Im building a model a coupster it was an old hot rod body very ruff i was hoping to run it as a highboy fenderless but with side aprons but after sitting the body on the ch***is today its kinda telling me it needs to be channeled again. Ive never built an a before so im looking for some guidance im torn between channeling it or not it had a very extreme channel at one point and there is no floor or firewall so its all kinda out of wack can anyone show me the mounting points of the body and frame mounts on a model a ? The body is a 30-31 im not sure what year frame but it is model a. First pick is the body sitting on the frame with some 3/4 inch wood holing it up This picture you can see how extreme the channel was notice the plate on the door jam thats where the channeled floor use to come up to the bodys kinda leaning forward in the pic tho. This pic i believe it where the front of the body is suposed to mount to the frame but there about an inch or more to narrow on the frame? Anyone elaborate?
And heres a picture of it from the rear with the body in stock location its extremely high even without wheels lol
Personally I wouldn't channel a car lower than the bottom of the frame rails. Then you'll need to z the frame to get the car to sit low enough to get the wheels to line up in the wheel wells.
Put a piece of plywood on the frame rails where a seat would go. Then put a seat of some sort on the plywood. Next mock-up a windshield out of some s**** wood or metal. Now you can sit in the car and see how it works out for you. You might want to raise the body, or even sit the body on top of the frame. It all depends on how tall you are, as you should look thru the windshield, and NOT over it. Make it user friendly first....(comfortable).....then make it look cool. If it isn't low enough, do a Rolling Bones style front suspension, and Z the frame in the rear. This will lower the whole car. If you do a hard channel, you lower the body and reduce the height of the ****pit, which might have you looking over the windshield unless you are really short person. -Good luck, have fun.
Same here. Take the body mounts, the two-hole ones at the base of the cowl posts, off of the frame, flip them over, and put them back on. Make new ones for the rest. That will give you about a 4" channel. More than that, and you will look like you are about to comically about to fall out of the car while going around a corner.
'28-'31 body mounts are the same, given the same body style. I will take some pictures tomorrow. We have a '29A RPU in the shop, right now, that is getting a 4" channel. It is possible that the mounts you have now have been moved, or the cowl is distorted, or both. Have a look here, save for future reference: http://www.wescottsauto.com/Tech/FrameDiagram1928-31.pdf
this is helping me sooo much guys!! i am in the same spot with my car trying to find the look and comfortable i need i am 6ft. and i know i want to channel to cover up the frame!
I would stand with the channel to the bottom of the rails guys. You run out of meaningful interior space super quickly in a channeled "A", and in a roadster that means the wind buffeting will try to kill you much quicker. I would also recommend doing a large prtion of your drop in the suspension via stuff like a dropped axle, and tailored springs and such. A "z" in the back is good, but i have never been personally fond of a double "z"d frame.
No i dont care for the double z eaither it actually has a reversed eye front spring and a 33 axle witch give it some drop over stock for the front but i havent 100% figured out what i want to do in the rear yet probally a t spring and ill prolly just end up welding tubing across the bottom of the frame for the body to sit on and make body mounts up from there if i can figure out where the body should be exactly
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