Ok I cant seem to find any threads link to this....here is what im faced with 1930 essex sorry this is all I could see its packed in a garage Its cheap but i dont want a 4 door......Ive seen threads of 4 to 2 door but cant seem to find them with any of the key words......anyone remember the people who posted the threads with this conversion.....also is it as easy as cutting out sections and pushing it together???? I have some fabrication Ive done in the past just want a net before I jump...... I copied a picture and cut it up to see if it would look half way good Kinda crude but you get the idea the only thing that will throw me is the window trim and the fact he has a 32 frame under it with some 70's front clip welded to it......... Any Ideas you want to share of threads you have saved, mabye pics.....hes asking 7oo$ for it and it includes frame,front fenders,hood(doesnt look like it goes with the era) and grill with rad.
The way I would do it beings the car is so squared shape. Is move the b piller back to however much longer you want the front doors. Then remove that much from the rear doors, and add them to the front door on the opposite side. You will also have to take into consideration the front edge of both front doors will have to be removed, to replace them on the rear doors. This will give you the length of a 2 door. And then seal up the rear doors. And above all DON'T shorten the body it'll kill the proportion of the car. good luck...ghost
if you didn't get what ghost was explaining thats exactly it in the photos from the link above. see how it keeps the body in proportion instead of just shortening the length. never looks right. good luck, mike
Thank you for the help I was coming up with everything but what I wanted on my search.....Ill take your word on not shortning up the body Its just that the way it sits now it doesnt leave much room on the frame frame was for a 30's rod not this long 4 door
Wow thats a neat photoshop...Looks really good like that...if the rear window was a shade longer it would be perfect
"I'm also needing to fit it to the frame on top of cutting it down...... " I think you are trying to cut up a great looking body to fit a frame it wasn't designed for. It would be a better idea to have a simple frame made to fit the body rather than messing up the proportions of the body to fit the frame. "32 frame under it with some 70's front clip welded to it........." Is the front clip independent? If so it would be difficult to make it look right on an early Essex IMHO. I'm****uming it's a '32 Ford frame which has a curve to the top of it. If the Essex had a flat frame from the factory that would be something else to adapt. You could probably sell the '32 frame and have a simple ladder frame welded up for the money you get.
I own a 1932 essex fordor. I bought it in 1983. I have to still build it into a rod. It has all the body parts (in awsome shape, no rust) and the original frame. The previous owner put a pinto front end in it, the work looks to be very good. I have yet to do anything to the car but store it. The frame rails are basicallt straight front to back with little or no frame taper. The rear of the frame has kick-up sections for the rear end. The frame is taller than a model a, but varies in height at the front and rear with the section under the body being the tallest. It is very strong as compared to a ford chassis. I would be happy to provide pictures and dimensions if you like.
To be frank, I don't think you, or the current owner, know enough about cars to even talk to each other and make any sense of it. It is no crime to be ignorant and it is curable by reading and absorbing knowledge from books and magazines and the HAMB. That body is worth $700 by itself. So don't sweat the small stuff. The Essex of that era is a good quality car with suicide doors on long piano hinges which makes for a good fit and no droop. Buy the damn thing and get it out in the open so you can take pictures and find out what you have bought. Chances are you'll end up building a nice frame for the car and selling or parting out the rest of what you get. The Essex frames are long and straight rails with reinforcements rails underneath in the mid-section. They have dual springs up front and in the rear. The rear springs are splayed wider at the back than the front in an effort to control body roll. Essex frame were for decades used by race car builders and can be found at swapmeets if you know what you're looking for. Just don't go off half-cocked and ruin a perfectly decent car due to lack of knowledge.
Thats exactly why I posted this ..this will be my first dive into the chop and build area . I usually start with a decent car and go from there but this will be more involved than my other builds ..I just wanted a springing point so I DONT ruin this body or frame Well I guess Ill sell the frame and build my own Im guessing 2x4 steel tubes will work Thanks to all the posts Vie also been digging in past tech articles
The Essex 2-door is basically the 4-door with the back door area filled in with a door skin. They made the 2-door from a 4-door at the factory. I have had a few 2-doors, in fact I just sold one. Nice thing is they are all metal structure, no wood framework except for upholstery fastening purposes. Pat..
There is quite a wood framework above the doors and header in those cars as they have huge door header rails from front to back. But, you're right they are steel-structured and do have lots of interchangeable pieces for reduction in costs of manufacturing. For instance the doors can be interchanged with some modification left to right and vice versa. The inner door panels and inside quarter panels holding the regulators etc. can be interchanged side for side. Many panels are stamped with both R and L holes and mounting points.
G'Day Saints , heres my take on what you want to do with it Buy it weld up the back doors leave the front doors stock length fit the body to the 32 chassis with the rear wheels centred in the rear fender opening I beam axle and hairpins or 36 radius rods nice little hemi maybe use that 34 grille thats sittin' on the roof there some nice big headlights down low now that to me would look the ....ducks nuts cheers Steve in Oz
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