from a Caddy Suv. Pretty nice looking seat and the back panel actually tilted forward allowing you to put things in the space behind the seat. They were also pretty thin....yet comfortable. I actually think some of the lengthened trucks I've seen look better than the originals which look kinda stubby..........
The cars and trucks don't have anywhere near the same door shape, curves, dimensions, body lines, etc. If you want a vent window you can adapt that, but you'll be doing a crap ton more work to get that sedan door to look like it belongs in a pickup than you will extending a pickup door (assuming you can find spares to use for donor pieces). Adapting a front end is not the same type of work as adapting a door. It's much easier.
I'm very much aware of the changes in body and door lines between the 2. When you can operate a Pullmax and a Wheel you can do a lot that others can't. That's why I said " Just what is your skill level and how bad do you want a few more inches? I can only answer for myself ". I just do things different than most here. Sounds like you and I dance to different tunes and that's okay.
Hello, After our post hospital stay for my brother gave us a clear sight as to what we would like to have built next when all things got back to normal. We had various important parts sitting under a large canvas tarp in the backyard garage and we did not go back there regularly, except when our mom went visiting her friends or went shopping. One thing was left over parts still gathering dust from our Willys Coupe days. The other was do we still want to build something else to continue our foray into drag racing and engine builds? We had a small speed shop business going with a business license and were able to get parts at a good discount. But, we were not in it for the money, at the time. we just wanted to spend less on our own builds and get parts for our friends when necessary. So, the first idea was a roadster pickup to keep within a nice body and old hot rod look, not a newer Chevy or Ford full fender truck. So, we kept looking for a good start in the RPU arena. But the few Model A coupes we sat in, including our own early coupe we bought in 1957 gave us a tight fitting seating arrangement for two growing teenage boys. That was stock seating and we still needed more room. No one at the time was lengthening the overall body, doors or roof lines. They just modified the pedals and seats pushed back as far as possible. Jnaki In our measurements in the Model A coupe, it was similar to a roadster pickup. Not a lot of room the way it came with the stock seats, steering wheel and pedals. So, we decided to get some smaller foreign car bucket seats. Those were plentiful in the local junk yards. Then if that was ok, then we were ok with the shoulder to shoulder fit. But it was the pedal to seat arrangement that threw us for a loop. By the time we started throwing out ideas, the Model A coupe, the 51 Oldsmobile disappeared and a new 58 Impala rolled up in our driveway in 1957. So, we no longer had the worry about feeling like captured canned sardines in the cockpit. These days, people lengthen the doors, the cab and if done right, the look of the RPU is not harmed and the overall design is pleasing. There are several good examples on the HAMB hot rod builders for the lengthening of an RPU. Note: The whole idea is to get more room for comfort driving. An extended cab certainly would solve the overall dimensions and give plenty of room. But, from an outside prospective at the extended cab, it does not stay within the original Model A truck cab style. A “big” extension would make the “butt end” too big and out of proportion. The larger, better proportions in design... The version on the left is relatively stock, but it does need something. So, a short top chop and shortened bed still keeps the proportion, yet it makes the Model A truck look stock appearing. Only those totally inspecting the mods would criticize the larger door and shortened bed. But a longer bed looks too lengthy and hangs over too much. Room for the slight enlargement has to come from somewhere, so the bed gets shortened and the cab technically, moves back a few inches with a wider door and top. The idea came from a different truck modification that I saw being done for a huge guy, around 6’6” and he did not fit in the stock cab. So, the builders extended the doors and lengthened the cab roof just a tad to give the space necessary for a comfortable driving position. The plus/loss came from the shortened bed. The other option was to modify the pedal position to move it farther into the motor compartment if there is room. Most of the time there is no more room, so the only way to go is back to toward the bed. I got an inspiration many drawings ago. An open roadster with anyone’s longer legs might be a challenge. Most roadsters were a little cramped as the generations grew. Even back in 1960, my brother and I had thoughts of a Model A roadster pick up for another project, but realized two brothers would not fit without altering/extending the seating area back into the shortened bed. We were both large for our age and I grew to almost 6’1” and I needed comfort for short or long distance driving. For us, it was a project we liked, but things just moved on in a different direction. The shortened bed was still big enough to haul parts and motors, if needed. There is only so much room modifying the seats and pedals without compromising driving comfort. Extended arm driving versus cramped bent elbows and the steering wheel intruding on comfort, is no one’s idea of cool cruising. Drawing is much easier to see the changes necessary. Note 2: Also, sitting in an open roadster with big shoulders and height might be a challenge. Most roadsters were a little cramped as the generations grew in our society. A single driver might be ok, but a little cramped if one is 6 feet or over. So, the only way to get comfortable for the bigger folks is to extend the cab. The bed will be the item that gets shortened to keep the proportions right. There is only so much room modifying the seats and pedals without compromising driving comfort. Extended arm driving versus cramped bent elbows and the steering wheel intruding on comfort, is no one’s idea of cool cruising. Or safety for that matter… here is an orange Model A drawing I have been tossing around for ideas. For some reason, I added a cab top, then an RPU top and it looked awful, so it had to stay extended cab open roadster style for the RPU. There is even a nicely finished, red Model A RPU, extended, here on the HAMB built for more room in the cab… check it out...YRMV https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/28-rpu-build-thread-it-will-be-red.703537/ @Never2old
Do a really thin hard foam seat back and sit a little sideways and drive your 40 Truck. I had a 40 truck for 12 years and it was never comfortable but it sure was fun.
I read in Rodder's Journal that a pickup was lengthened by stretching the cowl a bit. If you could add 2 inches to the cowl it would move the pedals and give more leg room. You wouldn't have to mess with the doors/windows shape then. This would also not mess with the roof. Sounds like a winner to me.
Just a note ! The engine bay of a '40-'41 Ford truck DOES NOT NEED A FIREWALL SETBACK using a small block Chevy, saving valuable space in the cab. The excuse that locating engine further back facilitates traction is bullshit when cab space is minimized as in your truck. A slightly thinner seatback offers extra room and a better angle for more comfort. Good luck. You have the best "old" truck that Henry ever produced !
My suggestion would be to find an old cab from a slightly later model like a 46 which I believe is identical or similar enough to the 40 to be a donor. Cut the rear of the cab off 3"+ longer than you cut the rear off your 40. Then you only have 1 seam to weld to reattach it. You would also do the same with the extra doors. Also, if you plan to lower the roof any, the chopping process will move the roof forward slightly at the front as it comes down. Using a second cab top allows you to cut it to the exact length you will need. Should be easier than trying to form a section and make two welds across that large panel on top. Also, if the floor is decent, it can be longer and make up that gap as well. I think extending the cowl might work well on some older trucks but given how the fender of the 40 attaches, I'm not sure if that would create some difficulty making it look right. Not saying it will, just something to think about. From some of the pictures that have been posted, I think extending the cab actually can create a better proportion from the side.
My father took 2 inches out of the seat in his '29 A coupe it made quite a difference and I'm 6'2 on a tall day !
More over, the fire wall in a 40/41 Ford PU doesn't need a set back to install a 330 DeSoto hemi either. Just sayin
A friend and I stretched a 40 cab 1.5 inches behind the doors and an 1.5 in the cowl, we used the back of another cab with a single weld across the back. The cowl was lengthened using a strip of metal. We did this before cell phone pix. The truck is finished after passing through several owners. If I see the present owner I'll get some pix. I have had good luck using a mid eighties Ford Ranger seat . They have a thin seat back and only need the seat bottom narrowed at the front 2" per side.
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