Hot Rods anyone here ever build a bobber????

thanks a million for this post, and it seems I got you to understand how confused my situation is... the real problem is I have more dollars than sense... and being a ol school hot rodder, I can't loose a dollar on hot rods... so I'll try to answer a few of your questions,... first, the answer is no.... there is no way I could build a mandrel bent A/T frame for 2000 at my shop.... unlike most here.... my time is not free, even if I bought the mandrel rails, I'd be lucky to see a finished to what they are selliing for 2k frame in a week of shop time paying guys to do it... so the I did it at my shop frame would now cost me 8000... and the shop would suffer the loss of income for the week on that guy

"If you want to build a hot rod incorporating that TT cab without hacking it up your options are fairly limited. You want to do something like those bobber trucks that are built with later 30s-40s truck cabs.."
The thing I was referencing with the bobber deal was how cheep the frame is.... they sell a A/T version.. but for me I have a T frame, and yes, I could Z it cheep, I own a plasma table, and a fab shop... but some how all that requires me to work for free... and yes.... I can't get past the hacking up a survivor henry TT cab to just get a cowl and posts... so been on a hunt for a nice 25 T cowl...the ones I find need 3000 dollars worth of free body work just to get the metal done


"For my money I would probably not go the hot rod route with that cab, and it kind of sounds like you're not sold on it either... I'd put it on an AA chassis and stretch an A bed to almost express-length... you'll end up with a pretty nice, all-antique truck that can do some real work. Unwanted AA chassis can be had for pennies on the dollar if you're patient, guys buy them out of pastures for the cabs and fenders which are the same as the light duty truck sheet metal and either scrap them or give them away."

I own a AA 1929 truck, it's a PITA to drive, so it's yard art at my Utah house

 

You've posted a few phonebooths... the TT cab on a T or A frame, lowered, fendered, with a T/A bed - that's pretty much what those cabs are good for in the hot rod world. There's not much room to play with the proportions, so if you want to hot rod that thing, the formula is already right there. Sounds like you want to run a banger, so you don't need to stretch the wheelbase. Looks like you want fenders, so you'll probably want to use all the usual A lowering tricks for nice fitment with the wheels... it's pretty textbook...................................

so here's what I got to work with, the foundation is a T with an A motor, juice brakes, 34 axel, open drive shaft... looks to have been built somewhere in the 50's era...then hacked to gether repairs and up grades along the way.... I bought it as a hack depot but all the wood was dangerously rotted, so I stripped all the wood to re do it.. so while the woods was off I decided I wanted to re frame it with 2x2 metal.... and that;s as far as I got,.. I ended getting surgery ON both hands and elbows... and still have the shoulders and neck to get done.. the plan is to make the T whole again,,,

first pic is when I got it, second is with the wood off...



so as it's sit now...way too many options... one was a gow roadster,... but the reason I keep posting this is someone is gonna thow an idea that sticks..... mostly I get ghost' here, or made fun of,... even called a tool by some self proclaimed wizard of rods... and truth is I enjoy seeing the talent that some have on this site... but for me, I'm not gonnna tig weld phillips screws and cut them to slotted screws.... I'll just buy slotted screws.... I'm very comfortable in the bought not built group... kinda like my ranch... NO HAT OR CATTLE...lol

 

" Anyone here ever built a bobber???" Judging by all the pictures on this thread it looks like hardly anyone here has built a bobber. I too just want to show off my non bobber truck if that is OK.

 

I think you're on the right track...use the TT cab on the (rotten) Woodie frame.
I saw this TT Ford flatbed years ago in an old magazine and thought it was SO COOL.

 

thats one of the constant thoughts...and the OG plan when I bought the cab.....so now once I get the aprons and fenders on I was gonna sit the cab on and see if it's warm and fuzzy, or if I hate it..you can actually channel it leaving the firewall and cowl stock and body drop the rest taking the strip above the cowl out...that way the door will be low as or lower than the windshield. then do the wide flat bed with a couple wine barrels...weld a couple 16'' wires together to make it a 1/2 ton tall T phantom dually..... oh boy.... here we go again....

 

you seem quite sure of yourself, so how wide is the frame??? my bet is it less than the 50'' the cab is,.... but like said, they build a bobber chassis frame for a model A... maybe not hamb correct,.. but it what they sell it as

 

looks like drop axel, reverse eye spring but stock spring mount???

 

Exactly. That looks like the old Chassis Engineering tube axle/spring package.

 

When you're building shit for yourself you gotta cut yourself a good deal, don't worry about the time or you'll just spin your wheels forever... have fun with it, you've worked your whole life to earn some free time.

That hack chassis is kool... all the right stuff... I'd probably do a roadster or tub with it but might as well slap that TT cab on it with a truck bed and hit the road... you know what it'll look like, if you like it go for it.

Looks like we are all underestimating the width of the TT cab, but it's still pretty close. The '35-46 Ford truck frame is 44" wide at its widest (not counting the cab mount brackets).



Credit to HAMBer @oldscl for the diagram.

 

I think that T truck cab would be really cool on that chassis youve got as is. Use the rear fenders that were on the depot back and build low flatbed pickup box sides. I think that simple combo would be an awesome vehicle.
If you want something a little more down the hot rod path that’s a banger vehicle perhaps buy an old restoration model A and strip it down. That’s what happened originally basically and you’d be on the road with it quick. I dunno just spit balling ideas. Good luck

 

thankyou. so the cab hangs over 3'' each side....but it might come up short at the cowl...for me I already have a T frame and can mod it in house,.. but If I was gonna start from scratching my ass , I'd sure go for the mandrel boxed rails...

 

Hahaha lmao nope it doesn't look like anyone has, Frames nailed it! Again that little truck is an incredible piece of work, a study in getting it low and proportions correct. But you knew that.

 

so anyway, when it c,ools down in vegas a little I'm gonna put the T back together, as in firewall, hood radiator.grille, fenders, and running boards..then I'm gonna take the cowl off the tall T.... I think the cowl is typ. to all 1925 T's ????(anyone know) then put the cab on and body drop it to where the bead rolled on the door matches the bead roll on the cowl.... looks about 4 or so inches...take the fill er out of the bottom of the windshield, then decide how much to chop it... 6 or 8'' will make it look like a stock model a cab... ( I think?????) probley do a big back window....on the wheels, I ve got 16's, 19,s and 21's in my wire wheel collection.. like to have a little fatter rubber than the 21's

 

kinda like this one????

 

and I still have my B Banger Cdan

 

I dunno. The beauty, cuteness and uniqueness of the TT body is in it's proportional height. Once you start sectioning, channeling and/or chopping it...it just becomes another Ford pickup body. Just my opinion.

 

I with you there,.. thats what has mad this deal so tough...I just can't picture this to what it will look like done... usually I can see it in my head and jump right in and get it done...I'm starting to picture it though... and I think the baby steps will work... If I put the fire wall and the cowl I can pretty much get most the car done,.. then I can sit the cab on and if I don't like it, any model T body will fit....I think?????? the cab on a tall TT is all most 5' tall.. on a stock suspension T it's gonna be about 8' tall.......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

thanks for the viewed opinion.... and I hope I can word this to not be offensive, but I really don't care if it fit's in any normal group, just don't want it to fall in the F'n mess class.... LOL if it don't look good to me I'll scrap the idea...

 

Naw, he’ll no, needs a hemi

 

Sooooo,.... here my thinking from years gone past,... a bobber is a truck with a shortened bed... like in they bobbed the bed on that truck....no?

 

Here's a shot of @BenD's T truck the last time I saw it.

 

Belt line has been matched up on this one...


Walk around video here:

 

Pretty bitch'n, thanks a million...my thought was to drop the cab to the top beadroll, that'll get it closer to the running boards.. stretch the cab 4/5 inches and make it a 5 window , put some old ass small west coast mirrors and call it done!!!

 

the more I look at this, the more perfect I think it is... leave the roof tall and all...



I have some deep dodge 50's bed sides to get the bed side down

 

thank goodness we're not trying to pick a restaurant to go to

 

If you look closely, you can see that this one is channeled. Reference the top of the splash apron in front and behind the cab. A very nice touch is that the bottom belt line matches the top of the bed sides. If you dropped the cab any further, I think you would be running out of room real quick. Even this one would be very tight.......

 

built this back in 2008.. a bit goofey as it was on a truck frame..but was fun.

 

I think it has all the cool stuff.. and one that I would have stopped at a car run and looked over....are the front fenders from a tire carrier? and is that a beer keg gas tank?? would have been cool to bob some boat trailer fenders for the rear.. it would fit in tight with the "new hotrod group" ,.. I had a deuce with bobbed fenders 50 yrs ago... the rears were hooked to the backing plates..

 

just noticed this one also has fenders...and I like how the bed matches the belt line on the cab.... Is this your truck??