i know this has been covered, and i am beating a dead horse. but i am having alot of issues with correct distance from firewall to grillshell. i know i know, everyone builds them different, and i am building it for me, not anyone else. so on too my dilemma. i built the frame from scratch, so the body can be positioned wherever i want, and it has a suicide spring behind front, and it is channelled 4.5 inches. my biggest issues are wheelbase length, and distributor removal without pulling the motor. im at about 115" too the center of the rear wheelwell opening where i want too locate the rear end (there is no rear suspension or rear end installed yet) with recessing the firewall about 2 inches, but not sure i will be able to remove the distributor if i set the motor at the height i want. with this style front end, it puts the front out so far, without wheels it is hard too see what it will look like. another question is, i dont have my radiator yet, but i do have the original 29 grillshell im using on this build. my question is if i set the motor with the alignment stub of the waterpump flush with the edge of the grillshell will this be sufficient clearance? i know the shell is about 4 inches thick, and the radiator i want has a core thickness of 2 1/4 inches.
When I started getting my sedan together I thought I wanted the front axle to be on a suicide perch. Once it was mocked up I couldn't stand it. The proportions are off if you don't really sink the engine into the firewall. I didn't want that, so I shortened everything up and moved the front spring behind the radiator. The grill and radiator are about as close to the engine as possible and I kept the stock '31 firewall intact. Here are two pictures of before and after. The hood area is about 6" longer than stock. You could cut that down a few inches if you don't care to recess the firewall. Hope this helps. Kevin Ooltewah Speed Shop
A mechanical fan will stick out a tad further than the end of the water pump. As for the distance, you have the stock dimension, if you're not running a hood then it doesn't matter, if you need to make it 32 inches or 34 inches or whatever. Stick a piece of wood on the bottom of the shell you can use to mock it in place and go from there -
thanks guys, i really like your tudor, but i dont want too rework my frame, and from cowl to axle im at 37 inches, looks long to me, but with no engine in place, no grill or front tires on, its decieving. and i like the suicide perch i built, so i think im gonna roll with it. thanks again for your input.
so, i measured the distance from cowl to grillshell if i keep my wheelbase at 115, i am at 28 from the recess for the hood on the shell and the cowl, my hood is 28.5, so im not too bad there, the suicide front kicks the wheels out further, but my distance issue is the cowl to shell. the firewall will need to be recessed about 3 inches, and getting the distributor out will require pullin the motor or lifting the body a couple inches. liftin the body wouldnt be bad, as i am making the body mounts, so they will be easy to access, and really, how often are you going to pull the distributor anyway? most times you would be doing someting more in depth and the motor would be easier too have out anyway. and pullin the motor in this car isnt gonna be a huge ordeal anyway, i pull engines out of nissan cars everyday (my job, 15 years strictly nissan repair) those are much more complicated, and can have almost any of them on the floor within 1-2 hours.
They use to make a front drive setup for a SB Chev. Why not see if you can dig one up and run the dist. in the front then it doesn't matter if it's recessed 3" or more! They used these setup on a lot of the altered as the enginde was set so far back the dist. was hard to work on. It also helps with the SBC's cam walk problem! Dutch
well, i thought about this all night, i have 2 original frames with 1 with a nice ft crossmember and nice front frame horns, if i cut the tube with the perch off my frame, and install a factory crossmember, it will help considerably with all the issues im having. like whhelbase will be shorter, can mount radiator with no issues, can mount shocks with minimal issues, and can taper the rails up and use the front horns off the factory frame. i have a spring behind 4"drop tube axle setup from speedway, so i think i can get the spring in the factory crossmember and set the axle just in front of the shell
Search for Salt Flats Speed Shop and look at the way he set up his front mount on his 32 Sedan. I know it's not exactly what you're looking for but you'll get some good ideas... and it's a good thread to read.
Put your radiator on, then your engine in, then line the firewall up and work your way back building the frame.
maybe there was some missunderstanding, my frame is already built, i am just talking about changing the front suicide perch and tube to using a stock crossmember and frame horns off one of my original frames.
well, thanks for all your input, but i spoke too my father (his car, im doing this for him) he likes the grillshell behind the front tube the perch is on, he likes the look of it. so too respect my fathers wishes i am gonna roll with it as is, he said wait till the tires are on, and the motor and grill are in place and everything will look more in proportion.
As others have said, get a radiator before you do anything permanent. Then you don't have to run an ugly plastic electric fan.
ok, im completly confused on this get a radiator first bit everyone keeps talkin about. i have a grillshell, i know the thickness of the radiator im buying, and have measured where it will sit inside the shell, also know where the shell is to be mounted, why would i need the radiator first?
If you know the thickness and the location of the coolant inlet and exit, you're okay to go from the shell. It's easier to start with your measurements and move back so that everything goes where you want it.
ok, now after all my questioning about why i need a radiator first and build back from that. i stopped where i was at, got my radiator, have mounted it, i finally understand what all of you are saying, i have never done this before, most of you have, thank you for your ***istance, and i will be finishing the rad mounts first (after my hand heals as a 150 pound limestone block smashed it and its got about 8 s***ches and its out of commission for about 2 weeks), the rad mounts were almost completed the day before my injury. then im gonna mount the engine and trans, build the trans crossmember and put the body back on and figure my rear end placement. i still think the front tube my perch is on is a lil big at 4", but it matches the rails i put the frame together with, and it will be ultra strong, overkill, but overkill is better than not enough. i just have too figure out some sort of cover for it as im mounting the rad and shell behind the tube. and what would any of you think of attaching the stock horns too the front of the tube? i have too notch it a bit at the bottom for tie rod clearance anyway, so the horns could be easily blended in
I don't have pics but I just finished my 28 coupe with sbc and everything in stock location, using stock gas tank and recessing firewall back to tank and I have no problem getting dist. in and out, only taking wires off..I'm also using a mechanical fan..With that said I think you will be fine and be able to get dist. out........
The Jalopy Journal
